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Published: February 25th 2007
So, I´m just going to finish up catching up a little, because my central american adventure is about to end. I´m going down to Venezuela!
I was gunna take a boat to columbia, but the way it worked, they told me there are no boats now because the wind is strong. I went to this hostel where they have information about the boats, and that is what he told me. I wasn´t staying there, and he wasn´t happy I asked, and I heard they aren´t very friendly, and the place sucked, and I was glad I wasn´t staying there. Anyway, it was time for plan B. Right nearby, I found a travel agency. I went in to check it out. Turned out flights to columbia and venezuela were about the same, so I said, hey, why not. I always like doing things I wasn´t planning on, I am so easily distracted. So we booked the flight up and all that good stuff, and I´m set off to go tuesday to venezuela. Sounds exotic...I have no idea what I´ll find there. Everyone says the girls are beautiful in columbia, and I´ve heard the same of venezuela...well, here I go!
I´ve just
been laying low in panama city, as much as that´s possible. I spend a lot of time chilling out, and taking care of business to get ready for the next leg of the trip...noteworthy adventures--
After I picked up my plane ticket, I walked around with the guy from the travel agency. We went downtown, and I hadn´t been there yet. I told him I was looking for a haircut. We asked a few places near the agency, but they were expensive. He said he knew places that were 2 dollars! So we went there. This one place had a bunch of young guys sitting around. I sat down for my cut. I think it´s one of the best I got. I told the guy, Um, do it like yours, but longer on top. He set off to do it. There is an ancient myth that all male haircutters are gay, but I don´t think these guys were. They had a kinda ghetto style, and they were just trying to make a few bucks. So That´s the allegorical non gay haircutter for ya. When I was leaving, they said something about chicas. I was like, yeah the panama girls are
pretty, and we all laughed. It was kinda funny, I don´t know why but it was awkward. You know how haircutters will try to talk to you while they do it? This guy didn´t.
Then, it was night and I went and got a bite to eat with rafeal, the guy from the agency. We had some good food--lots of it. He told me the water is good to drink in all of panama. He said it´s the best in the world. We drank cups of it straight from the tap...I think he´s right too, but I´ve become accostumed to always buying it in bottles, so it was strange for me. I said, really, no way!
Then, he showed me his place, which had a view of the city which was awesome. His friend was sleeping in a bed in the room. It was interesting to see how people live in panama, that was my first glimpse of the city. The sky rises stood high over the bay. It´s very dirty, he said, all the sewage goes into that bay.
Next day I was on a mission to get my camera, since I lost it. I had
done my homework and knew what I wanted and where to get it. First I had to have some brunch, I was hungry! I ended up at the same place we had dinner. I was sitting down eating, and this guy comes up with belts and wallets. Look, he said. And he pops out a switch blade. He was a little old guy, and no harm at all. I was sold. How much, I asked? Three dollars. Two, I said. Three, so I can get something to eat. Fair enough, I thought! So I gave him three dollars and took his switchblade! Now that´s how to do transactions when someone busts out a knife on you. See, I always wanted a switchblade since I was a little kid. My friend told me stories of them in mexico, you could get em for 20 bucks. How young we were, and how much we had to learn. It´s a dang good switch blade and I figure to really cut up some pineapples with it, and I´ll just give it away if I get bored of it.
Anyway, then I found an alarm clock, which I never had this trip. I figure
I´ll need it for s america...I was getting all the things I needed...then I got the camera, and it came with a case too, and a free memory card. So I was happy. I have taken some pics with it, and so I´ll stop writing so much soon. It´s better than my other I think, so it was a blessing in disguise after all...my screen broke on my other sailing the san francisco bay with some friends. Now with this I can do night shots--oh you will be seeing some good pics I hope. I´m gunna try to hang on to this one.
And then...I tired to do some clothes shopping, because after 6 months wearing the same stuff, you can get pretty tired of it. Also it can get permanently smelly and worn out. The pants I started with, I didn´t like them to start! Only progress I made was to get some pants and some cargo shorts. I also want to try to not look so raggedy. But I found clothes shopping pretty hard--I don´t have much practice I guess. I don´t really like clothes, usually my attitude is I don´t care, but once in a while
I guess I could make an effort. I don´t need to look like einstien all the time. ha ha.
Anyway, soon we should have some pictures up here. Then it´s off to venezuela, and after, columbia. For a while I was feeling weak, but now I´m gaining strength for my voyage.
Oh, in the park just now, there were some native people dancing around in a circle and playing flutes. It was really cool. Still haven´t been to the panama canal, but I may go tomorrow. Also, there is the bridge that connects the americas real close by here, I crossed it on the way over. It´s pretty cool!
That´s it for now. I have some picture work to do, that´s for sure.
Peace, panama city 2-23-07
or 2-25 actually? man, I missed a couple days somewhere.
Colin
ps
oh I forgot to mention!
So I left Chrisopher tuesday morning. His mom cooked up some plantiens, really good. I was eating them, and she said, what you don´t like them? I said, yeah I love them. And she said, well eat them all! Then she fed me porridge and we had a hotdog too.
I was stuffed. I think you´re not suppossed to refuse food, and don´t be bashful about accepting it, that´s just silly. I´m just inferring though. Good thing my parents never taught me manners! That´s what my sis and bro used to say, but it´s good because then I can kinda just schlep thru everything and learn the new ones. ha ha ha.
OK, so I got on the bus to panama, and I was so tired. Christopher and I were up till 3 waiting for the pararde. Ahorita we found out, can be 5 hours! Anyway, I got on the bus. Here is what was going on--
the worst thing I ever heard was on the radio. It was my own version of personal hell. First I was really tired and cranky, second, it was a mix of reggeaton that changed every 4 bars (to a new song), and the transition was a guy screaming who sounded like, pardon me, a down syndrome person yelling. Ya ya ya me me me moo ma ma ma moooo! I was so annoyed, it was the most obnoxious thing ever. And the music was blaring. I put in my earplugs, and thank
god for those, but even with them it was loud and killin me.
The other thing was, ever four bars in addition to the guy screaming--and he was way louder than the music, they had a bus horn go huuuuuuuungk, also really loud. They used another really annoying affect way too much as well. This basically was nonstop for 5 hours. I thought, stop the party! This sucks! I realized I can only take so much party, then I just get tired and sick of it. IT was the same in barcelona where I met my brazilian friends. I had to leave at 2 or 3, just couldn´t take it anymore. I was glad I could escape carnival a day early. I can´t imagine if I was in Rio. I probably woulda got pneumonia again and died. ha ha ha.
anyway, I was very thankful when I got off that bus. Whew! It was the most annoying ever!
So when I got to Panama, I got on a bus into the city. I passed a bunch of hotels and wound up in the middle of a dead city--the high rise part. All was closed, and no one
was around because it was carnival. I wandered around with my pack. At least it was quiet! I was looking for the hostel that I found a few days later and asked about boats asked, that sucked. Luckily I never found it! Instead, I asked two young ladies for help. They were real nice. They were from columbia, and they walked around with me asking people, and called information. I asked them about girls in columbia, and they said that it isn´t just that they´re pretty, but the proportion is so high, it´s impresionante...I asked if they thought the girls might like me. They thought maybe with my blond hair and all. The americans like the columbians and the columbians like the americans. That´s what they said. Well turns out I´m going to venezuela first. I always like surprises!
Oh yeah, the girl next to me on the bus to las tablas, she was telling me about carnival and all, which I knew nothing about. We passed this big add for beer, with a girl on it. She said, that´s my friend, she´s pretty. This girl was pretty herself! So I´ve seen that add everywhere, and I´m going to
try to get a pic of it for my blog. It´s even in panama. I believe her for some reason. Why would she lie?
But enough of this!
man I almost forgot to say: thank chirsopher and his mom for their amazing hospitality! I offered to give him some money for the stay, but he said, no, it´s normal. I´m so happy I got to experience the panama hospitality, because I hadn´t stayed with anybody yet, not any locals, I mean, cause I did stay with gwyn. But this was so cool...I often say some of the best things happen last when you travel. That´s why I don´t just give up at the end, I know there could be a big surprise right around the corner. It was amazing how nice they were! You couldn´t find a hotel in las tablas, no way! and the prices are all jacked up really high...but they just did it all to help me out. Man I owe them big! But it´s not even like that. They just did it out of the goodness of their hearts, not expecting anything. That´s so cool. So the story is now, I´m staying at a
busses come and go
but nobody knows
where they stop
where they drop off
anonymous peopleplace called, Pension Las Tablas, in panama city. Funny huh?
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