BACKGROUND
Mexico and Central America have long formed the most glaring ‘gap’ in my map of visited countries. There are other blind spots of course, but they’re either less prominent as travel destinations (much of the Arab world, West Africa) or things I’m saving for if I ever make it to old age (Scandinavia, the Balkans). Central America, on the other hand, is a well-worn region for adventurers and vacationers alike, and in my understanding it could be explored relatively successfully on a backpacker budget. I’d actually lined up a trip in 2020 before Covid waylaid my everything, and I’ve been itching to get there ever since. Unfortunately for me, Latin America is also the farthest and costliest region of the world to reach from Shanghai (and I earn far less these days than I used to), and doubly unfortunately, most affordable routes there require transiting in the USA. As a politically-outspoken, Palestine-supporting, and MAGA-loathing Brown man with a very low tolerance threshold for bullshit delivered by nominal authority figures, I’m understandably avoiding US border control until the current administration is dead and buried. Thus, Central America seemed doomed to remain off the cards for the foreseeable.
Still, my annual contract was up in March and I had a month’s leave that I needed to use before it expired – so I tried my best to make the trip a reality by exploring all possible air routes and working extra days to boost my meagre finances. When it seemed a no-go despite these efforts, I finally gave up on the idea and booked a ticket to Indonesia instead, resigning myself to travels closer to home (the plan was to visit islands other than Bali – the only one I’ve been to – while also catching up with friends that live that way). But then a shiny new credit card and an unexpected drop in the cost of flights that avoid the States gave me incentive to perform a Reehan-esque u-turn – I cancelled the Indo ticket, booked replacements into Panama City (via Istanbul) and out of Mexico City (via Vancouver), and was soon abruptly and unexpectedly embarking upon a journey that’s been my most sought-after for the past six years. Related sidenote: attempting to get from Panama City to Mexico City in under five weeks while taking in major sights en route is sheer madness and I did not realise quite what I was signing up for. Keep in mind that all related blog posts are a product of my whizzing through Central America at insane speed, trading in-depth understanding for a broad ‘taster’ of the region while throwing myself head-first into a physical and psychological gauntlet; one more test of my mettle and capability as a traveller, and hopefully the last I ever do on that scale.
Panama City, to which I really should have done more justice
Panama City, to which I really should
have done more justice.
WHERE
As stated, I flew in to Panama City and spent three nights staying in Casco Viejo, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s the city’s charming historic quarter. I’m a sucker for colonial architecture and cobblestone streets, and though extremely compact (you can walk the entirety of it in one morning) it’s so picturesque and vibrant a space to base oneself that I ended up failing to do justice to the capital’s many other districts. I find that a shame, as I glimpsed wildly divergent scenes elsewhere – from the tumbledown deprivation along the peripheries of the old town, to the gleaming high-rises that form a modern cityscape along the waterfront, it seemed that there was plenty more to explore if I’d given myself the time to do so. I prioritised Casco Viejo and the canal (Miraflores Locks is accessible from the centre) on my first full day, and then spent my second day on an expensive excursion to Guna Yala (the San Blas Islands). I’d thought twice about dropping the $150 or so required to get out there, but numerous others had pontificated about the area’s pristine, unspoilt beauty – and they weren’t wrong! It’s worth the money, especially as it’s part of a semi-autonomous region where (I believe) much of the tourism revenue goes back into supporting the indigenous population.
There really wasn’t much else I wanted to see in Panama besides these two spots, so from here I considered beelining directly into Costa Rica which held more allure for me. Many other travellers head to the beaches of Bocas del Toro on their way over, but given how I’d already checked off island paradises at Guna Yala, I made a last-minute call to break up my journey in Boquete, a cute highland town that’s a base to access nearby hiking trails and coffee plantations. No prizes for guessing it was the former that I was craving, and after smashing two such trails in a row, I found myself enjoying Boquete enough to book an additional night before finally heading west across the border.
the paradisiacal wonderland of Guna Yala / the San Blas Islands
the paradisiacal wonderland of Guna Yala /
the San Blas Islands
GETTING AROUND
While Panama City has a very decent metro from what I understand, I was unable to access it from my hostel, and Uber was universally-recommended as the best method for reaching other sights from within Casco Viejo. Prices were a little more than I expected ($5-$10 a ride, but I was covering some lengthy distances). My sole attempt to use the city’s bus system was an entertaining disaster: I was unaware that a city transport card is required to get on board; my Spanish (still mostly non-existent at this early stage of the trip) meant that I had no idea that the driver didn’t want my cash; I needed bailing out by a kindly old local who tapped in on my behalf (I subsequently reimbursed him, obv); and my failed attempts to later disembark (you need to push a button to open the doors) resulted in all other passengers sweetly trying to demonstrate the exit manoeuvre via a collective, very vocal game of charades. Comically endearing.
Intercity travel was done via bus (this’ll be a recurring theme for this trip). I was impressed with the eight-hour double-decker that took myself and a couple of new friends from Panama City to the nation’s second largest urban centre, David. Very comfortable, relatively quiet, and it made a lunch stop at a canteen with excellent veggie options. The connecting chicken bus from David to Boquete seemed less enticing at the time, but with hindsight (hindsight being the trauma of chicken buses elsewhere in Central America), I’ve come to appreciate Panama’s transport system as the most advanced of my entire trip excluding Mexico. Things were functional, not terribly unpunctual, and most people avoided my pet peeve of playing crap out loud sans headphones. Note also that there were colectivos (local minivans) to take us to and from the hiking trails outside Boquete. Every one of these options felt affordable and legitimate, with no one trying to rip us off.
Boquete and surrounding hikes
REFLECTIONS
I took to Panama within minutes of arriving after getting called ‘sexy’ twice while navigating the boozy evening chaos of Casco Viejo in search of my hostel (pandering to my ego = guaranteed entry to my heart). The nightlife scene felt intoxicatingly vibrant, but I sadly never really got to experience it due to consecutive early morning starts (this’d be another theme of my trip). People were nonetheless great across the board, from Panamanians readily helping this dumb backpacker out to fellow travellers who seemed more gregarious here than elsewhere. I struck up random conversations with other tourists on the street, in bus shelters, in restaurants… there was a total ease of connection here that probably had more to do with my mindset – fresh off the boat, brimming with zest and enthusiasm, yet to be worn down by the daily grind of travel – than the people involved. But it’s also true that a disproportionate number of cool new friends were found in this early leg of the journey, which is a little bizarre when you consider that Panama seems to attract much more than its fair share of problematic individuals: MAGA hats abound, and the country is a haven for holidaying IOF soldiers; both groups visibly thrive here without issue. My abiding feeling was that Panama as a whole skews politically-conservative while still remaining open and hospitable to outsiders. A good kind of conservative, in spite of certain issues.
For most of my life, the only thing I’ve really known about this country is its canal and the related history, so it was understandably a thrill to see it at long last. Cute titbit: sailors on ships that pass through the locks often smile and wave at the onlookers at Miraflores; a real wholesome interaction. I probably would have been satisfied with the canal alone, but to then have the polychromatic charms of Casco Viejo, the utopian idylls of Guna Yala, and the taste of (mild) adventure in Boquete? Plus some of the more meaningful interactions I had during the month away? It all converged into the perfect concoction to kick off this mad odyssey. There was only one way to go from the high upon which I began, alas, but we’ll save that for upcoming posts.
RECS
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Guna Yala (San Blas Islands). Everything they say about these islands is true. If you have the budget to overnight (or even stay multiple nights) then absolutely do so, as I met countless people on my travels who raved the experience. It’s a deliberately-isolated paradise; a blissful opportunity to reconnect with nature and oneself in a setting that could not be more peaceful or beautiful. I booked a perfectly-decent day tour with my hostel (I think this was the operator?), but there are countless options that head this way. And, perhaps surprisingly given the obvious hordes, it never once felt crowded out there.
- The Lost Waterfalls trail. A fun, straightforward, two-hour hike through dense cloud forest that leads to three spectacular waterfalls. There’s a bit of scrambling and a couple of ropes, but it’s easily achievable for anyone with moderate fitness and experience. From Boquete, get a colectivo at parada de buses pequeños (first one runs at 7am iirc) and inform the driver that you want to disembark at Las Tres Cascadas. We walked down the road and completed the Pipeline Trail immediately after this, outside whose entrance we caught another colectivo back to town.
- El Nacional. An excellent restaurant in the heart of Casco Viejo with a vegan section on the menu. A great opportunity to savour the local cuisine, and a great space for conversation with fellow solo travellers too (they placed us all at the bar, I suspect deliberately!).
Click here for the full Panama gallery with some additional trip details.
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