JJ's Travelogue

I’m still in David. I just needed a break, to catch up on email, the blog, excercise, sleep, etc. But now I’m feeling the itch, so tomorrow I’ll probably move on.
I moved to a hostel, to be with people and get info about the area. Ironically, it’s more expensive than the hotel I was in (dorm beds are cheap, but I’m just too old for that). Interesting story about this place (Hostel Bambú). The proprieter is a 30-something from New York City. He was the guitarist in a successful rock band for 12 years, touring Europe, appearing on Letterman and Conan, etc. But their last album didn’t sell so well, they got dropped by their label, and he found himself out of work with no work history, no skills, no idea what to do next. So he came down to Panama to hang out with a friend for a while. Eventually, he met a hostel owner who told him how easy it was to open his own. He scraped together $8k from friends and family, found a partner with the same amount, put the down payment on a house (dealing directly with the owners), and opened for business. They’ve done all the work themselves to convert it from a single-family house into a hostel. It’s only been open four months. Having spent five years managing hostels there is a lot I would have done differently, but he’s learning as he goes. He’s just too young to be missing so many brain cells. Actually, it’s a bit what I imagine college dorms to be like. Ping-pong, messy dishes, relaxed vibe, the guitars and bongos even come out at night. Classic.

On my run the other day I met a few locals who invited me back to hang out in the evening. It was good fun although I didn’t understand most of the conversation. The next day one of the girls and I hung out because she speaks English. She’s from Bocas del Toro on the Carribean, where they speak some English. We went to her daughter’s school, then took a bus to a waterfall and swam a bit. It’s always nice being in the company of a local, seeing how they live. Very slow paced – lots of standing in the street and shooting the breeze with the neighbors.

Today I went for a day trip up to Boquete, a town in the Chiriquí highlands. The region is sometimes called “Little Switzerland” because of the Alpine-style houses and the influence of Swiss and Yugoslav settlers. The cool, crisp air is a nice change from the heat of David. To make an analogy to U.S. towns that I know, I imagine Boquete was a bit like Truckee, CA 20 years ago – a pretty Western town nestled in the mountains. But now it’s quickly becoming the Aspen, CO of Panama. I must have walked past 10 real estate shops, all with signs in English. Rich Americans are moving there in droves and driving up the prices. The menus in some of the restaurants would make even New Yorkers blush. So weird – 60km away here in David, the $8 Boquete burrito goes for $2. Someone is getting very rich off all the naive gringos.

Anyway, this week the town is having their annual coffee and flower festival. All the hotels are booked out for this which turned out to be a blessing, since it prevented me from staying there – it was enough to walk around for a day. I had a nice chat with one of the festival workers who was bored. Again, I only understood about 50% of what she said, but it was nice to try for a while. [I've been cracking the language books, but it's slow going].
There is a pretty botanical garden called Mi Jardin Es Tu Jardin that Doug (my father)’s friend recommended. And, I created an adventure for myself by fording the river. Who needs horses, guides, rafts and ropes? Not I!

I would like to do more in this region, but the tour prices are insane, and it’s not clear whether I can do a lot of it on my own. Trying to figure out where to go next. Chloë and I visited Bocas del Toro for a quick vacation years ago and it was beautiful, but I hear it’s pricey and touristy now. Hmm, where to go..

A lot of the locals here call gringos “G.I.’s”, including myself. I assume it’s left over from when the U.S. occupied the Canal Zone, and anyone looking like a gringo probably was in fact a G.I.

Speaking of GI’s.. this past weekend, I had a similar experience as in La Ceiba – I’m waiting for the weekend to roll around when the town will light up, the weekend comes, and.. the discos and everything were all closed on Friday and Saturday. Turns out it was Martyrs Day, when they commemorate 22 student protesters getting gunned down by the U.S. Army in 1964. Reading the history makes me ashamed of my country (as if I need another reason).

Saw my first movie in a theatre since leaving the States – The Day the Earth Stood Still. Good fun, although I thought the ending was a bit wimpy. Thank dios they didn’t overdub it, or I would have surely walked out.

It’s difficult to find a healthy meal. I see vegetables in the market, but they’re rarely put into the food. Where do they go? Lots of fried meat and starches instead.

Here is a video of the kid shaving ice to make a local snow cone.