Costa Rica - Puerto Viejo, Panama - Bocas del Toro

Tuesday 11th October - Wash Out

Well today was a day that didn't go to plan at all.  I got up and wanted to do some essential shopping, but after sorting myself out and on verge of leaving the hostel, the heavens opened, and pretty much stayed that way for the whole day.  Trapped in hostel.  But it wasn't all bad.

Jason, the guy from Stockwell, is doing the same trip as me to Columbia.  I had heard mention of a boat trip from Panama to Columbia and it sounds excellent.  Five days on a boat stopping off at and staying overnight on islands.  So that's the plan.  Jason knows all the details so leaving it in his hands.  Spent most of the evening chatting with Louise, the girl from Letterkenny.  Good laugh all day.  Off to Puerto Viejo in south-east Costa Rica as a first step to getting the boat to Panama.  A beach.  Much needed after this awful weather in San Jose.  Will not be sorry to see the back of San Jose.  The Costa Rica adventure is almost over.

Wednesday 12th October - Puerto Viejo

I know I really have to get used to these bus journeys, and the four-and-half hour trip from San Jose to Puerto Viejo is a mere hop, skip and a jump compared to others I'll be on, but they really need better buses and seats.  So far, the pain after each journey has disappeared in seconds when I see the place I've arrived at, and Puerto Viejo is no exception.  It's the first time I can truly say I've been to somewhere that looks like a tropical paradise.  And that was just while trudging along the road with full backpacks heading to check-in at Rocking J's.  In tow is Jason and two others guys from the San Jose hostel, Sandro and Dirk.

The evening is spend eventually finding a place to eat and eventually getting our food after some serious discussions on cannibalism.  It's scary what extreme hungry can turn into.  Then finished the night at Mango, which appears to be the happening place in Puerto Viejo.

Costa Rica is expensive (compared to what I was budgeting for anyway) so time here will be limited.  Need to get south where living will be cheaper.

Thursday 13th October - Show Me The Money!

Another day, another dollar.  No wait, I mean no dollars at all.  This day turns into a waiting game.  After deciding to spend another night in Puerto Viejo, take a walk to the ATM to get money, and it's not working.  Try next one.  Same story.  Then as we talk to people we slowly discover that everything is down.  No phones.  No mobile signal.  No card machines.  No internet.  No ATMs.  But worst of all, no money.  And I have no cash on me.  Well, I have $5 but who knows how long this will last so I'm afraid to spend it.  The waiting game begins.  But I can't really complain too much.  It's not a bad location to have to wait.  Walking along Caribbean beaches, lounging in hammocks, it's a hard life.  After six hours, I stroll along the road and hear someone on a mobile phone.  Finally.  ATMs back up again.  Money available.  I had images of hunting coconuts and making an improvised fishing rod to survive for a few days.  I devour dinner, have a few relieving drinks and early night.  It's Adios Costa Rica and Hola Panama tomorrow to get a connection for the boat to Columbia.  Going to be a long day in transit.

Friday 14th October  - Out-Nerded

It's an early shout to get the bus at 7.30 a.m. to Bocas del Toro in Panama.  We have to cross the Costa Rica-Panama border on foot, across a rickety disused railway bridge.  Careful  foot placement on the sleepers proved difficult carrying my rucksack and belongings. Then a 45-minute queue in the sweltering heat to get passport stamped.  Jump on bus again towards Bocas.  Get chatting to Emily on the bus.  Emily is from Melbourne but lived in Clapham for past few years.  There's that small world popping up again.  Think it's going to be a theme on this trip going by the happenings so far.

Today's journey was supposed to be Puerto Viejo - Bocas del Toro - Panama City - San Blas to get the boat to Columbia.  That didn't happen.  After arriving in Bocas we decide to ditch the boat idea.  A lot of things seemed to be standing in the way of it going smoothly and images of this continuing and the boat sinking on us made that decision.  Book into Heike Hostel in Bocas with Emily joining our growing numbers.

Thankfully Panama is cheaper.  While out for some food and drinks an immense storm rolls in with amazing rain and thunder.  A crab appears from a storm drain and gingerly makes its way across the road before getting the fright of it's life and almost sushied by two cars.  He survived.

Now It's not very often that I get out-nerded when talking to someone I just met.  Most people generally make a quiet but quick exit if I start to go into too much detail about my university stuff (and rightfully so, I would too).  While chatting to a girl from our dorm, Sandy, she tells me all about her Matlab project.  Yes!  A fellow nerd.  Was pretty cool stuff too.  Made my night.

After spending the evening organising revolutions on Toyota jeeps, realising that the Honey Badger really knows how to treat life and laughing so much my jaw began to hurt, we all ended up in a couple of bars which had piers with crystal clear water that just compelled you to jump in.  But I resisted.  It would have ended in tears.

Saturday 15th October - The Day The Music Died

On Sandy's recommendation, me, Jason, Emily and Dirk decide to head off to Bastimentos, another island in Bocas del Toro and check in to Bocas Bound hostel.  Next stop, the beach.  My first swim in the Caribbean Sea.  It's fantastic.  The clear water must be 28 degrees.  The beach itself is so picturesque with jungle as the backdrop.  I think I'm gonna be relaxing here for a couple of days.  Panama was not on my list of destinations at all.  But this is just too good to leave.

This morning I decided to invest in a little portable speaker, something I've been craving for ages but couldn't find.  I was missing listening to good music.  The music in the hostels here pains me and everyone else.  Sometimes they play the same rubbish song five times in a row.  So armed with my new speaker I dig out my trusty Creative Zen which has been through many wars with me over the years, only to discover it has finally succumbed to my mistreatment.  Devo.

Sunday 16th October - It's a Jungle Out There

Today I decided it was time for some trekking.  After spending too much time doing nothing strenuous, I needed something a bit more active.  So armed with a map from the hostel front desk, off I went at 11.30 a.m.  I'm not too sure who or what is to blame here but I'm blaming the map.  The first 20 minutes were all fine but it didn't take long to realise I had no clue where I was going.  The hiking trails on the map were just about visible in the undergrowth.  But the last time they were trekked must have been 1927. I genuinely should have had a machete for this trek.  But undeterred I struggle through trees, over trees, under trees, onto beaches, through steams, over bridges made out of rotten fallen trees, through ankle-deep mud.  This trail doesn't exist, I'm creating it at this stage.  After about one-and-half hours I stumble across a clearing in the forest which has a disused bar/hut.  Time for a rest.  This is exhausting.  After collecting myself again, time to march on.  At least at this stage the forest has thinned a bit, and then it all becomes worthwhile.  I come across amazing private little inlets and beaches deserted of people.

After two hours, I bump into a couple coming in the opposite direction who shout, 'Ah finally, a human, a human'.  They tell me that after another short distance I'll not be able to go any further unless I want to swim across a river.  I think that's my limit.  I head on for a bit more, but come to a long log bridge and decide time to head back - this time taking a more inland trail.  Much hillier but at least I'm not making it myself.  On the way back I again bump into the couple.  We walk together and get chatting.  They have a boat in the marina.  I tell them about the boat trip I was supposed to do to Columbia, and simultaneously they turn round and say 'No!  Don't do it' and go on to explain how awful the journey is and how rough the sea is.  Think I dodged a bullet.

I loved every minute of my trek.  

But after an exhausting three hours of trail blazing, I finally find my way back to the hostel, famished, and quickly devour my lunch.  Just in time to check my email and discover I should have a ticket for Golden Plains in Melbourne in March.  Fantastic news.  Thank you Ali!