Metropolis, Canal and attempted robbery

My first day in Panama city had it all, a skyline to match many great cities, a canal which is one of the worlds recent architectural marvels and an encounter with a local who fancied a new camera for himself.
The city itself is unlike any other Central American capital, with high rises towering over the beaches making it reminiscent of Miami, but with more English spoken (according to the book) . It's also got some really brightly painted public buses (mostly old US school buses) that whiz around at pretty breakneck speed.


Apart from the growing number of glitzy modern buildings (there are more cranes around than anywhere else I've been) there is also Casco Viejo, the older part of the city, left in a state of disrepair, but now the focus of a big urban renewal program. It's a nice place to wander around, with pretty colonial buildings and some good restaurants and bars. But not too far away the city deteriorates, as we found out while trying to shoot some of the more colourful buses in a less salubrious spot. A local kid tried to help himself to one of the guys cameras, but couldn't quite manage to get it out of his pocket.
Maybe best stick to the tourist spots.


The canal itself was actually pretty interesting. We timed it so as to see a couple of fairly big ships pass through (otherwise I guess it would have been a little dull). There was a lot of info and displays on the canal, both historical and on the current expansion plans, and you even got to pretend to navigate a ship through. I hadn't realised that 20000 French had died in an earlier attempt to build the canal, before the US showed them how. The ship shown paid $120,000 to go through, so it just shows the effect the canal has on the economy, and how big a deal the handover back from the US at the end of 1999 was.


But all this western culture was taking its toll, so I headed via an extremely bumpy and fun 4WD track and a short boat trip to the islands of San Blas. These are administered autonomously by the Kuna, and they certainly have got some beautiful islands to call home. The first couple of nights I spent with the locals, which was a real highlight, playing football and learning Spanish with the kids. Although they live in pretty confined areas, the camaraderie between the families is evident and everyone seems really happy.

And it's a lot less touristy than one might imagine. Most of the 400 plus islands are uninhabited, and it's on these we spent most of our days, swimming snorkelling and eating on paradise beaches. I think if this were any other country, San Blas would be famous the world over, but Panama doesn't really do tourism. Which is all the better, IMHO.

leaving boquete

Well, after over three weeks it was finally time to move on from Boquete. Even though I´m probably going to stop there on my way back for a bit, it was pretty hard leaving, as I´d made a lot of friends there, both animal and human. Working in Paradise Garden was a fantastic experience and something I wont forget. Tom, my indian looking english sounding norwegian mate headed towards Cuba, so we left P.G. in the hands of Neimis, my Dora the explorer lookalike guide to all things boquete. Hopefully Macie and friends wont miss us too much.


Apart from working in P.G. I also took a few much needed spanish lessons, though I´m still strugling to understand the locals. ¨Dora¨also very kindly took me along the Quetzal trail, where we spotted 5 of the elusive beasts, along with loads of other birds including hawks and woodpeckers, sloths, lizzards and a very recent Jaguar footprint.
We also went horseback riding, which included the chance to get up on some less convential modes of transport, and camped at the local hotsprings which is a great way to consume copious amounts of cerveza balboa.



As well as all the tea we could drink, we were also treated to some of Boquete´s finest dining by owners Paul and Jenny, and Paul took us on an excurison to Lost and Found, an eco resort where you stay in the cloud forest and get to see Kinkajous, Olingos, Cacomistles and all kinds of other animals you never heard of before, as well as some pretty nice sunsets.



Before leaving, we took part in a days documentary about P.G., which was good fun even if at times some of the stars were a bit of a handful. The Geoffroy's Tamarins, in particular, were very hard to direct. How do I get that monkey off my back?
So now its on to Panama city, where I think theres some sort of canal that people have heard of...

Volunteering

I arrived in the small western Panamaian town of Boquete a few weeks ago and Ive been pretty much "stuck" here since then. I had met Tom from Norway in San Jose on my first day there, and he had told me about some volunteering he was doing in Panama. It sounded good, and, unlike in Costa Rica where volunteers pay to work, this was free, so I ended up in Paradise Garden and have been there most days since.


Its a really nice place, and as well as loads of monkeys and birds, it has the odd more exotic animal like Lotti here, a Margay, similar to an Ocelot (or a small Jaguar I guess), who is a great attraction. Like a lot of the animals, she had been rescued from owners who tired of their "pets", in her case she arrived with atrophied muscles and a kinked tail from living in such a confined space...shes in pretty good health now though, as any of the many small birds that make the mistake of entering her enclosure know.



Most days I spend showing people around as a sort of tour guide, which is more fun than i thought it would be, even if sometimes Bengy here likes to play a little too much with his hands... always seems to do it in front of the prettier girls, for some reason...
Tom and I also walk the dogs, feed the animals, build cages and enclosures and make the tea, so it can be pretty busy, but never too stressful to be honest.



My favourite animal though has to be Macie, a 10 month old nappy wearing howler monkey, who sits on my shoulder while i work, or sleeps under my T shirt. Shes currently being prepped for rehab back to the wild (she was an orphan) and will be sadly missed, though it is the goal of Paradise Garden to release as many of the animals as possible. Apart from working, Im doing a bit of spanish and have had to do a couple of the tours in spanish, which is pretty difficult given my level, but educational.
Better go change that nappy...

Towards Panama

Although Dominical is reputated to have monster waves, it actually had the best conditions we had seen yet - not as angry and dangerous as before, and on my last day it was really really good. It´s also a nice town to relax in while not riding waves. But enough surfing for a while, and onto Bahia drake, the main wilderness area on the Pacific coast. The trip here was great, ending with a boat taking us from Sierpe through pretty mangrove forests and pods of dolphins after passing through some pretty scary waves.



Bahia Drake itself is really pretty, and the place im staying in, el Mirador, is really nice, located high above with a great view, with nothing but the sound of crashing waves and candlelight to lull you to sleep. Apart from Saturday night that is, with the local disco beats vibrarting to ruin the ambience.
I did a couple of dives as its touted as the best diving in costa rica, and though I did see loads of white tipped reef sharks, as well as several large schools of pelagic fish, poor enough visibility coupled with pretty ordinary coral meant an ok rather than great dive experience. And it aint cheap around here... I passed on a day hike costing 95 dollars...they do take the piss sometimes in Costa Rica.



Still theres a fair bit to see for free here, with loads of pretty birds like hummingbirds, macquaws, parrots, warblers, frigate birds tanagiers and loads more, as well as lots of iguanas and other lizzards, and the plant life is really beautuful and vibrant. But Panama calls, and a boat - bus - border crossing - minibus - chicken bus ride later, via a brief stop in David, Im in Boquete, where Im going to stay put for a bit...

South Pacific

Leaving Montezuma with heavy hearts, we boarded the boat back to Jaco and onto Mauel Antonio, a national park and beach towards the southern pacific coast. We shared the bus with numerous pick pockets, as well as a couple of girls from Calafornia and Holland. After a few bumpy hours standing, and a short taxi ride, we arrived to another stunning beach location. Next morning we were up early to beat the heat and hoards to the park. Although the animals wernt as plentiful as advertised, we did managed to see loads of monkeys, sloths, birds and lizards.


The town itself seems to have gone downhill, with all the bars closing up early, so we visited el avion, a plane themed resturant with really great food, the tuna steak was as good a meal as any ive ever had. Ever.


Next day we did a bit of canopying through the trees, which is always a laugh so long as the cables hold, and played a strange drinking card name with a bunch of americans from the canopy tour. Next day was some more quality beach time. Well, all these sunsets might never happen if there not observed, right? Were now in Dominical, another beach town with a slightly ugly beach but a nice enough vibe. You cant have everything.

Surfing

Pelicans swooping over cresting waves, spray in your face, eyes squinting to see another perfect sunset. Now this is more like it.
Over breakfast in San Jose I met Ian, an Ozzie surfer who was heading to Jaco, so decided to make that my first destination. The waves there were pretty good, though the town dissapointed a bit - where were all the hookers and cocaine it's famous for?
Finding none, we headed off to Montezuma by boat, a beautiful little town with nice beaches and restaurants, but little surf. On the crossing we saw loads of playful dolphins, some turtles and a whale in the distance. Costa Rica has a lot of wildlife.


We shared a taxi with a couple of Canadians girls who were heading to MalPais, a major surfing destination. To be honest, the conditions weren't the best - the swell was a bit big for the beach to hold so lots of serious tsunami like walls of white, but every now and then we managed to get a decent wave. And the sunsets weren't half bad.


After a few days we decided that the conditions dictated a bit of a respite and headed back to Montezuma for a bit of waterfall watching, which, given the precarious path up to the top, was probably more dodgy than the surfing. Still the dip at the end was beautifully refresing. Not having really gone out late in the surfer spots due to the sausage fest nature of such places, we hit the bars in Montezuma and ended up at some fire party on the beach which was all very pleasant. I really will miss this place.

State side

Well I've arrived in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, and as first impressions go, its not great really. Not too pretty and a bit dodgy in places, but now relly bad. The hostel I stayed in is pretty good, with a pool and secure doors, but when u head out and the door closes and u look at the razor wire and metal sliding shutter protecting the doors it doesnt make u feel like wandering out too much past dusk...

Its a change of weather from the snow in New Jersey, though to be honest its a lot cooler than I expected. I think the beaches becon.
I had a great week in Jersey with Mandy Eddie and Ally, who seems to have grown exponentially in the 6 weeks since I saw her. It was cool to see some decent snow for the first time in a while, and Eddie and I built a trully amazing snowman.


I managed to catch up with Aaron and Pete from JPMC for a night on the big apple as well, should be spending a bit more time in the states on my way back. I did managed to get in to see the WTC memorabolia, which was pretty moving to be honest.
Right now I'm trying to decide which surf spot to head for first... lifes a beech.

R & R

Well, after a few weeks R&R back home I'm getting ready to hit the road again.
Originally I intended staying put for a bit and actually working, but decided that this was a bad idea:)
I seemed to run into a series of unfortunate events since getting home - first were tooth problems that started in China and ended with root canal treatment, which seemed to go on for ever. Then on new years eve, while kicking a football around, I managed to dislocate my knee...ouch, relocated it myself but still pretty sore for a while.
Then some strange flu like virus only lasting 2 days.

Then a cold, after which I found myself passing through Eason's bookshop when out of the corner of my eye I spotted the lonely planet to Central America. I didn't decide consciously there and then to go, but I reckon the writing was on the wall. So on Sunday I'm off to Costa Rica, via a few days at my sister Mandy's place in New Jersey. After that will probably go to most of the central American countries, depending on what catches my fancy.
Before heading off I managed a brief trip across to Sean in Helsinki, and despite the cold it was really nice.


So off accross the water tomorrow.
Poor Joey looks kinda upset im going :(

HongKong

And so the end is near and I've reached my final destination. It's been an incredible 11 months but more than anything I can't believe how fast it's gone. As I sit in a cafe waiting for breakfast under the fan with mid 20s outside it's hard to think I'll be back in european winter in a matter of hours.
Hong Kong has been great. My accomodation is without a doubt the smallest room I've ever seen, but at least it's not exorborant and it's clean. Kowloon is a bit manic though, but fun in a strange kind of way. The pervasive smell of curry is hard to shake, but the excellent park here makes a nice retreat.

Hong Kong island itself is generally a much more pleasant location. I spent most of a day up on Victoria peak, accessed by a cool funicular ride. It's a great day out and even with some haze/fog has amesome views, as well as some nice trails to stretch your legs.
I also made it out to lamma island, a car free spot only 30 minutes by ferry. It seemed to have a large proportion of expats engaging in all kinds of new-agey and healthy pursuits. Indeed Hong Kong has been a bit of a revelation in China with the number of white faces about - and theres tons of people from all over asia and africa as well, making for an interesting mix. If a very expensive one.
Well, it should at least help me get to grips with the prices back home.

Other than that I've just been eating and drinking and admiring the views from the star ferry, particu1alarly memorable at night. Just a few more hours and I'll be on the BA jet for Heathrow. Joy. Though to be honest, it is kinda nice making it home for Christmas and catching up with everyone.



Honey, I'm home! Well after the MTR to the train, train to HK airport, plane to heathrow, hour on runway, tube to Tottenham Hale, train to Stranstead, plane to Dublin, bus to Hueston, train to Athlone and car home I finally made it just in time for sunset on Christmas eve.

Um pouco portuguese

Macau is a slightly strange entity. Despite never leaving China, I still had to invalidate my Chinese visa and clear customs and immigration to get there. Like Hong Kong, it's retained a special status for 50 years after it's handover (in 1999) It definitely feels different than the rest of China so far, especially in your pocket, with prices closer to it's former ruler than it's current one. But it's got a good vibe to the place, with European like streets and people crowding around shopping, hitting the delicious bakeries for breakfast and the Macanese eateries serving a mixture of specials from places like Goa and the old and new homeland are very good.

After struggling with Mandarin I now have to try to understand Cantonese, but at least the signs are in English or at least Portuguese. For a small place there are plenty of interesting cultural sites around to pass a couple of days. Wandering around the backstreets especially in the hillier parts almost makes you think your in Lisbon. Well, with a heck of a lot of Chinese tourists.



Macau is also becoming something of an Asian Las Vegas. It's had legalised gambling for a long time, but only recently is it taking on Vegas style theme hotels and casinos. You can now wander around mini amsterdams, miami beachs and Colosseum type buildings. All quite tacky but somehow impressive nonetheless.
One final strange thing about the place - despite being a former Portuguese colony and currently Chinese, they drive on the left. Weird. And I didnt even notice until I was leaving.