With past trips, I try to ask my travel companions to share their thoughts. Especially with the global pandemic going on, I think some of my companions relished the thought of reflecting on a past trip! I sent all three of my travelling companions a list of questions so they can share their impressions Panama with us! This is This will be FunkyCat’s thoughts on this trip!!
If you’re interested in reading through the whole trip from beginning to end, please click here.
My top 3 highlights of the trip
Highlight #1: San Blas!
My one request on this trip was that we go to the San Blas islands because I love the ocean and snorkeling and boy was it worth it. I can’t believe islands like these still exist. Each island was a tiny deserted island with its own charm.
We got to snorkel, lie on the beach, go kayaking and just play in the waves. And boy did I play! One day I will have to get ripped and take true model pictures, then maybe the sun burn will be worth it. This time I was the only one who wore a long sleeve for most of the day and it paid off =P! I love the beach though and island hopping from one small island to the next all day was a dream!
Highlight #2: Natural Park Walk
Highlight #3: Night Time Bars!
It just so happened that one of my friends was stopping through panama on his way back from hiking the Patagonia Mountain Range (something I absolutely want to do now btw). So we met up with him for dinner and then for drinks in this cool outdoor food truck area. The atmosphere was great with the mini restaurants/bars sharing a big seating area and lights strung up all around. I did want to experience Panama’s night life and this was a great way to do so. This honestly also could have taken place in any part of the world, but how can you go wrong laughing, drinking and chatting with friends new and old =]
What was your favourite meal or thing you ate?
The fried fish at the fish market was amazing. So crispy and freshly fried. We were initially intimidated because there were so many stalls and the servers were quite aggressive about trying to get you to eat at their restaurant. But the one we ended up at had great food!
If you could change any element of the itinerary, what would you change?
There were some amazing hikes, but they were maybe a 3 hour drive away from the city we were staying in. I love nature even though I sweat like crazy in the tropical humidity and heat.
If I were travelling alone I definitely would make a day trip to do some epic hikes. But I am also happy to have a lazier trip and just lay by the pool.
What caught you by surprise on this trip?
The lounges! To be honest I didn’t expect I would love them that much or that they would have EVERYTHING you could ever need!!! All you can drink! All you can eat, it’s like a buffet before the flight! How could you not want to go there every time you travel. It’s a destination in itself. I definitely went full “Asian” because in every lounge I’m pretty sure I stashed items to go in my bag. From 7 bananas to a water bottle full of milk to 8 bottles of water/pop. I definitely got my worth from the lounges =D. Travelling in style is amazing!
Share one memorable story from this trip
So this was actually a rude awakening for me. We had been warned by our friend in Panama that there may be some corruption, but the whole trip had just felt so safe that I wasn’t expecting it at all. We were in an Uber home on the last evening and got stopped at a police check. The officers said we needed to have our passports on us or we’d be fined and taken to the station. Because I was the only one who spoke Spanish he pulled me out of the car and took me aside and said he could help me out if we gave him some money. So I ran back to the car and grabbed 20$ each from everyone and we were on our way.
I felt pretty guilty afterwards. It was my idea to go out for drinks in the first place and I also think the others in the group would have been more cool and maybe have gotten away with paying less money. I didn’t even realize I was dealing with corruption until he said we wouldn’t have to go to the police station if we gave him money. Up until that point I thought we had a legitimate problem and was trying to solve it. By the time he asked for money he’d also pulled me out of the Uber, isolated me, and was talking to me completely in Spanish. So when he ask for money I just ran back to the car and grabbed money so that we could get out of there.
Our Uber driver was actually quite outraged on our behalf, and apologized for the fact that things were like this. He also tried to talk to the police for us but they weren’t having any of it. It definitely put a sour ending on the trip, but for me it really was that I was unprepared for the police corruption rather than the fact that it happened. Sometimes it’s just part of travelling, haha I was mostly upset at how I handled it.
Any regrets?
No regrets! Well….maybe I should have drank and eaten more at the lounges >=]
Any advice for people considering similar trips/destinations?
Be willing to go and experience the local culture! Part of the charm of this trip was how panama wasn’t a super touristy place and we could just walk and experience the city. Major developed yet still a poorer country, it felt authentic and was a new destination for us all.
For any Pokemon Go players, unlike most major cities Panama wasn’t that great, have low expectations for spawns and stops.
Final thoughts?
Its always fun travelling with FunkyCat. This marks the third trip we’ve taken together now and there are no shortage of memories made! I’m looking forward to the fourth when we can travel again!