Travelling to and Around Panama City

Since I was doing my SCUBA classes, my schedule was a bit off from the people I travelled with to Bocas. We were all headed to Panama City, but they decided to head out a day earlier. I ran across a British woman heading out the same day as me, so we decided to head off together. The boat ride back and catching the bus were uneventful.

After winding along curvy mountain roads for awhile, we came to a screeching halt. Apparently just minutes before, a loaded semi went out of control and went partly off the road. The cab was fully off and (luckily for the driver) stopped up against a tree. Unfortunately, the trailer was blocking the whole road. People had started moving the cargo into a pile by the side of the road. This went on for several hours, and well past sunset. Finally, a large tow truck showed up and pulled the truck back on the road. We scooted by the action and were on our way again! This was an unneeded delay in a trip that was already around nine hours long.

We arrived in Panama City early the next morning. We headed towards Mamallenas, the most favored hostel in town. Since they were full, and a couple of others they called were also full, we were directed to xxxx. This ended up being the worst hostel I stayed in. It was clean, had warm water, free internet, nice facilities, etc. The problem was the people managing it. They stuck rigidly with the rules set down for them. They didn't take into account the reason for the rules. The night manager is also the chief suspect in a camera theft from some friends of mine.

It wasn't a total loss, however. As it turned out, around seven people I met at my previous hostel in Bocas were also staying here! Much rum was consumed in the celebration.

Our group also went out for a night on the town. It was a weeknight, so the pickings were slim. We showed our stuff at a local salsa bar until late in the night, then hit the sack.

While in Panama City, the Canal is something you just can't miss. We hung around and watch giant tugs and trains move a giant barge through the locks. It was quite impressive. It was only impressive for one boat, then it was clearly time to leave.

With the mood around the hostel, and the general lack of activities in Panama City, I booked a flight out as soon as I could destined for Cartagena, Colombia.