Goodbye South America; hello, Panama
Day 310 Fri 8/7
Last day in Colombia; farewells and off to the airport at 09:30 for the 12:30 flight. The taxi driver was not the best I have had and tried to overcharge me. However, I knew how much it cost, roughly, to get to the airport and managed enough Spanish to tell him what I thought of his attempt.
Check-in went smoothly. Had to pay airport taxes/ fees of about USD 60! Short, uneventful flight and we got in at around 14:00. Customs and immigration went by quickly as well. A collectivo to the hostel and I am in Panama City. Went to the closest supermarket to get some food. I couldnt get over how much it looked like a supermarket in the US. The influence of USA in Panama is everywhere!
Fix dinner and do some reading before heading to bed. Glad that the room has AC since Panama City is hot and humid!
Day 311 Sat 9/7
Walked around in the morning for a while before getting stopped by a dodgy cop. He asked for my passport and wasnt satisfied by my copy and asked me to pay a fine. I had the quite surreal experience of bargaining with a cop over his bribe. A robbery in daylight.. welcome to Panama. I wish I had put my foot down and insisted he take me to the police station. Didnt think of it at the time, and probably a good thing I didnt. Not quite sure how the folks at the station would have behaved!
It rained in the afternoon, and spent the afternoon taking a couple of bus rides. Some of the buses are brightly coloured and look like school-buses! They call them DIablos Rojos and they cost a quarter for a ride. The drivers turn the music up high, it is crowded; quite a cultural experience!
Watched a weird movie at night with an Argentine, who was waiting for his cousin to arrive.
Day 312 Sun 10/7
Walked along the water to casco viejo. It is a mixture of new-looking, renovated buildings and run-down, empty shells! Well-worth a visit and has some charm. Plenty of police presence since it has some dodgy neighbourhoods and can be dangerous at night.
After about 3 hours wandering around casco viejo, had lunch at one of the oldest establishments in town, only to be disappointed at the quality of food.
I had decided to head to San Blas on Mon, but ran into someone I had met travelling in COlombia and decided to postpone my trip to SB by a day to spend a day with her. Also spent time with Alejandro and his cousin.Played chess with Alejandro while Ivana was recuperating from her fever. Our (Alejandro & mine) medical advice didnt seem to help her much. A nice, enjoyable evening!
Day 313 Mon 11/7
A slow day. I was left on my own as Ivana and Alej went to the doctor’s and Steffi had still not arrived. Spent some time reading my Borges book and chatting with my neighbours, a girl from DR and another from Scotland.
Ivana had gotten a couple of injections and was told to rest. Alejandro, Steffi and I decided to head out to Panama Canal after lunch. We had lunch at a street stall run by a fat, cheerful Dominican lady, who was extremely friendly. Her food was delicious as well: beans, rice and veggies. Washed down with a coconut. Off to Miraflores locks next where we saw the process by which ships crossed the locks. It was all quite exciting!
Back to the hostel where Alej and I played more chess. We ended with 4 games, 2 wins for either of us. They had decided to get to San Blas on Wednesday and we decided we would play our tie-break in SB. Off then to watch the COpa America match between Argentina and Costa Roca, where Arg finally burst to life and got 3 goals, 2 of them thanks to Messi’s magic! Time to pack, say goodbyes and off to bed.
Lunch at Marisa’s. Panama Canal w Alej and Steffi. More chess; Arg vs CR game at Copa America.
Tags: Travel
Damu