I forgot to mention that Cartago, Costa Rica has a worthwhile Basilica that can be visited. Illuminated by a spectrum of lights, the night brings about its most beautiful display. We crossed the border in Nicaragua once again and in order to make good time, we headed to the northern part, known as Matagalpa. Matagalpa is less than 100 km from the border of Honduras and comfortably situated at a higher elevation, making a/c a non-necessity. We spent two nights at a hotel adjacent to the local park square. We also headed to a higher finca, Selva Negra, run by Germans whole settled here over 100 years ago. They managed to create a peaceful running farm with German and Dutch style houses, dairy cows, fruit trees, and a small pond with swans. I thought that we may have been in the “Hansel and Gretel” book. Leighton certainly felt at home. We hiked on the provided trails, both steep and flat. The woods provided observation opportunities for various wildlife such as toucans and monkeys.

We then took the easy Honduras border crossing, and learned that the country has quite a bit to offer. Heading straight to Lago de Yajoa, we spent a few nights at the D&D bed and breakfast. This establishment consists of several huts, swimming pool, Oregonian beer brewed in Honduras, and lush gardens. We met a few new friends from the US and Australia and headed straight to the caves. After haggling to pay $2 a piece, we managed to get the guard to grant our permission to spend unlimited amounts of time in the caves. Generally they only let you spend 30 minutes in them and go only a bit past where the lights are present. However, we had headlamps and were thankful for the opportunity to explore such an extensive Karst cave system. Stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. When the lights disappeared, we pulled out our source of illumination and crawled over and under small holes leading to larger rooms with sticky clay and gigantic formations. The cave was in Taulabe, just a few miles away from the lake.
We also managed to visit the Cerro Azul Meamber Parque Nacional in Lago de Yajoa. This park is very undeveloped which adds to its attraction. Although there are very few trails, we wandered up a beautiful clay walkway and across some rivers to check out the vista and local habitation of the area. Definitely a worthwhile place to return. Actually, I think Panama and Honduras are my two favorite countries on this trip so far. Guatemala would rank up there, except that it has a bit of infrastructure and safety concerns that need to be addressed.

We are headed out to Tikal, so I don’t have much more time to write, but I promise that a more thorough update will come soon. And Texas folks, we may be headed your way at the end of this trip, so keep your eyes out. We might also come back up through Western Mexico….time will tell.

Fare Thee Well Panama.....

We haven't posted for a while so I will try to finish-up talking about Panama by memory before commenting further on our more recent travels.

Our next stop after Boquete was Panama City, a fine city (the biggest in Central America??). We were able to find affordable and safe accommodations just outside the central city in the old U.S. military base Fort Clayton near the Miraflores Lochs. Panama city is the most modernized place we have visited on the whole trip. We did some shopping at the mall, considered going to the cinema (in English), and procured genuine Toyota replacement parts while there. We also ate some wonderful sushi - and we didn't skimp on the saki either!
While in the megalopolis I made good on the opportunity to purchase a new latch for the rear gate. It had been acting up by not wanting to latch and randomly popping open while in transit, so I said "enough is enough" and popped for the $100 part. It proved to be a real bear to swap out since the bolts securing it were loc-tited in....and there was no torch anywhere to be found seemingly in the whole country. I broke two of the three bolts while removing them, but was able to have one of the broken studs removed by a mechanic in the next town we stayed in, David, Panama.
The highlight of Panama for me was probably the Canal. The scale of the operations and the overall hugeness of the project was awe inducing. The French began digging the Canal in the late 19th Century and the operations were overtaken and finished by the Americans. Thousands of people lost their lives for the cause - more due to disease than to unsafe construction practices. Anyhow, not much can match the feeling of seeing a cargo freighter heaping with containers being lifted 27 feet in less than five minutes - it is simply amazing. This process is repeated to lift the ship a total of 54 feet for it's sail across the Continental Divide. It's a lifetime must-see for the engineering types amongst you...
Earlier in our Panama stay, at the hot springs near Boquete where Steph got her leaches, we had met up with the proprietor of a hostel and befriended him. He invited us to stay with him if we ever passed through David, and on our way back to Costa Rica we took him up on the offer. The only thing that made our private room with A/C better was the pool in his garden. It was a welcome reunion. The restaurant next door provided us with dinner both nights we were in town - tipicos plates and ceviche for less than $2 a plate! The conch ceviche was a real highlight.
As I mentioned earlier we had a mechanic attempt to remove the broken tailgate latch bolts while in town. He was a very friendly guy with scripture written on his shirt - and he made sure that both myself and "my sister" knew Jesus before he would turn his attention to our vehicle. Since a torch could again not be found anywhere in town the mechanic resorted to grasping at the end of the broken end of the bolt with a channel-lock pillars (why didn't I think of that??? LOL). He did not seem to have the same fear of rounding off the remaining nub of a bolt like I did (perhaps since it wasn't his truck??), and simply reefed at it for a half an hour or so; progressively rounding the bolt down to almost nothing. As I was telling him to quit - that the bolt just would not come out and I would have to deal with that (in an attempt to save something to grab should I ever find a torch to break the thread locker loose) - he got it to budge and eventually got it out. Central American mechanics - cheap rates, but be very careful because you certainly get what you pay for....
And that pretty much wraps up our stay in Panama, but.....

While I am certainly no “expert” on Central America I have now spent some time in all of it’s countries save for Belize. Panama is far-and-away my favorite country. Why is Panama my favorite country in Central America? I’ll tell you.

The topography of Panama is absolutely beautiful. It is similar to Nicaragua and Costa Rica. There are rolling hills and mountains everywhere covered with lush green vegetation. Waterfalls and streams are abundant. The majority of the country is either rural or wild.
The roads in Panama are the best in Central America. The Panamerican Highway is a divided highway the whole way to Panama City facilitating direct and hassle-free driving. Even the secondary roads are maintained in great condition allowing quick and easy access to either coast.
Panama is clean. There are very few roadside garbage fires – certainly not the norm for Central America. The tap water is potable in all but the most remote locales – meaning salads and ice may both be enjoyed without risk of unpleasant gastro-intestinal conflicts.
Good rooms with air conditioning (essential near the coasts), cable TV (a nice luxury we don’t even have at home), and WiFi were both readily available and within our budget. Prior to Panama the internet accessibility had been slow when available – in the overpriced tourist mecca that is Costa Rica the internet service is terribly slow.

Panama gets two thumbs way up!!!!

Ticks, crabs, and so much more!

February 4, 2009

As I will let Leighton talk about the rest of Panama, I will start this blog with stories of Costa Rica. We are currently near Liberia, Costa Rica. We had hoped to cross the border back into Nicaragua today, but alas we have met the corrupt cops of Costa Rica. After two months in Central America, I come to the conclusion that the cops throughout these countries are only “out for themselves.” They do not even want other cops to see them take bribes, because this would force them to share the earnings. Yes, I was pulled over for driving and Leighton’s name was the sole name on the permit, thus prohibiting me to drive. However, this infraction is generally overlooked. Not by these cops. They detained us until we gave in and gave over a small amount of cash. As a side note, Costa Rica is by far the most expensive and American country of the region. However, we have made the most out of it…and hope to escape to cheaper countries by tomorrow.

Upon our entry into Costa Rica, we drove to Parque Nacional Corcovado. This is claimed by many to be the most “biologically intense location on earth.” It contains hundreds of species of flora and fauna. Needless to say, I was satisfied. We observed all animals from Scarlet Macaws to Spider Monekys to Tamandua Anteater to Coati and Poisonous Dart Frogs. Leighton has become a genius with the picture placement on this website, so hopefully he will soon have more up. As a bit of information for the folks that may visit this region, you do not generally need prior reservations to enter the park. Many websites state that there is very limited camping, or you need a guide, which costs $300. This is all untrue. We paid the $10 entry fee to enter the park and $4 to camp for each day. We arrived in Puerto Jiminez and set up the permits with the Park office. We then drove to Frente Corcovado Lodge and paid $15 for a night and left our car for three days. In the morning, we rose with the light (and sweat) and headed towards Los Patos, the park entrance. After 7 km and many river crossings (none too difficult), we arrived at Los Patos. The rangers checked our permits and we continued on our way. Arriba y abajo we hiked, while listening to the sounds of locusts, thousands of them. The day proved to be a warm one, and we were drenched after 27 km. We camped at Sirena, and slept for maybe one hour due to the heat. The heat soaked our bodies, eventually causing us to feel a bit chilly, but it was so humid that we couldn’t even tell what was happening. Sirena has a covered deck for camping as well as a runway for those folks that feel like they need to be air-lifted out of the park. The beach is nearby, which we readily used to cool off our bodies.

On day two of the excursion, we hiked from Sirena to Carate, and then took a bus to Puerto Jiminez where we lavished ourselves with a beachfront room and AC!! The second day of travel was much lighter than the first. The main challenge was that a large portion of the hike was along the beach, thus preventing much sun protection. However, the beach was absolutely gorgeous! So secluded, with coves, dark and light sand, various crabs and herons, it was a delight to view. On our second day, we witnessed an anteater slapping a tree with his claws, just like a black bear! The coati rummaged through various articles on the ground for forage material. And skinks also darted up trees and into the brush as we passed. The trip to Corcovado was definitely worth the effort! The only downfalls were the heat (but hey, we needed a little challenge, right?) and the massive quantity of ticks that attached themselves to every part of our bodies. I can truthfully say that I have never had that many ticks on me, ever. I would say that there were probably somewhere around 60 by the end of day two. Leighton probably had about the same amount.

After a few days in Corcovado, we quickly sprinted up to Cartago, a cooler town with all amenities. And today, we are here. That’s about it for now. Oh, but I must get a pineapple before we leave Costa Rica—land of the BEST pineapples ever!! And, side note, we are spending the night in a Best Western with a large swimming pool (piscina) and casino. Don’t worry mom, I used my haggling skills. Pura vida!

Overdue Picture Post

We have been having some trouble uploading pictures to the blog but I seem to have it working now so that will be the focus of this post.

Here's one of Steph and I out for a day of sailing and snorkeling in Bocas del Toro, Costa Rica. It was a really nice day!









Steph climbing the basaltic wall in Boquete, Panama. I think they rated this route a 5.9 - it was probably close, hard for me to say - it had been a while since either of us were on a wall, but we both had a great time and climbed a few routes.










Here's me at the crux move of this one - 5.10c they said. I tried it about seven times and couldn't clear it. It was fun, but the holds were mostly upside-down there....too hard for me right now.






You can get a feel for the wall here. It was different than anything either of us have ever climbed.

Boquete, Panama--one of my favs

January 24, 2009

For the past week we have been residing at Spanish By The River in Boquete, Panama. This place is paradise. After making a quick “supermercado” stop in David, we headed up the mountain towards Volcan Baru. In Alto Boquete, about 5 km before Bajo Boquete, we turned towards Spanish By The River. We have taken 2 hours of Spanish language classes each day this week. Estaban, our instructor, is a young man from Turrialba, Costa Rica. He definitely had his work cut out for him and excelled at the job. Reminding us about how to write and say past participles, imperfects, and pronouns, he has definitely helped my ability to speak with proper form. We are also staying in the nicest accommodations of the trip. We have a private room with private bathroom, wi-fi and computers, communal big screen tv, and communal kitchen for $25 total per night. Besides the inside amenities, there is a garden full of sugar canes, platinos, oranges, and lemons, as well as a dog, Elsa, and parrot, Pepe, which are nonstop entertainment. Pepe was found abandoned on the side of a road with a broken wing. Although he cannot fly any longer, he seems content with wandering through the fruit garden all day and doing back-flips in his cage at night.

As for the excursions this week, they have been great. We first visited Paradise Gardens, a wildlife sanctuary near Boquete. This facility had a variety of animals from monkeys to cockatoos to margays and baby sloths. Each animal had a story. Whether they had been caged by previous owners in 2’ by 4’ boxes or left there by unwanted owners, they definitely had a better life and were being prepared to return to the wild. Paradise Gardens owns a piece of land further away where they acclimate animals to their natural habitat.

We also had the opportunity to go rock climbing upon basalt formations. The horizontal and vertical slabs were definitely a challenge, but it was a very welcomed one. After a day of climbing, we decided to go to natural hot springs. We traveled to the caldera, walked near the river, and found the very warm springs. Thankfully not too developed (like the ones in Ouray), these were a real treat. A real treat, until I emerged from the water with a new stinging sensation on my leg. Throughout the night the two spots on my leg got a bit redder and a sticky matter seemed to be emerging from them. As best I can tell, after 2 days, is that I must have been sucked on by a leech. The shape of the sore is the shape of a sucker, but instead of one spot where is may have sucked, its whole body seems to have burned off the top layer of my skin. It burns like hell and is very red, and still producing an interesting sticky wet matter (like a burn). Is this normal? Docs? Leighton put some Neosporin on it and bandaged it, so hopefully the burning sensation will go away within the next few days. Today’s hike towards Bajo Mono and Sendero los Quetzales didn’t help the matter. Okay, enough about the gross stuff.

We hiked around the area today and realized that if we were ever to purchase land, this would be an ideal place. The whole region feels fairly safe. It is cool enough that you need a sweater in the evening. And, I have never seen so much beauty-waterfalls, lush vegetation, cliffs, and rushing rivers. You must only watch out for floods and landslides. This year they had a much larger flood than normal, which managed to wash out a major roadway. Hopefully we will be able to post pictures soon. If we can’t get them up on this site, check facebook. If I am not friends with you yet, feel free to add me. Well, Leighton is almost finished with making a wonderful dinner, so I better get going. I hope everyone is enjoying their winter!

Bocas del Toro

Steph and I just had one great week in Bocas del Toro, Panama! My expectations were high for this place and it certainly didn't disappoint.

The Road to Bocas

We left Cahuita and - once we could get a break between all the semis - crossed an old, one-lane converted railroad bridge into Panama. This was a little-used border and we made it through in less than an hour - only paid about $10. The drive was beautiful, especially once we got into Panama. The road twists up and down verdant green mountains with waterfalls literally everywhere, and there were very few other vehicles cluttering up the road.
We arrived in the port town of Almirante, parked the truck, and set out on the thirty-minute water taxi ride to Bocas del Toro. The little, home-made fiberglass boat had six rows of seating, carried twenty-five souls, and was powered by a Yamaha 225 horse outboard. The ride was smooth and breezy.

Bocas Proper

Steph and I had decided to visit Bocas del Toro with the intention of attending Spanish school, and - while the Spanish school was all booked up - we found private classes with a young lady from our hostel. Steph did two classes and I did three, and I think that they went pretty well. It is certainly exciting to learn something new that you so deeply desire to know.
While in town we booked a day sailing on a trimaran (three-hulled boat). Although it was raining lightly as we walked to the boat in the morning, the rain stopped as we were boarding the boat and the wind picked up. We were able to sail the whole day - drinking beers, getting terribly sunburnt, and snorkeling the best coral I have ever seen. A bit about the coral.... All I could think as I swam just an arm's length above the vivid, living bits of various makes and models of coral was - it's like Mardi Gras!!! There was purple coral, red coral, yellow coral, long coral tubes, brain-looking coral, coral that looked like lettuce, starfish hanging on coral, schools of fish swimming in-on-around-under coral.... it was a coral party, and everybody was invited!
The captain - Chris - told us about his life as a traveler. Thirteen years ago he and his girlfriend - while in war-torn Africa - purchased a 40' catamaran in order to escape the dangers of driving through said situation...without ANY sailing experience. They learned to sail by traveling Africa and Europe, and eventually crossed the Atlantic and ended up here.
I would be leaving something out if I didn't mention the bike ride Steph and I did.... We rented bicycles and pedaled ourselves from one side of the island to the other on the islands only road - about 15 km. It was probably the hardest ride of my life! The road itself was not too bad, but our bikes SUCKED! I tried out every bike the rental guy had and picked the best one - a one-speeder with coaster brakes and cranks about to fall off. I had the "mechanic" tighten the cranks up which had the unintended consequence of leaving the brakes perpetually "on". Not wanting to make the situation even worse, I smiled and said, "Thanks!" I assumed the cranks would loosen up again and the brakes would unstick, but I was wrong. The entire ride was like riding the training bike from hell! As other bicyclists passed me on there 1980 Huffy's I looked at them with such envy - I wanted a HUFFY!!!! Needless to say, we took a taxi back from the other side of the island....

The Food Highlights

Sesame crusted, seared ahi tuna (sooo fresh and a massive amount to boot)
Spicy shrimp vindaloo (face sweating spicy)
Beef, pepper, and onion kababs (from the street meat-stick guy)
Pork wontons (purchased at the local, Asian-owned grocery)
The list could go on, but my memories grow a bit fuzzy. I will say that Bocas has had the best food of the whole trip!