Day 12- Panama Canal

From the hilarious English slang-learning session with two ladies from Liverpool to the swimming at the full-moon party, I had a fun last night in Bocas. I would definitely recommend Mondo Taitu- the hostel/bar I stayed at as it is fun, affordable, and well-connected within the city. The beautiful beaches I visited and the snorkeling/ dolphin excursion I went on were set up right at the hostel. Bikes can be rented cheaply next door. You won't be bored, nor regret staying there is what I'm saying. If you go to Bocas, I recommend you stay there. If you go to Panama, I reckon you go to Boca and stay there. If you want to go on a trip and don't know what to do- consider the Costa Rica / Panama route I traveled. Definitely going to miss the place.

It's kind of a blur how I ended up waking up at 130pm in a hostel bed at Luna's Castle Hostel in Panama City. As I mentioned, I had the early flight there this morning. I was packed last night before going out and definitely went through the motions from alarm going off at 610 to walking the 5 blocks to the smallest airport ever. I was ear plugs in eye mask on asleep before we even lifted off into the humidity. Naturally I woke up at the precise moment in which the stewardess was dishing out oatmeal cookie bars and water but I probably fell back asleep mid-bite because I woke up in Panama City with my tray table up and 2.5 of the 4 cookies on my lap.

After splitting a cab with a couple from Switzerland, I checked in to Luna's Castle around 10. Luckily, there was an AC dorm bed already ready so I joined those that were still asleep in darkness and snoozed until 130. Then got up and at it.

Saw the Panama Canal today. That's probably worth mentioning in my travel blog. After surfing the Pacific waves in Costa Rica and snorkeling in the Caribbean Sea/ Atlantic in Panama, seeing the incredible engineering project that connects the two large bodies of water and simplifies global trade routes was a cool way to end this leg of my trip. It's one of those things you have to go see if you're in the vicinity but it wasn't a mind-blowing experience or anything. You basically just watch absolutely massive ships ride through. I called it after 15 or so minutes, but pressed the camera button on the iPhone a few times so you can get the picture of what I saw.

Also included is a picture of modern Panama City from Old Town (where my hostel is).

Headed to the big apple tomorrow where I'll get the chance to see friends from UNC and Colorado and crash for a night before meeting up with the Taglit Birthright group and heading to Israel for 10 days.

Day 10- red frogs and my new job

I'll start the Day 10 entry off by saying that I'm writing this from a hostel hammock after a sun-filled day at the beach while some other travelers cook me a thai-style rice, veggies, seafood dish (I have to cop them a couple drinks at the hostel happy hour but I'm definitely a fan of this exchange). A siesta might follow this not too long of a post if the food isn't ready to be consumed yet.

So last night was awesome. Great pregame at the hostel, made friends with some cool people from Germany and Argentina, go to know the owners and bartenders well, and then headed out to what honestly might be the coolest night destination I've ever been to. Aqua Lounge sported a solid international crowd, incredible music, no cover, no dress code and great drink prices. What made it special though was the arrival method (its on a different island so water taxis) and they have swings that drop you in the ocean for a mid-party swim. No pics for obvious reasons, didn't want to get the cellular getting wet.

Went to Red Frog beach this morning. Beautiful beach (see the attached selfy), saw a red frog (darted away before I could click), and had some decent little waves for body surfing.

Got back around 4 and the hostel owner (picture a Seth Rogen) asked me if I wanted to be a promoter for the hostel bar the next couple days in exchange for free drinks all night at the bar- can you say dream job? And huge resume builder. I'm feeling alright about this one as the product I'm asked to promote is pretty marketable ($.50 bottled beers til 8, $1.00 shots, etc). I wasn't able to today because I had to buy my plane ticket to Panama City for Saturday morning, but that's most certainly the plan tomorrow afternoon. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Also, does anyone notice anything cold-blooded about the pic of my hostel room?

Day 9- Snorkeling/ dolphin watching excursion

After my first night out in Bocas, I was woken up around 9 to get ready / go on an island-hopping day excursion that included snorkeling, beach time, and dolphin watching. I threw on a bathing suit, made some pancakes (free mix at hostel), ate them and got to the going.

I didn't realize how spread out the islands of Bocas del Toro were until I was cruising around in a water taxi in the pouring morning rain (that must proceed to Costa Rica by afternoon time). The whole boat was soaked (luckily I put my iPhone in a ziplock or else I would be in a lesser mood right now) by the time we reached the first island. Some people in the group wanted coffee and whatnot but I went the opposite route towards getting more energy and went for a power nap on the dock until it was go time.

Snorkeling was sweet. There were lots of pretty fish and colorful reefs. I didn't really know what to do or how to pass the time but I'd kind of just find a cool fish and follow it around until I found another cool fish. Then I borrowed the Chinese mom/daughter's underwater camera to get some pics. Not sure when / if I'll get those but if I do I'll be sure to post some gems.

Next stop was an isolated beach on a different island. The guide tells us we have 3 hrs at the beach. Keep in mind it's still cloudy. What the h e double hockey sticks are you supposed to at an isolated beach with no bar, waves or activities on a cloudy day? Not sure what the right solution is but I went for a walk then did the whole nap número 2 of the day thing. This one was trickier because there were a lot of flies and other bugs that seemed to want to befriend/ hang out with/ on me. Once adjusted, i was able to log an hour before heading to dolphin bay (off chance you might see a dolphin or two here).

And we did! And I have a pic to prove it. Also here's a snap of the pancakes I made this morning (mom are you proud?). They may lack the protein powder, chocolate chips and raspberry sauce I prefer back at home but they kept the stomach from complaining for a couple hours.

My hostel has a happy hour starting in 10 minutes- $0.50 domestics from 7-8. So yeah.. I'm going to go do that now. And apparently the go-to club tonight is on the water, with a clear floor (see the fishes beneath) and swings/jumps landing you in the ocean. Should be fun.

Tentative plan tomorrow is taking my pancake making skills to another level, adding bananas and the works, buying a plane ticket to Panama City for Friday evening or Sat morning, riding a wacky bike around the island and going to Red Frog beach, weather-permitting. We'll see though.

Day 7- Adios Tamarindo, it's been real

Beautiful weather held overhead all afternoon so the indoor yoga I mentioned might happen did not. Instead, I went to the beach with some new friends. A solid hour siesta and walk/run on the beach later I returned to the hostel to grab my board and catch a few waves during the sunset.

I facetime'd my parents from the hostel wifi post-surf. It was the first time talking to them this trip and I think touching base back home once a week is a reasonable, comfortable amount.

After the call, you can probably guess where I went to dinner. I went with a group from the hostel and was worried I built the "tama style" fish tacos up too much and they'd be a little let down by the hype I gave them but there were thumbs up and empty plates all around.

Back at the hostel it was a night more chill than the past few which was fine because I was up and en route to surf by 8am.

The waves were big today. I probably bat around .500. Hit some home runs but definitely had an equal amount of strike/ wipe outs. Go big or go home right? Yeah I will in like 95 days.

I attached a few pictures to this post- me giving the thumbs up after my last surf sesh here, a pic w/ my instructor (note the killer 'stache), a traditional Costa Rican lunch w/ hot sauce on the side, and those tacos.

My stay at La Oveja Negra was incredible- I would recommend it to anyone wanting a fun Costa Rican vibe w/ a phenomenal location, friendly staff and guests, all for a very affordable price (abt $12 a night for a dorm room). Leaving Tamarindo on my journey to Bocas del Toro, Panama in about 30 min. This afternoon I'm shuttling to San Jose, staying the night in a hostel called Costa Rica Backpackers and getting picked up At 8am by another shuttle to get close to the border. Then, I get a public bus close to the border, walk across/ go through customs, catch a bus from inside Panama to a place close to Bocas del Toro, then a water taxi to the town / hostel. Or something like that. I don't know. I'll figure it out and let you guys know how it goes.