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Having difficulty sleeping on the night bus to Panama City, my head swam with thoughts of recent travels. My journeys through Central America are coming to a close and I'm about to embark on a new chapter. The past four months have been an amazing experience, and I'm sure South America will be no less. The amount of time I plan to spend and the areas I will cover are still unknown. All I can say for certain is that there is more that I wish to see before I return (sorry Trey). I surely do miss you all, but I must take this rare opportunity to see and learn as much as possible. Over the past few months I have been in contact with old friends that I haven't seen or talked to in the longest of time. It has made me aware of the relationships that I have been missing out on. I realize now how important it is to stay in touch with old friends. It is easy to get so completely rapped up in our own lives that we forget to check-in on those that were such a big part of it. I know at this stage
in our lives spare time is limited, but a simple phone call or e-mail can mean so much. I know it has for me. For instance; I was just recently contacted by a friend from the past that many know as Turnblazer. Jason had been turned onto my journal by Woody Woodsen (small world) and soon discovered that I had met some missionaries (Mike and Karen Rhea) in Guatemala that he is working with. He and some friends are helping fund the construction of a new orphanage in the Rió Dulce (see
A Spiritual Recharge or
The Arrival of Big Daddy Benny for reference). It is truly amazing how interconnected many of our lives are and we don't even realize it. I must give Jason a hand for the work that he is doing and thank him personally for his words of encouragement and the gift that he gave to me so unselfishly; and I will just leave it at that. I would like to end this entry with a small list I compiled of my favorite places, activities, and experiences in Central America; but first things first. I am finishing up in Panama City; and what better way to close this section of my travels.
On the last leg of my Central American travels; I find myself deep in the cosmopolitan jungle of
Panama City. This capital of Panama (the narrowest isthmus bridging the Americas) is a center for international banking and trade and also home to the famous Panama Canal. I took a couple of days, before leaving for South America, to discover some of the history behind this well known section of the world. This region gained world attention because it is the narrowest point between the Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean. In the beginning, the transport of goods was made across land (via the El Camino Real and Sendero las Cruses trade routes); but later the canal project was initiated. The
Panama Canal, which was started by the French and finished by the U.S. in 1914, is one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. The canal stretches 80km from ocean to ocean; with nearly 14,000 ships passing through it annually. The canal has three sets of double locks, and releases 52 million gallons of freshwater into the ocean with the passage of each ship. I traveled here with a group from the hostel (Voyager International) and watched as giant freighters (ships
worldwide are built to the canal’s scale) slowly went through the water-adjusting lock process. After observing several revolutions; we headed to the former location of the city of Panamá - Panamá Viejo.
Founded in 1519 by the Spanish, Panamá Viejo (Old Panama) was the first European settlement along the Pacific. Due to the high traffic of gold and other goods traveling along the El Camino Real and Sendero las Cruses, the city became target to many attacks by pirates over the years. This region of the Caribbean lured many pirates (hence the pirates of the Caribbean) such as Sir Henry Morgan (Capt. Morgan), Sir Francis Drake, and the dreaded Capt. Jack Sparrow. In 1671, the city of Panamá was destroyed by the English pirate Henry Morgan. Years later, the city was rebuilt 8km southwest in the area known today as Casco Antiguo. My sightseeing crew and I made our way here next, and had quite the time. Being the movie buff that I am; I took the group to Manuel Noriega’s old hangout (
Club de Clases y Tropas) where scenes from the movie “The Tailor of Panama” were filmed. Colonel Manuel Noriega (head of Panama’s secret police and acting President for a short
time) used this oceanside palace as a hangout and a place to entertain high ranking officials. On December 15, 1989 after being declared President, Noriega announced that Panama was at war with the USA ; and Panamanian soldiers killed an unarmed US marine dressed in civilian clothing. Five days later, the US invaded Panama (Operation Just Cause) and overthrew Noriega and destroyed his compound in the process. So, all that stood in front of us was the shell of his once prestigious palace. While standing beside the building, we met a local that wore a tourist badge (probably fake) and he offered to show us the inside of the compound. The one stipulation was that we had to be quiet, because the police would arrest him if he was caught touring us around inside (sounded fun to me - I could always play the dumb tourist act if caught). We made our way through a hole in the rear of the building (oceanside), where Noriega parked all of his boats. Drudging through the dark, water filled basement, we finally arrived at the pool side section of the mansion. This palace of a house was huge; with a amazing view of
the city across the ocean inlet. The guide showed us all around the place explaining the history to us. We soon had to make a quick exit because a homeless man that was sleeping inside, set a pile of garbage on fire (don’t ask me why) and could have possibly attracted the police. We exited unseen and tipped our guide $1 each for the excitement; and then continued on with our tour of the Casco Antiguo area. Escorted by two employees of the tourism office (hired for the area to prevent crime on tourists), we toured such sites as Plaza de Francia, the Cathedral, Parque Bolívas, Iglesia de San Francisco, and Palacio de las Garzas (where the Panamanian President resides for work). Accompanied by the tourist guides, we were able to get past the guards (after a search) and get a close look at the Presidential Palace. He had exotic cranes (from South Africa) walking around his compound; must be a bird lover. One last tid bit before I cease this rambling; there are secret underground tunnels connecting all of the seven churches in the area. They were used as escape routes back in the day when there was a
Panama City from a Distance
View seen from Noriega's Former Balconythreat of pirate attacks. It is wild to think about what it must have been like back in those buccaneer days. I would have had to be a pirate though; I totally dig the whole sword, bandana, and eye patch look. Arrrrr!
It sure is hard to believe this journey is half-way over. It feels like just the other day that I came rolling back into Tennessee from the Colorado Rockies. Time is just flyin’ and the big 30 is right around the corner. I had planned on hiking the Inca trail up to the ruins of Machu Picchu for my 30th birthday but the trip is booked solid till September; so that plan is out. I will hopefully still see Machu Picchu via another route, but it will be sooner than July. I had also thought about visiting the Galapagos Islands (too expensive) or the Amazon; but I just don’t know. Oh yeah mom, you can stop holding your breath now, because I will be skipping over Colombia and Venezuela and going straight to Quito, Ecuador. There is still the option of hitting the two countries on the flight home; but we’ll just have to wait and see.
OK! OK! I promised you a favorites list so let’s get to it. Now let me remind you that I did not go to Mexico on this trip (that was when I was younger), so it will be absent from the rankings. There is also the possibility of more than one choice for favorites, because there were some very close ties. Let me also make it clear to everyone that these are my opinions. This is based on the places I have been and the experiences I had there; you could have totally different circumstances which give you an entirely different perspective. Plus, I can't completely explore every country or do every activity there is to do. I already caught slack for my journal on El Salvador, and I realize I only saw a small piece of the country and was only there for a short time. I have met many people who say that it is one of their favorite countries in C. America, but my circumstances were different. So, take from my entries what you wish and disregard what you don't agree with, but always remember it's my journal. Alright enough of explaining myself.
Best of
Central America
*
Favorite Country- Guatemala w/ Nicaragua as a close second (Of course I spent the most time in these countries, so it may be biased)
*
Friendliest Hostel-
Bigfoot (León, NI) and
Pensión Santa Elena (Santa Elena, CR)
*
Best Party Hostel-
La Iguana Perdida (Santa Crúz La Laguna, GU) and
Casa Oro (San Juan del Sur, NI)
*
Nicest Hostel Setup-
El Retiro (Lanquin, GU) and
Hostal Oasis (Granada, NI)
*
Most Secluded and Relaxing Hostel-
Finca Tatin (Rió Dulce, GU) and Water's Edge (Laguna de Apoyo, NI)
*
Best Hostel Food- Hacienda Mérida (Isla de Ometepe, NI) - dinner buffet
*
Best Backpacker Town- San Pedro La Laguna, GU and San Juan del Sur, NI
*
Best Ruins- Tikal, GU
*
Best Active Volcano- Volcán Pacaya, GU
*
Best Volcano Hike- Volcán Maderas, NI
*
Most Exciting Tour- Cave Swim at Semuc Champey, GU
*
Most Unique Tour- Volcano Surfing (Cerro Negro), NI
*
Best Ride- Canopy Tour, Monteverde, NI and "Chicken Bus",GU
*
Best Colonial Town- Antigua, GU
*
Best Cathedral- León, NI and (La Merced) Antigua, GU
*
Best Panoramic View- Temple IV and Perdido Mundo- Tikal, GU and top of Volcán San Pedro- GU
*
Most Secluded Beach- Playa Guinas - Nosara, CR and Playa Madera - San Juan del Sur, NI
*
Best Surf- Playa Guinas - Nosara, CR
*
Best Lake- Lago de Atitlan, GU
*
Best River- Rió Dulce, GU
*
Longest Surf Break- Playa Sunzal, ES
*
Most Beautiful Island- Roatan, HO
*
Best Scuba Diving- Utila, HO and Belize (all)
*
Best Dive Site- Black Hills-Utila, HO and Black Coral Reef-Turniffe Islands, BE and The Blue Hole-BE(didn't get to dive it but heard it was the best)
*
Best Dive Company-
Utila Dive Centre *
Best Snorkel- Hol Chan Marine Reserve and Shark Ray Alley - Belize
*
Friendliest Locals- Guatemala
*
Best Wildlife- Tikal, GU and Ometepe, NI
*
Best Marine Life- Shark Ray Alley-BE and Black Hills-Utila, HO
*
Best Food- Barracuda in garlic sauce - Ambergris Caye, BE ; Mojarra (local fish) - Rio Dulce, GU; and Seared Tuna in Avocado sauce - Nosara, CR (
Guilded Iguana)
*
Best Pizza- Tele Pizza - Granada, NI
*
Cheapest Country to Travel- Guatemala
*
Cheapest Meal- Market food (Tortilla and pan (bread), Avocado, salt, and a Mango for dessert - $0.40) or (Tamale - $0.15 but I needed more than 1)
*
Best Bus Company-
Tica Bus *
Best Canal- Duh!
*
Best Country Capital- Panama City, PA
*
Best Path Less Traveled by Backpackers- El Salvador
There you have it! That was just off the top of my
head. There were so many awesome places that it was really hard to narrow my choices down. Central America really is an amazing region of the world and is home to many wonderful people. I surely will miss it. Well, here I come South America! Oh yeah, click on the map at the top of the journal if you would like to see my total travel path over the past 4 months. Until then; take care and Adios!
Funky Foot Note: I am presently suffering from funkyfeetitis, which is an odoriferous disease that guarantees no female attention. Damp sandals packed into a backpack for a sixteen hour bus ride through humid conditions is a recipe for an unbearable stench. I was forced to keep my sandals outside the hostel when complaints came from dorm guests about a horrible, unknown smell. I quickly hide the evidence and drew attention to the English bloke's towel. I have now purchased Talcon 2000 odor eater and put it into effect. I believe this powerful powder is illegal in the states; but I will attempt to smuggle some back for my boy Bob Mo. I believe he caught the same disease while travelling here
The Siteseers
Tetsuo, Sebastian, Adam, and Stephanie years ago. The long term results of the treatment are still unknown; so keep your fingers crossed. Thank You!
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Christy Graves
non-member comment
WOW
Jeremy -- everything that you are seeing and doing in amazing. What a cool experience - I'm jealous. I have a friend of a friend who lives in Argentina if you happen to get there too! Travel safely. Jughead will keep you in his prayers!!!