Panama City / City of Knowledge

             There were 8 USF girls at the hostel last night, and we called our contact in Panama City this morning to see if there was a way we could dispose of our suitcases in order to kill some time in town before the rest of the group arrived.   She was so gracious about allowing us to store our bags (which our professor emphatically told us we would not be able to do), and she was able to send a driver and a van to pick us up and get us over to the Ciudad de Saber (City of Knowledge) from another part of the city.  We called first thing and he was due between 10 and 11 in the morning, so we had plenty of time to complete some of our homework first.  The driver was not able to take us to the part of town we wanted to walk around, but he recommended that we check out the mall and gave us the name of a traditional Panamanian restaurant called El Traipiche which we could try for lunch.  The mall looked just like every other mall I’ve seen except for the stores with American clothes at rock bottom prices, but the food was fantastic.  I ordered a mozzarella sandwich on “house bread” which was basically deep fried first so the cheese between was nice and gooey, and a side of patacones (fried plantains).   

                After lunch, we walked around the mall a bit more and then got a cab to take us to the Café Duran at the City of Knowledge where we would be meeting the rest of the group arriving that afternoon.  The bus arrived and we were taken to the housing we would be sharing for the next two days.  It was six people to a house and we were able to stay in the one our luggage had been stored in which made it very convenient.  We were given some time to get settled in, and then we were taken to a grocery store to pick out dinner for that night and breakfasts for the following two mornings – all on $36 for 6 people with food at American prices.  Not the easiest task, but we only went $3 over budget!  Following a delicious dinner of leftovers for me, chicken for some, and a big salad we had a group meeting in our professor’s house.  We played a “get to know you” game where we wrote down an interesting fact on a piece of paper which was placed in a bag and pulled out by someone who had to guess who it belonged to.  It was actually a lot more fun than it sounds!  One of the girls on the trip brought some badge holders that her mother had made into flowers from the plastic tops on vials at the hospital (she is a nurse).  After our meeting and discussion of upcoming events, we were sent home to bed in order to rest up for a tour of Panama City in the morning.  Unfortunately, rooming with a bunch of girls who are already friends left us up chatting and catching up until about 1am.  Oops!  Good thing we had the coffee maker in our house!  J

Panama City

May 25, 2012

            After an overly air conditioned 17 hour bus ride (including a several hour long wait at the border for customs to open) from San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City, Panama, we arrived in late afternoon.  On the bus we met a girl from Switzerland who was also staying at our hostel, and she told us that cab drivers sometimes have a difficult time finding it so we ought to use the Four Point Sheraton as a landmark.  We made a quick pit stop and headed out to the cab line – one stopped us, asked us where we were going, we told him (specifically mentioning the Sheraton), settled a price, and climbed in.  Our driver talked at length about all of the construction going on in the city and how bad the traffic was today, and even stopped for gas while we were still in the car.  About 20 minutes later, he pulled up to a hostel which was not ours, and stops and says “okay.”  I explained that we are staying at another hostel, gave the name and the name of the nearby hotel, and he still had no idea where we are supposed to be going.    We had to go inside, log onto the other hostel’s computer to look up the address, write it down for him, and get back in the cab.  Eventually, we made it to the Villa Vento Surf hostel in Marbella (a neighborhood of Panama City). 

                Elizabeth, one of the girls from USF was already there as she had arrived the day before.  The other three girls she traveled with were on some day tour to a volcano and would be back later, at which time we could all go out to dinner.  We asked around, but no one really had any great recommendations for places to eat, so we decided to walk around near the hostel and until we saw something that looked good.  Jenn, another of the new arrivals, is a Rays fan and wanted to watch the game.  They were playing the Sox, and considering how well they’re doing at the moment I could have passed on the TV, but we found a few places that had TVs, outdoor seating, and reasonable prices.  We opted for a Lebanese restaurant because it had the best food prices and enough options to satisfy everyone.  Liz was also able to negotiate some drink specials for us which was even better!  What we did not realize, however, was that about midway through our meal there would be live entertainment – belly dancers and a DJ – and loads of teenagers smoking hookahs and drinking beer which we are not used to seeing in the states.    Unfortunately the Sox lost, but ultimately it was a very entertaining evening!

*  My phone, which I'm currently using for a camera, was dead so I don't have any pictures of this part :( 

Arenal III

May 23, 2012

              Today we went whitewater rafting on the Pacuare which is supposedly Costa Rica's best river.  After all of the rain we had yesterday I was a little concerned that it would be another full day of being wet and cold.  Leaving Arenal it was overcast, but as we neared the outfitters' warehouse (about 2 and a half hours away) the sun came out and it got quite warm.  They provided breakfast, and by the way, I love that almost all of the places we have eaten have had a variety of fresh fruit to go with your meal.  We had a fruit salad of papaya, pineapple, and banana along with toast and pineapple jam and loads of coffee.  Once everyone had finished eating and changing into appropriate clothing we were assigned a bus to take us up a mountain where we would be putting in. Along the 40 minute ride one of our guides, Andreas, showed us which commands they would be using during the day using a mini raft, and joked around about some of his past rafters who did not follow said commands and got into a bit of trouble.
               When we arrived at the spot we would put in we were outfitted with life vests, helmets, and rafts and assigned a guide.  Ours would be Leo, who road up in the bus with us.  Laura and I were in a boat with a mother and daughter from Houston, TX and a honeymooning couple from DC.  Leo had us all take seats (L and I were in the front) and practice our commands with our paddles and all.  After a few minutes of practice we were off and running.
               Leo said that this river was great because all of the Class II's were at the beginning so that people could get the hang of it before the III's and IV's.  The entire trip would be an estimated 18 kilometers, and we would be stopping about halfway to break for lunch.  The top part of the river was pretty wide open with hills on either side.  In a few places there were cables hanging across the river with a basket on one side.  Leo explained that some of the families living in the area had put those in so that they could cross the river without having to walk a long way to a bridge or road.  They can fit two people in the basket at a time and then pull themselves across.  However, some families have to wait hours or even days to cross if the basket is on the opposite side.
               Further down the river the hills changed into steeper cliffs which was nice because it provided some shade and there were several waterfalls to be seen.  In some of the more open areas Leo let a couple of people sit on the front of the raft going through some rapids - no one was able to stay on, all came crashing back into the boat with a wave, but it was still fun to see.
               Evidently each of the larger outfitters has a camp on the riverside where they serve lunch.  After a couple of hours of rafting we pulled up to ours and were able to strip off our life vests and helmets.  Each boat had a giant blue plastic bucket on it, which is apparently where they keep all of the provisions, and we were able to walk around and take pictures while the staff prepared the food.  Lunch consisted of tortillas and bread which could be stuffed with refried beans, chicken (if so inclined), cheese, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, etc. along with chips and salsa, trail mix, and cookies topped with guava jelly and cream cheese (sounds gross, was delicious).  For dessert they cut up a bunch of fresh pineapples and served lemonade.  After eating and talking for about 45 minutes, everything was packed back up and brought back down to the boats.
               The second half of the trip was very similar to the first, though now that everyone had gotten the hang of what they were doing things went pretty smoothly.  Our guide even let Laura lead for a bit since she had done it in Alaska and had asked if she could try.  The honeymooning couple was now up front and were more focused on taking pictures than on paddling, so we got hung up on a rock for a few minutes, but she did a great job!  There were a few places where the water was very flat and calm and Leo had us all jump in for a chance to swim around.  One of these was in a canyon which was really cool to see - I wish I had a camera with me because the view up river while floating down was amazing.  Unfortunately, the couple had brought a waterproof camera with them and were in the water with it.  On the man's way back up into the boat it came loose from its strap and they weren't able to find it :(.
               In no time we were back at the warehouse, and pulled over to unload the boats.  Some local kids were there to give us a hand, and in exchange our guides gave them our leftover food.  After returning to the warehouse we were able to shower and change which was great after a full day of being soaking wet.  There were cold drinks, t-shirts, pictures and other souvenirs to purchase, and then we were loaded back onto buses.  The company goes to San Jose, Arenal, and to the Caribbean coast to pick up/drop off tourists, so some of the people on our bus on the way down went off to other places.  It was just me and Laura and another couple who had come from somewhere else on the way back to Arenal.  Leo also came with us and we helped Laura learn some Spanish on the ride to pass the time.  
               We got back to our hostel in Arenal and were challenged to a game of mini golf (or "crazy golf" as they call it) by James and Will.  The place was right down the street, so we accepted.  It was built by a man named Frank from New York, and each hole represents a different country.   When you step up to the "tee" area, he has it rigged so that your movement triggers a song from the country you are playing.  He also has it so that when the ball goes in the hole it triggers some sound effect or movement -  for example, on the Costa Rica hole (also the 18th) the ball goes in and a giant volcano lights up and starts smoking.  It was definitely the most unique miniature golf place I have ever been to.

Argentina (tango), Netherlands (windmill), USA (liberty)

South Africa

At the 18th, Costa Rica

** Pictures from whitewater rafting to come - the computer was down, and they are mailing them to the states :( **

Arenal II

May 22, 2012

                 After about 4 hours of sleep, we moved our things to the Arenal Hostel Resort which was right down the street from our original hostel.  We ran into Will and James (not surprising since they were also guests there) and they decided to accompany us on our hike up the Cerro Chato crater next to the Arenal volcano.  Unlike Arenal, this volcano has been dormant for 3,500 years and now has a large lake in the crater. 

Porch outside our new room in La Fortuna

     

Room at Arenal Hostel Resort  (much better, huh?)














              The entrance to Cerro Chato was only a few kilometers from the hostel, so after we grabbed a bite to eat at a local soda we headed out.  Unfortunately our late start meant that we would be climbing to the top of the crater during the hottest, muggiest part of the day.  Cerro Chato had a nice, gradually sloping start, but quickly turned into a steep climb.  As it is the start of the green or rainy season, everything was wet, slippery, and muddy.  At some points, there were roots and stairs built in for support, but not everywhere.

Nice, flat start to the hike













Starting to get a little steeper...

Descent to the lagoon

Lagoon at the top of Cerro Chato

Trail to the top of Cerro Chato

Another part of the trail














                 As we neared the top, it began to rain.  We couldn't resist jumping in the lake at the top just to say that we swam in a crater, even though it was cooling off quite a bit with the rain and elevation.  Laura and James swam across to the other side, and just as they reached it a heavy fog rolled in and we couldn't see them.  Will and I were a little nervous they might get lost coming back, but they made it just as the thunder began.  We had to climb up again for a bit before descending back to the car, and as soon as we began the trip back down the rain came down even harder.  It was tough in some places to keep our footing, and we ended up jumping or running or sliding down much of it.

                After a long day of being cold and wet, we all decided that an afternoon at the hot springs would be nice.  There are several places around Arenal, but the only "true" hot springs are very expensive and owned by an exclusive resort.  So, we took the advice of our hostel staff and tried another called Baldi (http://baldicostarica.com/) which has 25 pools of spring water at 12 different temperatures.  The price we paid to get in also included dinner at their buffet (which, like most buffets is not very good) so we spent the rest of the afternoon/evening there, then headed home to bed.

The "giant Jacuzzi"  at Baldi

My seat :)

Mango daiquiri at the swim up bar

             

             
    

Arenal

May 21, 2012

               Today we made our way north to Arenal/La Fortuna.  The two English boys we had met while jumping were also headed that way and we offered to give them a ride in exchange for pitching in on the gas money.  After hearing about how we took the longest, hardest route possible to get to Monteverde, our host, Jose, made sure that we had a map and knew which road we ought to take to get to Arenal.  Along the way we stopped at the Volcano Brewing Company for a taste of their beers and some lunch.

Sampler from Volcano Brewing.  The beers were decent (two of their own, two from a sister company), but tasted somewhat watered down compared to what I'm used to.  Not bad though considering everything else tastes like a Budweiser clone!

Lake Arenal with the Arenal volcano behind

View of Lake Arenal from across our table at the brewery














               Once we reached La Fortuna, we dropped the guys off at their hostel and returned to ours to check in.  We knew we were going to be staying in a dorm, but the place had music blasting and people everywhere - it felt more like Cancun on Spring Break than a vacation in Costa Rica!  Regardless, we got ourselves settled and walked into town for a bit.

A shot of our dorm room










               On our way back, we ran into Will and James and decided we would try our hand at a new game of cards.  They met us at our hostel where several of the people we met in Monteverde were also staying.  We ended up getting a huge group together to play which was really fun.

One of the games we learned










            We decided to look into the hostel Will and James were staying at, and as it turns out the hostel was nicer, quieter, and we could have our own room and private bathroom for less than we were paying for a dorm room.  So, we switched the following day.

Monteverde II

May 20, 2011

                Laura and I booked our adventure-filled day last night, and the first thing on the itinerary was bungee jumping from the highest platform in Latin America (http://www.monteverdeextremo.com/).  The bus wasn’t arriving to bring us to the jump location until 10:30am, so we decided to eat an early breakfast (included in our $11/night B&B stay!) and walk around downtown Santa Elena.  We toured a few of the local shops and bought our first souvenirs of the trip.  Unfortunately, we found that the prices for many things were not much less than we would pay in the states which was a bit disappointing.  They have some very pretty wooden items that are made locally, however, so I might have to go back before I leave J.

               

               We made it just in time to grab some last minute items and head back to the reception office before the bus picked us up.  Two of the other guests at the B&B were also going to bungee jump.  Apparently they had been zip lining the day before and enjoyed it so much they wanted to go back and try something else.  Of the four of us, Laura was the only one to have done it before and she was the most scared to go.

                

                There were tourists buzzing all around the place. We checked in, met our “jump master” and headed to the platform.  The jump takes place off of a cable car that runs to the middle of a gorge and stops, and the instructors only take two at a time.  Since Laura and I are similar in weight and the two other guys are a bit heavier, we had to go together so they only had to change the rope once.  So, off we went and on the way they handed me my helmet (complete with attached camera) and a set of gloves.  They explained how I would have to grab a rope and secure it to my harness once I stopped bouncing in order to get me back onto the tram and let me play with that.  I went first and jumped on the first countdown – Laura took a bit longer, but apparently not as long as her first jump.  By the time we got back to the platform the clouds were rolling in and it looked like it might rain any minute.  Luckily it held off for the guys as well and started shortly after.

On the platform waiting to get strapped in :)

Me and Laura on the tram ride out to the jump spot

Gone!

Me, just after clipping the rope onto my harness that would hoist me back onto the tram

View from the tram

                

                Our next adventure was canyoning.  Again, Laura had been before but I hadn’t.  We were picked up at the bungee place and brought to our next stop where we were outfitted with harnesses, helmets, gloves, and rain jackets since it was raining and a little chilly.  We hiked from the reception center to the top of a line of about six waterfalls that we would be rappelling down.  This is where it gets a little strange.  We had two guides (one at the top, one at the bottom) and along our hike one of them disappeared and apparently turned on the water that would flow through the canyon as we were going.  Laura went first on the first descent, and although she has done this before a few times, she looked like she was struggling.  Then I went.  I haven’t been canyoning, per se, but I have used the equipment for rock climbing, ropes courses, etc. and this wasn’t in the best condition.  They apparently leave their ropes outside so they were wet and worn which meant we were getting hung up on them rather than being able to smoothly descend at our own pace.   Then, on the last fall, the rope was not quite long enough for us to reach the pool at the bottom on our feet – our guide (one now, as the other had left) told us to grab the rope with both hands, and we were dropped into a lovely, stagnant pool of water.  That was it.  We left, told everything to our host at the hostel, and at least he seemed sympathetic.  He couldn’t give us our money back as we had already paid the company, but he offered discounts on other tours and said he would send a “secret shopper” in to see if they had a similar experience.  At the very least, it was an adventure ;).

   Me - those rocks were slippery!            

                 The B&B was next for a hot shower and change of clothes before we headed out for a night tour.  We hopped on a bus with about 12 other people already on it and headed to a nature preserve.  There we were given flashlights and put on our rain coats.  We headed into the forest as it was beginning to get dark and our guide, Bernard, pointed things out via flashlight and laser pointer.  We saw a walking stick (stick insect) that was nearly a foot long, an orange-kneed tarantula in her burrow, several lizards, a couple of two-toed sloths, and loads of insects.  We also saw some bioluminescent mushrooms growing on logs which we had to find in pitch black darkness without our flashlights on while trying to follow one another on a narrow, slippery path.  That was interesting!

Giant walking stick

Orange-kneed tarantula in her burrow

              

                  After the tour we met our new friends from the jump, Will and James from England, in the common area of our lodge for a game of cards.  We taught them a few, they taught us a few, and we got to learn some British vocabulary in the meantime!   While we were playing, Jose, our host at the B&B came in and asked if we'd like to see a sloth.  We had seen one from a distance during the night tour, but there was one hanging from power lines in the street and eating from a tree hanging over them right outside the lodge!  

Sloth outside B&B - apparently they are deaf and have terrible vision so this little guy didn't mind us hovering around and taking pictures.

Despite the canyoning, it was a fun day all around.

Monteverde

May 19, 2012

               Last night there was a wicked thunderstorm, better than any I have seen in years.  Enjoyable though it was, it was tough to sleep in so getting up and heading out early was a little more difficult today.  We chatted with Gingi, the hostel owner, for a while before we left.  He gave us directions to a local beach he recommended we check out and some advice on renting surf boards in our future travels.  We found the beach easily enough and it was definitely different from the ones we had seen before, so totally worth the side trip.  We spent probably an hour taking pictures and gathering rocks and shells to take home.

Playa in Santa Teresa

               











               After the beach, we headed to Montezuma to see a waterfall we had read about and have some lunch.  The first place we parked (and paid $2 for) we were able to see the lower part of the falls but with the rain the night before we were not able to go very far up the path.  So we and a couple from Northampton, MA who we met on the trail decided to drive a little further up the road to see if we could get a better view of the falls.  This path was longer, steeper, and very muddy.  The only things we had to use for support were roots along the trail (which was nearly  vertical) and vines hanging from trees, but overall it was a fun climb.  We also found an old zipline platform and another trail that led us just above the waterfall.  Unfortunately, being the start of the rainy season, the water is the color of a café latte and not very pretty to look at.

Top of the falls in Montezuma

 Rocks in the falls

Trail down to the waterfall in Montezuma

Hot, sweaty mess      











                The humidity along the coast in Montezuma was ridiculous, and Laura and I were both hot, sweaty messes by the time we got back to the car.   It just started to rain, so we headed into town to have lunch at a place we had read about.  Unfortunately, it was closed, so instead we looked in a couple of souvenir shops and hit the road again.  Along the way we stopped at a local super market and grabbed some snacks for the 5 hour drive to Santa Elena where we would be spending the night.

             

These things are like the fried Chinese noodles you put in chow mein covered in Dorito seasoning.  Sounds kind of gross, but they are delicious!








                Apparently we could have taken a water taxi across the Golfo de Nicoya and saved ourselves about half of the time and had a much easier road to traverse, but instead our GPS took us the long, hard way around.  We went over several mountains on roads that were steep, muddy, very rocky, and sometimes washed out in places.   It was quite the adventure, but, it provided for some really pretty views that we might not have seen had we gone the easy way.  The good thing is that everyone (especially our rep at Avis) told us the road from Monteverde (Sta Elena) to Arenal (La Fortuna) where we will be on the 21^st  was nearly impossible to drive without a 4x4 SUV, but our hostel owner in Sta. Elena says the one we did yesterday is much worse than that.  At least we are well prepared J.

View from the road to Sta. Elena

Another vista

               









               Upon arriving in Sta. Elena we stopped at the local tourism office to see what they would recommend we do/see/eat in the area, and then attempted to find the B&B we would be staying at.  About 20 minutes later, we finally found it!  Jose, the owner, was very helpful with recommending/booking our activities and somewhere to have dinner.  Apparently his mother owns the soda (what they call inexpensive places to eat in Costa Rica), so we stopped in there to try some of the comida typica (local food).

The porch just outside our room at Camino Verde

Comida typica - caseros (plates) with rice, seasoned black beans, salad, vegetables, fried plantains, and mine with a quesadilla, Laura's with beer-battered fish.  So good.  Oh, and a mango smoothie :)

             









                 We went back next door to do some research into the activities that Jose recommended and had him officially book them for us, and then went straight to bed.  Tomorrow we go bungee jumping, canyoneering, and on a night tour of the rainforest.