After our brief adventure in Bocas del Toro we made our way to Panama City where we will stay for the next month. I think it’s safe to say that Jason and I are both ecstatic to be in a city again. In fact, as the plane was landing Jason was so excited that he was bouncing in his seat.
Of course, four months of Costa Rican eco-tourism has its perks: clean air (sometimes), clean water (sometimes), wildlife, starry nights, and the just plain quiet is oh-so-nice. But if you were to ask me what I like more, I’d tell you I like the sound of honking horns, the shopping, and the crowded sidewalks of a city more.
After just a few days here, it’s obvious we are in for a big change. On our first night there were fireworks being lit off the roof of a nearby club.
The next day we went to the grocery store and I couldn’t help but notice that no one is wearing beach attire. My wardrobe of flip flops and summer dresses is no longer applicable. Why didn’t I bring my heels and black pants?
We took a walk to the waterfront and managed to see almost every American restaurant chain known to me. It’s my goal to not go to any one of these places, but if I find a Starbucks I might make an exception.
Our place in Costa Rica was nice, but our apartment in Panama City is fantastic. Its much bigger than I expected and we even have a view.
That’s about it for Panama City so far. Well, except for the $29 Jason won at a nearby casino and our shoe shopping extravaganza at the mall.
The real excitement will come later. For now, we need to recover from a couple of colds, catch up on work, and make the time for bus tours, walking tours, and ship watching.
Stay tuned…
We spent five days in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Well, three full days and two travel days. But whatever, that’s not the point.
The point is that we had a great time just hanging out. It felt good to take some time off of work and to see more of Central America.
Bocas Town is the main center there among the nine-or-so islands that compose Bocas del Toro (mouth of the bull). Many of the buildings are built on stilts and sit over the water. While most everything in Bocas Town is within walking distance, making it to the other islands and to the beaches is done by water taxi.
This is Jason in a water taxi on our way to Starfish Beach. (I hope he was wearing sunblock — look at that shine!)
One of our favorite things to do while we were in Bocas was the eating. There are so many good restaurants close by that it was hard to choose. So we decided to try several different restaurants each night and do an appetizer at each one — bocas in Bocas is what we liked to call it.
Here I am patiently waiting for my martini and yummy bocas dip.
The water here is very clear. We spent a day snorkeling at Starfish Beach, we rented a sea kayak and explored the mangroves, and we made the journey to Red Frog Beach. Guess what they have there?
Little red frogs! Well, they looked more orange, but no one asked me. So whatever … it was great no matter the color.
You might be thinking … what kind of trouble? Sara, did you have a run-in with the Colombian drug cartel? Are you stranded on a tropical island with nothing to eat but coconuts and mangoes?
Unfortunately, our trouble is nothing that exciting. But it is exciting none the less.
For starters, when we left Costa Rica for Panama last Saturday we had to leave an entire suit case worth of belongings behind. This is partly because I might’ve overpacked for our 4-month trip to Costa Rica and didn’t want to pay the fees for the extra suitcase on our flight to Panama. I also left a lot behind because I was tired of wearing some of the same clothes over and over again, and I couldn’t really justify bringing gallon bottles of soaps and shampoos along.
Mental note: Sometimes buying in bulk is not a bargain at all.
Once I managed to part with all that crap that I don’t really need anyway, we made our way to the Liberia Airport. Our first flight was on a small plane that was knocked all over the Costa Rican skies thanks to a wind sheer from these small hills that they call mountains. Although Jason was convinced it was going to be the last flight of his life, we did manage to land in San Jose just fine.
Our connecting flight to Bocas del Toro, Panama, was a bit of an adventure too.
We were the only ones on the plane to Bocas. It might be the first and last time I am able to fly on a “private jet.” I had to snap a picture of Jason to prove it too. Pura vida, honey.
As we descended on Bocas del Toro we couldn’t help but notice the partial fence that surrounded half of the airport. It was also hard not to notice the baseball field and baseball playing men located just past the the landing strip and within the boundaries of the fence. I wonder if baseballs pose a risk to take off and landings?
Anyway, we exited the plane and then aimlessly tried to find our way into the airport. There were no clear signs and no airport staff paying close enough attention to tell us where to go. After finally figuring it out, we waited in a small room with two doors.
One door said customs and the other door said immigration. Next to the doors was a desk where a man sat with his legs up while he slept. Apparently the immigration officer was on a lunch break and the guard was on siesta, so we just sat and waited for 15 minutes.
Once that was all taken care of and we had paid for the pretty Panamanian tourist stamps to be stuck in our passports, we headed out to find a cab. Cabs cost a $1US in Bocas, but wouldn’t you know it…we spent our last dollar at the immigration office.
So off to the ATM we went where we discovered that my ATM card did not work and that Jason’s ATM card was MIA.
Bummer.
In the end, we got everything all worked out, but it was an exciting six hours. All was forgotten once we unpacked our bags and started to explore all that is Bocas Town.
It’s time that Jason and I pack up our things and move on. After a full four months in Costa Rica it is time to experience new things and to explore other parts of the world. There’s that, and then our visa timed out too.
Either way, Costa Rica was good to us. We had no major tragedies (except for the lizard incident and the ATM machine that insisted on eating Jason’s ATM card…twice) and we managed to walk away with a pretty nice tan.
I mean, look at us. We are sun kissed. Don’t mind Jason’s crazy eyes. That’s just a new thing he’s doing.
While it is time to move on, there are a few things I’ll miss and a few things I won’t miss about Costa Rica. For posterity, I thought I’d list those things here.
I won’t miss the hours between 12pm and 3pm when it is so hot in Costa Rica that even the Internet slows down. I will miss the pool just down the path from our cabina.
I won’t miss the lack of restaurants in our area. I will miss gourmet cheeseburgers from our favorite Coco Beach joint.
I won’t miss the chirping house geckos. I will miss the howling monkeys every morning and every night.
Of course, I’ll miss the people we came to know so well and I’ll miss living in a jungle–even if it was only 5 acres and a little dry this time of year.
But now it is time to look to greener pastures. We are looking forward to a place where toucans fly above city streets. To a place where the biggest ships you’ve ever seen in your entire life pass through. To a place where they speak Spanish but refuse to pronounce the letter “s.”
I am talking about Panama. Watch out people, here we come.
OK, that’s not true. I can stand seeing the monkeys. In fact, I never get tired of seeing them or hearing them. I wonder if the novelty will ever wear off or if it’s like seeing a new puppy?
Our friend Alli would tell you that puppies never get old. No matter how many times you see them. Alli was here to visit us a little while back and she was enamored with all the dogs around here. Some, of course, are friendly pets and so many others of them are street dogs without a home, but yet somehow manage to get scraps and adopt owners when they can. Even if the owners don’t adopt them back:)
But anyway, back to those monkeys. While Alli was here we took a road trip to Quepos/Manuel Antonio by way of Jaco to really just see one thing:
Monkeys!
The national park, Manuel Antonio, is not very big, but it is known for all of its wildlife. We saw dozens of these white faced capuchins and then we saw an even more amazing monkey.
Squirrel monkey!
Apparently this type of squirrel monkey only resides in Manuel Antonio, so we were very lucky to see these chirping primates. They really are as big as squirrels and were not afraid of us at all.
We also saw a few howler monkeys, sloths, vultures, toucan impersonating sloths, Canadians, blue butterflies, and awesome beaches. The shopping in Jaco and the overall good company throughout the weekend was nice too.
Alli has gone back home now, but she is sorely missed. We had such a good time hanging around the beach, the volcanos, and the monkeys that we were sad to see her go.
A few weeks ago our friends Jake and Paige came down to the COSta Rica to tour the Coco Beach area. We were lucky enough to have them with us and had such a good time.
So much fun, in fact, that we developed a list of our top 10 conversations. Of course, I’ve lost that list by now, but I’m pretty sure on it we listed delicious ceviche, Jason’s misuse of the Spanish word, mejor, The Tabacon, and my overuse of the word p-o-o-p. (While this last one might seem strange, the sewage treatment in parts of Costa Rica is sub-par, and I just can’t help but talk about it sometimes.)
Anyway …
Since you may not know Jake and Paige that well, and I learned so much about them while they were here, I thought I’d take this chance to share with you some of the facts.
Fact #1 – They laugh in the face of danger. The helmet for the canopy tour was optional, but Paige did some tricks so she kept it on.
Fact #2 – Jake knows good literature. He even shared a few tips with us on how to best wear our shorts on our hips.
Fact #3 – They have mad photography skills. On a nature walk they were brave enough to get beneath this green lizard despite the risk of getting p-o-o-p on their camera.
Fact #4 – They’re willing to risk drowning for their friends. Without being prepared for how big the waves were really going to be, they listened to me when I told them to sit down and wait for the waves that would eventually come through these two caves, knock us all over, and make us giggle.
Fact #5 – They are photogenic. They were willing to walk and run up a couple of mountains just for for photo opps — and the nice scenery, of course.
Last weekend we took three days to visit Montezuma, which is on the bottom tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. We had some really good moments and some not so great moments.
Of course, the road to Montezuma was tough – loud, dusty, slow-going. But the views were excellent.
Here’s Jason eating pie for breakfast. We stayed in a cute little hotel (El Sano Banano) that served great breakfast. Most everything in Montezuma is vegetarian and organic, so needless to say, Jason was hungry.
Jason takes most of the photos you see on the blog, but every now and again I luck out with a good photo of my own. This photo I managed after an iguana scurried down from a tree I was resting under.
Later that day we saw the infamous white-faced capuchin monkeys for the first time. Caught up in all the excitement, I started taking shots like crazy, but none turned out that well (a/k/a all the pictures are just plain bad) and the monkeys were being naughty, which didn’t help.
The water was an amazing blue color and it was clear! But the waves were strong and the rocks made it almost impossible to swim and snorkel.
The next day I drug Jason out of bed at 6am to go on a hike to see a waterfall. He got stung by a bee (twice) and slipped on a rock. Our little adventure wasn’t the highlight of his trip. I think he would rather have been eating pie.
It’s not often that we talk about the work we actually do while on our international telecommuting adventure, but now we have a project that fits right into the mold of this here blog.
When we first arrived in Costa Rica we landed at a resort called El Verde Misterioso. Through a college friend I learned of the place and then later invited my parents to join too.
Actually, let me back up. My parents planned on spending a month in Costa Rica so I referred the place, and then Jason and I decided to move in next door and crash the party.
Either way, we had such a nice time those first few weeks that we decided to stay a bit longer (like 3 months longer, actually). And in the process, we picked up a little business too.
So, without any further adieu, here is the Web site we developed (when I say “we” I really mean Jason and his brilliant Web designer), wrote Web site content for, and are now marketing.
Click on the image to visit the new Web site.
After uploading the last batch of Costa Rica photos to our Flickr account I noticed that we have exactly 900 travel photographs online. And there are hundreds more on our computers that never made it to Flickr too.
That’s craziness.
I guess its safe to say we’ve seen a lot in five months, and we’ve had some great times together too.
A friend of mine recently pointed out that we don’t always post pictures of us on the blog (as opposed to just scenic pictures) … so I thought I’d take this chance to pull a few photos of our smiling faces from the gallery for you to see now.
First stop – Aruba. Here we are at Charley’s Bar strategically placed beneath the “Boozers” sign.
Beautiful Lake Tahoe
To Iowa for a very special costume party.
Honeymooning at The Great Wall
Thailand. Notice I’m wearing the same shirt. Interesting to think about all the places that shirt has been. Another blog post maybe?
Just kidding! That’s not us. He’s an ape!
Sunrise from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco – Sara’s 30th Birthday
And many more to come, I’m sure.
We still have two months left in Costa Rica so I’m sure there are many more great experiences to be had, but here are my top seven experiences so far.
1 – The time my mom and I went to the post office and asked for five stamps. We gave the post office worker 1,000 colones, but then he couldn’t give us change…because he didn’t have any, I guess. After checking his pockets he just shrugged his shoulders and asked us to be on our way. Okay, so those words didn’t really come out of his mouth, but he said it with his eyes.
I guess I can live without the 22 cents. It was certainly worth the laugh.
2 – The water slide and swim up bar at the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort.
3 – The canopy tour and zip lining experience is a must-do when in Costa Rica. Just be prepared for the biggest wedgie of your life.
4 – The day Jason fixed the Internet and we didn’t have to work outside by the pool anymore.
5 – Swimming underneath a waterfall(s). Who knew a waterfall could really take your breath away?
6 – Seeing a tarantula and a scorpion for the first time and the second time. Well, it was the first time seeing these bugs when they weren’t behind glass at a zoo or something.
7 – Jason’s expression when a butterfly landed on his face and the other time when a hummingbird flew circles around him. I think the bird wanted to eat him because it hovered over Jason’s shoulder for a bit.
