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Published: October 4th 2006
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Arrived from
San Jose to the caribbean coast of
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica and it looks so amazing, very Caribbean.....so laid back....true Caribbean time here.......no rush maaaan!!
Stayed in Licas Cabañas, which is off the main strip for 6 dollah a night..very cheap, Went out to celebrate the Jewish new year with 12 Israeli people, had a great night and ended up with a few English guys who knew how to party a little better so decided to hit a few bars and the local club
Johnny’s , dogeramaa........lots of locals and it was all Reggae music, so at the end of the night the English guys being gentlemen walked us back to our hostel which was in a different direction to their hotel, there was 7 of us in total,
We noticed that 3 Caribbean guys were behind us and before we knew it they were running................... for us...so in a haze of confusion, dust rising from the dirt road as we all ran in a panic and in bated breath....all of a sudden they were on top of us, dragging and pulling us, they picked on us two girls and one other guy, there was such
a scatter no one knew what was happening!!!!! then there was a loud bang but I was too busy trying to fend off the guy that was spinning me around to notice that one of the guys got shot, I eventually gave him my bag when he put a gun to my face.
We only noticed there were lead pellet guns when the guy that was shot in the head was still standing covered in blood, people from the neighbouring houses came out and we were helped by an Italian couple that run another hostel on that dirt road,they brought us in and called the police.
The only thing that sticks out in my mind that night was everyone running.. slow motion... dust everywhere ...and the sound of everyone heavy breathing.
That same night there was a tourist shot, this time it wasn't with air guns it was the real thing and she didn't survive. (so considering I think we were lucky really)
The next morning we called to the guys hotel to see if they were ok as they seemed to have gotten the worse treatment out of us all, we left Puerto
V straight away for
Bocas Del Toro crossing the
Panama border which was the most
bizarre
crossing everrrrrrr.....
If you can picture this.....Walking across huge blanks of wood over a bridge with heavy rucksacks on your back...no railing to hang on to .... and being able to see the huge river below us, having to contend with the loud geeking of truck horns behind us to hurry us along as we were holding up traffic... CRAZY!!!! ....scariest crossing ever!!
Eventually arrive at Bocas Del Toro after a fantastic boat ride through the plantations, it was so serene, BDT is a lovely old American style town with old wooden houses, a big street is the main strip and the currency they use in Panama is US Dollar which is weird but it has such a huge America Influence from when the Panama canal was being built and has held on to this.
A few of us went out for dinner for my birthday but I am going to celebrate it after the Inca Trek in style....Spent a few days in Bocas Del Toro sorting out credit cards, Travel Insurance etc...
next stop the
beautiful beautiful village of Boquete hidden away in mountanous terrain in Panama... Stayed in a lovely hotel hostel in Boquete and went on a coffee excursion, found out all about te coffee bean or berry from when it is picked from the tree to the roasted bean...ZZZZzzzz!! tell a lie there was some interesting bits like there being 2 types of coffee, Robusta and 100%!A(MISSING)rabica..the latter being the best, Robusta is when the tree is sprayed and the berries all off and are swept up etc etc...this is mostly the coffee you get in petrol stations and canteens, cheap coffee that leaves that rubbery after taste in your mouth.
Spent 2 nights in Boquete and accepted a life form a German Lady called Antonette, she was going to Panama City and offered us a spin, she is a diplomat that works for the German Embassy, as we got to Panama City and was looking for our hostel she invited us to stay with her and son Markus which we accepted, she lived in this amazing penthouse suite, and made us feel sooo welcome, every morning we went out for the day sight seeing..... Old Panama City, Ancient Panama City, Panama Canal Museum
and shopping, we had the best experience ever and can honestly say that it has cancelled out the bad experience in Puerto Viejo. She is certainly a
rear diamond!! Arrived in Couzo Peru this morning and boy the last 24 hrs were hell, left from Panama City airport at 5.45am...so up at 3am...flew to Costa Rica for 7am and had 9 hrs wait there where where I just slept on the foor, then 4.30pm a flight to Lima Peru and arrived there for 7pm for another 9 hrs wait for our flight to Cozco Peru at 6am...now I have a throat infection for all the travelling and the altitude here is 11000meters (4000 above sea level I think) so its hard going......will let you know all about the Inca Trek as we start on Friday...thats if I am any way better.
(no pictures of the last few blogs and Costa R as my memory stick along with my Visa card and 300USD was taken, I NEVER bring out that much or my Visa but it was the one night I went to the bank and it was too dark to walk back to Boquete / Panama
The Local Barber the hostel to drop it back, maybe they were watching us when we were at the ATM, who knows but I wouldn't stay in a hostel again that is off the main strip in a place like this just because it's a little cheaper, could have cost us more than cash!!)
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Pete
non-member comment
Have you got insurance to drive that boat???
Damn brigette, your making me wish I was travelling now again.. :( as i sit here looking out at the rain...sniff...sniff.... Great to see your enjoying yourself. Haaaa told you you'd need a backpack ...lol ..cya Pete