Great friends of ours from the US were able to come down and meet us in Panama City. Seeing familiar faces on the road is always welcome. I'm (Bill here) going to randomly litter this post with pictures from our time in Panama, so the pictures won't always match the text.
Our wonderful friends who came to meet us in Panama! (more on that below)
Before meeting up with Doug and Kelly, our time in Panama was spent first in Punta Chame, a spit of land that juts out into the Pacific about two hours outside of Panama City that is bathed in strong winds throughout the winter months. Getting there via the public bus system was an interesting experience given that I was hauling around a 50 lb bag of kitesurfing gear that is about the size of a human body. In fact, the captain on the boat from Colombia called it El Muerto "the dead one". The bag is made to look like a golf bag so we don't have to pay baggage fees. I wish I had a picture, not just so you could see it, but also because it's being shipped back to the US right now through the Panamanian postal system, and I'm guessing it will get lost and a picture would maybe help find it... oh well.
Punta Chame in full swing of kite season, notice the white caps on the water to the right
Anyway, we got to the regional bus station in Panama City and found a long line leading to a kiosk that says "Chame", this is where we want to go. I had Kenzi wait with our bags while I got in line. It moved quickly, I got to the front, bought two tickets, and then casually wandered over to see Kenzi. I mention that I got the tickets but don't know where the bus is and I don't know what time either... but I got tickets! Cherish the little successes! Ha ha, isn't this funny?
Sunset over our home on the beach for five days on Punta Chame.
About 30 seconds later the guy that sold me the tickets came up to me, abruptly took the tickets back and returned my money... and all my happiness at scoring tickets was drained... After a few sharp exchanges in broken English, Spanish, and French it appears that after buying the bus ticket I must go directly to the bus. The way this works is that a constant stream of people buy tickets and get on a constant stream of buses headed to Chame, no dillydallying!
Me posing with my gear after a solid day of kitesurfing
So Kenzi and I shuffle with all of our gear out to the bus. Turns out the bus at the front of the queue is too full to take us and all of our gear, because the luggage compartment just doesn't have space. I offer to pay for extra seats but there aren't enough, so the ringleader, the guy that initially took our tickets back, sent us to a bus that hadn't yet been filled with passengers, the bus that is next in the stream. We load the bags through the window of the bus, because how else would you?
The bus was full!
From here things go pretty smoothly. At one point there are some live chickens on the bus. They are boxed up and remain heard but not seen. I'm not sure if this bus counts as a fabled chicken bus but I do get a kick out of saying we rode on a bus with chickens.
Anyway, we rode to the turn off for Punta Chame, and at that point the guy collecting money, who yells out the door constantly where the bus is going in an attempt to drum up more passengers, what we've taken to calling the "fixer" for the bus, tried to charge us double fare for the four seats we took up. I dug my heels in. I understand that we took up four seats and I was willing to pay for four, but I was not paying double on top of that. Luckily we had exact change for the standard fare on four seats and eventually the fixer relents and disappears.
Digging your heels in over price gouging in a foreign country is something that we've just had to get comfortable with and this time I find out later we were 100% in the right: on the return trip to Panama City we were charged what I paid per seat, on top of that the fixer was less of an opportunist and we didn't get charged for extra seats because of our oversize luggage. By the way, we're bickering over $10 here... but at least this once I didn't get taken for a sucker tourist and that feeling is pretty darn good.
We get a taxi to the place were staying at in Punta Chame.
The sort of house/Hostel/resort where we stayed in Punta Chame, right on the beach.
Punta Chame turned out to be a great kitesurfing spot. The place we stayed could have been better but it's perfect for kitesurfing. We meet a bunch of interesting people, many were on extended vacations like us. The best part for me though is that I mastered a new trick, the backroll, which is very satisfying:
Strange thing about this spot: the tidal span is enormous compared to any other place of similar latitude I've been too. I know that land mass/geography play a huge role in tidal span but usually the large span tides are all in high latitudes. Places further south like Florida usually have tides that are almost imperceptible. The tide here is very noticeable:
These pictures are taken from the same place at high and low tide showing the giant tidal span in Panama.
Aside from kitesurfing, Panama has been lodged in my brain as an interesting place since I was a kid.
The Panama Canal is considered one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever and since I'm an engineer at heart, checking it out has always been on my list of things to do. I learned about the American triumph in building the canal where others had failed. While that's great for the American ego, even more impressive is what the canal offers to global commerce: 22 days less transit time for freight between the Atlantic and Pacific. The canal was built over 100 years ago and remains largely unchanged in its functionality, however since 2016 it has a second widened set of locks to accommodate even larger ships.
Larger Ships! Kenzi remembers our guide saying that this ship could hold 500+ cars.
For ages the canal zone was a possession of the United States, that was followed by a period of joint US/Panamanian control and now the canal is controlled by a Panamanian-owned company, the "Panama Canal Authority". Technically the entire waterway is considered international waters and according to our tour guide, the Panamanian government has little control beyond accepting the profits of ~$1.5 billion per year. Another interesting tidbit, the US and Panama are still quite intertwined as we use the same currency, US dollars are the Panamanian currency.
Bridge of the Americas, the first re-connection of North and South American after the Canal was built
We did a partial transit of the canal, from the Pacific to the man-made lake in the middle. There are three locks that lift the passing ships from sea level up 86 feet to the lake. All of that lifting, nearly the entire canal, is powered by the rainwater that accumulates in the lake. Each time a ship enters a lock to ascend, water from the lake is drained into the lock and the ship is raised to the same level of the lake, this happens in three stages, in three separate locks. Here is a time lapse of the steps up coming from the Pacific:
Adding to the amusement of taking a joy ride through the most serious machinery of international trade was that there were two boats smaller than ours making their way through as well. The toll for the partial transit for our boat was $4500, the two smaller boats were estimated at $1200-$1800. So if you want to take your private yacht through the Panama Canal, it will cost you.
Sunset over the Pacific side of Punta Chame
The normal freighter transit would continue across the lake, descend through three locks and enter the Atlantic via the Caribbean.
The canal requires constant maintenance. This is a dredge which digs and sucks sediment out of the channel so that boats always have deep enough water.
There is significant maintenance to be done on the canal, the dredge shown above keeps the channel deep enough for the ships. Additionally the gates on the locks need to be removed and reworked every two years, so for a dollar Panama bought this massive crane, shipping cost was extra though... "Titan" previously knows as "Herman the German" from the the US, who seized it from Germany after WWII:
$1 Titan or "Herman the German", A giant crane for Maintenance on the gates for the locks, shipping was extra...
The other interesting bit of history is that the US invaded Panama... airplanes, tanks, soldiers, the whole kit and caboodle but from the looks of Panama City today you wouldn't know it.
Modern cosmopolitan city or money laundering capital? I don't know...
In addition to checking out the canal with Doug and Kelly we also took a road trip over to the Caribbean Coast to check out a small island, apparently misnamed "Isla Grande" which was quite nice:
Isla Grande? Not really, but the water was warm and drinks were cheap.
On the drive we passed through a small town that was having a baseball game and it looked like the whole town, along with the next two came out to see the festivities. The diamond was right on the road, and on top of that the outfield overlaps with the road... so we literally drove through a baseball game to get home:
From the car window, don't let a road interfere with your aspirations for a baseball field! (road is in the lower left corner)
Panama was a great stop on the way for us. While the downtown was a sprawling complex of high rises we also enjoyed driving through the countryside and were amused by the ability to drive in a few hours between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Just like Colombia, this might not be on the top of your list of places to go to escape the North American winter, but perhaps it should be.
We heard that a cool way to get from Colombia to Panama was via sailboat, so we signed up for a 5-day sail from Cartagena, Colombia to Panama. The sailing portion was supposed to take two days and then we'd have three days to explore the San Blas islands on the Caribbean side of Panama.
Paradise. The San Blas Islands, Panama.
So we boarded our catamaran, the Nacar II, at 8:00pm on a Sunday night. We were supposed to pack a small bag for the boat and our main luggage would be stored below deck and be unreachable. We were stocked up with plenty of Dramamine because the boat ride had the potential to be pretty gnarly with strong winds and high seas, especially at this time of year. We'd read plenty of reviews to that effect. So our fingers were crossed that the passage would be smooth and that the we'd have good people on our boat since we'd be stuck with them for five days.
Our trusty sailboat, the Nacar II.
We met our fellow passengers right away as we were all boarding the boat with our luggage and extra snacks and drinks (although all meals were provided). There were a total of 12 passengers and five crew members on the catamaran. We were squeezed into every available sleeping quarters, with two of the crew sleeping in the dining area.
Our sleeping quarters on the boat, not bad at all!
Our fellow passengers were from New Zealand, Canada, the UK and Germany, and our crew was from Colombia. We were the oldest passengers, and therefore did not imbibe or inhale all that the "kids" did, but they were an incredible group of people, many very well traveled and on long-term trips like us. We had four very fluent Spanish speakers and a bunch of us with varying Spanish skills. Our crew took excellent care of us and even let us stay an additional day on the boat for free(!) and still cooked for us(!!). Apparently, they liked us.
Our fabulous group of fellow travelers (photo by me): Back row, L-R, James (UK), Jewel (Canada), Jono (NZ/Canada), Mitch (NZ/Canada), Bill, Mattias (Germany), Daniel (Germany) Front row, L-R, Ben (UK), Cesar (Colombia), Emily (UK), Brooke (NZ), Cole (NZ)
So we met everyone and got familiar with the boat and headed to bed on our first night, rocking and swaying a bit while motoring away from Cartagena, but not too badly. The entire next day we were motoring because there simply was NO wind. Apparently, calm winds are very rare at this time of year, but there were times when it was so calm that the sea was actually glassy. All you could see that day was the sea, no land in sight. It was crazy flat, which made for a very smooth ride, so nobody got even remotely seasick.
Day 1 of motoring (no wind), very calm and only the sea and sky to look at.
Day 2 of motoring, SO calm that the sea was glassy.
On Day 2 of motoring at about 1:00pm, we finally spotted our first islands of the San Blas group, and boy were they picturesque. Turquoise waters, white sand beaches, and palm trees. Simply stunning! The kind of place I've been dreaming about my whole life (this was my first time in the Caribbean). There are 365 San Blas islands and about 50 of them are inhabited, mostly by the indigenous Kuna people. Some have accommodations, usually pretty primitive, but the scenery makes up for it.
First sighting of San Blas islands in the distance.
First island stop for swimming.
We stopped at a variety of the islands and got to explore, snorkel, relax, and do plenty of hanging out on the boat and beaches. Bill attempted to kitesurf a couple of times, but it wasn't great because there just wasn't enough wind. The best snorkeling spot was near a shipwreck off of Pelican island. We saw a lionfish, lots of multicolored fish, an eel, some rays, and what looked like mini barracudas. Another day we saw some very large starfish. Some of the people on our boat saw a hammerhead jumping out of the water to catch a ray, but it was in the dark with headlamps and they'd been drinking heavily, so we weren't sure whether to believe them or not. Our crew and some of the passengers did some fishing and also bought fish from the locals, so we feasted on fresh fish: ceviche, delicious grilled fish, lobster, and even octopus (too bad Bill is a vegetarian and couldn't partake!).
Snorkel faces!
Large starfish, about the size of a platter.
Lunchtime on the boat.
Our days in the San Blas islands were basically full of lots of swimming, talking, snorkeling, napping, reading. Layer of sunscreen, layer of salt, layer of sunscreen, layer of salt, repeat again and again. No showering needed!
Bill, Mitch, and Jono working hard to open a coconut on one of the San Blas islands.
Sunset from one of the San Blas islands.
Local Kuna people selling us fresh seafood from their dug out canoe. Check out the size and color of that conch shell.
Strangers tend to be kind of enamored with Bill because of his intelligence and interesting hobbies. I mean, he built his own plane for goodness sake! And our fellow passengers were no exception. I kept telling him to keep his ego in check after each instance of them learning something cool about him and telling him how awesome he is. It became a running joke that if something bad happened, Bill would fix it. Super Bill! And that came true when a fellow passenger dropped her GoPro in the water. She dove in to the water to retrieve it but wasn't having any luck. So Bill jumped in, spotted the GoPro laying on the bottom, and free dove 10 meters (~30 feet) to get it. On his first try. The whole boat started cheering. Later we learned that the woman who dropped the GoPro had already lost two other devices with the photos from her and her husband's 9 months of traveling, so the GoPro was their last remaining camera and held their only travel photos. They kept telling Bill that he saved their marriage, like they wouldn't have survived losing any more photos/cameras.
San Blas views.
More incredible San Blas vies.
Since we ended up staying an extra day on the catamaran, we arranged a small wobbly boat to take us to mainland Panama, and then we got into Jeeps that drove us through the jungle and into Panama City. We were so sad to say goodbye to our fellow passengers and the incredible crew that took such good care of us. We got incredibly lucky with the weather and the people. This trip to paradise will definitely be one of the big highlights of our year of travel, which is really saying a lot considering all that we've seen.
It
seems like forever since I (Bill) have written a blog and I've missed
consolidating our experiences and putting them in words. We've had a bunch of
great experiences since Hong Kong and we really are in a different world now.
Dinner in the street thanks to some pedestrian-only areas
After
leaving Hong Kong we headed back to the US for some great time with family and
friends. It was almost difficult getting back on the road after having a little
taste of home, almost, well... really given the adventures that lie ahead it
wasn't even close!
High rise area of Cartagena
Old City Cartagena
Lovely building in the old city with wonderful flowers
Cartagena, Colombia isn't probably the first travel destination on the minds of most Americans but perhaps it should be for those that escape the winter year after year to overrun Caribbean resorts that cater to American tourists.
Warm sunny beaches in the winter with no people
Colombia
has been quite safe for ages and with a newly signed peace treaty, Colombia's
years of strife are officially in the rear view. Even the US State Department
allows travel along the Caribbean coast for its employees who are more likely
to be targets of crime than average US citizens. This is the area where we
toured, and we really came for one reason: Kitesurfing!
A
fellow paragliding student in Nepal tipped me off that a small town in Colombia
had consistently strong wind, warm water and waves, all the perfect ingredients
for great kitesurfing. I am a junkie for kitesurfing. I've always loved things
that fly, when I was a kid I built many, many kites, I even glued popcorn to
one kite in an attempt to make a bizarre seagull bird feeder. I also spent lots
of time around water doing not just the garden variety things like kayaking,
swimming, and whatever crazy things we could dream up, my brother and I built a
diving bell, made a makeshift boat, and a plywood wakeboard among other water
toys. Peer pressure makes many people give up the fun things of their youth for
more dignified prospects. With kitesurfing I get to combine several treasures
of my youth all at the same time and still have a chance to come off looking
like an adult while doing so.
But
before heading out to the small kitesurfing town we had a few days to
explore Cartagena.
Right away it is clear that we have been spoiled by our
previous travels, Colombia is a Spanish speaking country and for many Colombians
English words get barely a glimmer of understanding. Add to that, I was
literally told in Barcelona that my "my Spanish was crap" and we're
in deep trouble. It’s not quite as bad as it seems. I took the criticism to
heart, we have been using some Spanish learning software and making modest
progress. At this point when I'm able to stave off the urge to speak French I can get a few minor logistical things done, still it's pretty bad and understanding is even worse!
Nonetheless,
we manage to see what Cartagena has to offer. Even before landing we learn that we've been pronouncing the name of the city wrong our whole lives. The end is more
like henna than the heña that for some reason I thought it was and I've been
saying to people leading up to the trip. So much to learn and we're not even
started.
The imposing fort that lords over old city Cartagena, protecting the city
The walls of the old city along the sea front
Cartagena is right on the Caribbean sea. It was a Spanish port where all kinds
of riches were taken from South America and shipped off to Europe. While the
geography makes a fantastic natural port that is shielded from the open sea the
port was hard to defend because it has several openings to the sea. After being
sacked a few times over the years they built a wall around the city and a substantial
fort on a hill just behind the city. The fort is a puzzle palace of various
revetments and parapets facing in odd directions that would confuse the enemy
and perhaps your own soldiers as well. Adding to the confusion the fort also
has an extensive network of tunnels that join various parts. It was fun to tour through.
Views from the fort toward the high rise area
Guard tower in the fort
Looking up one of the many revetments
The
old city wall now makes a great promenade to see the city and the sea. Within
the city walls there are dozens of buildings that are brightly painted but with
architecture that still echos the colonial roots of the town.
Gate through the city wall
They love their bright colors!
There
is a gold museum that displays some of the gold that wasn't taken ages ago
along with bits of evidence showing how the indigenous people lived before
Europeans arrived, oh and its free with air conditioning!
Display in the gold museum
One
interesting thing we noticed was that the Colombian people are incredibly
diverse in race, we saw Colombians that were indistinguishable from the whitest
Caucasian’s you'll will ever see, some that were as dark as the darkest African, some indigenous people and everything in between, pretty amazing
diversity.
Graffiti in the Getsemani Neighborhood
Outside of the old city there was a range of spectacular graffiti in the Getsemi neighborhood where we stayed.
By
then our time in Cartagena was coming to a close so we picked up our rental car
and headed to Santa Veronica, northeast up the coast.
The finest rental car our budget could muster, yes it came with mismatched wheels...
We
had quite a flattering moment at the car rental office. A very nice lady was
there doing some translation for us and at the end she said that she wanted to
let us know how different driving in Colombia was from the US. She went on to
say that we should expect motorbikes on all sides and from all directions,
aggressive drivers and all sorts of other indignities. I then told her that we
both had driven in Mexico, at that she said, oh, never mind, have fun! And for
the record the driving wasn't that bad although the car was every penny of the
turd we paid for.
Sunset over the beach in Santa Veronica
We
arrived in Santa Veronica and we were greeted with unbelievable wind. It was
strong enough to shake the windows through the night; sadly it wasn't until our
last night there that I figured out the right combination of things to jam
around the sliding glass door to make it quiet through the night.
Spectacular sunsets almost every day in Santa Veronica!!
But the wind was intense!
And the kitesurfing was amazing. I was on a much smaller kite, 1/3 the size of my San Diego kite and I still had plenty of power. It was fantastic. We didn't get many good pictures of me kitesurfing because, well, playing in that much wind was like learning all over again and I was generally a mess.
The kite spot on a busy day
After
six days of kiting we headed further northeast up the coast to Santa Marta in
search of new kitespots and new surroundings. Santa Marta delivered on graffiti as well:
More Colombian graffiti
No idea...
We
didn't find much in the way of wind for kitesurfing we were pleased by a great
hike in Tayrona National Park which got us our hiking fix in beautiful beach, lush jungle
surroundings and very intense waves. Signs said that more than 100 people have
drowned there due to the strong current. We just spent the day but you can also camp overnight. It was nice to
see Colombia making a very genuine effort to set aside some land to preserve in
a somewhat natural state.
Looking down the beach at Tayrona National park
Trail through the Tayrona Park
Leaf cutter ants in Tayrona
And we also visited the plantation where Simon Bolivar died along with a museum dedicated to the site. For me he was virtually unknown but we got a good bit of history and after checking up on Wikipedia he certainly lives up to the reputation of "South America's George Washington." As a military and political leader he inspired revolutions in modern day Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama and his namesake Bolivia. He was eventually ousted by a populist demagogue (someone who simply tells the people what they want to hear rather than the truth) and much of South America has struggled to institute stable democracies since then. Despite his huge accomplishments Bolivar died penniless.
The bed where Simon Bolivar died,
We went shopping as we always do and we found it amusing that in Colombia anything that is in liquid form comes in bags, water, ketchup, mayonnaise, even milk.
This is milk, in bags...
Condiments... in bags...
Despite
the past Colombia seems to be doing well and things should continue to get
better in this country. Columbia should be on the standard list of Caribbean escape
locations from the cold North American Winter.
