Adventure to the Caribbean

Sunday was probably one of my favorite days here in Panama. Six of us crashed in an apartment for 3 or 4 and we woke up at 7 am to start our adventure. Carlos and I went to pick up our rental car over at the Thrifty right by our house. Even though its just a hold of $250, I always feel like I’m signing my life away with those kinds of contracts. In a very non-Panamanian way, we were all in the car and on the road my 8 am, sharp. 

For better or for worse, since I had signed I drove the whole way there and back to the Caribbean side of Panama. Driving for me means getting to see all the scenery in front of me but missing everything that goes by. It also means I did not have to be scrunched in the back with 4 people. Teehee, sorry guys :)

Our first destination was the ruins at Portobello. It was almost too easy to find as we twister and turned along the coast and drove literally right by them. The approach into the area was just as fun as actually being there because we came over a hill, hugging the mini mountain and all of a sudden saw a beautiful blue bay, the ruins, the boats anchored in the bay, and all the buildings surrounding it. Everyone in unison “ooohhhhh.” 

The ruins themselves were super neat too. There was not a whole lot of history there to know about them, a guide would have been helpful, but they were still fun to explore and of course take lots of pictures. I personally loved the view of the bay looking out to the Gulf. Meh, let’s face it, if there’s water involved, I like it. We spent some time there, ended up having to pay “parking” which was probably more like a tourist fee in an empty field and hit the road again to the beach.

With our very basic map it was easy crossing the isthmus and finding signs to the beaches. Where we ran into trouble was in the twisty, hilly back country where we thought we might have made a wrong turn, which is difficult because there are very few options as far as other roads to take. We saw signs for different beaches and followed figuring we’d get somewhere eventually. After driving for a while and not seeing water we made the mistake of turning to GPS. I may be a traditionalist, but I rarely rely on GPS because I know I can read a map and can navigate well. I also happen to be rather stubborn. Either way, we were about a 50/50 split in the car saying that the map was out of proportion to the GPS and we had to go inland before we’d hit the water again and the others saying that according to GPS we were in the middle of the forest, not on a road, and heading more inland. 

Don’t get me wrong, at no point we were actually fighting or even very frustrated because the scenery was beautiful and the roads twisty and fun. We kept thinking we were going the right way because we would see the Red Devil buses carrying people to beaches. Once when we were heading down a twisty hill, a bus came down the other side and was a bit in our lane, all at once we screamed as we passed and the bus dove back on his side. Sweet mother of buses here in Panama who drive however they want! Either way, we stopped to ask for directions probably 3 times. Twice we were going the right way, the last time we were more or less right because we were in between two beaches but decided to head back to the more touristy, original destination. Before leaving the countryside, I made everyone get out of the car and take a picture of the gorgeous view, also to remember being lost out there. 

Back at the cross roads we decided to eat since we were all a little car sick and had been trapped for a couple hours trying to find the beach. The decision was pizza before hitting the last few kms to Guaira.

On the final stretch we paid a few more “tourist fees” which was basically locals dressed up in the street dancing or just plain being in the way and not moving until you give them some money, Not much but definitely not official tolls.

  

Once at Guira, apart from the signs, we could tell we arrived because of all the people on the “beach” and all the Red Devil buses stopped on the side of the road. We parked and checked it out. While the water at Guira was clear and inviting, there was not much beach because it was close to high tide. Basically pack and not much room to enjoy, we all felt uneasy about trying to squeeze in and have all our stuff with us. It reminded me of “hillbilly beach” ( in an endearing way) in Tampa, FL where locals who don’t want to waste their time getting to a better beach drive up, drop their stuff and grab whatever piece of sand they can along the bay, just off the highway.

Luckily there is another option waiting for you at the docks of Guira which is what makes it a fun beach destination. There are tons of dug out boats that take people over to Isla Grande and the beaches just across the bay, which is what we decided to do since it was only $5 round trip, a little more reasonable than the Jet Express to Put-In-Bay. So we hopped in one and jetted over. Gotta love the extremely fashionable and well-fitting lifejackets. I do have to say that everyone around that area was very friendly. Our boat driver gave us his number so we could go back with him and even offered for us to pay then which I thought was pretty trusting giving the number of identical boats. I was impressed but we paid and ended up going back with someone else anyway. 

The beaches of Isla Grande were packed as well but it was so neat wandering through the trees and seeing everyone with their coolers and families and in the water. We go to the end of the south side of the island and set up camp on a little, all-sand peninsula. On the one side everyone was swimming and just chillin in the water, and on the other there was a reef that came up pretty much to the beach, so much to explore! We had to move a couple times as the waves overtook our area but it was still an awesome spot. The water was lovely and we took turns watching our stuff. 

 

One of my first moves, other than into that gorgeous, crystal clear water, was to get a beer from the little shack on our little peninsula. I ended up coming back with beer and a rented mask and snorkel and looking more touristy than previously imagined possible. I would say this picture pretty much captures the blonde girl on the beach amongst all the tan latinos and on top of that she puts on an oversized mask. I´m really not good at blending in. 

Super-tourist or not the mask was one of the best $3 purchases I have ever made. It made my camera that much more fun to take underwater pictures and stalk fish on the reef side. I was able to get a couple good ones of fish but the real win was all the pictures of us. Floating, sinking, above water, below, eyes open, eyes closed. An indestructible, waterproof camera was the best thing my parents could have given me.  Below the water I even found a bunch of shells which, if I can find reasonable matches for each, I plan to make earrings with. So now all my girl friends know what they´re getting as a gift from Panama.

 

While I do have tons of wonderful things to say about Isla Grande, Guira, and the whole area, there were a couple things that gave me something to think about as far as development. The first is that on the public part of the island there was not one trash receptacle. People were expected to take it with them when they left. Which of course did not always happen after drinking all day and having to carry things back to a boat to get to the mainland. Even at the restaurant they did not have garbage cans but instead a sign that said take it with you. Needless to say, there was a lot of garbage that got left from food, cans and bottles. Even in the water you could see a bit of glass, cans (especially around the docks) and other junk. I was almost compelled to go with my goggles and start cleaning. 

The second thing that made my jaw DROP had to do with alcohol consumption. Not that I am against it on the beach, I am actually very for it and am sad that we did not plan ahead for that like the large family next to us. This family, a group of about 20 or so, was having a great time with their cooler and all ages jumping in the water and spending time together. A nice way to spend a Sunday. We could tell they were from the Colon side because of their accent and mannerisms. The funniest part was this squishy lady who seemed to be the ring-master of the group, sitting atop the cooler and every once in a while causing a little trouble by pouring water on people or convincing some of the boys to throw someone in the water. She also took it upon herself to distribute the beer. To everyone. Including minors. VERY minor. I think one was maybe 10 years old. And she of course passed it out to the notably young moms and dads, who poured it down their TODDLERS’ throats when they complained about being thirsty. Yes. Toddler. I pointed this out to others in our group who also thought poorly of this, but not our place to say. 

I would like to note that they were drinking Schlitz which I have never seen in person, only in the sailing house on the old-school advertisement that says, “when you´re out of Schlitz, You’re out of beer” with a classy 50’s pinup. Yay for new experiences. 

As the day was winding down everyone tried to get the most out of the sun, sand, and water. For a few it was probably a little too much sun so they took to the shade. We decided to try to beat the rush back and jumped on a boat back to our car. The beach on mainland was still packed and getting rowdier so it was probably for the best that we beat all the drunks out of there. We did end up hitting a bit of traffic on country roads getting back into Colon getting stuck behind buses and the rest of the weekend traffic.  Everyone was beat and quite on the way back and we had to stop for another snack at the grocery store in Colon. I would like to note that everyone I have interacted with in a grocery store really values the opportunity to take their time and make your transaction as long as possible. While I am aware of this cultural difference, for some reason it still really annoys me. Or at least it did Sunday because I was hungry and burnt out. With food in my stomach I was more tolerant and the drive back to Panama City was easy. 

Even after a long day, it was Superbowl Sunday and I wanted to watch the game. We got home at about 6:30, showered, and I hurried everyone out to go to our favorite sports bar. The goal was to get there early, relax, I would watch the game and they would use internet and have a Pan-american experience (lots of American influence in Panama, they love our professional sports). There were 2 things that went wrong. 1. We did not get there early enough to get a table for all 7 of us. 2. I thought the game started at 8… whoops. Anyway, after going around to about 4 bars trying to find seats and internet, the group went home and Ernesto and I ended up back at our original choice, Superbook. Where a large group was previously impossible, two was doable at the bar. I got to see the whole second half and use the internet.  A great game and a great end to a fantastic day.

Salsa Weekend

My mug and nametag. Awee

Although I did miss my mom when she departed, I didn’t have much time to since it was a Friday and the weekend was beginning. It was probably for the best that she left on a Friday. Work has been more exciting lately because I am up to my eyes in my new project, the one that I was originally brought into do for the brewery; create an interview system and mainly a guide for managers that simultaneously establishes consistency in the interview process and produces what the HR world calls a true positive, someone who will have high performance inside the context of our company. Sound easy right? Now imagine doing it for every level of the organization. Fascinating, I know. 

Enough about work, on to the weekend. Although I knew I had many options for Friday night, I was feeling incredibly lazy. So when I got home I cooked for Carlos and Vinicius and took my time getting my life together. Johana arrived and we decided to go to a free concert being hosted by the city instead of going to the Maritime party the guy had invited us to on Wednesday. It was a tough decision since we were expecting to meet a lot of Panamanian professionals there at the party, people with connections who could show us the best parts of the Canal. But we decided instead to go to the Rubin Blades salsa concert with the guys and maybe meet up with other AIESECers. I’m super glad I went to the concert but I’ll never know what opportunities I missed. Asi es la vida I suppose. 

Panoramic of Concert from our seats

Because I was a total sloth Friday evening, we got to the concert a bit late (started at 7 got there at 9… whoops) and Johana was freaking out that we missed everything. At least he was still playing when we got there. As we walked up to the Administration building for the canal we could barely see how full the hill and steps were until we were about 100 feet from the stage and the crowd started. It was PACKED. Families, couples, friends, it looked like the whole city was there, all sitting, none dancing… in a SALSA concert. 

Despite the lack of dancing, the concert was great and lots of fun. We were able to find a good spot in the grass on the hill and enjoyed some of Rubin Blades’ most well-known songs. Carlos and Johana sang almost every one and Vinicius and I sat there enjoying the music and giving each other looks like… “Man I wish I knew this song like everyone else does.” Rubin interacted with the crowd and told us all things about his life. It was his first free concert in 11 years (so they tell me) so everyone really enjoyed it. We even got to enjoy a good chunk of the concert. At about 10:30 he announced that the next would be his last song so he gave people the chance to escape a little early if they wanted. We took the opportunity but found out later that he actually kept singing until about 12:30. Get it Rubin.

After hitching a taxi home no one was motivated enough to find plans so we went to bed. It was probably needed more than anything after a long week of work and getting ready for another fun weekend.

Saturday was another lazy-ish day. I got up slowly and ventured out with Carlos to find internet and to figure out how to rent a car to go to the beaches on the Caribbean side. The car venture was a success but the internet was a total failure. I totally took internet access for granted when I had it! Either way, the plan for Sunday was to pile 6 of us in a car and head to the Caribbean. Yes, it is as fun as it sounds.

Saturday evening a group of our usual suspects came over to the apartment before we headed out to Casco Viejo. The plan was to head to the birthday party of a couple AIESEC interns at a rooftop bar. Chic right? Well we wandered around for a bit trying to find this seemingly mythical place, not even asking directions helped. We passed by some well known bars, one that was playing Salsa and several wanted to stay in, but eventually found what we were looking for after backtracking. While at the ground level it looked chic it was completely empty. Ok, no one´s here? Nope, just drop the name of your party at the door, you get a wristband and go up an elevator. The rooftop was everything we hoped it would be. It overlooked the old city and you could see the skyline of all the skyscrapers in the background. Gorgeous but unfortunately the price of drinks reflected it. We stayed for a bit, and when the birthday boys didn´t show, we bounced back to the Salsa bar.

There we spent most of our evening. Between all of us we bought a bottle of rum and mixers and proceeded to finish it while talking, laughing, and even dancing a little bit. I’m getting to learn from some of the best, look at me with the Columbian! Don’t I look natural?

Our last stop before heading home was my local favorite, Relic. Unfortunately there was a different dj and it was not up to my (or anyone´s) expectations so we rolled earlier than expected. I refuse to let that ruin my image of Relic! Heading home was definitely for the best though because Sunday was an early and awesome day… which will be detailed in the next post!

Mama's First Visit

After my epic adventure in the brewery last Wednesday, I returned home to my mama as fast as I could so we could see parts of the city during the daylight. I of course took her to my favorite part of the city, Casco Viejo, where we hopped out of the taxi at the entrance and wandered our way into the area. As I’ve mentioned before, the entrance to Casco Viejo is beautiful and all renovated. Plus as you round the peninsula toward the end you have a spectacular view of the city.

While waiting for Johana to join us I showed my mom all the best spots and my favorite buildings thus far. Plus I told her about my life goal of buying one and fixing it up. Being the great mommy that she is and just as visionary as I am, she even put in her two cents on which I should consider. We ended up picking the same two. One facing the pacific where you can see the causeway, canal and all the boats waiting for it, the other in a plaza more of less facing the bay and the city next to the National Theater. They are perfectly positioned with just enough structure left to give guidance without hindering creativity. I really am in love with the area.

While wondering around Johana made her way to our meeting spot at the French Plaza at the very tip of Casco Viejo. We met up and headed back to a little plaza at dusk to try some Panamanian ceviche. Ceviche is originally from Peru but these days most coastal Latin countries have it made with whatever the local fish it. If you haven’t had ceviche, you must try it! While snacking on our little appetizer I was switching back and forth from English to Spanish for Johana and my mom. They were able to talk a little between each other since Johana speaks some English but on my mom’s part, nothing. So we tried to teach her and big and had some big laughs. Like most people learning, it was tough for her to roll her R’s so to say “que rico!” (which means, how good when referring to food) was mildly hilarious.

After ceviche and wine we wandered back to the farthest point in Casco Viejo to look around and maybe grab a bit more to eat. I showed my mom the secret of the obilisque, that one of the large plaques opens to an escape, and some other symbolism around the plaza. We decided to check out the restaurant that formed part of the plaza called Las Bovedas, which are chambers from the old jail. While checking the place out a guy came up and asked what we just did because he had lived here all his life and never seen that. Imagine, I showed a Panamanian something new in his city. The 4 of us got to chatting and as it turned out he was Panamanian, which went to the Maritime Academy in Maryland and now worked on one of the freighters that pass through the canal. So interesting! He was there finalizing plans for an event for a boat of students coming through from his alma mater and having a big happy hour for them and a bunch of alumni, about 100 in all. He was kind enough to invite us if we were still and town.

We 3 girls sat down and ordered a couple appetizers to share and beer to enjoy the perfectly warm and clear evening in front of the water, the park and the plaza. When finished with his planning, Alejandro (I remember because he made a Gaga reference) joined us and bought us a pitcher of sangria. After sharing a glass with us, he said goodnight to go rest for work at 12 am, leaving us the rest of the sangria. Very nice guy, I kinda regret not trying to get to the event but other things were going on that Friday.

 Las Bovedas is a little pricey but just ordering appetizers and a few drinks was completely reasonable, not to mention the food was delicious. Johana and my mom were hesitant on the grilled octopus but I insisted, and it was to die for. It was both their first time trying it and they love it! The chicken Caesar salad was delicious too and held its own against the octopus. Toward the end of dinner Johana heard a Columbian style of music being played inside the bar and wanted to go in to listen. Thus, we took our drinks and went into the back chamber with the cow couch where there was a table of Columbians being serenaded by a man with an accordion. It was fun music which Johana told us was usually played down on the beach and everyone dances too. It was a great way to finish our drinks and get to explore the deeper parts of the restaurant.

The one thing that spoiled the evening was when the check came. I was sure to look at it closely because suspicious me thought maybe that guy offered to buy sangria any perhaps forgot. How else would our bill for 2 appetizers and 3 drinks come out to $81? After looking at the bill for a while, which all the ink was kinda smudged and hard to read, I knew it couldn’t be right and the thought crossed my mind that they were trying to take advantage of us. I pulled the manager aside, showed her the bill, told her what we ordered including the prices because I remembered and told her whether they did it on purpose or not, it looks very bad for the restaurant because they are either trying to screw us or the waitress (who was very nice) was a ditz and did not even so much as look at the bill to see that it was horrendously wrong. Take that. They fixed it and we left. I think Johana even said something. Other than that little speed bump, t’was a wonderful evening.

Thursday at work was a blur. I was spoiled all last week taking taxis to work so I could spend more time with my mom and it kinda stuck. I suppose I’ll get back on the bus eventually but my taxi to work is only $2! Worth it to not be sweating when I get there! Each day I was at work my mom would sleep in, wander, and buy little things we needed for the house. Absolutely nothing compares to having my mama around!

She´s so pro, everyone gets on next time

We snacked and rested some more when I got home when everyone started arriving. First Mauricio to have his hair cut. Later a Brazilian who had just gotten to Panama to start his internship with an NGO similar to Habitat for Humanity called Un Techo para Mi Pais with the AIESECers who were dropping him off. We all hung out and chatted for a while until we motivated to head out to a bar. The original plan was to  go to the casino and bar right next to the house to go salsa dancing but we were convinced by the group to go to a friend’s birthday at a bar nearby which was also to welcome the arrival of another intern, this time a Chilean guy who had been MCP (national President) in Spain.

The AIESEC girls drove us over to Republik, a sports bar, and there was a huge group already there celebrating the Chilean’s arrival and waiting for the birthday boy. We chilled for a while, ate some rather American-ish bar food, then decided to call it a night since it was still Thursday. I am glad my mom got to meet a lot of the AIESECers since they are hosting me and she only got a few glimpses of AIESEC in the US. Plus, she got to meet Ernesto who, according to her, gave glowing reviews on me as a temporary roomie and now friend.

Mom’s trip concluded Friday morning when we woke up together and got ready to depart. On my way to work I bid her adeau as she climbed into a taxi to the airport and I into a taxi to work. Unfortunately she forgot all her snacks in my fridge and was probably hungry all the way home. Poor mama. Fortunately she departed on a Friday so I was not too sad and had the weekend to look forward too. In review an awesome 3 day trip for my mom and a very happy 3 day visit for me. I hope she is able to come back in February as promised! All my friends here say the same, as by that time they will be needing haircuts again, haha. Love you and miss you mom. Dad, your turn is coming!