Fam Jam in Pedasí

My 10 hour, cross-country bus ride from Bocas del Toro (A) to Panama City (B)

On December 23rd, 2013 my friends and I split in Bocas del Toro and headed our separate ways - Mark and Adrian left for Nicaragua, while I headed to Panama City to meet my family for Christmas. After ten hours in a freezing cold, air-conditioned bus, I arrived to the big city only to discover that my family's flight was cancelled due to an ice storm and it was unlikely that they would be able to make it out to visit me. This was disappointing at first, but then I realized that I would at least get to enjoy the luxurious accommodations they had booked.

The 'new' Panama City

The 'old' Panama City, i.e. Casco Viejo

Panama Canal

Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal

My luxurious room in Riu Plaza Hotel

The Riu Plaza Hotel was located right in the heart of Panama City, and was a real treat after three months of travelling on a tight budget. Here I took my first hot shower in months, watched satellite television, and slept in a real bed rather than in a hammock or on the ground. While this was great, after a few days I was keen to get back to the beach. Fortunately, my family managed to find a way to get to Panama City just in time to join me!

Sibling love

My family and I loaded up our rental car and set out for Pedasí on December 26th. Driving through Panama was a new experience for me, and presented a host of challenges that I was not yet accustomed to; ensuring that I was getting on the correct bus was the typical obstacle for me when travelling from place to place but, when driving, it was the lack of signage on the roads. Google maps were useless in Panama, especially in the rural parts, as there were no road signs. Furthermore, even road maps were difficult to use as the towns rarely advertised their names. We would have to repeatedly stop and ask the locals for directions. This is where I came in handy - my Spanish had finally gotten to the point where I could hold a basic conversation, which my parents took advantage of throughout their visit.

View of the rolling hills on the way to Playa Venao

Several detours and six hours later, we arrived to Playa Venao Hotel Resort. The hotel was right on the beach, on the tip of the Azuero Peninsula. It had beautiful thatch-roof huts tucked into the jungle and an infinity pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Playa Venao was the liveliest beach I've yet to see in Central America. The beach was covered with people 'sun-baking' and the water was filled with surfers, body-boarders, and SUPs. On New Year's, beach-goers were entertained by a DJ from Ibiza and skydivers.

NYE Entertainment

I was also fortunate to be able to spend my birthday with mi familia in Panama. I spent the day surfing under the sun, which is pretty atypical for a December baby from Canada! 

The boys of the family waiting for the set to roll in

Proof that I do go right for all the non-believers

Surprised to find a birthday wish written in the sand on my way out of the surf

Birthday dinner with the family

Due to the flight fiasco, my family was forced to find another place to stay for the last few nights of their visit. In search of a vacancy during peak season, I was dragged from hotel to hotel by my folks for translating purposes, while my siblings got to enjoy the day at the beach. This was a drag at first, but at least I got to see more of the country and some wildlife too.

Pelican on the hunt

Crab

Parrot

This little guy managed to get tangled in my hair

Shocked to see an Emu, looked very Jurassic Park-ish

After hours of searching, we found a place to stay at Posada Los Destiladeros. It consisted of a number of cabinas amongst the forest overlooking the beach. The accommodation was very rustic, with the chairs, countertops and sinks and even bath tubs made from wood. The beach was beautiful - sandy and less populated than Playa Venao - and great for swimming or just relaxing.

It was great to see my family for my birthday and New Year's, but I am excited to tent-it on the beach and get back to the simple life that accompanies it!