This picture is the pair of shorts that gave up the ghost on this trip. They wore through in several places. On one hand it was disappointing to leave them, as they mad a great fashion statement when worn with colorful boxers. Here are some final thoughts: Education – Panama has one of the worst […]
Panama
Carmen’s Place
There are innkeepers, and there is Carmen. Carmen and Marcel moved to Bastimentos from the Netherlands three years ago, and got this Caribbean inn. Most of the lodgings are on the water. Guests are delivered via water taxi. They are called by flying a red flag at the end of the dock. Carmen is a […]
Air Panama Blues
We decided to fly back to Panama City, rather than busing it. We didn’t want to spend all day traveling. When I booked the ticket, the had the flight departing Changuinola (CHX). It is about an hour north of Almirante, the landside port to Bocas Town, the hub of the islands. Turns out there is […]
Zapatillos
Carmen told us that if there is only one tour, this is the one. We took off in the morning with four of her other guests, a Brazilian couple and two young Romanian women. First Stop: Fuel. We were picked up at Carmen’s dock, then stopped at one of the docks. There was a lot […]
Boquete to Bastimentos in a Blur
Anyone who has ever tried to shoot photos from a moving vehicle, knows that it is pretty much a fool’s errand. Anything close is blurry, even if the far is in focus. Nonetheless, I tried to take shots on the bus between Boquete and Bastimentos. What you will see is a series of semi to […]
Boquete – Windy City
If I was to say the “Boquete Gap” in Boquete, it would be redundant, in Brazil it would be unmentionable, and to us, very descriptive. In Spanish, Boquete means “gap.” This gap, is in fact between the Caribbean to the north, and the Pacific to the south. The rainy season ended in December, and now […]
Finca Lerida
Boquete is the coffee growing area of Panama. Panamanian coffee has been having a huge surge in popularity over the last several years, particularly with the “Geisha” coffee, which has won the world coffee championship for the last several years. Naturally, touring a coffee finca, our plantation, needed to be on our itinerary. Finca Lerida, […]
Las Lajas Playa
Sharna had old us that this beach was really something. Kevin, the Panama City tour guide, told us the tides go up 7 – 17 feet between high and low. in, the Panama City tour guide, told us the tides go up 7 – 17 feet between high and low. Given this beach is not […]
Las Lajas Beach Resort
So Ellen didn’t let me talk at first. But she made it up to me. At 11:50 that morning, she brought me an ice cold Panama beer. Morning beer. Nice. We are staying a the Las Lajas Beach Resort. The bus let us off at Las Cruces de San Felix (San Felix Crossing) on the […]
Shhhh! Steve! No Talking!
–Postcard from Ellen’s Edge! We are at the BEACH! It was a bit challenging as we had to take a local bus. I love local buses and being with the people, but the landscape and ride was a bit reminiscent of travel in Ecuador that at the time I coped well with, but since the […]