Isla Boca Brava

Public transportation in Panama appears crude to western sensibilities, but our experience is that it works very well. From Cerro Punta, a small town in the corner of Chiriqui province, we bussed down to David, then caught a bus to Horconcitos (another tiny town), and hired a taxi to the Gulf of Chiriqui. A short water taxi ride later we found ourselves in a tropical paradise called Isla Boca Brava.

Because traveling in Panama can have its disappointments, we weren't sure what this trip to the island would be like and we had committed to a week here, so we were wary. But when we saw how beautiful and peaceful was the place with a nice room besides, we felt a huge weight fall off and the peaceful feeling never wore off for the next ten days.

In the jungle on this island is a troop of howler monkeys that make a throaty and fabulous racket. Some mornings they were right outside our window! Needless to say Isla Boca Brava is a rustic gem of a place, and it won't stay secret for long. The travel guides haven't caught up to the fact that the road to the gulf has been paved and getting here is easy, and I predict that in the next five years this area will change dramatically as people come in and invest money.

Well worth going.

Zip Line in the Boquete Rain Forest

We did a tourist thing, the Boquete Tree Trek, a zip line that "zips" among the trees in the rain forest. Very, very cool!

I'll post more pictures soon.

This video was taken by the guide as he zipped down the longest cable in the park (400+ meters). All of us Groses have already gone ahead and are waiting on the landing. You can see us just barely at the end filming YOU filming US!



Update, January 31st, 2010: I said I'd post more pictures...

Observations on Panamanians

In this cultural immersion we have observed a few things, though we can't usually say WHY they are, and of course, these observations are subjective too...but here they are:

• The women wear really, really tight pants (sorry, no pictures). But nudity seems forbidden; we never see men going shirtless. In fact, people are usually pretty well-dressed.
• There are dogs everywhere. They are usually used for guard duty. Locals seem reluctant to neuter them. They don't neuter their horses either.
• Panamanians are not sentimental about animals. They treat them in ways that gringos find appalling. We've been told they think Americans—who dote and fawn on their pets and animals generally—are crazy.
• There is trash everywhere. The gringos carry their trash with them until they can throw it away in a trash can. The Panamanians throw trash on the ground or out the window.
• Everything—except their buildings—is on the verge of breaking. The method of construction here is cinder block, rebar, and cement; wood isn't used because it gets eaten by termites. In the town of David we passed by a trailer being propped up by a milk crate, a common scene.
• Everything is imported from China, which appears to be a country without a single shred of conscience, but is good at making money. (I know I've just abused 2 billion people, so I'll have more to say about China later. We will ALL have more to say about China later.) Panama seems to be a dumping ground for products that are so poor in quality they were rejected by more modern nations. Panamanians are sweet but naive, and they are poor so they go for the cheapest solutions, something at which China excels.
• Panamanians are not good at capitalism, which has both good and bad angles. On one hand, they often offer poor service, or they are out of something for too long, etc. But on the other hand they are not out to smother the competition because that wouldn't be nice to the competitor who might be a family friend. Community is more important than competition.
  
• Panamanians make loud noises. They love firecrackers. They honk their car horns often, they install car alarms that go off frequently for no good reason, and they play their stereos loud. Peace and quiet does not appear to be valued.
  
• On holidays Panamanians put stereo speakers out the window and play loud music for all the neighbors.
• There appear to be few rules on the road.
• Panamanians don't queue. Like Italians, they mob.
• Panamanians love sweets. There is sugar in almost everything and they will spend a lot of money for desserts.
• Panamanians don't walk much, instead they drive.
  
• Panamanian children seem to grow up loved.
• Sometimes this guy drives by blaring a loudspeaker. He is selling fruit.