Santa Catalina

Santa Catalina

At the hostel in Boquete, I ran into a group that I had met in Bocas, two guys from Amsterdam, and a girl they were traveling with from Taiwan. I was telling them about my surfing woes, and they said that they were headed to Santa Catalina, a little surf town. This is the second time I had heard it mentioned so I thought, why not? It was a whole day of travel by bus, but it was sure to be fun. 

But it meant I had to say goodbye to my friend, who was headed back to Bocas. I hate saying goodbye to people with the realization that it is very likely you may not see them for a long time, if ever. 

Meeting different people is the best part about backpacking, but leaving them is the hardest. No. . . actually the bathrooms are the hardest. 

A word about the bathrooms

Most were not that bad. But never once in my time in central america did I encounter what I like to call the trifecta - #1 a flushing toilet. #2 - toilet paper. #3 - running water to wash your hands.

Pick two. 

And you can forget about soap. You want something to dry your hands with??? Don't make me laugh. 

It seems like I have a lot to complain about while describing Panama. I don't want you to think that I didn't love every second of it. It was the most exhilarating experience to think everyday, where should I explore? Should I head to Columbia or back to Costa Rica? 

But when I found Santa Catalina, I knew I was home. I just nestled right in there and didn't know if I would leave. SC is a one road town. You have to zoom in 20 times on google maps for it even to show up. But it has a legitimate surf break, as evidenced by this  link.  Link not working.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usftNwlHgXA&feature=youtu.be

More about surfing later. On with the story! As the four of us arrived at the end of a long day on buses, it began pouring rain. We tried to find a hostel that suited all of our needs but in the end we just had to get out of the rain. I knew my pack had a rain cover, but I couldn't find it, and in fact, did not find the rain cover until four months later. In my pack. 

Oh, this is just a beautiful view of the ocean at sunset.. from our room.. for $17 a night. I mean, I did have to share it with people I barely knew, but who cares? They just happened to be awesome!

We went on a boat ride to the island of Coiba, wherein there lives a crocodile. Which you can sometimes see. I wasn't hugely impressed by this can't-miss attraction, but I was thoroughly impressed with the ride. We went snorkeling in a few different places and it was the greatest thing ever. Above the water, you had no idea. As soon as you put your head under... BOOM. A trillion fish. So cool. My friend Ramon taught me how to dive while snorkeling, something I had never tried. 

This is a photo taken by Ramon, illustrating that very skill. 

So much fun! Unfortunately, there were tiny jellyfish that you couldn't see or avoid. So you just got used to the little shocks and welts. NBD. Or, actually, NFP. (normal for panama). 

This photo makes me dizzy.

In SC in November, the rainy season is ending. It would rain most afternoons. I know it's surprising, but I really don't have a complaint about that. 

We spent a few nights on the porch, watching the storms, playing cards, eating pineapple, and speaking terrible spanish.