Tuesday, January 27, 2009

It rains when it is sunny in Panama

Hola!

I am a bit tired to write you an immense story, but I will update you. After volunteering I went back to San Jose, Costa Rica and stayed with a friend of a friend (thanks Elise!) for a week because her family was so nice and wonderful and I fell in love with her five dogs. While I was with her I saw volcanoes and ruins of churches, etc. She lived closer to where the earthquake happened and her family have a farm in the area that was like a box of contents that was shook real hard. I didn't see it, just in pictures.

Then I bused to Panama, met a Japanese guy on the bus and stayed with him in a hotel due to booked up hostels. We traveled together for three days around Panama City, then we to Colon together to find a boat. I couchsurfed there were a local who spoke 11 languages!

Backing up, in Panama City while marveling over architecture that looked straight from the end of the movie "Great Expectations" I got my camera snatched from my hands. However, a mop of police showed up, I reported the incident and they found the camera because they pressured the people to give up his name and he dumped the camera. I was incredibly lucky. All the pictures were recovered, plus the one he took. The police were so much fun too, they drove me everywhere and tried to talk to me in Spanish, and I tried to respond. They stopped every time they saw a foreigner, talked to them and then said "they your friends?"

So in Colon I didn't really wander anywhere alone, it is a dangerous area. I was going to get a boat there but found one back in Panama City. So I travelled back here and am staying at a really awesome hostel and leaving tomorrow for the boat. I will sail for five days stopping at some islands (San Blas islands) for a day and a half.

Panama has very nice people here, very helpful. I am impressed by their helpfulness. Even when my camera was stolen, I shouldn't have been in that area to begin with but even the people of that street wanted to help me recover the camera. Taxis will try to cheat you but I know how to bargain now. The service in restaurants is horrible though. I found that most people in Colon prefer not to work, they are very lazy. My friend in Colon owns a hotel and was looking to hire someone. People called his phone constantly, but hung up after one ring and expected him to call them about the job. He never did, but it shows how little people know about professionalism.

I will do my best to keep on updating. Take care in the cold my friends.

Amanda

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