Panama

I wasn`t expecting much of Panama before I arrived. Nobody on the gringo trail mentioned much about it, and I didn`t know much about it. However, in my brief 10 days or so there, it has to be one of my favourite Countries so far.

First stop was the stunning Bocas Del Toro, an Archipealigo of Islands in the north east, packed with dense jungle and stunning remote beaches. Surrounded by mangroves, crystal clear sea waterways and colourful coral reefs. A crew of 7 of us who were on the move together at the time stumbled across Isla Bastimento and the only Hostel on this almost uninhabited Island. With amazing beaches, jungle and a table tennis table at our disposal, we ended up staying a week and loving it.

Next up was Panama City. After a 10 hour overnight bus journey and a couple of valium we arrived before sunrise at our Hostel. Set in a huge old colonial town house in Casco Viejo, the old town, we could see across the Harbour to the modern part of town, which would be best described as similar to the Miami skyline. The City was a great mix of old colonial architecture, barrio slums and modern excess all mixed in together. It felt surprisingly safe and was a great base to go about selecting a Sail Boat to take us on the next leg of the journey, to Cartegeña, Colombia, via the San Blas Islands.