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Published: December 24th 2008
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Hola!
Arriving in Panama was... well more of a challenge that anyone had anticipated! It took us more than five hours to cross the border and it was not an easy feat! In fact, we had gotten up at 5:30am to catch the first bus to the border so that we would have a smooth crossing as midday crowds make for long lines.... however, smoothness was simply not part of the process at the border. At about 9:00am, we had officially left Costa Rica, and were at immigration in Panama, but the official refused to stamp our passports... you see, being Canadian and American, we needed to purchase a $5 tourist card and have it in our passport before immigration would stamp it. Sounds easy enough... except that the one person who sold the tourist cards at the border had not shown up for work and the office was closed. Now, without this card, they would not let us enter, and after waiting for the guy selling the tourist card to show up for 2 hours, we were told that the person would likely not come at all. So, we decided we would have to stay overnight at the border
Me at the canal...
still lovin the braids & full of random Canadian pride!!! town... except immigration told us if we did that, having left Costa Rica the previous day, they would not let us into Panama... now it would seem our only available option was to return to Costa Rica... except, you have to have a ticket out of Costa Rica in order to get into the country, and none of us that that either... not to mention, our Christmas flight was out of Panama, so we had to get this done, and get it done right.
After a lot of frustration (mostly from the immigration officials who had no idea what to do with us...) we realized that we could get someone official to take two of us (illegally, but accompanied) for a certain price... so we caved and made the arrangements. Carmen and I went with a local official to a bank where the tourist cards could be purchased, and then after we realized he had told us they were twice as expensive, we paid the original amount and suddenly our local official was not so inclined to help... he told us gas was expensive and dumped us near a taxi. We negotiated our way back to the border, and
after only about 5 hours, had our passports stamped and made our way to Boca Del Toro... a beautiful island with nothing but beaches and a Caribbean feel.
So, we decided to go all out, and I got my hair braided - local style... and we rented ourselves some surf boards and hit the waves.... literally, well, the waves certainly hit us... it was one of the worst places for surfing... but all of the surrounding areas are for professionals only because the rip tides and currents are so incredibly strong and unpredictable... so we had a day of being thrashed about, but I was happy enough, as I did manage to stand up and catch one good ride... and I also manged to get to my knees a few times and basically had a blast. Of course, the day after, from the arm bruises, to the board rash and bruised ribs... well, we were glad to be in the land of hammocks and beaches because we spent a day recovering!
Then we were off to Boquete... which was amazing! One of our friends from the last city happened to live near Boquete, so we all bused in
that he grabbed his van and drove us the rest of the way. We bunked down at one of his friends' hostels and explored Boquete in style - an actual van that fit us all!!! From hot springs to coffee plantations, the little hilly town was a nice break and allowed us all to rest up and hang out for a few days.... we even pulled off a movie night - an amazingly rare thing while travelling!
After Boquete we made our way to Panama city and were yet again wowed. This city is the epitome of contrast: from our colonial Mansion turned hostel, we can look to the right and see the crumbling old colourful city that is falling to pieces, and to the left of the hostel, we can see the modern Miami of the south skyscrapers reflecting in the water. To the right, we can meander through the colonial streets and find markets and historical or government buildings heavily guarded, to the left, we can never walk and night and only at our own risk during the day as it is a slum with incredibly high a crime rate, but if you taxi through it, you
Okay, so I am a little obsessed...
but they are sooo different for me!!! land in the centre of a very modern and developed business and city centre. Not to mention the wonder of the palm tree lined causeway that joining the coast to a small island, or the fish market where you can buy and grill up fresh lobster, or the local native people selling their art in full traditional wear, with the bright red fabrics and the solid yellow beading from their ankles to their knees - truly a wonderful city!
Merry Christmas to all and there will be more from Brazil soon...
Trish xx
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