my second and probably last vacation as PCV

So I earn a ridiculous amount of vacation vs. a nomal job. Two days earned per month worked (mind you it is a 24/7 job). However, I'm lame and don't think I'll actually use up all the time I accrued...especially since I can't go on any more vacations during my last three months (mid-Jan-mid-April). Anyways, to help me with my little incapacity for taking "me time," my cousin Britta came for vacation!

One of the big advantages of Panama as a tourism destination is its small size and relatively well developed travel infrastructure. We were able to spend a full day inPanama City, where we explored the technical “old city” which is slowly being renovated, but for now is strikingly run-down with a few artsy cafes and restaurants interspersed. I had never seen this part of the city before. We decided to start walking back towards our hotel, which was across the city, essentially. The idea was to walk until we had seen enough of the pedestrian market near the Old City, then catch a taxi. I loved the market! It was another new experience for me in Panama, but reminded me quite a bit of the giant markets in Bolivia (but a much smaller and more navigable version). I located a big fabric store which sells all the fabrics that are used in the various traditional dress and costumes throughout this diverse country. I certainly plan to go back and pick up more before I go home. There aren’t many specific souvenirs or traditional crafts that one can bring back here, but the specific prints of fabrics do have meaning to someone who has lived here. I purchased a little bit of Veraguas-specific floral fabric and the same kind of fabric that the Kuna indigenous group uses for their headscarves. We kept walking through the city, not really intending to, but eventually landing at our hotel. All in all, it was about four miles of Panama City! And we were waking up at 4:30am the next morning to get on this plane:

We flew to the San Blas Archipelago (run by the Kuna indigenous group), which was very remote. In an unfortunate twist of events that we may never really understand, we were told that the island I had reserved us a cabin on was no longer open for tourism, that our options were seriously limited when it came to price (expensive or REALLY expensive), so we ended up somewhere where we were paying double what we had anticipated, and the food was not so good. We explained we didn’t mind eating fruit, yucca, fried plantains and fish, which is the local diet. However, we ended up with mounds of potatoes (which do NOT grow on or near these tropical islands) and sad seafood half the time, rice and decent fried fish the rest of the time. There is a weird idea in many tourist operations in this country that tourists come wanting to eat these specific “gourmet” things like lobster and mashed potatoes. Perhaps true sometimes, but it was strange that we couldn’t convince the proprietors to serve us something they obviously ate themselves. Literally, our guide showed us his house and his pile of harvested yucca. But, that was the price to be on amazingly deserted and beautiful beaches, to which we took a boat every day and on which we sat for many hours. There was even a little impromptu oceanside yoga session one day, led by yours truly...

I loved the boat rides, but definitely felt like I had little choice in what we were doing every day. We knew we were eating breakfast and then leaving at 9am for somewhere each morning, and returning in the late afternoon. A strange and not-Panamanian sense of time and schedule. Not every visitor has this experience, but that was ours. I would perhaps recommend going to these places during the tourist season, where more islands would be open and thus one would have more choice in where to stay. And definitely go with snacks, strong sunscreen (I’m still peeling!) and more cash than you think you need.

Once back on the mainland, we took a 7-hour bus ride to reach the western province of Chiriqui. Chiriqui is known for its high mountains and volcanic soil. It’s where the bulk of the export-quality coffee and oranges and vegetables are grown. We were actually at one point staying in a town where I could see the same vegetables that make it to the markets and supermarkets in my part of the country—I love that kind of thing. Sadly I didn’t really interact with the farmers. It was interesting to see the contrast in people’s standard of living. Even the indigenous farmers (identified by their style of dress) were living in cinder block houses, some had satellites on top! In my town, the latino farmers aren’t doing so badly, but they aren’t making much money off their rice crops, if any at all. The farmers in these mountains were definitely getting a cash inflow by selling vegetables. So once again I must lament that I haven’t been able to kickstart the vegetable production in my own town. My community is missing out on cash inflow as well as improved nutrition, and it is SO frustrating to see the obvious difference. The mountains suited me a bit more than the beach, probably because the cool air and altitude were a novelty.

We visited some wonderful hot springs, which marks the first time I sat in a tub of hot water since I was in the States last December! My cousin convinced me to ride a horse for the first time in my adult life. I was scared at first, but I got the hang of steering away from cars at least!

The experience was made more interesting by our horses’ personalities; they were a little confused about what their task was and were easily distracted by the yummy foliage at every turn. I suppose it was like my fascination with the fresh cool-weather vegetables, so I can’t blame them too much for eating everything. There was also a trip to a coffee processing plant, which was a nice mix of science, engineering and agriculture for me.

Between all the activities, there was a lot of bus riding and waiting for transportation to show up or taxi drivers decide whether they felt like taking us somewhere. It was pretty standard for me, but I could tell it was strange to Britta who is used to New York City’s fast pace and availability of goods and services. She was quite a good sport about things, and definitely got a feel for the Panamanian way of life. She was daring enough about eating Panamanian foods (which I actually had been craving after the islands!), and learned quickly how to order a papaya licuado sin azucar (basically blended papaya and ice, NO sugar). It was great to have her visit me and show her support in that way, and I enjoyed showing off how much I knew about Panama (for better or worse!). The two times I’ve had visitors, it’s made me appreciate Panama more for all its diversity and differences from the United States. Which is not to say that it doesn’t still frustrate me in many ways. I’m looking forward to going back to the States, but after this vacation I feel an even stronger need to be a sponge for all the Panama-ness I experience, positive or negative.