Blogs from Panama City, Panamá, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 9

The last night in our jungle lodge was interesting. When we left our chalet for dinner there was a member of staff outside with a torch. He was there to tell us to tread carefully because a poisonous viper had decided to have a sleep in the middle of the path. It was definitely time to leave. The stupid Copa airlines 03:52 flight from Manaus to Panama got even more stupid when the aircon on the plane broke after take-off. They could either leave it on freezing or boiling. They decided on freezing. It was so cold you could see your breath. And so to sweltering Panama. We got chatting to an elderly American couple at the airport. They live here. They told us roughly what to expect – high rise concrete, traffic jams, banks and ... read more

Day 478 Thursday 31st January Got up at 8.30 feeling like we could have slept till midday. I don’t know why but yesterday knocked the stuffing out of us and we both felt wrecked. After breakfast we took a long time to get into gear and head out the door to explore the city. Hadn’t planned on anything today other than just checking out our new environment, which was probably the best plan in the state we were in. Panama City has supposedly a population of 1.2 million but looks like it would be double that. Pedestrian wise, walking the streets the city doesn’t feel that congested, but the traffic is horrendous and the drivers are really, really aggressive. I am sure most would gladly run over their Grandmothers to get through ... read more

So it's been quite a while, figure it's time for an update. Sorry about the long time between blogs but... I really hate writing them up. It has been a fun seven weeks though so I'll try and hit the main highlights here. After leaving Mexico City (no traffic issues this time), Max and I headed in a general south direction, through some volcano country and sugar cane fields. In Huajuapan, we spent an evening in a pool hall, watching the Manny Pacquiao - Juan Marquez fight Dec. 10. Marquez, a Mexican, knocked out Pacquiao out cold in the last seconds of the sixth round and the bar, town, and probably entire country, went nuts. Crossing over the mountains to the Carribean side again, one of my headlights blew out so I started driving with the ... read more

On the long journey from Ostional to the central capital we had decided that we'd skip the big city and take another long bus to the Caribbean coast and a beach side town called Cahuita. The journey was pretty spectacular, climbing and descending through deeply forested areas before reaching the flatter plains of the coast. We arrived after dark, but the hostel owner meeting us with his huge dog 'Scooby Doo' meant that we knew we'd made the right decision. Heading out into the town we immediately noticed a huge difference from the pacific side of the country. The Caribbean vibe was there in full flow, with reggae beats and dreadlocks the order of the evening. After a lay in we ventured out into Cahuita National Park and we weren't disappointed. The park stretched about 6 ... read more

We truly appreciate those of you that have been following our blog and posting comments. We apologize for doing such a shitty job of posting on it and really have no justifiable excuse. We are well, still together after over 4100+ continuous hours in each other's company, and having a great adventure. We last touched base at the end of September when we were departing Belize after a wonderful month in our home away from home. Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica Upon arriving in San Jose, Costa Rica we spent a short night there and then hopped on a bus over to Puerto Viejo on Costa Rica's southern Caribbean coast. It was a beautiful 5-hour ride through mountainous regions and lush rainforests. We had forgotten how much more developed Costa Rica is than its neighboring countries to ... read more