Panama City - Central America

Travel Tips

• Stay at Luna Castle Hostel, great hostel which offers all you can eat banana and pancakes for breakfast
• Dont pay more than $5.00 for taxi, the local rate is $3.00 -$5.00. Even to the bus station 
•  To buy tickets for Boccas you need to buy a ticket at the bus station. If its Sunday please note they dont open the stall to sell tickets till after 2pm. Dont have a wasted journey as they wont be open.
• Visit the fish Market and buy your own seafood then take it to the restaurant (Mariscos) at the top to be cooked.
• If your not well, avoid going to the private hospitals who charge a fortune. There is a very good GP close to Luna Castle hostel. If you go there they can advise where it is.

Disillusioned from our voyage from Colombia, we arrive in Panama City in a taxi gawping at the skyscraper's that towered from above us. "Where are we" we had thought at the time. After spending 5 days out at sea to then arrive in a landscape that was reminiscent of New York it was a shock to the system. It took some time to adjust to the surroundings, even when we were stood perfectly still we could feel the motion of the sea bobbing up and down. 

Michael still had a high temperature that he developed during San Blas so the first couple of days were spent in hospitals trying seek medical assistance. We later found that because we came via boat, we were not entitled to the free medical care that Panama offered. Because of this we were turned away by the private hospital unless we were willing to pay $500.00 deposit to be seen. Michael told them he wanted a check up not an operation, but this didn't get us very far as you can imagine. 

We stayed at a really nice hostel called Luna Castle in the old town. Luckily there, the cleaning lady offered to take us to a general practice nearby that the locals used. It was very good and we didn't have to wait long at all. Typically Central American we had to join the whole ticket system whereby you were seen by the doctor, they then gave you a ticket of the apparatus you needed, like a pee pot and syringe etc. You then took the slip to a pay booth, buy the stuff and then take it to another area where they took the test. The test is then given back to the doctor who then wrote the prescription. It sounds complicated but it was very fast and worked. Overall, it only cost $20.00 so much less than the $500.00 the private clinics were asking for.

Luckily we had a lady doctor who spoke perfect English and was very thorough. She made sure Michael had the correct medicine for his fever. 

On the mend we didn't manage to sample the nightlife in Panama City which was a shame as the bar in the hostel had a happy hour selling beer for 50 cents each. We visited the Panama Canal which was a disappointment, it was smaller than imagined and we didn't get to see any of the big cargo ships. The information given was impressive, all cargo ship are made to measure for the Panama Canal and it has traffic from all around the world. It was around the time we were there that they found the Korean cargo ship full of missiles going through the canal. They had a museum you could walk through and it had a layout of a typical control deck on a cargo ship. The boys didn't hesitate to jump on pretending to drive it playing captain, warping to back to being children. We were there just under an hour, you could do the tour in the actual canal surroundings but at a whopping $100.00 pp we thought we would give it a miss.

Looking for a spot of lunch we hailed a cab to Panama City's fish market. This place can only be described as heaven for all seafood lovers out there. As you enter its chaos, there are stalls dotted everywhere with their fresh catches laid amongst the tables. We are talking, squids, langostinos, lobsters, king prawns, mussels, giant crabs, red snappers! Anything and they had it. There is even a Ceviche stall that sold around 25 different types ready to be eaten in plastic cylinder cups for a measly $2.00 each. The taste is was just out of this world.

On the top of the market is a restaurant called Mariscos where you can take the fish that you bought and they cook it for you for a small price. They also have a menu but its better to buy your own as you get more for your money. I bought  half a pound of squid for only $1.00 and it was enough for a meal. Also half a pound of King Prawns which cost $4.00. The German guys went crazy and bought 2 pounds worth of lobster tails as well as King Prawns. These boys can eat for the world am telling you. The chef cooked our seafood with a garlic sauce for $4.00 a pound and we ordered sides dishes as well as drinks. We spent all together around $20.00 and had so much seafood it was hard to even finish. What a great place, I still dream of that market now. 

Safe to say Panama City is very, very Americanised. Sky crappers line its streets with the notable brands popping at you as you walk along, brands such as Hard Rock, Hilton, McDonald's and Taco Bell etc. They have huge malls dotted around the city with every brand you could think of being sold. We liked Panama City and as you have read, especially the market, however, we were keen to get out and get back on the budget backing trail away from the suffocating influence of the western world.

Michael with Gloria the maid that took us to the GP. Nice woman

Our view from stepping outside our hostel

Panama City Skyline

Beautiful buildings in the old town

Skyline at night

The Panama Canal

Fish Market

Rrrrrrrrrar! Langostinos

Typically dressed Kuna lady (Panamas Indigenous)

Crabby Crab Crab

Lobster tails and King Prawns

San Blas Paradise Islands Sailing trip to Panama from Colombia

Top Travel Tips for San Blas

• Be aware that there is a new charge of $100.00 when you enter Panama City via boat. To avoid this charge, buy a ticket showing your departure from Panama City within 72 hours of arrival.
• Its difficult to know what boat to choose as there are so many. Just be mindful that alot of the boats are very hit and miss, more miss then hit so a lot of research is needed. 
• The standard price for the sailng trip is $550.00 so it is alot of money to be dissapointed.
• You will not get seafood everyday, this is dependant on the Captain. I would advise looking for boats the hire a seperate chef to cook. The captains wife cooked for us and the food was not great. We got seafood once but only because we insisted that the Captain bought some.
• There are trips run by the Darian Gapster that do 3 days around the island via speedboat from Capurgana, Colombia. This cost $350.00 which is considerably less. You have to provide your own food and you wont be on a sailing boat BUT you do see the San Blas which is the highlight, sailing or not sailing.
• If your sailing be prepared to have choppy seas and you will probably feel sea sick. Dont buy too much alcohol as you will find sailing and drinking dont really mix.

On our travels in South America we bumped into many people who had sailed across the San Blas islands located off the Caribbean coast of Panama. Initially it had not been our plan to do Central America, but with the unrest in Venezuela we decided to skip that and use the extra time to travel from Panama up to Guatemala.

Our only dilemma was whether to sail or catch a plane, but with the rave reviews about the sail trip from Colombia we decided to go ahead and sail.

We chose our boat Maluco, a 38 foot sailing boat would host us for the next 5 days. Our German friends Mark and Fabian were on the boat too so we had a good crew. We were due to leave but most importantly we had to head to the supermarket to stock up on snacks and vitally booze, Jo opting for 5 bottles of wine and me 2 crates of beer and a bottle of rum. Super, we're ready!

We head to the peer fully loaded looking for our captain and boat. We get our first sighting of Maluco and we all look at each other and thing how the hell are we going to fit 9 people on this boat, along with all our backpacks and booze!! Surprisingly after 20 minutes we're all packed up and ready to go, with plenty of space to go around.

So we wave goodbye to Cartegena, Colombia and sadly South America. We'd travelled 6 months across 6 countries and as we left a sudden silence came across the boat as we all reminisced about the times we had on this fantastic continent.


Our trip would consist of two days sailing in open water across the Caribbean sea and on the third morning we would arrive at the San Blas islands just off the coast of Panama. See map of planned route from Cartagena to Colombia.

The islands consist of around four hundred small islands that range from the size of holding one coconut tree to thousands, with each island being owned by a family of the Kuna tribe.

We sail merrily at 5 knots and a couple of hours later all we see is blue sea around the boat, sky blue and not a cloud in sight. Beers flowing nicely whilst John our captain teaches a few of us to keep the boat on track, heading 270 degrees off west with the sun setting to the right of us.

Nights in open sea are better than day as the darkness of the surroundings and there being no man made light the stars really shine brightly, with even the milky way in sight. We ask John whether there are ever any whales or dolphins to which he replied there could well be but it is very rare to see one. That same night we heard the sound of a dolphin blowing air out of its blow hole right next to our boat but we didn't see it! shame!

After the two days sailing we finally start to hit some of the small coconut tree lined islands in crystal clear blue waters! Wow this really is paradise. John our captain throws the anchor down at a very small island and we jump straight into the water, our first chance in two days to have a proper wash! Heaven, the water is warm and beautifully clear. And a two minute swim we have our very own little private island.

Our boat home to 9 people for the next 5 days

Out at sea for 2 days before arriving at the San Blas Islands

Michael telling his fishing story

The San Blas are finally in view

Boat banter

Our home at San Blas

Amazing Sunsets

MMMMMM

Tuck in quickly

The gang

Paradise

The whole crew

Captain Keller                         

Buying the lobster from the locals

Sorry guys but needs must

We head off with our snorkels and swim across the small reefs dotted around the island, seeing all sorts of small fish full of colour. Back at the boat two locals arrive in their wooden canoe offering the catch of the day, lobsters which we purchase, 8 for the price of 10 dollars. Not bad at all! We mess around with the poor fellows before John our captain takes them away to prep for dinner later in the evening.

The day is spend sunbathing and taking in the scenery.... pics are better than words here.That evening we all feast on the lobster, delicous but we could have done with more but best not be greedy!

The next day we mess around again in the sea and then head of to another island.We take in the delights of the San Blas, it really is paradise and being on a boat makes it all the more special. On our final day we head by speedboat to Panama mainland where we jump in a 4x4 and head for Panama City, our Central American adventure begins....