Bridge to somewhere
/February 15: 95 degrees
Yesterday we booked a 3-day, 2-night trip to Bocas Del Toro and this morning we start our travels.
Picked up by shuttle at our hotel, we make a few stops in town to pick up other travelers before we head south to Panama. The drive is on a paved road that is surrounded by many banana farms. Banana trees can be seen for miles. We pass through many small towns but we know that Sixaola is the last Costa Rican town before we hit the border.
In Sixaola, we stop near the border. Our driver stops, gives us our bags and motions us to cross the border and check in at customs. We take our backpacks and walk through what feels like a checkpoint for semis. We see a small building to our right and we are motioned to get in line and fill out some customs paperwork. We can only enter one at a time into the building and hand the guard our paperwork and passport for a stamp to enter the country. There is a sign on the door that reminds patrons to "remain calm and don't slam the door". We both get stamped and then we were told to cross the border. Didn't we already cross the border? The answer is "No." We now must now walk across a bridge and then go through customs again on the other side.
Border crossing into Panama
The bridge is a set of railroad tracks with old planks holding it up. Someone at some point laid boards perpedicular to the planks to make it more walkable. Walkable is laughable at this moment because we are dodging large holes in the boards, all the while holding all of our belongings. I begin to laugh nervously and it causes Mandy to laugh as well. If nothing else, we broke the silence of wondering if this really could be the actual border crossing into Panama. Mandy asked how might someone handicapped actually cross this bridge? It was proving challenging for a couple of youngish-something's and only 2 bags. My only answer as I watched my footing was, "I have no flipp'n idea." We both stopped about halfway across the bridge to look at the river below. It was a beautiful sight of lush green foliage hugging each side of the riverbanks.
Finally, we make it to the other side and into Pamana. Don't worry, the adventure doesn't end here. We are approached by a guard to enter a small office with just one employee and a desk. Here, Panama is collecting an entry fee of $3 per person. This is where we realize that Panama's currency (in these touristy parts) is the US dollar. We then climb down a steep dirt hill to where we think we are catching a shuttle. A gentleman grabs our bags and puts them in a taxi that is built like a pick up truck. He then tells us which shuttle to board. But first we must visit the immigration office on the Panama side, located behind a large duty-free store. We get in line and get our passports stamped once again.
Our shuttle has 16 people packed into a vehicle that certainly was made for 12. Everyone is quiet as we begin our trek. Not exactly sure how we are going to make it being packed in like sardines, we drive through the towns and mountains of Panama. Here, you can see a visible difference in the community. There is a lot more poverty than we saw Costa Rica. I feel sad inside when I see the volume of make-shift housing and women laundering clothes in the river. The landscapes are beautiful but the communities appear depressed.
All the sudden, our driver turns on the radio and Mandy indicates that she isn't feeling that well. There're lots of turns and hills and again, we are packed in like sardines. Suddenly, we look at one another. Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" is playing on the radio. Next, George Michael's "Careless Whisper." What is going on right now? We slip into one of our tired giggling fits and begin to sing. All the sudden, we feel like we are in an SNL skit: we are packed into this vehicle, 16 people trying to act like they are comfortable, a treacherous border crossing and now this...listening to 80s hits. Is this really happening right now? We try to make the most of it, and I can tell that Mandy is trying hard to be ok.
Shaved ice vedor that saved Mandy's life
We finally stop where we are to catch our water taxi to Bocas Del Toro. We unload our bags and try to figure out what boat to catch. Today, a small vendor is there with some sort of shaved ice and flavoring. Mandy feels as though she needs to get something in her stomach so she buys some. It is shaved ice with coconut flavoring and shavings. It is delicious and Mandy seems to be starting to feel a little better. Mandy still claims that this little treat saved her life that day. Dramatic. Since I ate about half of it, Mandy bought another one. This time pineapple. She is once again a little happy traveler.
Local homes and outhouses
Finally we board the water taxi with our bags. This is the last leg of our trip. As I sit in the boat, I look around at the housing in front of me. They are all wooden homes on stilts in the water and amongst the mangroves. Mandy points out their little out- houses as well and asks me where I think that waste is going. Hmmmm, right into the water.
As we make our way down what feels like a river, the water opens up and we are now amongst many Panamanian islands. The water is relatively calm and the islands are plentiful. Lush green islands poking their heads out of the sea. About 30 minutes later we arrive in Bocas Del Toro. We were instructed to head out of the port and follow the road to the left to find our hotel. With our bags, we head left while looking at our surroundings. Initially, Bocas has a great vibe and we are excited to be there. Of course Bocas is touristy but we are excited by our initial impression. It too is lined with bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, etc. We walk to the opposite side of Bocas Town to find our hotel room. Finally, we find it, check in and walk into our room.
There might as well have been Olympic opening ceremony music playing when we walked into the room. Look! We have a beautiful bed! The pillows aren't lumpy! We have air conditioning! The room is clean! We have hot water! No mosquito nets! Breakfast included?!?!
We had the best night's sleep in a long time.
Tough travel day. Time for a drink with this view from our hotel.