Goodbye, Metropolis!

Today we said farewell to the skyscrapers of the big city and hello to the Panama’s back country with an eight-hour trek along the famed Pan American Highway, which (except for a small gap in southern Panama and northern Columbia) extends all the way from Alaska to the lower reaches of South America.  I’ve included a map below so you can see just how expansive today’s cross-country voyage really was — more than 400 kilometers (250-ish miles if I did the math right…) climbing over mountains, winding along rivers, and straight through some of the greenest scenery I’ve ever laid my eyes on. This is the Panama I was really looking forward to...

 

 

Our day started at 4 a.m. so that we could catch the early bus from Panama City to David, which is Panama’s third-largest city and the country’s epicenter of agriculture. Thankfully for us, Gen has a freakishly accurate internal alarm clock, because I accidentally set my electronic alarm clock to 4 p.m. rather than 4 a.m. this morning. Unperturbed and heavily caffeinated — and just a tad behind schedule thanks to my blunder — we made our way to the Allbrook Transit Center to purchase our tickets (a bargain at just $15.50!) and board our bus for the day’s ride.

 

Gen and I had been looking forward to riding in “El Diablo,” a red-light party bus, which we thought would be taking us on our eight-hour Panamanian tour today.  Instead, we were pleasantly surprised with a double-decker BMW! We were especially excited to learn of the bus’ air conditioning, because our destination of David is situated in the lowlands of Panama where it is hotter than hell. If I thought the humidity was overwhelming in Panama City, it pails in comparison to David’s lowlands.

 

 

Naturally, Gen and I ran to the top and very front of our autobus so we’d have a birds-eye view of Panama’s picturesque countryside. And we were like a little kids in a candy store, oohing and awing at everything — the multi-colored tropical birds fluttering by, the overhanging plants in every shade of green imaginable, and even a sun-bathing iguana on the side of the road. (I tell myself it was sunbathing, because it’s a lot more pleasant than road kill!)

 

After getting next to no sleep last night and not wanting to miss a blink of action today, I’m beyond exhausted.  It’s time to take a dip in our new hostel’s pool to cool off and then I’m going to make me a rum and coke and lounge poolside for a few hours. Ah, this is the life…

Home Away From Home

 

Another mid-afternoon tropical rain shower (I guess I should get used to these, right?) means more time to sit down and write… and it just occurred to me that I haven’t shared a single word about where we’re staying these past two nights, La Mamallena Backpackers’ Hostel in the Perejil district of Panama City. The Lonely Planet says, “If you’re after a small, intimate hostel, Mamallena should be your top pick.” How would I describe our home away from home? Well, I’d say just that — a home away from home! It just fits us…

 

I told Gen the minute we got here that this is exactly the way I envision our apartment (minus the eight beds in each room, of course) — fun, vibrant, colorful, and full of life and spirit! Bohemian chic, without being over-the-top. Laid-back, casual, lots of contrasting colors and patterns — basically everything you’d look for and expect from a young, hip hostel in the city. (Gen doesn’t know this yet, but she’s going around taking pictures of our hostel not only for this blog post, but for an apartment remodel when we’re stateside, too!)

 

During these rain storms, I retreat to the back patio where a giant mural of Panama keeps me company. That, and the hostel’s resident cat and dog. There’s something soothing about an afternoon rain shower and waiting for it to subside — a time to collect my thoughts, contemplate the day ahead, and (of course) sit down and make sense of it all here for you on this blog.

 

I’m amazed at how our hostel (or any hostel, for that matter) brings together such a hodgepodge of people all under one roof. In the few days that we’ve been here, we’ve met a group of strapping young lads traveling from Toronto where it’s two-degrees right now. (And here I was thinking Albuquerque is cold this time of year!) Last night, we watched Batman Begins until midnight. We share a room with two German girls who wake up early each morning for the day ahead…sometimes to the annoyance of this not-so-early riser. (A free alarm clock, right?)  A Dutch woman practices her Spanish on the patio as Gen tries in vain to catch some shut-eye — you should hear that accent! Today we just met an expat gentleman who kindly offered us a ride to David (our next destination) if we’d drive part of the way. Unfortunately — or fortunately, depending on how you look at it — we don’t have our driver’s licenses with us, so it will be a six-hour, cross-country party bus for us. (Can’t wait for that blog post... stay tuned!!) And finally, this morning we ate breakfast with a British girl who has been on holiday for the past six months and who is returning to the U.K. later this week as a paid caregiver who will get two weeks off a month to travel. (Pretty nice choice of occupation, if I say so myself…)

 

Speaking of breakfast, we all communally make pancakes together each morning — and on our first morning we couldn’t help but add bananas for a Jack Johnson-inspired entrée. The lyrics all too surreal right now: “Can’t you see that it’s just raining?/ Ain’t no need to go outside /… I’ll make you banana pancakes / pretend it’s the weekend now…”

 

I’d write more, but the skies are clearing up. Don’t want to spend all of my time writing and not experiencing all that this burgeoning city has to offer! Until tonight (or the next rain storm): Adios, amigos!

Panama City's Old Town

We’ve been obsessively reading Frommer’s and The Lonely Planet guide books ever since we booked this adventure mid-August. If there’s one thing about Panama City that we’ve read time and time again, it’s that a visit to Casco Viejo (Old Town) is a must!  What’s the first thing Gen and I decide to do just 24 hours into our journey? Naturally, visiting Casco Viejo was at the top of our to-do list.

 

And what a marvelous decision, indeed. Casco Viejo is a study in contrasts — a place where old meets new, where rich meets poor, and where history meets the 21st century. You’ll literally be walking down one of the narrow cobblestone streets and you’ll see brand new, million-dollar luxury condominiums that reside next to dilapidated, old ruins of buildings that once were. Modernized restaurants and coffee shops sit beside decaying and hollowed structures.

 

First settled in 1673, Casco Viejo was built following the near-total destruction of the original Panama city, Panama Viejo, in 1671 by Captain Henry Morgan (yes, the rum’s namesake).  This time, the Spanish wised up and built the new city with a fortress of walls on a peninsula completely isolated by the sea.

 

Walking through this section of the city is like taking a trip back in time to 17th century Spain complete with Catholic cathedrals and plazas so grand they make you stop dead in your tracks. La Catedral de Metropolitana (the Metropolitan Cathedral) features two magnificent bell towers inlaid in mother of pearl. At the same time, we’re fortunate for the comforts of an afternoon pina colada on a patio when the skies turn grey unexpectedly and it begins to rain.

 

Thankfully for us, tropical rain storms in Panama City last but an hour or so (similar to back home in New Mexico) and we were able to complete our walking tour of Casco Viejo looking out over the ocean where a line of cruise ships await entrance to the Panama Canal.  Off in the distance, downtown’s towering skyline watches over the crystal clear blue bay. 

 

For the first time this trip, I forget that I’m in one of Central America’s most sprawling metropolises. Strolling along the boardwalk, I have to spend more than a few passing minutes just staring blankly at the open ocean. For a New Mexico boy like me, all it takes is a little water and I’m mesmerized…

Bienvenidos a Panama!

We’re here! We finally made it to Panama City! And what a day it has been…



Gen looking fab... notice the hammock and funky colors. We're in paradise!

 

Our flight was delayed an hour in Houston this morning thanks to a nasty thunderstorm that decided to unleash its fury right as we were preparing to leave the good ol’ U.S. of A. But not even Mother Nature could keep us away from our destination — Tocumen International Airport.



Me being "a hot mess." Notice the sweaty pits and hair... so glad I remembered to pack dry fit shirts!

The minute we stepped off the plane, we were hit with a wave of relentless 90-degree humidity… and I’ve been sweating (and trying to ingest as much liquid as possible) ever since!!  Seriously, being fat in humid weather is like being a never-ending sweat fountain. Laying in bed? I’m sweating. Walking down the street? I’m sweating. Writing this blog post? I’m sweating. The only relief is that five-minute cold shower. But the second I get out of the shower? Yup, even more sweating. (My dry skin has to acclimate soon, right?)

Panama City's towering skyline. Something tells me we're not in Albuquerque anymore...

Perspiration aside, we’re loving Panama City so far. And that’s weird, because I’m a small-town kind of guy.  When we exited the plane, we were awestruck by the sheer number of skyscrapers.  Our kind driver, Alberto, pulled over to the side of the highway and let us snap this shot of “the twisting building.”  Panama City has a population of 1.2 million, and it’s great a great place to start our adventure.



The Twisting Building... need to research and figure out what the hell this really is!





What’s the first thing Gen and I did after arriving at our hostel, Mamallena, in the Perejil district of Panama City? Why, we grabbed a cold one — of course! We’re especially enjoying Panama’s selection of local brews — Atlas, Balboa, and the aptly named Panama. Atlas, to me, tastes just like a Bud Light from back home. The Panama brand is a light lager similar to Dos Equis, if I had to compare. Balboa, which happens to be my personal favorite (and coincidentally only $1.25 at our hostel), is a darker brew that we’ve admittedly already taste-tested more than a few times. (At $1.25 each, how could be we not?)  It’s funny how back in Albuquerque we pay $2.50 for a pint during happy hour and think it’s a deal…

Brandon and Gen's first beer in Panama--a Balboa, which is named after the Spanish conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa.

Anyway… more to come soon… have to get out and explore the city some more! Right now it’s raining out, and I thought it would be a nice chance to update you all. Love you muchos! 

The Layover From Hell

After months of preparation, planning, and eagerly reading about Panama in guide books, it's crazy to think that in less than 24 hours we will finally be there.

But what is that saying... all good things come to those who wait? Gen and I are currently at the airport America's Value Inn in Houston, Texas experiencing the layover from hell. When we booked this amazing adventure way back in August, we knew it was coming... 14 hours of waiting. What we had anticipated was spending the night in the airport, patiently playing games and catching bits of shut-eye at the gate as we awaited our four-hour sojourn south. Fourteen hours is but a footnote when the endgame is 3 1/2 weeks in Panama... que no?

However, when we were checking in at the Albuquerque Sunport, we were thrown a (welcomed?) curveball. Because Gen was checking a bag--and for the record, my high-maintenance self was able to fit everything I needed into a carry-on and Gen was the girly girl who couldn't live without a blowdryer for three weeks (which I plan on giving her shit about the entire trip)... but I digress--we found out that we'd have to exit security and pick up her bag in Houston before we could proceed to the international terminal. When we fetched her backpack from the carousel and went to the United ticket counter to get our boarding passes, we learned that they only accept checked baggage four hours before departure. (Good to know, in case you're planning a vacay yourself!) So... it looked as if we'd be spending the night in front the United ticket counter...

That's fine. We had totally counted on the layover from hell and sleeping in the airport. We saw it as a necessary trade-off for booking cheap tickets. The only difference was that we thought we'd at least be able to get through security and possibly find an aiport bar to pass a few hours... What we hadn't counted on was the kindness of one United employee. After informing us that we couldn't check Gen's bag until 4:30 a.m. the following day, he kindly gave us a travel voucher for a discounted hotel room for "unexpected travel interruptions."

Score! A quick shuttle ride to a nearby hotel and here we are... Gen snoring loudly from the other room, and me burning the midnight oil writing this blog post. In approximately 12 hours we will be stepping foot in Panama--and all of the frantic last minute packing on my part (yes, I was still doing laundry when we were supposed to be leaving for the aiport) and eager reading of Frommer's is about to pay off... all we have to do is wait. Well, that, and also make our flight in the morning.

Now, it's off to bed... we have a 5 a.m. wake-up call and I'll be up tossing and turning all night in anticipation... (Grumble, grumble, grumble... I am soooo not a morning person!)

Until we land in Panama City... XOXO!