Panama

Saturday 5th November 2016 – Although Alysa wasn’t 100% she did feel well enough to be up and about so we set about doing the hostel treasure hunt which involved a lot more problem solving than physical exertion. The hunt was creative and really well done; as you solved clues you entered search terms into an online database which yielded further clues in the form of text, videos and even magic eye images. Searching the hostel it was noticeable how strongly its artwork was intertwined with imagery from the book and it really added to our experience of being there. Eventually, after wandering a maze, deciphering codes and solving riddles we had the solution. In the maze we came across a three deep clump of black caterpillars that were moving en masse along the ground. The ones on top were crawling over the backs of the ones underneath; it was really interesting to see and people think it lets the group move more quickly than a single caterpillar could alone. After lunch Alysa had a rest and I headed out into the jungle to do the second of the hostels treasure hunts. The last riddle took you across a river with no obvious path. Your choice was to follow the river up through a gorge and risk a flash flood or push your way through thick jungle higher up; I chose the latter option. Not far from the hostel I got quite the surprise from a snake. I was about to step on it when it suddenly moved, sliding slowly into the vegetation nearby. It had a very thick body for its length, was dark brown with lighter brown bands and orange patches along its side. Back at the hostel I showed Paco a photo I had managed to get of it and he said it was a Mexican Jumping Viper – a venemous snake whose name derives from the way it’s body leaves the ground when it strikes. In the evening Paco took us on a night hike which was fascinating. At one point he showed us a golf ball sized burn scar on his arm. It was from leishmaniasis and he had needed 60 injections before being cured. Back at the hostel Saturday night was in full swing both in the bar and on the bathroom mirrors where dozens of moths and other creepy crawlies were hanging out by the lights. Back in our room a rather large spider had made itself comfortable on the wall. We decided to leave it be and went to bed. Alysa was fast asleep when she got her own unexpected wildlife encounter; a moth that had somehow got into the mosquito net flew right into her ear!

Sunday 6th November 2016 – We packed and went to pay our tab to the girl at reception who was looking a little worse for wear after the previous night’s party. We hiked down to the road and caught the first bus to David. From David we took a bus to Panama City and then caught a taxi to our hotel. It was Sunday and almost everything was closed so we had no option but to eat at a fast food chicken chain. Luckily they did have hot apple pies for Alysa who had a bad headache. Back at the hotel we watched Iron Man, the only thing on TV that was in English.

Monday 7th November 2016 – I woke up feeling grumpy and criticised. Alysa wanted to find breakfast, do the laundry, get some cash from an atm and I wasn’t going to help her. We went out into the pouring rain and I watched as Alysa, who speaks no Spanish struggled. It was a bit mean and Alysa was upset. For the rest of the day I stayed in our room playing computer games and Alysa read her book downstairs.

Tuesday 8th November 2016 – After breakfast we took a walk down to the seafront. Large ships sat out at sea, presumably waiting to enter the canal. To our left impressive skyscrapers rose from the city’s commercial district. We followed the coast round to our right towards the old historic centre. The old town was very pretty and we wandered its network of streets for a couple of hours before making the long, hot walk back to our hotel. In the evening we settled down to see the US election unfold and watched as the mood of the democratic supporters was described successively as celebratory, nervous, concerned and finally despondent.