To me, the name Captain Morgan means rum. Spiced rum. Yum. In the Panamanian history books the Welsh buccaneer doesn't go down so well. Back in the 16th and 17th centuries Panama was important for the Spanish and their exploration and exploitation of South America. It was here where they transported pillaged Peruvian gold from one sea to the next.
Knowing of the potential booty in Panama, Henry Morgan ransacked the city in 1671, burnt it to the ground and massacred it's citizens before taking off with the biggest loot in the Americas. Although arrested, he claimed to know nothing about the peace treaty between Spain and England and was acquitted. In 1674, after being knighted, he left for Jamaica where he spent the last of his days spending Panamas riches and drinking rum.
Panama City was then relocated to what is now Casco Viejo (Old Compound). Here the buildings are a huge contrast to the rest of the city, which with its skyscrapers could be Miami. I briefly visited Casco Viejo and loved it's old beautiful buildings. I had lunch at the oldest cafe in Panama, the corporation endorsed Cafe Coca Cola. It was a bland Panamanian lunch of rice, beans and chicken. And a coke of course. All that was missing was some rum. Captain Morgans anyone?
0 Comments
Although there is more to Panama than its canal, the man made marvel was the whole reason I wanted to go to Panama. My fascination with the canal was nearly two decades old, ever since my Grandpa sailed from New Zealand to New York in the mid 90s. On this trip I've been lucky enough to do things I've dreamed of doing for a long time. That evening when I arrived back at my hostel with windswept hair, a slightly sunburnt nose and a bag of Indian to last me the next day, was beaming from ear to ear. Panama Canal transited! Nicaragua is called the land of lakes and volcanoes. Not surprising since there are 28 volcanoes in the country, of which 19 are active. In Granada I had been driven up to the top of Mombacho and Masaya and while in Ometepe I had been surrounded by the stunning Maderas and Concepcion. In Leon it was time to get tough and tackle Telica. At 1,061 metres above sea level Telica is not the tallest in Nicaragua (San Cristobel at 1,700m is) but the draw card of this active volcano is the promise of lava at the top. Shea, a Canadian I had met in Granada, had told me about a non profit organisation called Quetzaltrekkers, who did a two day, one night trip up to the top of Telica. All profit from Quetzaltrekkers hikes go toward projects for street kids in Leon and so liking the sound of supporting such a cause I signed up. Telica was my highlight of Nicaragua and everything about Quetzaltrekkers was perfect. We met at the office early on the Saturday to have breakfast and organise our packs. You could borrow sleeping bags, mats and also backpacks and between the 14 of us (11 backpackers, three guides) we divided up the water, food and tents. To keep costs down for the organisation we crammed into a chicken bus with locals heading out to our starting point at the bottom of the volcano. The climb took about four hours, and it was made tough only by the dry heat and the dust. We were all covered in dirt and sweat by the time we made it to our campsite near the crater in the early afternoon. Melissa, a Canadian girl in our group, put it perfectly when she said we were having Type II Fun. Fun that only is fun after the fact, unlike Type I Fun which you enjoy while you do it. After lunch and a short nap in the sun we went up to the crater to peer over the sides before exploring bat caves on the side of the crater. Of course I stayed well away from the caves as for some reason I have a massive fear of bats. My imagination seems to always play with the idea that I might encounter rabid insomniac bats. After watching the sunset over the pacific from the top of Telica we had a quick dinner before wandering back to the volcano crater to watch the lava. On the way we saw jumping spiders, which, when shining your torch, had the craziest blue eyes. When we had visited the crater that afternoon I had felt pretty comfortable sitting on top of an active volcano. Back up there in the pitch black however, it was a different story. Leaning over I could see the bottom of the crater, bright red with lava, 130 metres deep. If seeing the red heat of the earth wasn't scary enough, the sound that came with it was absolutely terrifying. The crater roared like a jet engine, like when the plane starts up. Only louder. I only spent a minute or so sitting on the edge before moving a few metres back to try and relax. I sat hoping someone else was ready to walk back to the camp with me. Finally I asked Melissa if she was ready to go back and she, as well as everyone else, jumped at the chance. Maybe I wasn't the only one questioning what on earth made us want to spend a night on top of an active volcano. I slept for only three hours that night. Maybe it was the wind, trying to blow our tents down, that kept me awake. Or maybe it was my imagination, every five minutes reminding me I was sleeping on an active volcano. Definitely Type II Fun. My time in Leon, apart from sleeping on an active volcano, was rather chilled. Most of the time was spent in the hostel, sitting by the pool. I did do a few touristy things though. One day we went to the beach at Las Penitas and one morning we visited the Museum of the Revolution. Leon played an important part in the revolution and you can sense it in the streets when seeing the murals. It was here where opposition to the conservative Somoza dictatorship began and grew. The corrupt and wealthy Somoza family ruled for four decades from 1937. During this time the majority of the country was in poverty so by the 1950s a group of liberals from Leon joined together to overthrow the dictatorship. The civil war lasted until 1980. Leon vs Granada. Making Melbourne vs Sydney seem tame since 1835. Leon is the liberal university town, Granada the wealthy conservative town. For 200 years, before becoming independent from Spain, Leon was the capital. After Nicaragua became a republic in 1835 however, there was a power struggle between the two towns over supremacy. By the 1850s it was a full blown civil war and eventually in 1857 Managua, the midpoint between the two, was named capital. Nowadays you can still see and feel the difference. To me Granada was beautiful, and I loved my stay there, but it was more a tourist town than anything. It lacked the vibe Leon had. Granada was clean and there was a tourist street filled with tour agencies, tourist orientated restaurants and happy hours. I was comfortable in my little tourist bubble there. On the other hand Leon had a certain grubby charm about it. It didn't have the polished beauty of Granada, but there was personality in the streets. I spent six days in Leon, and each day I loved it more. On my last day I was sad to leave. Some places just feel special. For me, and even for no reason, Leon was such a place. x What better place to start writing about my three days on Ometepe than at Ojo de Agua, a gorgeous swimming hole, 40 minutes walk from my hostel. According to the man at the entrance, the mineral water will leave me looking ten years younger. I'd be happy with two years. Sitting in Lake Nicaragua, Isla de Ometepe was formed from the lava flows of two volcanos joining together. The name Ometepe means two hills and these two hills are the volcanoes Maderas (1394m) and active Concepcion (1610m). The journey from Granada to my hostel in Santa Cruz Ometepe took all morning and was a combination of chicken bus, taxi, ferry and mini bus. Easy! There is a lot to do on the island, mostly outdoors. One morning I went kayaking down Rio Istiam, the river that goes through the middle of the island. I was joined by Ingrid, a 73 year old German woman who I had met on the chicken bus from Granada. We were promised caiman, monkeys and turtles and although it was nothing on the Bolivian Pampas, we did see them all. Two activities on the island are hikes up Maderas (8 hours) and Concepcion (12 hours). After Ometepe I'm heading to Leon to climb Tilica, a volcano with lava. Because I've planned this, the idea of climbing up the volcanos here didn't really appeal. All everyone reports is that you just see clouds and that the walk up is just so tough its not worth it. I love a good view though so did do the two hour return hike up to the mirador, or lookout, on Maderas. The view of Concepcion is incredible. Ometepe has a population of 42,000 but I don't know where all these people are. The island seems deserted and wandering down the roads only the odd truck, bus or backpacker on a bike passes. It's very tranquillo. There are cows, dogs, pigs and chickens lingering around.
There are two main towns, Altagracias and Moyogalpa where the ferry arrives. I chose to stay in Santa Cruz which is right in between the two volcanoes. There are literally less than ten houses/restaurants/shacks in Santa Cruz. Most people who visit the island hire push bikes or motorbikes. I thought I would do that but ended up actually walking everywhere. On my last afternoon I hitchhiked on the back of a motorbike to my favourite cafe, Cafe Campestre, where I had the beetroot and chocolate cake I had been craving for days. You could easily spend a week on Ometepe, doing hikes, cycling around the island and discovering more swimming holes and beaches. I was really happy with my three days but it was time to head to Leon, in search for lava! Flying from South America to North America seemed dull once I heard about backpacker boats which sail between the continents. Even though I had heard horror stories which included chronic seasickness, luggage dropped in the sea and even a boat sinking a few years back, it seemed like an adventure not to be missed. I chose to sail on the yacht Mintaka, owned by Manfred and Petra, a German couple who have been married for 40 years, and sailing for 35. Mintaka was custom built by the couple and they have been sailing in the 46ft aluminium sloop since 1991. They have explored the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and the South Atlantic before coming to the Caribbean eight years ago. Two years ago, after two years of observing other backpacker boats they decided to join in offering the five day trip from Panama to Colombia and vice versa. For me, the appeal of this boat was not only that it was a sailing boat (as opposed to a catamaran), but that it took only a small group of eight passengers, when some boats can take over 20. Also, Petra has ten years experience running a German retaurant so I knew we would be looked after food wise! We left Cartagena on Sunday evening, saying goodbye to South America while watching the sun set over the city. It was a 40 hour journey in open wáter before getting to the San Blas islands where we would spend three nights. I was so glad to do it this way around, as imagine spending three blissful days in the islands only to finish the trip with nearly two days of rolling around on the open sea. Because rocking and rolling we did! Luckily we had been told to take sea sick pills hours before boarding and luckily these pills made us sleepy and after our first dinner, and after the motor was switched on and the sails were up, we all practically slept for the 40 hours. You needed to take the pills every five hours so I basically slept in four hour blocks, getting up only to take my pill, have a drink, maybe some food then get some fresh air before being beckoned by the horizontal position in the cabin below deck. Once we got to the islands Manfred and Petra told us that the journey was extra rough this time. But. It was worth it. The San Blas archipiélago is officially called Kuna Yala. It is a 225 kilometer strip on the Caribbean coast of Panama, stretching all the way to Colombia. Out of the nearly 400 islands, 10% are inhabited by 32,000 Kuna, an indigenous group who was the first group in Latin America to gain indigenous autonomy. 100% of Kuna Yala is owned and managed by the Kuna. Our first stop in the stunning Kuna Yala was Coco Banderas. Here we swam, snorkeled, and explored the tiny islands. I even swan between two islands which was pretty cool! While on the boat we were visited by local Kuna women who sold us Molas which are beautiful pieces of coloured fabric sewn together. The Mola are a main source of income for the Kuna but interestingly until the late 1990s they were coconut barons! Up to 30 million coconuts were harvested annually and the Kuna would sell these to Colombia, in exchange for food, clothes and anything else they needed. Panama had no coconut processing plants which is why the Kuna dealt with Colombia. Each year the Kuna chiefs would set a price for coconuts in order to prevent competition and to ensure that no individual seller would be bargained down by buyers. We got to meet a local chief on our second evening in the islands. We had anchored at West Holandes and after an incredible afternoon of snorkeling along a reef, we went ashore to an island where Julio, the chief, lived with his family and his sixth wife. Or was it his seventh? We sat down with the chief, drunk our coco locos (rum in a coconut), and asked him questions about life on the island. I didnt ask, but should have, if, after 15 years on the island, he had noticed a change in the amount and type of litter that was washed to shore. Unfortunately I had noticed so many plastic bottles on the islands and I was sad at what our obsession with buying wáter was doing to this paradise. After our second night in the stunning San Blas, it was time to head to El Porvenir, where we would get our passports stamped into Panama. Petra and Manfred told us that this could take up to 24 hours but less than an hour after heading to the immigration office, they were back relieved and grinning. Apparently a 'gift' of a Mintaka tshirt was enough to get the immigration officer to promptly stamp our passports. Four days after leaving Colombia, we were officially in Panama! What better way to celebrate an easy immigration run than to have a lobster lunch! Petra had been asking the Kuna if they had any lobster since we arrived in the área but it wasnt until our last morning that we found a fisherman with the goods. We had been having such incredible food thanks to Petra (filet mignon, shark, french chocolate truffles!) but Petra really did exceed expectations with the garlic butter lobster! After demolishing my lobster, I probably had about ten bits of bread dunked in the sauce. It was heaven! That afternoon Manfred took us over to another island, Wichub Wala were about 500 Kuna live. Here we were shown around the village by a local. I would like to say I enjoyed the experience, but although I enjoyed seeing how the locals live, it was sad to see so much litter. Our tour guide told us that they had just finished a six day party and were still too drunk to clean up, but I have the feeling the island is always like this. My only apprehension about choosing a boat with only eight people was the risk that the group would be terrible. Or that I would be stuck with a solo travellers nightmare, five days with only loved up couples. This wasnt the case on Mintaka however and we had a cool group. There was a Brazilian couple, who were heading to Cuba after Panama, an American couple who were exploring Central America for three months, a German policewoman on a three week vacation, an American vet who had sold her house to travel for a couple of years, and a Swiss guy who seemed to have travelled everywhere. It was a good mix of people, making the trip even more laid back. After three days relaxing in the San Blas, we had another ten hours of rough sailing to Portobello, a small town on the Panamanian mainland. By now we knew what to do, so took our sea sick pills and bunked down for the night. I had a feeling this trip would be a highlight in my seven months of travel and it did not disappoint. I made the right choice with Mintaka too, and the trip felt more like flashpacking than backpacking. What a way to travel between two continents! I was so excited about being back in Central America! Let the adventure continue. I couldn't believe it when Deb booked her ticket to join me here for two weeks. I felt lucky having family fly halfway around the world to join me on my adventure. Especially at Christmas time. With only two weeks together we had organised a tight itinerary, starting with a flight from Bogota to Medellin literally six hours after she arrived from her 31 hour journey from Perth. Christmas is a beautiful time to visit Medellin. From the beginning of December the city is lit up by some 27 million Christmas lights stretching 750 kilometres long. This $10 million dollar annual project attracts thousands of visitors and on our first night Deb and I went to the river to view the lights. The whole river was covered in candles and on both sides there were illuminated houses. What a sight! There were also plenty of food vendors so our eyes weren't the only thing feasting as we tried a bit of everything, including chocolate covered apples which weren't worth the effort we took finding them. Luckily we were at the river early enough to avoid the crowds and rain which started as we were heading home. They say Medellin is the City of Eternal Spring, but I didn't realise they meant a Melbourne spring. Four seasons in one day. Medellin is probably Colombia's most famous city due to one name. Pablo Escobar. In 1993, the year Escobar was killed, the homicide rate in Colombia was the highest in the world at 420 people per 100,000. In Medellin it was double that. Escobar was a cocaine trafficker, a drug lord. At the height of his power he was smuggling fifteen tons of cocaine a day into the States. That's half a billion dollars worth. This man, one of the worlds richest, was powerful. And dangerous. Twenty years later Colombia, and the people of Medellin, the proud Paisas as they call themselves, are still rebuilding their city, trying to clean up the chaos Escobar created. Deb and I were lucky enough to do a walking tour with a local called Pablo, and from him we learnt about the history of Medellin, about how the city didn't become rich from the drugs, but from gold and the railroad before hand. We also learnt that, through progressive policies and a famous transport system, this city is now considered one of the most innovative in the world. As we walked through a concrete square bizarrely covered in huge giant poles, our Pablo told us about how Medellin is changing through architecture. In dangerous parts of the city, beautiful buildings or monuments are being built, giving new meaning to the area. This square used to be one of the most dangerous areas in the centre, an area where Pablo wouldn't even step foot in during the day. Now, through architecture, and building these LED poles, the place lights up at night and is a beautiful feature in the city. The same goes for the slums in the hills. Cable cars were built, giving the population access to other areas of the cities, so they could escape the violence of their own combos, or suburb gangs. In one slum at the top of the cable car, Spain donated money to build a modern, beautifully designed library, giving the people access to education as well as something to be proud of. As our Pablo said, these people feel proud that they have something to show to the outside world, to tourists. We heard countless stories about the Paisas and their fierce loyalty to their city. They have one of the best public transport systems in the world and I even teared up when Pablo spoke about Medellin's feelings about this. Trains, for god sakes. He spoke beautifully though, and we did notice heading home that night, that Pablo was right. The Paisas, the proudest people, love their public transport system so much that there wasn't a dot of graffiti anywhere. Not a drop of rubbish to be seen. Two nights in Medellin is not really enough time in the city but with miserable weather, a tight schedule and Christmas Day sneaking up, that was enough for us. We caught a flight to Santa Marta on Colombia's Caribbean coast and taxied straight to Taganga which is a tiny fishing village over the hill from the small city. I think Christmas Day was the perfect time to come into the park as it wasn't too busy. By the time we left on the 27th though there were so many people coming in. By early January I heard they were turning people away at the entrance as the park was at capacity. Two nights in a hammock was a bit of a challenge and I'm grateful for Deb sticking it out after a terrible first nights sleep. We hadn't realised it would get so cold! For me Tayrona is one of my must do recommendations for Colombia. Even with the Christmas crowds, it was perfect. After the park we stayed another night in Taganga, doing laundry and scrubbing away three days of salt, sweat, sunblock and insect repellant. We then booked a bus to Cartagena where we wanted to see in the new year. We stayed in Getsemini, the backpacker district just outside the old wall. This was a good spot especially after discovering Plaza Trinidad, now my favourite spot, just around the corner. This place comes alive at night and chilling out there you see kids on their skateboards, families hanging out, the best food stalls in town, and even on (most) Sunday nights, free zumba classes! We accidentally stumbled across a class and joined in. After eating those famous Plaza Trinidad burgers ten minutes earlier... Here's to health! One afteroon we signed up to visit the El Totumo mud volcano which was a bizarre but fun experience. The volcano looks kind of man made but local folk lore says a local priest turned the fire and lava pit into mud, believing it was the work of the devil. How did he do this? Holy water of course. We climbed down the stairs into the thick mud. Even after firmly saying no to the men offering massages for $2 I was told "tranquillo" and made to lie flat on my back before being subjected to a very strange and not so tranquil massage. Although it was impossible to sink in the mud it was hard to stay upright and we had fun squirming around. A lot of hands and legs were going everywhere so it was sometimes a little awkward. To get the mud off we had to go down to the lake where local ladies took off our bikinis before scrubbing us as we hid under the muddy water. On New Year's Eve and Debbie's last full day with me we headed a 50 minute boat ride out of Cartagena to Playa Blanca, on Isla Baru. This is a beautiful island with the clearest blue water. And hundreds of tourists. We managed to find a spot in the morning that was quite isolated but then joined the masses later in the afternoon as were a little confused about how and when we would head back to the city. No real minor hiccups getting back. Except our boat ran out of petrol five minutes from the harbour.... Oh, South America! Cartagena was the best spot to say goodbye to 2013 and welcome in 2014. It has a good party atmosphere that only a place were you can drink on the street allows. Deb and I went for a nice meal around the corner from the hostel before heading back and joining a bunch of people who were going to the wall to watch the fireworks. Bottle of cheap local liquor in hand we brought in the new year dancing and clapping to the fireworks which surrounded us. To keep with tradition we then went back to Plaza Trinidad for a burger, before dancing it off again, not at zumba this time, but on a rooftop bar with a name I can't recall. This seven month trip is my dream adventure. I'm glad I'm able to do it by myself, as it is selfishly only mine, my way. For the two weeks Deb was here however, I was so glad I could share a part of my trip, especially with her. Saying goodbye was horrible and it actually felt like I was starting out all over again. Or perhaps it was just the new year hangover. Hello 2014. Let's keep living this dream. It took me a couple of days of missing my travel twin to finally get used to being on my own again. Of course I did this the best way a girl knows how: by eating away my sadness. I booked in for a street food tour with a local foodie Maria who took me around the streets for four hours with a translator, her sister and friend. We ate a lot. Then over the next few days I ate more. From fruit you'll find nowhere else, to sweets of African influence, from fresh seafood to Arepas con heuvo, Cartagena street food was the business. Did I even mention icecream? Once Deb left I had ten days till I left on a boat for Panama and at the rate I was going I was going to be ten kilos heavier. Of course that was until food poisoning hit a few days ago and decided to linger.
It's my last night in Cartagena tonight. My last night in Colombia. My last night in this beautiful continent South America. And all I can think about is whether or not to have one of the Plaza Trinidad burgers tonight. One more time. I hope my stomach is with me on this. In Salento, I had planned on spending a long weekend in Cali before heading back to Bogota to chill out for the week and wait for Deb to arrive. This plan changed over a few boxes of wine one evening with some girls I had met in La Serrana. For me Popayan was a one night stop over between Cali and San Agustin, where Sarah and I were meeting Lizzie and Emily for a couple of nights. I thought it would be the perfect place for a quick visit since it's small enough to wander around in a day. The city, often referred to as the White City, is also very pretty due to the fact most of the centre is made up of white colonial buildings. I've said before, that for me local food is as important as local sites when I travel. When I got to Popayan I learnt that this city was declared by UNESCO as the first city of gastronomy. Now one night in this place was not going to be enough! That's only three meals! As soon as I learnt of this I headed out into the streets buying as much street food as I could get my hands on. I think this is when I started to fall in love with Colombia's cuisine. After my night in Popayan it was time for the six hour bus journey to San Agustin. The distance between the two is only 130km so you can guess what the road is like. In classic Colombian style I was jammed between a sleepy teenager and a loved up old couple, listening to babies on the bus cry and wondering where the barking was coming from. Turns out there was two puppies in a basket in the front of the bus. San Agustin was nominated by Lonely Planet as a highlight of Colombia. The village with a population of 30,000 is host to an archaeological site where pre-Colombian ruins can be found. From the UNESCO website the park is described as follows: The largest group of religious monuments and megalithic sculptures in South America stands in a wild, spectacular landscape. Gods and mythical animals are skilfully represented in styles ranging from abstract to realist. These works of art display the creativity and imagination of a northern Andean culture that flourished from the 1st to the 8th century. For me, it was hard to believe that the immaculate carvings where so old! They also didn't evoke any emotional response like any of the Inca ruins did and therefore I can not agree with Lonely Planet when the say these carvings are the towns main attraction. We were only in San Agustin for two days and this was definitely not enough. If La Serrana in Salento was a good chill out spot I can say that Casa de Francois in San Agustin was even better! I could have spent another couple of days here chilling on the hammocks outside our beautiful dorm, horse riding the gorgeous landscape and exploring more of the archaeological park by jeep. Because the main drawcard of this place should be the serenity. Kind of. After a big night with the girls care of a local man named Jerry Lewis, it was time for the 12 hour bus journey back to Bogota to meet Deb! |