littlecheetah

[littlecheetah]

Panama --> Ecuador

Guayaquil, Ecuador After our baggage dilemma in Newark, miscommunication with Albrook and delayed flight in Bocas, it seems to be a common theme that there is never a dull moment when it comes to us in airports. So, obviously leaving Panama City was an ordeal. We arrived at the airport with what would have been plenty of time to spare had the check-in line not taken an hour and fifteen minutes. After finally reaching the counter, it took us quite a few minutes to communicate where we were going - someone told me that Guayaquil was pronounced Guayshakil... Learned the hard way that it absolutely was not. Anyway, destination determined, after printing our boarding passes the women informed us our flight was "closed." Not entirely sure what she meant, we stood by and let her do her thing. She clicked around on the computer, slapped big pink "tarde" stickers on our bags, grabbed Amanda's passport and without saying a word took off running in her kitten heals and pencil skirt. A few minutes later she came hustling back, glasses missing, snagged my boarding pass from my hand and took off again. She dodged coworkers who looked at us for answers as to why she was frantically moving about. Not quite sure what was happening... A few minutes later she returned again and told us to run. Confused but obviously wanting to make our flight, we obeyed. We hustled to passport control where we were held up by three TSA employees who I swear were transferred from the Philadelphia Airport. The women moved so slowly and were having such a good time laughing with each other that they literally forgot to stamp us out of the country... After all that, we boarded the plane but I was still in complete disbelief when not only we made it to Ecuador but our bags did too! Our turn over time in Guayaquil was very quick. We arrived at around 8 in the evening to a very eclectic little hostel called Cino Fabiano. The place had a lot of character. It was painted all different colors with posters, artwork and murals slapped up on walls. The host was just as eclectic as the hostel but it was perfect for a night's stay. The neighborhood was pretty happening, turns out Saturday night before Halloween is a big thing in Ecuador too! Parts of the city are built into the hills so we strolled up and down the main drag that was set into about 15 flights of steps. After scoping out the whole scene, we decided to eat at a tiny family restaurant tucked away in corner. By family restaurant, I mean we sat in a dining room as grandma served us, uncle Mateo cooked shrimp on the grill in the backyard and children filtered in and out of the bedroom door. Ah yes, welcome to South America!

[littlecheetah]

Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal

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Panama City, Round Two

[littlecheetah]

Panama City, Round Two

Our second trip to Panama City was significantly more productive than the first. We had an idea of what we wanted to accomplish and were on a mission to do so in 24 hours. Our day started with a trek up to Cierra Ancon, a hill in the center of town with 360 degree lookout, marked by a basketball court sized Panamanian Flag. When we reached the top, we were accompanied by capybaras (Amanda's favorite animal) while we watched planes land, shipping containers get shuffled and took in the views of both the new and old city. After working up quite an appetite, we walked down and hopped in a cab to the fish market. The interior of the fish market was just as you would expect it to be, wet, smelly and lined with tables of fish, shrimp, clams- you name it. Outside of the market, there were 20 open air "restaurants" lined up next to one another offering the exact same menu. Outside of these restaurants, stood 20 people, each individually employed by a different restaurant trying to win our business. How does one possibly choose?! Completely overwhelmed by the process but determined to eat some ceviche, we did a lap before being won over by the very persistent waiter from Pearls, named Hermes. Hermes did a little dance, set a table for us and took over from there. We ordered shrimp and conch ceviche, coconut rice and two beers. The rice and shrimp ceviche were amazing! As for the other, it definitely wasn't the conch we know. We took one bit of the dark, chewy, fishy ceviche and spit it out. We then proceeded to moved the unidentifiables around so as to not offend our dear friend Hermes who, by the way, also prepared our lunch. We had a little time to kill before heading to the Panama Canal, so we strolled the waterfront again and kicked our feet up before hopping in a cab to the locks. There were originally three different locks when the canal was first constructed, however, the canal has since been expanded and now there are five. The expansion, which was completed in June of 2016, created a new lane of traffic allowing not only more vessels to pass thru daily but also larger vessels. Ships only pass thru at certain times of day though, so we had to plan our trip to the Miraflores Locks accordingly. While it's not guaranteed, obviously the most exciting part of the canal would be to see a boat pass thru. So, upon arrival we immediately joined the masses in the bleachers and waited. Everyone around us was eating ice cream and popcorn waiting for a show that might not ever start. After 15 minutes had passed with no boat, we decided to check out the informative film and learned a thing or two! Did you know, it only takes a boat 8-10 hours to pass thru the entire Panama Canal but if a company choses not to use the canal, it would cost 3 times more money and take 3 weeks to go entirely around South America? After the film, we went back outside to the bleachers and got to see not one but two boats pass thru! The entire passing was broadcasted by an announcer who walked us thru each step of the process over a microphone. The crowd went wild I tell ya, it was an exciting event! Back in town, we showered, put on our finest jeans and t-shirts and even swiped a little mascara on the eyelashes for a night on the town! Panama City actually has an awesome food and bev scene that we were eager to check out. We started with a self guided tour through the former ACE, now the American Trade Hotel, sipped cocktails at The Stranger's Club and Mahalo and ended the evening at a rooftop Halloween Party. All in all it was a success. Panama City: ✔️

[littlecheetah]

our little jungalow (at Red Frog Beach, Isla Bastimentos, Panama)

[littlecheetah]

Isla Bastimientos, Bocas Del Toro, Panama

From one paradise to the next, we were off on another quick boat taxi to Palmar Beach Lodge on Isla Bastimientos. Palmar was unique in that it was located on the beach but also nestled in the jungle.

We had originally booked a dorm room at Palmar but when we arrived and saw the tents they offered, we couldn’t not upgrade. I can officially check “Glamping” off of my bucket list!

Aside from the literal run in with vultures and the visit from fire ants, our days at Red Frog Beach were pretty low key. The most eventful activity was our jungle trek to Polo Beach; we were determined to make up for our last failed attempt at a jungle walk (see post about Isla Solarte).

The beautiful Polo Beach was named after Polo himself, a Panamanian legend who has lived in this paradise for about 45 years. Because of squatters rights, Polo owns the beach. Story has it that he has sold to a local developer, possibly two different developers, who will surly build a resort when he passes. We had the pleasure of meeting Polo and truthfully, it didn’t seem like he was going anywhere soon. Polo caught fresh seafood that he cooked to sell to travelers and locals alike and reeked havoc in local establishments after a few beverages. We unfortunately didn’t get a chance to try his food but we did get the pleasure of a drunken visit to the hostel. What the hell was he saying?!

Actually, who am I to judge? We had an evening ourselves at the hostel bar with our new Dutch friend Valeska and the owners of Palmar. Originally from Washington DC, the two entrepreneurs moved to Isla Bastimientos just four years ago after purchasing Palmar Beach Lodge at the age of 24. Never having worked in the hospitality industry it sounded like they had their work cut out for them. It was funny getting to know these clowns and hear about a lot of similar obstacles we dealt with this summer BRINE. It was also hilarious listening in on the bartender interview they conducted the next morning as well. It was described it best as, “a waste of breath.” He said it, not me. While we will never have to deal with the struggle of relying on rainfall as our main water supply, we can relate to unreliable help, inconsistencies across the board and the pain of a bad review. You’ve got five stars from us fellas.

Seriously though, can’t thank these guys enough for the hospitality and the laughs! Our island days were over and it was time to head back to the city. It was definitely a bittersweet morning, obviously island life was unbeatable, but with rainy season quickly approaching it really put a damper on things literally and figuratively! I will miss falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle as rain pattered on our yurt at night though.

[littlecheetah]

Isla Solarte, Bocas Del Toro, Panama

[littlecheetah]

Isla Solarte, Bocas Del Toro, Panama

Just a five minute boat ride away from Bocas town, sat a little slice of paradise tucked away in the jungle called Bambuda Lodge. Bambuda was the kind of place that you wouldn’t want to show up to without a good book and time to kill.

It didn’t take us long to find a lounge chair to call our own but as the sun hit high noon not even the pool could be considered relief from the heat. We thought it might be wise to remove ourselves from the 11 UV Index and head out on a shaded jungle hike. The hike was supposed to be about 40 minutes and end at a cove called Hospital Point where we could snorkel.

Fun fact- it was called Hospital Point because back when the Panama Canal was under construction, many of the workers contracted malaria. Unsure of what malaria was at the time, the infected people would be quarantined to the hospital on the tip of Isla Solarte, hence Hospital Point. There is still a cemetery at the point where those who didn’t make it were buried. However, interestingly enough only the Westerners were buried here and it is unbeknownst as to where the locals lay to rest.

We never made it see the cemetery or Hospital Point for that matter, but it was not for lack of effort. As we started on the jungle trail, barefoot with snorkels in hand, we started vocalizing our concerns as to what the jungle might bring.. Panthers, drop bears, interesting textures between our toes, ya know, the usual. It’s safe to say we never once considered the 3 ft Cayman that would soon be staring us down.

Lucky for us, the British couple walking a few feet ahead was very attentive to their surroundings as they had been tipped off about a Cayman that had snapped at other trail blazers. Sad to say, we truthfully might not have noticed her until it was too late otherwise. She was sitting low on the edge of the water just under a log that we would need to pass over while her babies swam around.

The two in front of us spotted her first and pointed her out as we all stared in awe. We stood there for a few minutes with Zahra and Mike, our new favorite people, contemplating what to do. Try to pass and lose a limb or turn back? I think we all knew full well that we didn’t want to pass the beast but couldn’t quite read the overall consensus. No one wanted to be that wuss that turned back. Conveniently, the Cayman made the decision for us as she kindly signaled that we had overstayed our welcome with a hiss and groan. Tripping over each other, we were outta there! It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Back to the lodge we all went, for more fun in the sun. We swam off the dock, took a spin on the 150ft slide that dumped you in the ocean. So fun but soo sketchy, which is probably why they make you sign a waiver detailing your home address. It can only be assumed this information was needed to send your body home. Just kidding, Mom, it wasn’t that dangerous but I was the first and the last to slide.

My favorite hostels are those that serve family style dinner to everyone at the same time. There is nothing better to me than sitting around a table with total strangers from all over the world. Sometimes you get luckier than others with placement but for the most part it usually always works out to at least be a good story. Bambuda’s food was amazing and the company even better.

We sat at the end of the table with Mike and Zahra and another British couple, Neil and Karen. Neil and Karen were a bit older and absolute legends. They met at a music festival when they were teenagers and have since traveled all over the world together, making sure to return to Glastonbury every year. A personal favorite Neil and Karen story was about their trip to Vegas where Elvis renewed their vows. There were pictures to accompany the narrative. Too good.

After dinner we played cards and everyone brought a game to the table. Karen doesn’t play games but Neil taught us all a new one called PIT that will definitely be making its way back to the States.

The following day we signed up for a trip with quite a few activities included. The tour started in Dolphin Bay where we saw some bottle nosed dolphins swimming and playing. (We are spoiled and see dolphins almost every day in Cape May but for whatever reason seeing them never gets old). We ended at a place called “Hollywood,” because of the hundreds of starfish that live there; also awesome! And Cayo Zapatilla, the main attraction, lived up to its expectations. Zahra said it best when she described it as exactly what you drew when we were little and asked to draw paradise. One small island with a palm tree in the middle. It truly was picturesque. The snorkeling was a bit of a bust in the rain with minimal visibility and maximum jellyfish. And not seeing a sloth on sloth island was a huge let down, but hey, you can’t have it all, right?

We arrived back at Bambuda to find Neil with his binoculars sloth hunting himself. Those animals were a dime a dozen in Panama but somehow we never managed to see one.

The six of us enjoyed another lovely dinner together and it was sad to say our goodbyes at the end of the night. We would all be heading in different directions in the morning with the hopes of making memories together again sometime. Speaking of, see you in Philly right Zahra and Mike?!

[littlecheetah]

Isla Colón, Bocas Del Toro, Panama

[littlecheetah]

Isla Colón, Bocas Del Toro, Panama

Bocas Del Toro is a cluster of nine main islands on the Caribbean side of Panama. Both Amanda and I had heard much about the islands thru friends and fellow travelers and collectively decided that we wanted to start our adventures in this paradise. So to Bocas we headed, for a week, splitting our time between three different islands.

We started on Isla Colón in Bocas town - one of the more populated areas. While Bocas town was filled with bars, restaurants and hostels, with many more under construction, the town was still very small and entirely walkable. As we debarked the plane on the runway, we had the option of walking several feet to the left and joining the local kids in a game of fútbol or heading inside to the right to retrieve our bags. We joined the masses (40 other passengers) and headed into “baggage claim” where we waited for an AirPanama employee to trade our backpacks for a handwritten luggage tag thru a mini black door.

“Taxi, taxi!” You know the drill by now.. Only this time there was no need to haggle as we planned to walk, following the hostel’s simple directions - “walk out of the airport down the road with the runway on your left, turn right at the corner, left at the bank, left at the end of the road and you will find us 35 meters down the street on the right hand side.” Believe it or not, it was truly as simple as it sounded.

Twin Fins was a quaint hostel on the edge of town. With the motto, “Keep it Simple,” distressed wood, soothing colors and eclectic decor I could have moved in on the spot. After check in, we didn’t hang out long though as we were eager to see what the town had to offer. There weren’t many people around as we started our mini, self guided bar crawl but as the night went on travelers and locals alike came out of the woodwork to paint the town red. We drank Passionfruit IPAs at Bocas Brewery, watched a drum line performance in the park and ended the night salsa dancing on the water. Well, actually, we ended the night laughing uncontrollably with the hostel security guard but that’s another story entirely….

We woke up early for yet again another pancake breakfast and were on a mission to swim and/or snorkel. Did I mention we brought our own snorkel gear? It had been so incredibly hot all day and night that I couldn’t wait to get into the ocean. We decided to rent bikes for the day and check out the beaches on the other side of the island. The island had so few roads that there were no maps of the area, only verbal directions which of course we didn’t quite get. How we got lost leaving town is still beyond me, but leave it to us to end up on the wrong “main road” three times. Writing this, I’m still curious as to what classified that particular road as the main one. Guess I’ll never know. A couple of turn arounds later we were finally in business. The road was quite scenic as we left town and pedaled alongside crashing waves, private docks and palm tree after palm tree. The further we went, the more intense the trail got. The paved road turned into a dirt path and several times we had to get off our bikes and walk them up the hills, sweating bullets. The second we saw the sign, “Bienvenido a Playa Bluff,” we dropped the bikes and headed straight to the water.

We had been warned of the tides and rip currents prior to this little excursion but were extremely bummed when we realized how strong they actually were. I generally consider myself a strong swimmer- not quite sure why- but there was no way I was diving into these waves. So we danced in the waves, walked the beach and with a simple head nod agreed to head back to the beach bar we had passed on the way without saying a word. The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming, swinging on a couch above the water, making friends with local kids and playing ping pong.

On the way back to town, we stopped on the side of the road to enjoy some peanut butter sandwiches (nothing like saving a buck on food) at an abandon picnic table. It only took about 4 bites till we were subtly told to leave before the owner, who was sleeping across the street, came. Short lived but nothing like a PB sandwich in paradise. Before returning the bikes we decided to throughly explore every street in town, killing total of about 12 minutes. Exhausted from a full day’s work, it was an early night for us. Bocas town: ✔️

[littlecheetah]

birds of a feather (at Bocas del Toro, Panama)

[littlecheetah]

Casco Viejo, Panama City

[littlecheetah]

Casco Viejo, Panama City

Panama City Landing in a new city is always an overwhelming experience for me. I'm usually super excited, a little bit anxious and always have my guard up. If you felt my heartbeat while I spoke to any customs agent (US included) you would think I was presenting a fake passport and had a suitcase full of cocaine in tow. I hope to one day casually breeze thru but sticking with tradition, I stuttered as the customs agent asked about my length of stay and reason for visiting and had to wipe my hands on my pants twice before she could properly scan my fingerprints. Did I mention I actually opted to speak Spanish during this... why, Brianna, why?? Fast forward thru customs and it is always the same on the other side of the door, "Taxi, taxi! Where you going mamí?" Sick of being ripped off on every first taxi ride from the airport, I've developed my own new tactic. Walk through the line of heckling drivers, ask how much a few times to get an idea of price and then negotiate with the quiet driver at the end of the line. I guess I'll never know if I'm still getting ripped off, but I feel more accomplished after a bit of haggling. Entering Panama City was like driving thru New York's skyscrapers with Atlantic City's neon signage. Amazed by how incredibly big and built up the city was, we realized it reminded us much of a Northeastern City, but actually seemed significantly larger than Philly! As we drove thru, our cab driver pointed out the tallest, the most expensive and the newest buildings all the while racing thru traffic like he was losing in a game of Mario Kart. We arrived to our hostel in Casco Viejo, the historic district of Panama City, just in time for 50 cent beers. We checked in, dropped out bags, claimed our top bunks and headed to the bar. Conversation flowed nicely and we met a kid named Max from England. Max was headed to meet his friend from home who casually dropped everything 15 months ago to sail from the UK to the Caribbean and hasn't looked back ... Ummmm, Max, can I meet your friend?!? It wasn't until about ten minutes till 11 that we met the true gem of the hostel, Dude. Dude, a resident of Panama City for the past 15 years, was the social director of our hostel Luna's Castle. Dude approached our table to inform us of the free shot all guests are supposed to receive at 11pm. He also let us in on the secret that no one knew because he forgot to tell anyone... Can't say we were shocked, but his secret was safe with us. Fast forward thru shots, 2 hours of Dude's life stories and one classic quote that just made me want to wake up everyday, "You've got 17 more years until you realize you're just living." Alright, that's enough. Good night, Dude. We woke up in the morning eager to explore. Amanda made our first of what would be many pancake breakfasts, we grabbed a map and set out. Instantly drenched in sweat, we wandered up and down streets, stopping to take pictures, look at statues and read plaques. We were pretty consumed with checking out buildings, talking and laughing about God knows what when a stranger approached us. This stranger quickly became known as Lou, our unsolicited tour guide. Contrary to our feelings, Lou was SO excited that two foreigners were walking into his ghetto- crossing a street that would have gotten us in loads of trouble five years ago. (Where are we and where the hell is that map we grabbed earlier??) Taking in our surroundings aside from the flower boxes and balconies for the first time apparently, we turned around and started heading back to where we came from, Lou in tow. He walked with us for a few blocks and while he imparted quite a bit of knowledge about the history of Panama City on us, we knew it was only a matter of time before he asked us for money. Cue segment on gentrification and there it was. We finally got away from Lou, don't worry we will run into him two more times before we leave town, and went to lunch. We opted for an authentic restaurant called, "Restaurant Johnathan." For $6 we enjoyed two plates of shrimp, vegetables and fried rice under Chinese lanterns. Maybe Lou wasn't making up the stuff about the Chinese immigrating to Panama in 1854? The afternoon was quickly slipping away from us as we sat in the park and watched the filming of a Panamanian commercial about snow cones. We realized it was time to grab our bags and head to the airport. Hailing a cab was no problem and we jumped in with no regard to rush hour traffic. The ten minute ride turned into twenty and it wasn't until we cruised under the archway that read "Albrook Mall," that I realized we had a major miscommunication on our hands.... Who the hell names the airport and the mall the same name?!? "OH NO," I said and quickly explained to the driver that we needed to go to the airport and actually our flight was in just 45 minutes. I can't say he was pleased by our mistake but it was evident by the weaving and shoulder driving that he wanted to be a hero. "Thank you so much, hope we don't see you soon!" we yelled, while running into the airport, checking in with just minutes to spare. On the other side one man show they call security, we waited until the women yelled, "Bocas Del Toro!" We were finally en route to the islands!

[littlecheetah]

(re)treat yourself (at Solarte, Bocas Del Toro, Panama)

[littlecheetah]

“No shot!” I mouthed to Amanda as I shook my head from the jet bridge, scheming to beat the system and the United employee who insisted our bags be gate checked and retrieved in Colombia. Normally, this wouldn’t be an issue, however, we weren’t going to make it to Colombia. We were in fact getting off the plane for the first layover in Panama City and not getting back on. A nice little travel hack… until they try to make you check your bags. Amanda met me in the jet bridge where we frantically ripped the tags off of our backpacks, shoved them in our pockets and boarded the plane. Act natural…

By the way the flight attendant was instantly drawn to us, there is no way we were acting natural. “Heading home to Panama?” he asked. A couple of nervous giggles and a “wait what?!” he was as confused by my surprise as I was by his question. Was he kidding? I will never know.

Take off, drink service, a few hours go bye and Amanda was about to get sick? Yeah… stand up to go the bathroom and now she was gonna faint. Oh good, this is going so well!! I got up with her as she went to the bathroom -if we go down, we go down together. For the next 31 days, we act as one unit. As Amanda went to the bathroom, I waited in the galley and picked up where I left off with the flight attendant. I’m not from Panama but New Jersey. Turns out he’s from Jersey, brother went to Villanova, he has 14 hours in Panama City and guess what.. he wants to know if we want some leftover pizza … DUH!!

I headed back to our seats, deep dish in hand, feeling like a hero. As the smell of garlic and cheese pizza hit my nose I realized Amanda was going to love me or really, REALLY hate me. When she got back to the seats though, the real hero was revealed as she handed me two bottles of red wine. This was the start of something great. I could taste it.

[littlecheetah]

reminiscing on past adventures while planning the next... (at Tolú)

[littlecheetah]

tranq it easy ✌🏼️ (at Casa en el Agua)