Monday, Mar. 11
After a nice four days in Boquete we headed out to the coast on a six hour drive. Leaving Boquete the terrain becomes more dry and hilly. Passing little towns along the way we came to Santiago, Panama which was sizable enough to have a McDonalds. Just had to try it to see how similar it was and sure enough you can't mess up a fry.
We arrived in the area and village of Cambutal which is very secluded and remote. We had rented a little cabaña across the street from an expansive black sand beach. There is literally miles of beach with nobody around. Our neighbors, who are staying in the cabaña nextdoor, are here for two months to surf. There are quite a few good surf breaks in the area.
Our cabaña is small but has a great outdoor shower which we have been very thankful to use. The humidity is quite high and when you add in the heat, a nice cool shower comes in handy. We took our first stroll on the beach and called it a night.
Keep on rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Tuesday, Mar. 12
This is a fantastic place to stay if you want to hang out at the beach and lay in the sun. It is not a resort area where you have a lot of amenities but it certainly has its charm. We had a parrot show up
this morning which was fun to see.
We decided to take a drive an hour down the coast to the village of Venao. When coming into this village it is obvious that money is coming into the area trying to turn it into a resort. New homes and condos are being built as well as small shops and grocery stores. I can imagine that it is only a matter of time until the real estate will be untouchable. We looked in a few shops and ate a lunch of empanadas before we decided to head back to our little cabaña.
On our drive back we were quickly reminded that this is still a very rural area. We were driving along and had to pull over to allow two vaqueros (cowboys) and their herd of cows to pass by.
The rest of the day we chose to read, relax and play games on the Veranda. The neighbors asked us join them for dinner tomorrow night and we hope to be able to do so.
Keep on rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Wednesday, Mar. 13
After a good night's sleep the day was upon us. We ate breakfast and worked out. The tide was out so we walked the beach looking at all the rocks. We have gathered quite a few rocks to bring home.
Truth be told nothing compares to Patagonia so we are just hanging out and enjoying our down time. Tomorrow we head off to Panama City and hope to get a glimpse of the canal.
We were invited out to dinner by the people in the neighboring Airbnb. The restaurant sat up on the hill behind us where we had a great dinner with conversation. We definitely came away from our time learning some things about vaccines the environment and overpopulation. Travelling certainly lends itself to hearing what other people are thinking.
Keep on Rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Thursday, May 14
Google maps said we had a six hour drive ahead of us to Panama City. Well that is only in a perfect world. We left around 9:00am and arrived at 7:00pm. We were 17 miles out of Panama City when the main road we were on was suddenly detoured without any signs. It was crazy and it took us two hours to figure out how to get around it.
When we finally got back on track the traffic came to a standstill. I can't describe for you the rules of driving here other than ordered kaos. It didn't take me long to dive right in and play the game. I am always up for an adventure. With all the traffic, we finally arrived as I said around 7:00pm and checked into our hotel.
We were pretty spent so we grabbed dinner in the hotel and headed off to bed.
Keep on Rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Friday, May 15
Today was our last full day but we had one more thing to do before we flew, The Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is something we all grew up reading about in school so we just had to see it for ourselves. We drove over to the visitor center and bought tickets to see the IMAX movie that explained the history of the canal. It was very well done but I suppose we could have watched it anywhere, but...we were at the canal.
After the show we walked out to the observation deck and saw the locks. Due to minimal rainfall this year the amount of ships passing through the canal has been severely reduced. So unfortunately we did not get to see an actual ship passing through the locks. It wasn't a deal killer. It was still wonderful to see this amazing engineering feat in person.
After the canal we headed down to the historic part of Panama City. We were both surprised at how European it felt. The streets were all laid in brick with beautiful Spanish/Panamanian style structures. We walked around poking our heads in the shops until we found some ice cream.
Leaving the city we ran into some road closures that led us into some very poor and impoverished parts of town. It is amazing how you can be in an upscale part of town and a block away it's abject ghetto. But we finally found our way out and back to the hotel.
It almost seems like Patagonia was months ago and now we are heading home. Wow how time flies. From the pictures we have seen it looks like our house is buried in some deep snow that we will have to deal with when we get home. From the heat to the cold...here we go.
Keep on Rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Saturday, May 16
Packed up for the last time and headed to the aeropuerto. Driving to the airport was a breeze at 7:00am and we checked in with no problems.
The flight was great except for the out of control kid in the seat behind me. I was drilled on patience for six hours but we finally landed and the Rockies came into full view.
After three months of travelling in some of the most incredible landscapes on this earth we are always thankful and grateful that our home does not disappoint.
Thanks for travelling with us. It was all and more than we could have imagined. Until next time? Cycle Japan or an overland trip through Namibia or back to explore more of South America...who knows. Keep your dreams alive and know that this, thankfully, is not our final destination. It gets way better!
Keep on Rolling,
Scott and Sarah