Central America 2005

Saturday 30 April 2005 Ottawa

Yes, this is the last episode for Central America 2005. We are back in Ottawa now, safe and sound and well tanned after a great three months away. We had three flights coming home, landing in progressively more northern cities with progressively colder temperatures. Even in Miami Ray suggested we look into the next flight heading back to the sun! But Spring is coming to Ottawa. The snow is gone, tulips are coming up and bikes are on the streets.

Costa Rica and Panama are renowned for their Nature Reserves. We managed to visit several of them and really enjoyed seeing all the wildlife, but my Spanish didn't get a chance to improve. So many English-speaking tourists visit these places that everybody in the tourist industry speaks English. I must admit it made it easier for us. Monteverde, Costa Rica, was a case in point, where all the hostel owners, guides and restaurants gave good service in English.

Monteverde is a National cloud forest wildlife reserve high in the mountains. The altitude and frequent rain create a unique microclimate but the trip there is not easy. We had a long bumpy road in a bus over roads that would have been condemned anywhere else. It took us three hours to travel the last 35 Km on narrow twisting roads, but the scenery on the way was worth it. We stayed in the town of Santa Elena, a 6 Km ride on a shuttle bus from two great reserves. The climate was cool and a pleasant change for the heat of the lowlands. The restaurants and hostels were good and the hiking and wildlife were great.

There are all sorts of activities to chose from in town but everything came with a stiff price so we limited ourselves to the parks. We passed on the zip line canopy tour (sob, that was my choice), the butterfly farm, Serpentarium, Ranario (frog house), and orchid garden. We hiked over nearly all the 12 Km of trails in the Reserva Santa Elena, a less popular reserve with an observation tower overlooking the forest. We followed a birder group, waiting patiently to see a Three-Wattled Bellbird, so we too could view it through their powerful scope. We went on a guided Night walk in Reserva Monteverde, the original cloud forest reserve, to see all the creatures that stir in the night; mostly bats, bugs, tarantulas, sleeping birds and an Olingo, like a large squirrel with a prehensile tail. I also elected to join an excellent guided day tour in Reserva Monteverde while Ray went on his own walk back to town. I waited in vain to see a Quetzal bird return to a special nesting box on the trail, but I did see lots of humming birds, howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, and other colourful tropical birds. Wild impatience, that I like so much, is considered a pest in Central America but I found out that the stem juice is a salve for itchy mosquito bites.

We went from the highlands back down to the steamy coast to visit another nature reserve, Manuel Antonio. We passed miles of Palm oil plantations on way to Quepos, the gateway town to the reserve. Quepos is a fishing center with nice looking but polluted beaches. We found it hot, not very pretty, but the shops were good. I bought a new, custom made swimsuit and discovered a good book exchange store owned by an English girl.

Manuel Antonio Park was 7 Km away from Quepos up a road lined with pricey resorts. We arrived one morning at the same time as several large guided tour groups. It took us a while to get into the less crowded area, but we were soon on our own staring at Three-toed Sloths, white-faced monkeys and smaller red squirrel monkeys in the trees. Agoutis, a large rat cousin, and iguanas ran through the underbrush. Whenever one of the guides was stopped with his spotting scope set up, we would join in to see an animal or a tropical bird. We walked along the well-marked paths to look down on a wide expanse of beach, where we later went swimming. No wonder the park is so popular.

The Lonely Planet Guidebook described the tiny beach town of Uvita on the Pacific as what beaches used to be like before Costa Rica was discovered by tourists. We took a rough bus ride along the coast to Uvita, passing the aptly named Bumpy Road Café. A few gringos stopped at the surfer beach of Dominical, but we continued on to the quieter shores. Uvita delivered as promised. More than 1 Km of deserted beach, part of a nature reserve, awaited us. The waves were gentle enough for a good swim, but big enough at one end for surfers to practice. We had our first sustained rain, a sign that the rainy season was beginning. Luckily it didn't interfere with our beach time.

Ray on Uvita Beach

Our tent at Bahia Paraiso Resort

Our last stop in Costa Rica was to be a visit to Corcovado National Park on the Peninsula de Osa. My guide-books promised wildlife and birds galore, so we had to go. The best way to see the park is the hike for several days, staying in ranger's stations. It didn't sound enticing given that the rainy season was beginning and we weren't keen to carry sleeping bags and food. A tour guide in Uvita suggested we go to Bahia Paraiso Resort, a short distance from the park entrance. Bahia Paraiso was more expensive than we usually pay, but we were ready for a bit of pampering. We economized by opting to stay in a tent set up with comfortable beds, rather than a more expensive room with bath. We took buses to a small town on the Pacific where a motor boat took us for an hour and a half ride down a mangrove river and into the ocea

The small resort was on a half-Km snorkelling beach, the best one on the coast. The cooks outdid themselves with three terrific meals every day. If we had stayed any longer we would have packed on the pounds. As it was, we made sure we had lots of walks and swimming to stay in shape. One morning we followed Fredy on an early morning bird walk through the resort's botanical gardens. Bushes with fuzzy white and pink flowers, planted to attract hummingbirds, were full of Rufous-tailed and Long-tailed Hermit varieties. Fredy told us that the rather plain looking Clay-coloured Robin was the nation bird of Costa Rica because its song meant the rainy season, so important to the farmers, was beginning. The area was full of birds. At noon each day a pair of noisy Scarlet Macaws visited an almond tree on the beach to eat their fill of nuts before decamping to another tree.

On top of a hill behind the resort is a mirador overlooking the bay. As we followed the trail upwards we were suddenly pelted with sticks and fruit. It was a troop of white-faced Capucin monkeys, defending their favourite tree. At least they didn't pee on us, as they have been known to do.

We missed seeing the full effect of a solar eclipse because of clouds, but the next day the tides were especially low and high. Low tide was the best time for snorkelling just off shore because the rocks where the fish congregate were close to the surface. One of the staff caught a Guinea Fowl Puffer fish in his hands and passed it to us to hold. It immediately blew itself up to look scary and floated on the surface, but it was really very harmless.

Rio Claro

A trail along the shore ended up at the mouth of a river, Rio Claro, where a local man offered canoe rides into the jungle. He paddled and we sat back and enjoyed the scenery. He pointed out small caiman crocodiles sunning on the river bank just an arms length away. Jesus Christ lizards, so-called because of their ability to run very fast over water, demonstrated their skill getting to the safety of the shore. A kingfisher darted into the water and toucans called to us from the trees.

Another walk in the other direction along the coast headed to Corcovado Park. It took us two hours of pleasant walking along beaches and around rocky points to get to the ranger's station but we didn't need to go any further into the park. We had just as much or more wildlife right at Bahia Paraiso.

Click the map above to see an album of Panama photos. Close the window to return to this page.

From Bahia Paraiso we took the boat back to the mainland and a bus to the Panama border. That border crossing took the prize for the worst in Central America. A brand new border station is in the process of being built but until it does, take advantage of people who offer their services as border guides. We thought we knew the routine and refused the services of the first young man who approached us. We made a mistake. There were no signs in any language to guide you through the maze of trucks, buildings and people. We found the Costa Rica Immigration building and dutifully lined up to get stamped out, but if we had not accepted the forms we needed to leave Coast Rica, offered by the first young guide, there was nowhere else to pick them up. From that first encounter we wandered around asking directions to the Panama Immigration. Finally another guide took us in tow. We followed him across the busy main road, behind some roadside stands, and past open public toilets to a small building with a wicket window and a woman sitting outside behind a table. We paid US$1 to the woman who pasted a stamp in our passport. From there we followed our guide across the busy road again, around lines of parked transport trucks and into another building. Being Canadians, we were required to buy a $5 Tourist Card. That sounds easy but not when the only person selling the cards has gone to lunch. While we patiently waited for his return at some unknown time, we asked our guide about converting our small amount of Costa Rican Colones into American Dollars, which is the currency used in Panama. That entailed another trip across the traffic back to where we had purchased our stamp. Our guide located his money changer friend who gave us a fair rate for our Colones, then it was back across the road to buy a tourist card. Finally lunch was over and the Tourist bureau was manned. We paid our money and the man wrote our names on a long sheet of paper and handed us a small hand-written note proving we had paid for a tourist card. Back we went again to the building where we had purchased the stamp and handed in our passports and note to a man in the wicket window. He dutifully stamped our passports and we were on our way. Our guide showed us to the correct bus stop and gratefully accepted his tip, which was well deserved.

Our first destination in Panama was Boquete, a pleasant town in a craggy mountain valley, beside the roaring Rio Caldera. We rode through pouring rain for the first half of the trip but by the time we reached Boquete, it had stopped and the weather co-operated for the rest of our stay. We were surprised at the number of Americans in town. Our favourite breakfast spot each morning had a group of middle-aged Americans discussing plans to buy property and build vacation homes. We wondered what made the area so attractive besides the nice climate and beautiful scenery. We were told that tax laws in Panama allow Americans to live there without the fear of being taxed by both Panama and the US. Add to that the years that Americans were the custodians of the Canal and the proliferation of English and it was no wonder the real estate market was booming.

Boquete is known for its walking trails. We passed up a long walk to the top of Volcan Baru and instead walked out of town through numerous coffee plantations and market gardens. Panama has the highest per capita income in Central America, but the indigenous people who live in the hills above Boquete, were in the have-not category. The Ngöbe-Bugle women wear long brightly-coloured dresses trimmed with ric-rac and appliqués, but they live in tumbledown shacks and work as farm labourers.

The Quetzal, the Guatemalan national bird, lives in the hills around Boquete but for us he remained elusive. We took a taxi out of town for a pleasant walk following a water pipeline that supplies most of the water for the region. We saw several pretty waterfalls and heard lots of birds but the Quetzal remained hidden. We will have to wait for another trip to see a Quetzal.

Walk following a water pipeline near Boquete

Bocas del Toro, Isla Basimentos, Wizard beach

It was time for one last beach experience. We opted for Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean. The bus took us up and over the cloud shrouded Talamanca mountain range, past many indigenous communities. Their homes may be simple wooden huts on stilts with half walls and a thatched roof, but the students who boarded the bus on their way to school were neatly dressed in school uniforms. Panama boasts 90% enrolment in elementary school but that drops off to 50% at the secondary level. The students we saw were the lucky ones.

A 45 minute water taxi ride from the Caribbean coast took us to Isla Colon, the largest island in the Archipelago Bocas del Toro (Bull's Mouth). The main town, Bocas del Toro, is touristy but in a nice way. Our only problem was the rain. For the first time the rain interfered with our plans. We did manage a bus ride to the north end of island to swim on the almost deserted beach of Bocas del Dragon. We spent a relaxing morning walking and swimming in the clear waters and had a great fish lunch at the one restaurant in the area before it started to rain. It continued all afternoon and overnight but it stopped in the late morning, in time for us to take another excursion. We took a short water taxi ride to the small West-Indian town of Bastimentos on Isla Bastimentos. After lunch at a restaurant perched over the water we walked half an hour over a hill to Wizard Beach on the other side of the island. Big waves boomed onto a long sandy beach. Surfers rode the waves while we swam near the shore. We had hoped to take a last snorkelling trip on a catamaran the next day but the weather refused to co-operate. It poured rain nearly all day, leaving us finishing up more books than we had anticipated. Oh well, it is good to relax in the tropics.

We left the rain behind and flew to Panama City the next day, our last stop in Central America. Panama City was the only capital city we stayed in Central America and we found it very pleasant. Our hostal was one of the best with a nice yard, breakfast, free internet and a big TV.

contrast of derelict and renovated buildings in Casco Antigua

We took a bus to visit Casco Antigua, the oldest section of town. It is not considered safe at night but we found it charming during the day. The 1989 American Invasion of Panama after Noriega declared himself President and announced that Panama was at war with the US, left many buildings in the Casco Antigua empty shells. Buildings are gradually being restored but many are still ruins. Noriega's compound has been left as a ruin next to a pretty esplanada that runs along the top of a seawall built by the Spanish to protect the city long ago. At the other end is Plaza de Francia with monuments to the French who conceived and started building the Panama Canal. The thousands of workers who died of Malaria during construction and the Cuban doctor Finlay who discovered a cure and eradicated malaria from Panama are also commemorated. We had a good lunch at sidewalk café, then walked back to find our return bus. Luckily a few locals realized we were confused by the many buses and came to our rescue. They brought us to the right bus and even spoke with the driver to make sure we would get off at the right stop. We would hope that Canadians would be as helpful to visitors.

We couldn't visit Panama without a visit to the Panama Canal. Our last day in Central America included a visit to the Miraflores locks for an interesting and informative tour of the canal. We started on the highest of three observation platforms to watch huge Panamax (maximum for passage through the canal) sized ships go through the locks. A running commentary by a guide told us about the ships we could see as well as other factoids about the canal. When we tired of watching ships we saw a 10-minute movie giving a brief history and current day plans for the canal. We also visited their well-presented exhibits on three different levels of the tour building. It was a well-spent morning.

Ship going through Panama Canal

View of Panama City from Parque Natural Metropolitano

Panama City has several National Parks within easy access of the city. We took a taxi from the locks to the Parque Natural Metropolitano on the north end of town to go for a walk. It reminded me of the Mount Royal Park in Montreal but larger and tropical. We walked well-marked nature trails to a viewpoint on top of a hill where we could see all of Panama City as well as the canal. It made for a pleasant change from city streets.

Unfortunately that was the end of our travels in Central America. We left the next day for home. We have plans to visit Greece and Turkey next autumn but we haven't decided where we will go after that. There are too many possibilities to choose from.