Trick or Treat?

We chose treat and decided that we could not resist the realization that we were only two hours from the border of Panama . . . so here we are! Yes, that’s right folks, we are now sitting in an Internet cafe in Panama. We debated whether or not to come here, but we decided that it would just be crazy to pass up the opportunity to have another stamp on our passport when we were so close. So far, it has proven to be a very good decision.

We took the 11:45am bus this morning from Puerto Viejo to Sixaola, Costa Rica. Once in Sixaola, we got off the bus and walked across a metal bridge that was about 1/4 mile long. Once we were across the bridge we were officially in Panama. This border crossing was so easy compared to the one in Nicaragua. We had to buy what is called a “tourist visa” for $5 a person, get that stamped, get our passports stamped and that was it! It took a total of about 30 minutes. Once we finished all the “paperwork” we got a taxi with two other girls that took us to a small port where we got a “water taxi” to the island of Bocas del Toro.

The boat ride was unbelieveable. It was about an hour ride and it was by far the best part of the trip, possibly even the best part of our entire trip thus far. The ride took us mostly through a canal where we saw people fishing from dugout canoes. Once through the canal, it opened up into the Atlantic Ocean and the islands of Bocas del Toro. It was absolutely beautiful. It’s amazing to think that just this morning we were on the beautiful beaches of Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica and just by this afternoon we are on the beautiful island of Bocas del Toro, Panama. Sometimes I wonder how in the world we were fortunate enough to have this experience. It’s hard to describe in words.

The great part is that the island is wonderful. It has a great feel and people are extremely friendly. We feel very safe walking around the streets at night. The only downside is that on Monday, Panama will celebrate 100 years of independence which means that this weekend is one big party. The bad part is that this means there are few hotel rooms left for the weekend. We looked several places and we ended up with a decent room tonight for $25. Tomorrow we have to move to another hotel that will cost us about $40 a night. However, both rooms have air conditioning and a tv, so at least we will get a good nights sleep. Plus, it will be really awesome to say that we were here to help celebrate Panama’s 100th year of independence.

We are planning on taking some pictures tomorrow and Ryan should hopefully be able to put them up on the web. Red Frog Beach is nearby and it is supposed to be very clean and very beautiful. We are thinking we may go there for the day tomorrow. As of now, our plan is to stay here on the island for three nights and then on Monday we will head a little further South to a town called Boquete, which is just outside the large city of David. We will be sure to keep you all posted.

We can hear our mothers now worrying over us because we are once again in a foreign and strange place, but please rest assured that we are very safe. As always, we did our research and we are always careful. This place is probably a lot safer than some of the places we have visited in Costa Rica. We will call soon. We love you all!

Bike Trip . . . sorta

Compared to other bike trips we have done, today’s wasn’t much. I guess it qualifies as at least a bike ride though. We rented beach cruisers and headed south on the road between Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo. The scenery was great and we often heard howler monkeys in the background – and we even saw a few. All total, the ride was about 30km (18 miles) and we took it at a leisurely pace. Jeanna managed to run off the road for a bit and into a few thorns. She managed to stay on her bike though (a la Lance Armstrong) and make a full recovery.
It really is too bad that we are so sick of the heat. The beach towns along this coast are much better than the ones on the Pacific coast. We’ve already voted this town as “most-friendly” and attribute it’s friendliess to the Caribbean lifestyle. But as I was saying, the heat. I’m sure most people would pay good money to live in weather like this all of the time. I’m also well aware that I knew I was going to the tropics when I planned this trip. Finally, I’m well aware that there is really no escaping the heat. All I’m doing is typing this on the computer and sweat is rolling down my forehead, covering my hands, and soaking my shirt. I miss fall and am looking forward to winter.
We plan to put up with the heat for a couple of more days (we think) before heading all the way back into the central part of the country before Ashley comes to visit. I’m gonna get up early tomorrow morning and try to get some good photos of the sunrise. Of course, I’ll send you a full report.

Puerto Viejo

We arrived in Puerto Viejo around 2pm. The bus ride was uneventful – no chickens or roosters to keep us company. We are staying at a nice cabina that is about 200 yards from the beach. It is really beautiful here, but once again, very hot. I am not sure how long we will last here. We reserved our room for two nights and after that we are considering heading somewhere cooler until Ashley arrives on November 8.
This is an interesting part of Costa Rica because there are lots of Caribbean people who speak English living here. There is a wide variety of hotels, restaurants and shopping to choose from. It´s actually a very touristy area as well. We are thinking that tomorrow we will rent bikes (about $3 per person per day) and explore more of the area.
Internet access isn´t so great here. Right now we are sitting (I am sitting while Ryan stands over my shoulder) in a room the size of a closet with about 10 other people. The sign said there was air conditioning, but I guess if you consider 10 people fanning their arms, then we have air conditioning. There is a box making noise on the wall, but there is definately no cool air coming out of it. Internet is also a bit more pricey here. We got spoiled having free Internet at Karla´s (ok, I guess we actually paid for it – it was just included in the $30 we were spending each night to sleep there) and we also had cheap Internet while in Nicaragua.
For now, I think we are off to dinner. We found a nice restaurant that serves Thai food and vegetarian dishes that I think we will check out for tonight. After that, it´s probably back to our room to lie under the ceiling fan until we drift off to sleep. Hasta luego!

The Ten o’clock Bus

We’re off again. I was too busy relaxing yesterday to worry about making a post. After an uneventful trip across the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border, we arrived in San Jose at about 8pm on Monday night. Within minutes after crossing the border we noticed a world of difference in how people lived, even through the glass of the bus windows. We enjoyed our time in Nicaragua but are glad to be back “home”.
It’s 9:15 now and we have to take the 10 o’clock bus to Cahuita. The word is that the east coast has a caribbean feel, so we’re going to see if it’s true. We’ll report back – hopefully with photos.

Off to San Jose

First of all, for those of you who read the comments from our last post, our girl April is getting hitched!!! April, of course I would be honored to be your maid of honor. I will be calling you as soon as we are in San Jose this evening. Be prepared for the phone to ring a little late (around 10:30pm your time). Congratulations! We couldn’t be happier for you.
We are in a hurry today, as we are heading out around noon and we still haven’t packed. Also, today is Telma’s birthday, so we have to find the cake bakery and get her a birthday cake. We asked if they normally celebrated with a cake and the answer we got seemed to be if they had money, they did and if they didn’t have money, then no. Since we are here for this birthday, they are definately getting a cake.
Something funny happened yesterday while we were on our way to the volcano and Ryan forgot to share it – (Ashley this is for you) – there was a man carrying a ROOSTER on a leash! For those of you who don’t know, during my first visit to Costa Rica (with Ashley and 9 other students from Maryville) we got on a public bus to find someone who had a chicken on a leash. This one was much better since it was a rooster, it made a welcoming “cock-a-doodle-do” every time someone entered the bus, which is very frequent.
Well, we are on a mission to find a cake, so we better be off. We will write again sometime tomorrow while we are still at Kap’s Place.