Central America - Panama

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My final country in Central America and the last week in my thirties! Our first stop in Panama was a city called David. It was just an overnight stay there so we had a look at the main plaza and then went to a nice local seafood restaurant. We were given a free shot glass full of ceviche for starters and then I had concha a la criolla (conch shell dish) for a main. Ali ordered a flan for dessert but it was slightly cheesecake-like so I had some too! We woke up at 7.30 the next morning with the sound of macaws having a lover's tiff and so we had time for a nice dip in the swimming pool.

After a long bus journey to Panama City we arrived at the Best Western Zen hotel which is the most luxurious place I've stayed in the whole trip and even had a rooftop terrace and pool. Ali looked so happy when we arrived and was even more pleased to find out that there was an 80s film on the TV! The following day we explored Casco Viejo, a beautiful party of the city with colonial buildings and cobbled streets. We then went to the pedestrianised Avenida Central which had lots of stores advertising bargains and closing down sales. It was starting to get a bit late so we decided to take a taxi up to Cerro Ancon to see the viewpoint. However the driver wasn't able to take us all the way to the top so we started to walk the rest of the path. Halfway along it started raining, well in Central America it doesn't rain, it pours! We weren't prepared for this and got soaking wet as we made our way back. However just near the gate we heard a crash and found a sloth had fallen down. It looked quite soggy but was unhurt and managed to slowly climb back up the tree again. We watched it for a while as neither of us had seen a sloth so close before. After that we made our way back to the security guard's hut and asked her about taxis as Uber couldn't locate any available cars. It just so happened that a taxi driver was on his way and his original passenger had cancelled so we could wait for him instead. She gave us some paper towels to dry off and let us shelter in the hut along with her pet cat. The taxi driver was a bit of a character and when I mentioned Uber he went out of his way to show that his taxi was way better. He offered us lollipops, towels, restaurant menus, sanitary towels, condoms and viagra!

We left Panama City to visit the San Blas Islands for two nights. This involved a long ride in a four wheel drive vehicle along the motorway and then along a very curvy and bumpy road through the hills of the Kuna Yala region. The Kuna tribe are the only people allowed to live in Kuna Yala which includes the islands of San Blas. Tourists are allowed to visit but there are no big hotels or overdeveloped resorts and you need to show your passport and pay an entrance fee to enter the territory. Many Kuna now also live in and around Panama city but still maintain their traditions. Our driver Adrian showed us a photo with his mother, grandmother and great-grandmother wearing traditional dress. We had booked to stay at Isla Chichime so after a petrol pitstop for the boat we then continued on to our paradise island. Our island was quite small and only took about 20 minutes to walk around it. The palm fringed beach had beautiful powdery white sand and starfish in the clear turquoise water. We stayed in cabins made of wood and bamboo which were just a stones throw from the beach. I made the mistake of leaving my bags on the floor when I first arrived and a few crabs decided they were a good hiding place! On our first day we went on a snorkelling trip but it started pouring with rain so I didn't do much snorkelling as I felt really cold and couldn't get the hang of snorkelling without a tube. However the following day we went on a trip to Isla del Perro (island of the dog) and luckily the weather had improved and I got a snorkel with a tube this time. We went snorkelling around an old shipwreck and saw lots of fish there including my favourite polka dot fish. Apart from snorkelling trips we mostly went for walks around the island, relaxed on the beach and ate delicious fresh fish. On our last night it was the birthday of one of the boat captains so we had a bit of a fiesta, drinking rum and wine, dancing and feeling fine!

Back in Panama City we visited the canal and visitor centre by Miraflores locks. These locks are the tallest in the canal with a good viewpoint. The centre was very interesting and I ended up spending too long in there as I usually do in museums! We then got hungry and went to the cafe. We were about to go as we'd seen everything but then they announced that ships would soon be passing through the locks. We ended up staying to watch quite a number of different ships pass as it was so fascinating! The following day was my birthday and Ali left an assortment of gifts for me in the hotel room including some lollipops and two candles to show the big 4 0! We then had a second attempt at Cerro Ancon and this time luckily it was sunny. Once reaching the top of the hill we sat and admired the view whilst eating our rainbow lollipops. We then headed back to Casco Viejo to find a Panama hat for Dad and stumbled across a bar/restaurant where they were about to have a live performance. The restaurant was named after the devilish dance performed during Corpus Christi called "Diablicos" and I had a devilish cocktail to fit in with the theme. We first saw a devilish dance with dancers in scary masks and a mirror on their heads. Then they performed a variety of panamanian dances in traditional dress. The singer then started to sing Happy Birthday and I was invited to join the dancers for their final dance. To finish the day we headed to a rooftop bar to enjoy the views and eat some pizza to soak up the devilish cocktail. The big 4 0 candles went onto a nice piece of cheesecake for me...it's not so bad turning 40 after all!

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