Bocas del Toro, Panamá

Well, I left off when I was about to go explore Granada.. What an amazing town! Nicaragua was definitely my favorite country yet. Everyone had warned me about it being unsafe and a bit questionable, however, with poverty also comes humility and Nicaraguans are that at best. First of all, let me describe the hostel. It was a typical Spanish colonial home. Small insignificant facade when you look at it from the street but immense once you walk in the door. It had a huge central courtyard with a garden surrounded by hammocks to sleep in as well as tons of rooms and couches against the walls for backpackers that would arrive and had no beds available to sleep in. The ceiling fan above my head was not working so I chose (because I was getting bit by hundreds of mosquitos) to sleep on a hammock and watch the moon(I took some shots that turned out much better than the ones I took from Washington) and the stars every night as i fell asleep. You almost feel you're watching what people saw 300 years ago when Granada was an important Spanish town. The night breeze was much better than the stuffy room with no ventilation. Anyway, when I first arrived, I met Sharon and Leah. They are two Israelis in their mid 20´s who had just finished the army and wanted to travel. After I spent the day walking around town and admiring the beautiful cathedrals, squares, and alleys I took up their offer to go have a drink and enjoy the breeze blowing from Lake Nicaragua. We talked about the Israeli-Palestinian problem and how they deal with constant terrorist attacks. It puts things in perspective and proves how much you do learn when you travel.. You don´t necessarily learn about the country you´re in, but about the countries the people you meet are from. I have enjoyed immensely getting close to people in each place I visit and being able to share things about Puerto Rico as well. That same day, I also met Madelon and Kirsten. They are two girls from Holland who spent the rest of the time in Granada with me. We would spend our days walking around town, and resting at the hostel. I had had many days of intense travel and chose Granada as a resting spot to recharge my batteries if you will, and continue on. On Christmas Eve, Kirstin told me about an orphanage/school called Carita Feliz (http://www.caritafeliz.org/) that feeds children three times a day and offers schooling, medicine, jobs and a social community for free. There are certain rules to follow geared toward discipline. They must not miss school three times. This discipline creates a responsible environment so that kids learn to be on time and know that they must put effort on their part to get the free food, education and medicine. They are also tought about work. The children make bracelets to sell and whatever money they earn selling these bracelets, they get to keep. It´s a great organization and if you wish to help them out, there is a way on their link above. That afternoon, Madelon, Kirstin and I went to visit the school and had an amazing time. We met kids of all ages and parents as well. I gave the kids money (about 1% of their parents YEARLY salary of $750US) so they could buy themselves toys, candy, or whatever else they wanted. After I gave them the money, they all ran toward the corner store and I saw them return with lots of candy. The eldest boy, took the money and as I saw him return, I watched as he distributed everything evenly. There was no selfishness in his heart and as I said earlier, it would have happened nowhere but in Nicaragua throughout Central America. It was Christmas and I really wanted them to enjoy and remember this time of the year. For a while I spoke to some of the parents about life in that neighborhood and how this school affects their life not only economically but how they truly wish it will give their children a better life. It was truly inspiring. After that, we went back into town and sat around the hostel and planned a Christmas game. Everyone we met was to buy a gift not exceeding $2.00US and we would exchange them at the table over dinner. The group of people consisted of Kirsten(Holland), Madelon(Holland), Sharon(Israel), Leah(Israel), Nathan(US), Claudia(Switzerland), Lieske(Holland) and I, and we chose a pizza place to celebrate together. I got a small flashlight which has come in very handy since many places are literally PITCH BLACK! After that, I met some more people at the hostel and we talked about the problem with children around the world until about 2A.M. I met one guy specifically, Brett, who is from Calgary, Canada and has travelled the world helping kids and hungry people. It is funny how sometimes you think you are taking on a huge challenge and you visualize yourself doing something great and there are people out there who have been doing this forever making one feel so inexperienced. This guy has traveled through sub-saharan Africa and Southeast Asia working with children. He told me about mothers who literally bathe their children in battery acid and break their bones on purpose when they are very young to have them grow up deformed. That way, they feel, they will be able to get some sort of pity from tourists and have a source of income outside of their regular jobs which may be out in fields. I could not believe these sort of things happen and perhaps at some point, I'll make a point to visit Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and the rest of Southeast Asia to get a true feeling of what goes on there. I guess I truly haven´t seen anything. Brett said Central America is nothing compared to other regions which in consequence, fueled my desire to continue doing this type of work in the future. On Christmas day, Kirsten, Madelon and I went to the ¨beach¨(I put it in quotations because it is a marshy area on the shores of Lake Nicaragua). We spent the day on a bench taking the sun and watching locals swim in the lake. The lake is interesting because it is one of the biggest lakes in the world (I think number 7) and has a hugely diverse animal life. There are areas with bull sharks (in fresh water!) and crocodiles and people actually swim in it(it's also pretty filthy). We drank beer and talked about how amazing it was to be sitting across from this immense lake in the middle of Nicaragua learning about the world and about ourselves. During that day, we also saw monkeys and a huge crocodile at one of the local restaurants. This area was somewhat of a ¨Piñones¨ (beach area in San Juan with many little bars playing salsa, bachata and selling traditional and local food). While at the beach, there was a couple that seemed to be so in love it was almost inspiring. I know bla bla bla but you could see it in their eyes when they looked at eachother. I spoke to them and they said they had not seen eachother in 13 years and reunited again after so long. It was truly a great moment. There were also tons of naked little kids running around. It was quite funny to watch them run and splash around. I had a great Christmas day with my new friends. That evening, we walked around the market (there are tons of markets in throughout the towns of Central America that are giant mazes which you really have to be careful in). The markets are filled with people selling all sorts of things from fruits to underwear to "licuados" (shakes) to bus tickets. It is extremely overwhelming but an experience in itself. Madelon and Kirsten were trying on immitation sunglasses and checking out zip-up panties for the kinky Nicaraguan women! After this, we went back to the hostel to plan the next day. Since nothing was open on Christmas
day, all of the buses would begin service on the 26th. Everyone was leaving in different directions and no one knew where they were going. I decided to skip San Juan del Sur in southern Nicaragua and make my way closer to Panama. Madelon met two American surfers and a Canadian guy that was going up north to the Honduran bay islands and she decided to follow them. Adam, the guy I was travelling with, decided to go back home because he was tired of travelling around. Kirsten was on her way to Bocas del Toro in Panama via Costa Rica with Jan (Cologne, Germany) and Ryan (Winnipeg, Canada) and I chose to travel with them. Leah and Sharon ended up going to Ometepe Island (a volcanic island in the middle of the lake with a very relaxed atmosphere). The Granada experience came to an end and we were all to be separated the next morning. Once we woke up, we all had our last breakfast together and parted ways. Kirsten and I went to the Tica Bus counter to buy tickets to San Jose, Costa Rica and to spend the night there. We payed $12 dollars for an 8 hour bus ride. Once we got on, we listened to "Queen" on my ipod and sang to 'Bohemian Rhapsody', 'Don't Stop Me Now', 'We Are The Champions' among others. It was the first time I really listened to music and somewhat became an escapist to my surroundings. I really needed it! Once we arrived at the border, we went through the typical 'pain in the ass' procedures they make you go through. The Costa Rican side was quite thorogh compared to the other countries since they have a better economy and many other Central American citizens try to get in for a better life. I really didn't want to spend time in Costa Rica since everyone had told me it was really geared toward tourism with tons of westerners everywhere and supposedly really expensive. It was quite a turn off and I made my choice to pretty much skip the country entirely. Kirsten had lived in San Jose for 4 months working for the Dutch embassy and had lived with a family there. She took all four of us (Jan, Ryan and I) to sleep at their place. They were really nice and it was great to take a hot shower for once. We all went straight to bed after the first McDonald's of the trip! We had such a craving for fries!! Anyway, where was I? Ah.. back to bed.. We went to bed and woke up quite early to take another bus to Puerto Viejo de Talamanca or otherwise called Puerto Viejo. Puerto Viejo is a small rastafari town on the south east coast of Costa Rica (the Caribbean side) with a few bars, a few hostels, and TONS of rastafaris and surfers. It was quite a change from what we were used to but I just wasn't feeling it. I was getting sick again, sneezing constantly, sore throat, taking benadryl, tylenol, vitamins and drinking beer.. I know, I know.. I shouldn't mix alcohol with medicine but hey, I was in Puerto Viejo and that happens only once. Why not eh? We were sitting at this little place by the beach, listening to the waves crash, with huge anti-mosquito torches lit and the most amazing sky you'd ever see. I was even able to take pictures of Orion's belt and if you look closely at the pictures, you would be able to see the nebula and a few galaxy's. The shapes are just different from the regular stars. Anyway, I was personally shocked at the fact that I was able to get this on 'film'. Soon after my 'picture taking' spree, Kirsten asked me to dance salsa with her and we all went to the dance floor of this little beach bar. It began getting packed as they switched from salsa to gwen stefani and beyonce to real Caribbean reggae. It was great! Jan and Ryan were trashed drunk and because I was taking medicine, I was only able to have two beers. The next morning we had a 6A.M. bus to 'Bocas' as everyone calls it, and I needed the rest. My body had taken a huge beating and I just really needed to rest. Kirsten and I went to bed and the other two stayed out. In the morning, we went straight to the bus for an hour ride to the border. I didn't even have time for breakfast so I smoked a cigarette on board the bus (not allowed but I hid behind a curtain). Once we got to the border, we had to walk toward Costa Rican customs to exit the country, cross a dilapidated bridge over a river that divides both countries, and enter Panama by foot. On the bridge, I saw a crocodile resting on the shore. It was amazing to see nature like this at its best. Once on the Panamanian side, we did customs and I had to get a tourist visa ($5) which was a breeze. From there we took a small bus to a small town where we would wait for a boat that would take us to Bocas. Once there, I went to a small shop run by a chinese lady (funny huh?) and overrun by kids from town. Mind you, this town is not even a town, it's a village with about 5 houses, one dock and one general store run by a chinese lady! Everyone calls her 'China' which made me crack up. You had to be there. I bought all the kids snickers bars (.50 cents) and there were about ten of them. Now imagine this muddy town, no paved streets, EVERYONE was barefoot, the children were brown and gray from dirt and dust yelling around as they chased eachother playing some sort of game. The ladies (all indian) spoke some sort of language I could not understand which made the experience all the more exciting. After I bought my 'vicks vapo rub', a pack of marlboro lights, a fanta and a snickers for myself, I went back to the dock where everyone else was waiting for me to board the boat. The boat was incredible! It was this fast 'miami vice' like speed boat cruising at about 50 miles an hour through lush jungle. We were told there were crocs in the water but didn't see any. We sped through indian villages and inpenetrable jungle until we reached the area where fresh water met the sea. The waves got very choppy once there, but it was really cool to just be in that middle point of fresh/sea water with all kinds of fauna and vegetation. Bocas was about an hour boat ride from the village we started out from so it was quite a ride and an unforgettable experience. Once in Bocas, I swear, I felt like I had arrived in Culebra (Culebra is an island off Puerto Rico that has a small town full of locals and upper middle class Puertoricans from the mainland that use the island as their playing ground). I was a bit disappointed by the fact that it was overrun by tourists from all over and that there was no real local vibe. I haven't witnessed poverty or begging children in a while so it's pretty hard for me to do what I really want to do around here. The hostel we're staying in is basically built over water. It's these large wooden planks supported by tree trunks impaled into the sand underneath. We have a sort of 'balcony' where we can watch sailboats, speed boats, and local fishermen in their wood canoes. It's pretty cool to see the fusion of modern and traditional. Today, I jumped in the sea to avoid taking a shower with buckets. Bocas rarely has running water and we all must shower with rain water. My clothes are in the local laundry place being washed with rain water.. It's pretty primal but it blows your mind at the same time. I leave you now probably until after New Year's which I will spend here in Bocas. After that, I'm off to Panama City for a few days and then almost certainly, to Quito, Ecuador. I'm basically done with Central America and had an experience that will last forever. Until the next time. **Remember if you have still not donated, you can still do so here on this site. I'm planning to do something with kids for 'Three Kings Day' on the 6th of January which is coming up soon. If you're interested and have not donated already, go for it! You have no idea how happy these kids get when they get something unexpectedly. Volunteering is a shit down here because they actually charge you about $1,000US to volunteer with an organization. Obviously, as you've already seen, I preferred to go into the poor areas of town myself and do it my way. Anyway, any help is greatly appreciated! I'm off to rest now.. I'm not feeling so great.. **