It is supposed to be one of Panama´s highlights; the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro, in the country´s Caribbean northwest, near the Costa Rican border. We were afforded a comfortable bus ride, as we headed to Almirante, the port from which we would then have to catch a boat to Bocas. The scenery, as in Boquete, continued to be lush and verdant, and as I watched the ebb and flow of the mountainous landscape, my mind seemed to do the same…ebb and flow. It was as if I was coming in and out of consciousness.

When we reached Almirante, I felt every bit conscious! The ebb and flow of the landscape was replaced with garbage…strewn everywhere! After finding out where it was, we headed down to the port, which was a 10 minute walk away. Let me say that Almirante really was a non event, and it was full of litter and stagnant pools of water, on severely potholed roads. As we walked down the road, shooing away flies, I had visions of malaria and dengue. We walked briskly…in my mind the mosquitos wouldn´t be able to catch us that way!

The port…yes, well…………..more rubbish and flies and mosquitos! We bought our ticket, but would have to wait another half an hour before we would board. Not much around the port…except for a tiny restautant. It was the only place where we could sit down. Not to be deterred by the flies which seemed to be picknicking on fried food that looked no younger than a day old, we had a soft drink. I think that´s about as safe as we were going to get…in Almirante!

Needless to say, we very excitedly jumped onto the boat to Bocas. The archipelago consists of six large, mostly forested islands, and lots of smaller ones. As we sped along, zipping by a multitude of the smaller islands, I couldn´t help but think that they looked like confetti scattered after a wedding.

After some 20 minutes, we arrived at Bocas Del Toro, the capital of the region, on the island of Colon. More rubbish, and more tourists than you could poke a stick at. I would not say resort-like, but I would say, ¨Spot the local¨. I just knew that this was not going to be my thing. After the usual search and hunt for a place to lay our weary heads, we found a place called Hostal Hansi. It was very clean, very new, and very cheap. We stayed for a couple of days, and did some exploring. We went to a place called Boca del Drago, which was a nice enough beach. What can I say, after having seen some exceptional beaches, the ones which are not as spectacular leave you feeling a little ho hum.

In our quest to escape the masses, a couple of days later we departed for Bastimentos Island, only a 10 minute boat ride away. We went with Robert ( who we are still travelling with) and a fun Dutch couple we met in Hostal Hansi, Job and Denise. As we reached the ¨pier¨ – a rickety, ¨watch where you put your feet¨ number, which hopefully enables you to get on to terra firma, my heart sunk yet again. This time, not so much for the throngs of people, but for all the gargbage and litter.

We ended up staying at a place called Hostal Bastimentos, which despite a little mishap, ended up being alot of fun. The owner, Enrique was very helpful and friendly, and Dixon, who worked there, was quite the character, and also ready to help out whenever. The day of our arrival, I went for a walk to Wizard Beach, with Job and Colleen, an American lady that we had met. We had been told that it would be muddy….what an understatement! Let´s say that when we arrived at the beach, some 30 minutes later, my tevas (Teva is a popular brand of hiking sandal that originally comes from the USA), had completely detatched themselves from my feet…to be more specific, the straps ripped off, and so did the heels! OK, so they were fakes that I bought in Thailand last year! So, it really was time to get up close and personal, as I trudged through the mud, ankle deep. I tried not to think about the possibilities of leeches and other mud-borne insects!

The next day was spent ¨relaxing¨ , by default. As it rained incessantly, the one and only option was to hang around the hotel! Talk about an alluvial downpour! Nobody was going anywhere! Later that night, Alex gave me a heart attack! No sooner had he started walking down the slippery and wet stairs, and muttered for me to be careful as I followed, he slipped and went tumbling down. As I saw him bounce and knock his head, as he fell to the bottom, I almost passed out. As he grabbed his head, I almost passed out. I am not sure if you know, but I do not cope with blood and open wounds. I am not sure who went into shock first! I could not even look, and a few others came to the rescue. Pathetic, I know! I eventually had a look, and there certainly was a small cut, fortunately it was not deep. Let me confess, I had visions of Alex needing stitches, and there was not a decent clinic within coo-ee! Alex did go into shock, and was worried that he had done some serious damage. I assured him that all was OK, and we spent the next few hours in our room, icing his head, and making sure that he did not have concussion.

The next day, a group of us went on a day tour of several of the surrounding islands. Dolphin Bay lived up to its name, and we saw lots of dolphins. There is something fascinating about these docile animals. We then went to Coral Cay, which was basically unimpressive, as far as coral goes. But then, being Australian, and having seen the Great Barrier Reef, living up to that is a tall order. Having said that, experiences are relative – as far as being provided with a beautiful small Caribbean small island , surrounded by palm trees, it certainly passed the test. We then went to a place called Red Frog Beach, which had some decent surf, and a pleasant beach. I am sorry if my adjectives in regards to beaches are becoming lax, but I have seen so many phenomenal ones on this trip, that it is getting harder to ¨grade¨them. Three months back, this very beach may have been described as impressive! Our final snorkel at another destination was not possible, due to the massive amounts of rain the day before. The water was all stirred up and murky!

That last night on Bastimentos Island was brilliant, and I finally felt that Bocas was providing me with some of the experiece I had expected to receive. I should explain that the island has no cars, and the only ¨road¨is actually a wide footpath, which runs along part of the waterfront, for no more than a kilometre. As I walked along, I saw shop owners chatting with each other, children playing, young men playing soccer , women hanging out their clothing on their brightly painted balconies and couples walking along together….and at the end of rainbow, oops footpath, was the sea, and a spectacular sunset!

That night I went to bed content! Tomorrow would be an early start, as we would be making our way across the border, to Costa Rica.

¨Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail¨- Emerson

Ombi

(Photos: 1 Water front – Bocas del Toro. 2 Soccer on the beach, Bastimentos Island. 3 Ombi walking in mud , on the way to Wizard beach (Bastimentos Island), after “fake” Teva sandals broke. 4 Red frog, Bastimentos Island. 5. Paco, Ombi & Alex, Denise & Job. 6 Dolphin ..on the chase for a yummy tourist. 7&8 Sunset on Bastimentos Island.

Panama has been an experience that has not stopped with the Kuna Indians! It is a country that has so much to offer, and as usual, we find ourselves saying, ¨We cannot see it all!¨ Having said that, we gave up trying a long time ago! The quest is to see, enjoy and experience, taking each day as it comes.

From Panama City, we made our way to David, in the south-west of the country. Although it was only a quick stopover, it proved to be quite interesting. Although it has few attractions in its own right, it is a great spot to people watch and see how the real Panamanians (as opposed to tourists) live their lives. An early morning stroll showed me……fruit and vegetable sellers calling out their prices in a bid to capture the wholesale as well as the retail market, people going about buying poultry, live! There was a lot of hustle and bustle, and it felt fun to be part of it.

One of the main reasons we came to David was to see ¨Los Pozos de Caldera¨, the natural hot springs which lie only 14 kilometres away (from David). After a 30-minute bus ride, it was a further 45-minute walk, through the lush tropical forest and a ¨healthy¨amount of mud. Nothing that our hiking shoes could not cope with! We finally reached the property where the springs were. No big entrance or doors, just a woman who came up to us and explained that it would cost USD $1.00 each to enter! I should quickly mention here that although the Panamanian currency is technically the Balboa, they actually use American dollars. As I looked around I was taken aback by the natural beauty and pristine nature of our surroundings. No fancy pools, just some stones built up against the few natural springs that were scattered over the property, which was being shared with goats, hens and other animals! I silently wondered how long it would take before they became a McHot Springs! The attraction was in the raw beauty and the fact that they had not been commercialised…yet! And just for the record, our hot springs experience really did come without the fries!

Boquete was next, and with quite a different climate to the rest of humid Panama. As it is nestled in a mountain valley at more than 1000 metres above sea level, its climate is cool and fresh. The town had a totally different feel to what we had experienced thus far in Panama. Undoubtedly lush and verdant, it is home to some of Panama´s, and if I may say so, Central America’s, best coffee. Being a coffee lover, I must say that I had some exceptional coffee, one of them being from the Duran Cafe (Duran is one of the many coffee brands here) in the centre of town. As many of you would know, I am a fairly low maintenance backpacker, and whilst I need neither vegemite nor my mod cons……I will NEVER (almost categorically!) knock back a good coffee.

How is it that we seem to have a penchant for arriving in places when there is some type of festival going on, and which usually consists of places being booked out? We did it again! We had no idea that we were coming in on a four-day festival to celebrate Panama´s independence from Spain (as opposed to Colombia), as it celebrates both. Panama actually used to be a part of Colombia, so it actually celebrates its liberation from both countries. Just to make it difficult, on different days! We finally found a place (there was some luck involved as somebody cancelled) called Hostal Boquete, right on the Caldera River. Let me reiterate, right on the river, as in when we ate our meals (which we often make ourselves, and/ or use kitchen when it´s available) our TV was the river running over big pebbles and stones in front of us, as it made the kind of sound you only hear in those 3-D Imax movies. Better than a flatscreen!

Boquete is home to Volcan Baru, the highest point in the country at 3475 metres high. Whilst we chose not to do this hike, we did do the ¨Sendero Los Quetzales¨(Quetzals trail). The trail meanders 8 kilometres between Boquete nd Cerro Punto, another hillside village. We walked it both ways. Although quite muddy, the views offered were spectacular, and we felt as though we were in another world. Do any of you remember Enid Blyton´s ¨The Magic Faraway Tree¨? I felt transported. Nobody else was on the trail, so I felt a little like I had found utopia. Quiet, serene and surrounded by the movements and sounds of a tropical rainforest, I wondered if anything or anyone else existed. Although we did not see much wildlife, we did see a quetzal, a bird which although not that big has a tail that can extend up to about 30 inches. It is a resplendent bird which is only found in the rainforests of Central America. I fleetingly saw an intense emerald-green flurry, before it disappeared back into to its utopia! Check out the following website to read more about this majestic bird, http://www.travellog.com/guatemala/quetzal.html

Amongst several outstanding characters we have met on this trip, I would like to mention Bryce Ward. Bryce is an 8-year old American, who is travelling with her parents Lauren and Blake. They have all been travelling the world for well over a year now. They have basically been doing this trip backpacker style, each with their own backpack, including Bryce. So, this makes Bryce the youngest backpacker I have met! Bryce is funny, articulate and intelligent. She has thoroughly enjoyed travelling the world, and when asked about her experiences was able to recount them with passion and vigour.

Our time in Boquete was interspersed with good walks, good coffee, and the general hype that goes along with any major festival. People selling home-made food and local crafts during the day, and discos and clubs blaring their music by night. Alcohol is cheap in Panama anyway, and during this festival it was free flowing…how does a beer or rum and coke sound at USD 50 cents a can/glass? On the last day of the festival, there was an all day parade, where different high school marching groups compete with each other. This went on ALL day, with no repeat performances….and they just kept coming, and coming and coming. The day after it looked like a totally different town. All was quiet and subdued – the aftermath of days and nights of revelry. As we slinked away with our backpacks on our backs, I internally said goodbye to Boquete and thanked it for allowing us to experience what we did. As we jumped on the bus headed for Bocas Del Toro ( in the north-east, on the Caribbean side, close to the Costa Rican border) I wondered what would await us there. Life is good! (even without LG!!)

Ombi

(images: 1.Flower, Kuna Village, Panama 2. Ombi & Alex travelling to the next point, David, Panama
3. Natural hot springs, inbetween David and Boquete 4. Kid smiling, Boquete highlands 5. Quetzal trail – sprouting of a young fern 6.Quetzal trail look out. 7. L to: Blake, Lauren, Ombi, Robert, Alex and the world´s youngest backpacker ,Bryce Ward.. 

I am not really sure as to exactly what I was expecting of Panama….but I have been pleasantly surprised. I kept hearing that it was really Americanised or westernised, but thus far, I have not found that at all. What we have found however, is a multicultural metropolis in Panama City (where we have hooked up with an Alaskan called Robert, aka Paco, and are really enjoying his company) , and an Archipelago called San Blas which appeared to come out of a time machine .

Our first few days were spent in Panama City, just strolling around, and taking in the city sights. It is quite a big city, with lots of variety. The business district, with all of its commercial to-ing and fro-ing could well be Melbourne…..just more hectic! The Old City centre (Casco Antiguo) is a fascinating labrynth of cobbled streets and colonial places, many dilapidated, dating back hundreds of years. And the the Panama Canal is an engineering feat of mind blowing magnitude!

No trip to Panama could possibly be complete without visiting the Panama Canal. It is one thing to see it on television, but altogether another thing to see it “live”! The Panama Canal is 80 kilometres long from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It was cut through one of the narrowest and lowest saddles of the long, mountainous Isthmus that joins the North and South American continents. Only keeping this information in mind, can one begin to appreciate what was really created here!

We went to the Miraflores locks, where we were able to see a variety of ships passing through; cruise ships, cargo ships, big, small, heavy, light. We stood transfixed whilst we watched for a few hours. The locks are quite close to the city centre, but buses come rather infrequently. Whilst waiting, we saw a linen truck stop in front of us and swing open its back doors whilst a couple of locals jumped in….with my finger always on the travel pulse, I called out and asked half-jokingly, if they had room for an extra couple of people. We were promptly told to jump in. As we sat, muffled and squashed amongst clothes in the back of a truck, going at a reasonable speed, with its back doors wide open….I could not help but feel a wave of excitement! It´s all part of the thrill, well the adventure at least! We later went to the Panama Canal Museum, which went into the knitty gritties of how, what , why, when. Check out their web site, www.sinfo.net/pcmuseum/

Always on the lookout for something different, unusual , or out of the ordinary (say I, after a ride in a linen truck!), we ended up doing a four day tour with an indigenous community in Kuna Yala (San Blas Archipelago), on the Caribbean side of Panama. I have done a few hilltribe and indigenous treks in my life, but nothing prepared me for this!

The Comarca de Kuna Yala, which includes the San Blas Archipelago, is a narrow strip on the Caribbean coast which runs all the way to the Colombian border. There are some 350 plus islands dotted off the coast line, and several of them, no bigger than a football field, are home to an indigenous group called the Kuna. Many islands are deserted, some have a solitary palm tree, another simply had two homes…..with the water’s edge as their fence.

Our trip began with a four wheel drive ride heading north east of Panama City, right through the guts of the jungle, and re-emerging on the Caribbean coast. The ride was…interesting…..bumpy, muddy, potholes, ravines with a drop of…..I did not look! Actually, the guide books do not even mention this road! Why? We found out that it was closed for years due to its appalling condition, and only reopened about a month ago! Adventure we wanted, adventure we were getting! When we “hit the end of the road” (aka, the bridge was recently destroyed by torrential rain), we had to get into a boat (hand made by the Kuna Indians) and actually make our way to the Caribbean. Nothing could prepare us, as we emerged into the Caribbean and saw a multitude of islands dotting the ocean.

Was I in a dream? Was I seeing Kuna Indians rowing in hand dug canoes? Was I seeing tiny islands with bamboo huts? Was I seeing deserted islands that looked like sets out of Fantasy Island? I had to pinch myself! Yes, I was seeing it, feeling it, experiencing it! It was not a show, or a put on for tourists, this is really how the other half live! And for me it was a moment of revelation, and the reason why an expensive car or mansion could and would never compare!

Our first stop was the island of Carti Yandupo, a small oasis about the size of two football ovals. And yes, we could clearly see the perimeter as the boat pulled up to the small but wooden pier. We were greeted by Nixia, who would be our (very modern!) Kuna guide and several other Kuna women. Their dress and style is very distinctive; beaded strands run the course of the bottom half of both legs, beads around both wrists, vibrantly coloured blouses with molas(traditional Kuna textiles), gold rings through their noses and black lines painted down their noses to ward off evil spirits. These women continue to dress as their ancestors did…..their world is real……and it could not possibly be any further removed from our own ¨real world¨.

The next few days proved to be amongst some of the most fascinating and thought provoking of my life! I felt like I had been transported to another world; a world so different to my own that at times it was hard to comprehend. They seemed to have so little, but yet they had so much! No cars, no TVs, no Play Station 3 ( I heard that in the USA, when this came out recently, a multitude of people had spent up to three days waiting outside the various stores to buy one??????), no Nike shoes. Where did we get it wrong? Another fascinating aspect about the Kuna is their honesty and gentle nature. We heard no fights, raising of voices or children fighting. They do not steal, and murder is rare.

The Kuna houses are basic, but distinctive bamboo huts, with thatched roofs, and floors made of sand. No wardrobes, no closets and no locks! And yes, we did keep our documents in our rooms, and no one dared touch what was not theirs. Theirs is a culture of respect, integrity and honour. This gave me a completely different take on ¨primitive cultures¨. Which one of us is actually living in an advanced culture, and whose exactly is primitive? Talk about food for thought!

The next four days involved eating home cooked food, sleeping in hammocks, watching spectacular sunrises and sunsets, and snorkelling on tiny islands that could only be reached by boat. Did I mention sunbaking on deserted beaches with only one or two palm trees as friends? On the island we called home for a few days, we walked around and played with the local children and watched the women make molas, traditional textiles (Please take a look at http://www.galenfrysinger.com/Kuna_women.htm). I bought two of these molas, and it was not only a pleasure to buy something and be given their meanings by the persons who actually made them, but also be able to give something back to the very comunity that the products came from. I gave my money freely and lovingly! I had a bracelet made for me – one long strand, which when wound around the wrist, forms a geometric design. Ingenious really. I also had a line painted down my nose by Edith, Nixia´s mum. The material used is natural and comes from a seed called jawa. They say this is used for protection and ward off evil spirits!

This mesmerising experience, like all others, had to come to an end, and on the last day, as I jumped into the boat and waved goodbye, I had a knot in my throat and my eyes welled up with tears. I felt overwhelmed…..and then out of the corner of my eye, I could see a boat with a group of children waving. They were coming back from school, which for them is on another island, a short distance away….and there was my little friend Senen, with a big grin on his face and waving wildly! He was the child who with his gentle nature and soulful eyes, had had the biggest impact on me. I will never forget him…I can only hope that he remembers my goodbye to him the night before, when I told him that on the whole island he was my favourite!

Dedication: Thank you to all the people of Kuna Yala, who touched my heart and helped change the way I view the world. Most of them will never know the long lasting impact they have had and will continue to make on my life! To Arquimedes, and his wife Edith who helped make our trip so special. And to their children Alejandro and Nixia who helped it come to fruition. Nixia, thanks for your friendship and for the portal into your world!

Ombi