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The Americas
  • Jarrod Dietz
Feb – May 2024

The Americas

A 81-day adventure by Jarrod Read more
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  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Lakes

    April 13, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ 🌬 10 °C

    After we woke up in our cute little hostel, we shortly began our long drive to the first of many lakes for the day. This lake, despite being miles from anything of significance, house a considerable population of Flamingos that migrate through the area and occupy it for many months. We enjoyed a brief walk along the lakeside admiring the huge mountains surrounding us and the beautiful birds in the lake. We arrived at our second lake of 3 after another decent drive. Here we would stop for lunch but first had a walk around the lake and along its bank. This was nice because we could get quite close to the Flamingos that were even more numerous here. The only thing that was a challenge was the intense wind that almost blew you off your feet. Eventually we did arrive at the lakeside building where lunch was waiting. We enjoyed this while watching the Flamingos frolic on the lake before we set off for the 3rd and final lake of the day. This one was the most impressive, in regards to both its size and colour. It is a heavily protected national park and so there was an entrance fee we had to pay, but it was very worth it. We got to walk right up alongside some llamas that were camped up along the lakeside, we could wander around waterfront, and ended with a tea at a viewpoint where we could admire the multicoloured and diverse landscape. To end the day we had a long journey to the next accommodation but with it being broken up by some strange and cute animals. This includes a viscacha, which is like a rabbit kind of animal that occupies rock formations in the middle of the desert (how they survive I do not know), and a desert fox, that was quite comfortable standing alongside the car watching us as we watched him. The final stop was a rock formation that developed from different rock types creating unique shapes within three earth's crust during an eruption. As wind and water eroded the landscape, the more stable, harder rock is exposed to create unique shapes darting out of the landscape. Finally we arrived at the hostel where we would enjoy a comfy, warm bed and prepare for an early morning.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Fuck Chile

    April 14, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ 🌬 6 °C

    We crawled out of bed very early this morning to head to some natural geysers that are created from the ancient volcanic activity that still occupies the subsurface of the desert. These were quite interesting, but the cold weather and the lack of light meant there wasn't a lot of exciting stuff to see. The next stop was just at sunrise peaked over the horizon and we were one of the first companies to arrive at the site. As such, we had the thermal baths to ourselves for a moment. Yet, the subzero temperatures outside and the price to enter caused me to prefer to sit and enjoy the views without having to suffer through the cold. The sunrise was incredible and so I could hardly complain, especially when I could enjoy it from the warmth of the car. The next drive did take some time, but when we arrived we were looking out over another lake. This one was far less exciting compared to the ones yesterday but it made for a good view while we stretched our legs. This was also just before we were supposed to split up into those going to Chile and those going back to Bolivia. Because my visa was taking a very long time to be approved I had not yet received mine. As such, I had to say goodbye to Sarah and head back all the way to Bolivia. An 8 hour journey. It was a painful drive, especially knowing that I would be killing time, hoping for a Visa approval soon, instead of visiting a new country. On our way back our only significant stop was at some more interesting rock formations but this was mostly just a good chance to go for a walk. At the final stretch of the drive the car broke down. Despite a considerable language barrier with the driver we tried to help. Sadly, a decent push did not do the job. Luckily someone stopped to help, and after a swapped battery we were quickly back in town. I now had to find a place to stay and after a aimless wander, I did eventually find somewhere decent enough to stay. Before a well needed sleep, I joined Sam and Jarvis, two Brits from our tour, for dinner in town. This was quite brief as we were all very tired and needed a good sleep.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Sickness day #1

    April 15, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    Although I didn't have a lot planned for my second stint in Uyuni, I was hoping to at least be able to explore a bit and receive a visa approval soon. I was saddened to be awoken by a headache, chills, and sore muscles. I was hoping it would pass but it just got worse and worse as the day went on. I couldn't even find the energy to get food and so simply began to decay into my bed hour on hour. I barely made it down the two flights of stairs to extend my stay at the hotel. Because I didn't know how long I would be staying I simply had to keep extending each day. When I made it back to my room I simply perished, watching YouTube as I fell in and out of sleep. This was my whole day and so I don't even have a photo to share sadly, not that there was much to see.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Sickness Day #2

    April 16, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    After yesterdays sickness, I hoped to wake up having moved on from a day long sickness. Yet very quickly it was evident that I was in fact going to suffer throughout today too. I woke up with similar symptoms, a headache and nausea, yet no sore muscles or fever. Not long after I began to get some seriously painful stomach issues. After many hours of suffering I had to force myself to the pharmacy to obtain some Loperamide. By this time I was dangerously low on water, but didn't have the energy previously to get my own. It had been many hours without and with my stomach issues I was incredibly dehydrated. With water, medication and a bag of chips secured, I made my way back to the room. Still low on energy, just getting these things took it out of me. I took my beds, went to the toilet, and fell sleep. The chips were the first thing I had eaten in nearly 48 hours. The meds did their job, however, and when I woke up I could manage to leave the room. I was anxious to travel far so just went to get a smoothie and some more snacks hoping to sustain me for a while. I even managed to secure some dinner later in the day after a couple more sleeps. By this point it was obvious that I was not going to get my visa approved and I wanted out of this city. As such, I booked an overnight bus to La Paz again, and a flight to meet Sarah in Costa Rica. I was really hoping I would feel better by tomorrow.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Sickness day #3 & bus

    April 17, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Although the stomach issues did persist, I was feeling better and was finally able to check out of the hotel. I didn't wanna be too strenuous on my body so I found a well reviewed café with good WIFI, called the folks, and watched a lot of football. I could finally eat food again and so tried to regain some strength this way. After about 5 hours at the café, I paid, and headed to my overnight bus. I was quite nervous with my stomach and how it would hold up on the bus. After I checked in to the overnight bus I still had about an hour so I went for a wine in hope it would help me sleep. It didn't work, and whether it was the nervousness from to how my stomach would hold up, or my stomach itself, I slept horribly.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Sickness day #4

    April 18, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Although my stomach was average for the majority of the bus trip, it started to really turn as soon as I arrived back in La Paz. To make things worse, the bus didn't have WIFI this time so I had nowhere to check into. I was not feeling great by now, so after a brief wander, I booked a room at the closest hotel and hoped for an early check in. They said that I could check in at 8am, which was great, but I still had an hour to kill. They were super nice however and allowed me to utilise the free breakfast while I waited. All I cared about was that there was a toilet I could use in the meantime. I wasn't overly hungry, so simply enjoyed a coffee and waited until I could check in. Spent a considerable amount of time in bed trying to feel better, before finding the energy for food. Had a real craving for noodles but my phone was acting up and so I settled for tacos. Not quite what I needed but I mostly just needed food. When I got back, I once again just wanted to get as much sleep as possible to help me recover.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Sickness day #5

    April 19, 2024 in Bolivia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    Today I was just about over my sickness and as such I spent most of my day out of the room. I was getting very sick of the 4 walls. That being said, I was in a city I had already explored, and I didn't trust my stomach enough to do anything strenuous. As such, I spent much of my day at a cafe, snacking and reading my book.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Costa Rica

    April 20, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Because of the Chile visa fuck around I was due to lose a lot of money through missed flights, accommodation, etc. I had tried to email Latam to change some flights around but there was no response. So, quite stressfully, I had to buy another flight to Lima and jump on the second flight from my original ticket from Santiago. There was always the risk they would cancel the second flight if I didn't show up for the first, but despite my flights being broken up among two tickets I made it all the way to San Jose. We arrived in the late afternoon into Costa Rica and decided to uber straight to the hostel, get some ubereats and have an early night. We didn't have time to explore San Jose, so didn't bother trying.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Playa 506

    April 21, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    I was once again in store for a big travel day, which I was getting very over having done plenty in the last week and a bit. This time we were getting a shuttle to Puerto Viejo, which would take about 4 hours, but we expected it to take much longer. Surprisingly, we arrived before we could check in at about lunch time. As such, we figured it would be smart to go to the shops and cook food to avoid the expensive Costa Rican restaurants. However, when we arrived at the shops Sarah began to start feeling very unwell. Although originally we thought it was just motion sickness, it was clear this was something more significant. She managed to make it back to the hostel where she could be sick in some comfort and try sleep it off. Once she was recovering in bed I went to the beach and enjoyed a feed at the restaurant. We both called it an early night, as we both tried to fully recover from our respective sicknesses.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Exploring Puerto Viejo

    April 22, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Because Sarah wasn't feeling great we didn't stray far from the hotel. We took a taxi to the main town of Puerto Viejo, enjoyed a breakfast, explored the town and its shops, before sitting down for a nice juice. By this time it was afternoon and we decided to sit down at the beach near town, went for a swim and read my book on the sand. I grew hungry and went to the bakery for a feed when Sarah began to feel unwell again. I hailed a tuktuk and we headed home where she rested and I read my book.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Cahuita

    April 23, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Early this morning we caught a bus to Cahuita, which was an experience in itself, before beginning the nice walk in the National Park. Right at the beginning we saw a sloth high in the canopy, but without a guide and their telescope, we could barely see it. Had it not been overly expensive for the guide we would have considered it, but we mostly came to see all the raccoons that inhabit the park. A guide isn't necessary to find them. All along the walk you could dart out to the coast line and swim and admire the beautiful Caribbean beaches that line the National Park. Although we were hot and sweaty we figured we would stick it out to the end before we enjoyed a swim. We saw beautiful monkeys and sloths when right at the end we finally saw a big family of raccoons. They are obviously fed quite often because he came right up to us, seemingly expecting something to eat. They are so cute and funny that we enjoyed watching them before making it to the end for a swim. We enjoyed the beautiful, if slightly too warm water, and relaxed in the water for about an hour before continuing the journey. The whole National park walk takes a number of hours, but because we were taking our time and looking for animals we decided against going all the way to the end and shortly after restarting decided to go back and head toward the bus stop for home. This time we sped through a bit more, having seen most things we expected to see. However, right at the end, Howler monkeys could be heard, and after some wandering we finally found them climbing over our heads in the canopy. We had once again worked up a decent sweat, and so grabbed an ice cream to enjoy while we relaxed in the aircon. Unfortunately, we weren't aware of the bus timetable and so didn't want to miss our bus by waiting too long so eventually headed off. Despite having to wait about 30 minutes, it wasn't too bad as we needed a sit down and a chance to chill out. Eventually our bus came and we headed home for the day.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Rescue Centre

    April 24, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    Wanting to watch the sunset over the water, we decided to wake up early and head to the beach. Although cloudy, it was definitely worth it in the end as it did remind me on home back on the Sunny Coast. After this, we went back to chill in the room a bit and catch a few extra Z's before finally going down to make some breakfast. We then began the walk to the jaguar rescue centre, where we hoped to see a bunch of different animals but namely a jaguar. Once we arrived and began the tour, we were pretty gutted to learn that despite being named the jaguar centre it has never rehabilitated a jaguar. Instead, right at its inception, and the reason that the centre exists, was that a large cat was handed over to them for their care, but only as it grew older did they discover it wasn't a jaguar at all. In fact, it was the second largest cat species found in the America's, the cougar. But it was too late by the time they realised and the name stuck. Along the tour we saw birds, monkeys, snakes, caiman, sloths, turtles, and most excitingly, an ocelot. Not quite a jaguar but the next best thing. Although an expensive tour, the guides were incredible, informative, and interesting. And, knowing that the money went to helping more animals, I was happy to pay it. By the time we finished, it had been a couple hours and we had seen a plethora of different animals. We thus began the long journey back. We grabbed our bags from the hostel and jumped on a shuttle on the way to La Fortuna. This was a slightly longer journey, about 5 hours, but it went pretty quick. When we arrived we checked into our hotel and went shopping for some food. We made some amazing Fajitas and enjoyed them before heading to bed.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    La Fortuna

    April 25, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Although there is a lot to do in La Fortuna and surrounding areas, we had given ourselves an extra day here as we wanted a chance to have a chill one in between the long days of travel we have ahead. As such, we gave ourselves a chance organise ourselves, plan our trip, explore the city, and buy gifts for family. By the time we had done all this, it was time for some lunch, and so we grabbed a rare restaurant feed as it seemed reasonably priced. On our way back we went to the shops for some groceries. And dinner was once again fajitas, this time with some additions to make them even better.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Hanging Bridges

    April 26, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    After an early morning we headed to the hanging gardens where we would attend an ecological tour. We were yet to see a toucan despite being in toucan territory for 2 months and so hoped that this tour would ensure we saw one. We did arrive early, however, so we sat down for a coffee and waited for our guide. When we started, we saw a bunch of different stuff including tiny snakes, poison dart frogs, spiders, many birds, and plenty of beautiful greenery and landscapes. Sadly, we never saw a toucan despite the efforts from our guide. The poor weather also meant we never got to see the world famous volcano that stands tall around La Fortuna. Nonetheless we enjoyed our tour and got good value from it. By the time we were done our shuttle was due to depart and so we rushed back to ensure we got our lift to the hot springs. The volcano clearly generates enough geothermal activity as the water was very warm but pleasant once in for a while. Given it was hot outside, at first it wasn't the best but you acclimatised. Due to the shuttle timings we were forced to spend 3 hours here, and although it was nice and relaxing, it was hardly necessary to spend that much time. After a couple of hours of relaxing and wading through the water, we found a restaurant nearby and grabbed a drink. Even as we sat and enjoyed a drink, waiting for our shuttle, plenty of birds came through and gave us something to watch. Once we caught our shuttle home, we had showers and went into the city in search of a recommended sushi restaurant. Had a nice sushi dinner and enjoyed a free drink courtesy of our accommodation. We got a large pile of sushi that tasted amazing and hit the spot perfectly after a big day. We then went home and went to bed satisfied and happy with a day well spent.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler
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    La Fortuna Waterfall

    April 27, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    We were once again taking the shuttles around La Fortuna and took the earliest one we could to La Fortuna Waterfall, which is the main attraction in the city. As such, we were keen to avoid the crowds. When we arrived, we did have to navigate 1000 steps to the bottom, but it was definitely worth it as the waterfall was incredibly powerful and having space to ourselves was a very welcome feeling. We could get plenty of photos very easily and ended up saving ourselves plenty of time. The force with which the falling water hits the small river created such force that the spray could be seen leaving the canyon and disappearing into the forest. To add to this impressive visual display the perfect placement of the morning sun helped to create a rainbow among the waterfall. After some time admiring the power and grandeur, we headed along the river to find a nice place to swim. After a quick dip in the cold water, we went further downstream to a deeper section where it was easier to swim. Even fish had managed to inhabit the river water making it extra nice to swim through. We hung out here for a while, and as the crowd began to grow, we made our way out, grabbed a coffee and called an Uber to the next stop. The Bogarin trail was situated right out of town and ended up being a great walk. Once again, we were mostly on the hunt for a toucans, and despite finding plenty of birds, poison dart frogs, sloths, and lizards, toucans were not found throughout. This was made worse by the fact a family had seen a couple that we had clearly only missed by a couple minutes. It was quite a long walk and very beautiful, yet by the end we were ready to head home, despite a lack of toucan viewings. Given our time in central America is coming to an end, so is our hope of seeing them. We began the walk back home through town, before having a nice warm shower to prepare for dinner. We couldn't resist going back to get sushi again, this time indulging in the sushi boat that contains 40 pieces of sushi. It was too good to pass up. Once we had managed to finish it all, we put ourselves to bed to embrace the food coma.Read more

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    Relaxed travel day to Monteverde

    April 28, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today we checked out and learnt that we had booked the same shuttle as a lady from our hotel who we had chatted to a few times. As such, we got in our shuttle that took us to Lake Arenal where we then took a boat and got dropped off on a random beach. People were there to greet us but it did feel a bit odd. They walked us to the secondary shuttle that would take us to Monteverde. We checked into our hostel, and headed into town for a coffee and to explore the little shops. On our way home we went passed the shops and bought everything needed for a huge spaghetti Bolognese. By the time we finished cooking, eating, and cleaning we were very ready for bed.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler
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    Cloud Forest & Bird Watching

    April 29, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Though our desperate, 2 month long hunt for a toucan had rendered us unsatisfied and dismayed, we had grown a liking for birdwatching as we had been lucky enough to see many other beautiful species. To give us the best chance of seeing a toucan on our last chance, we awoke early and headed to the national park as it opened. We entered at 7am and spent the next 3 hours spotting birds and finding wildlife, yet, still we had not found the toucan we so desperately desired. That being said, we had seen many of other birds, especially hummingbirds, agoutis, squirrels, a toucanette, and coatis. It was a successful day in every way except the toucan. This was known as the national park for toucans and despite our early start we left empty handed again. We then got a taxi to the cloud forest of Monteverde. Before we entered the park, we stopped at the café where we could see even more hummingbirds that are fed in the outside area. Although we had seen many of the same earlier in the day, these ones were much easier to photograph as they utilised the feeders. They were so beautiful and iridescent. As it was much later in the day, and this was the greater tourist attraction in Monteverde, this spot was far busier. Yet, we had hoped to be able to follow some birdwatching tours to find a toucan. Yet, the path we had taken was clearly the wrong one as we had not managed to find a single group of birdwatchers until the very end. We did, however, see some great stuff. We started by seeing the beautiful waterfall and lots of cool birds as we explored the dense green vegetation. Toward the end of the hike, we went toward the top of the forest and saw why it was called the cloud forest. The high altitude and humidity help the forest to maintain a thick fog that covers the mountain tops. It was really cool to see, but with the high winds the fog comes and goes minute by minute. By the time we left it had already dissipated and left us with the view of the whole forest. On our way out, in what was our last chance, we saw a tour group looking high into the canopy. Although we tend to try be more subtle, they walked right up to us and set up the telescope. We searched for a while to try and find what they were looking for and to our amazement, in our last chance, we saw a toucan. It was as amazing as I had expected. So colourful and unique. As we would begin our journey out of Costa Rica tomorrow, this really was our last chance to see them. Shocking but amazing news for us. After this we were ecstatic. We left feeling great, called a taxi and headed home for a nap. Then it was dinner and relaxing before going to bed for good.Read more

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    Ziplining

    April 30, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    After a busy few days, we finally enjoyed an easy morning and a sleep in. Eventually, though, our shuttle arrived to take us to the adventure park. When we arrived we got set with all our gear and went through a brief safety demonstration and jumped straight into the ziplining. They were incredibly efficient and we just walked from zipline to zipline barely having to wait between them. In total, we did 11 ziplines, some over a km long with hundreds of metres vertical drop. These, although fun, weren't overly scary. However, when they strapped us up horizontally and said we would be soring through the air face down, the hairs stood up on the back of the neck. Being that high and unable to avoid looking down, the fear factor multiplied heavily. Though admittedly, once the initial shock was overcome, it was easily the most exhilarating experiences of my life. You find yourself envious of birds for being able to experience this daily. It was incredible. It didn't end with the one, we did a few like this, one even going through a tunnel. In all honesty it was probably a good warm up for what was about to come next. The Tarzan swing. Although aware, and very eager for it at the beginning, standing up on the platform on your own was truly frightening. Sarah opted out of the swing, and it left me secluded up there with my thoughts. Not a good idea. Essentially, it was a 50/60m swing that began with a pretty lofty free fall. The worst part is definitely hanging over the edge waiting for the drop but the free fall is a close second. The free fall appears to last forever and you're just waiting, hoping for the swing part to come. When it does come, you swing over a cliff face, adding another layer to the already extreme heights in effect, just as you thought the end had arrived. It was beyond scary, and the drop so sudden I found myself without air to scream anything. Only when I hit the apex of the swing, over the canyon could I manage to pretty pathetic "fuck". Only after a few oscillations do you feel at peace and can manage a full breath. It was easily one of the scariest things I did but fuck do you feel alive afterward, it was incredible and a lot of fun. Sadly, I was too cheap to pay for a video, so I recorded the person after me for some perspective. I am unsure if they also didn't have the air to scream anything or if they are just less of a pussy than me but they appear to handle it a lot better. After this, we hung around while the others finished and jumped on the shuttle back. It was a relaxing afternoon to counteract the thrilling morning, just reading my book and chilling. For dinner we finished the pasta and enjoyed some snacks before bed.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    San Jose

    May 1, 2024 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    After waking up, we enjoyed breakfast and a coffee in town. Without much of a plan, we simply wandered around and saw the sites we may have missed in the small town. Today was our last day, so we went back, packed our bags and checked out of the hostel before some lunch. After we ate, we went back to the hostel and hung around while the shuttle arrived to pick us up. By the time it came and we arrived in San Jose, it was about 5pm. We got dinner and had an early night.Read more

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    Panama City Reunion

    May 2, 2024 in Panama ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    We got up early in San Jose and gave ourselves plenty of time to get to the airport. That being said, it was almost not quite enough. Due to traffic, the travel journey doubled but we still had 2 hours to get checked in and through security. However, days like these remind you of why you arrive 3 hours early. For some stupid fucking reason, when flying in to panama you need a flight out. Now it's common to need proof of onward travel, and, being fully aware that sometimes the San Blas Islands aren't accepted for this, we had a back up. We purchased a cheap bus ticket across the border in case they didn't accept the boat trip. Despite the island tour costing thousands of dollars, for some reason, a 10 dollar bus trip is more valid. With all this in mind, we thought we covered all bases. Yet at check in, the lady held our boarding passes and said we have to purchase a flight out of panama because we flew into Panama. I don't know what type of fucked system requires you to travel the same way out of a country as the way you do in, or if this lady was just stupid, but clearly we were just going to find a way around it. Obviously, we weren't going to waste the thousands of dollars we put into the San Blas islands tour. The obvious next step was to leave the line, buy a fully flexible plane ticket to Bogota, and return showing that we had just purchased the cheapest, most flexible flight money can buy. Being sick of it, and confirming the obvious play at hand, I asked if we would get in trouble to not fly out and instead take the boat. To which she replied "no". Although it was the answer I wanted, it frustrated me endlessly. How the fuck does that make sense. Why do I need to buy a plane ticket if I can catch a boat out. Anyway, I barely made it through security before I began the refund process. Temporarily costing me 440 USD was only part of the story. It was early, I was tired, and we were late. I just wanted to leave. We then had a stop over in El Salvador, but a flight delay then postponed my stress until we disembarked and reboarded for Panama. I was not having a good day. But, we did make it. Just in time, again. Though this should have been the end of my anger and stress, upon landing in Panama, it wasn't. Upon landing, they didn't even ask for any proof of exit. Let alone a fucking flight. To be fair, had they asked, we currently held three different forms of departure that we could offer. In case that didn't raise alarms to them, I would have just showed them all. Let them pick. I was so ready to rant to Caz and Corey who we were due to meet at the Airbnb, yet we arrived before them and I was forced to fester in my foul mood. This did give me a chance to try relax, have a shower, and put my feet up. When they arrived we took some time to catch up and share stories. When my rant was over, we grabbed some Ubereats and had some drinks and continued the catch up. We got fucked up and had a great time.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Preparation

    May 3, 2024 in Panama ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    After what turned into a pretty big night, we enjoyed a sleep in, did some washing and organised our bags in preparation for the start of the tour. We then went to the San Blas island induction and met our crew and the staff who we would spend the next 4 days with. We then headed to the shops to get some items for the trip, as well as some photocopies of different documents. We decided we could turn this into a bit of an outing. So, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through the shops. It actually turned out to be quite fun, exploring oversees supermarkets is a hell of a pass time. Not to mention it felt like brining a bit of normality back to our lives. We then headed home to finish packing, which meant waterproofing, organising, and adding a few final items.Read more

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    San Blas Begins

    May 4, 2024 in Panama ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We woke up early, got everything ready and set for pick up. We had been warned that sometimes drivers are late so we gave the guy close to an hour before making contact with the organiser. Eventually he managed to find us, only to find out the poor couple who were picked up first had been getting driven around the streets of Panama City for the last hour looking for us. But, no one made contact so we figured they were just late. To make up time, the driver was belting the car round these roads, to the point I was feeling fucking car sick. Upon arrival, we said goodbye to our main bags and continued with just our smaller bags for the next 4 days. The little boat that came to pick us up was adorable and pretty jam-packed with shit. But, we were keen to get to the first island. After a couple hours of slightly uncomfortable seats (yet, luckily, smooth seas), we arrived at the beautiful and picturesque island of Bugadub, meaning big fish. Clear waters, white beaches, and plenty of palm trees. Exactly what we had hoped for. Though to be fair, even these remote islands, living a nomadic and traditional lifestyle weren't out of reach from the waste and rubbish from the mainland and the rest of the America's. When we went for a walk around the island, we saw plenty of rubbish, sadly. After this brief walk, we started the snorkelling expedition. It was amazing, although mostly small fish, I got very close (too close) to a reef shark that swam right below me as I tried to stand on the sand. After this, we began the activity I was most keen for on the islands, volleyball. We were a bit rough around the edges but we had 4 days to improve. After this, we enjoyed the sunset with some beers and had a nice seafood dinner. We drank with the group into the night around the campfire and had a lot of funRead more

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    Isla Gorgidub (Pelican Island)

    May 5, 2024 in Panama ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We woke up in our hammocks that provided a pretty average night's sleep, but sleep nonetheless. We had a cruisy morning before packing up and heading to the first island of the second day. Gorgidub- Pelican Island. We didn't stay long here, and just enjoyed breaky and a swim before heading off. We then embarked for the second island, Isla Mono or Monkey Island. This was tiny. Barely enough space for a couple huts and a tiny volleyball court. As we played, people were being caught in crossfire from the other side of the island. It was quite literally about 30m long and 10m at its widest. Regardless, little hermit crabs managed to call this place home, and they were everywhere. We drank, played a couple games of volleyball, and people traded stories of being robbed. After a couple hours here we then departed for our final stop of the day, and where we would be sleeping, Uaginega (Dolphin lodge). Shared dorms were a massive upgrade on hammocks in a hut. Before dinner we listened to stories from a traditional Curucancha local who now works for the company. We then had burritos for dinner and went to bed.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    Isla Mandungua (Big Boob Island)

    May 6, 2024 in Panama ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Today's first stop occupies an even smaller island than yesterday that housed a family and a plethora of farm animals, apparently. We wandered around seeing the roosters, chickens, dogs, cats, and even pigs. After this, we learnt the traditional dance, which was simultaneously simple yet difficult. Fun nonetheless. We even played some ghetto basketball with a plastic crate as a net. Safe to say, my game suffered under these non regulation circumstances. One of the children from the island was showing us up, though. This was the end of our time on Isla Mandungua, translating to literally big boob island. Our next stop was a much larger island than we were used to, that had a very well maintained and sized volleyball court. It was time to test the skills we had learnt throughout the last couple of days. First, we had to have some lunch and were taken on a snorkelling trip. After our volleyball (and during), we had earned a few hard earned frothies. After an afternoon of this, we took the traditional row boats to our accommodation for the night. I forgot to put my phone on the boat and so it was incredibly important we didn't fall in. It wasn't looking great as we began going the wrong way but eventually found our feet and continued on. We may have come second last, but I just didn't want to fall in. We pulled up, dropped our bags off in our own private rooms and went to explore the town. I say town, but probably not in the sense most westerners would feel. Most buildings were made of grass and sticks. Only the schools and prisons were made of cement. We got a guide to take us around the city where he explained how the city works, how they interact with the mainland, and to what extent they are left to their own devices. He explains that everything is self governed and they only seek help from the panama government when in need of something. For example, not that it has ever happened, but if a drastic crime happens, they would call the police for their arrest, otherwise they simply dictate punishment on their own accord. We then got a demonstration of how the traditional dance is suppose to be done. We then had some free time to play with the local kids before returning to the hostel for sunset and a bit of fuck the dealer. A great and dangerous drinking game. Safe to say we got smashed. Coz and I stayed up a bit later than everyone else, just chatting and drinking before eventually carking it early in the morning.Read more

  • Jarrod DietzThe AmericasTraveler

    End of the Adventure

    May 7, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We woke up and tried to recover from minor hangover with a decent breakfast. It did enough of a job for us to gather our stuff and head for Panama emigration. Just as we left Port a big storm was heading our way and so we had to turn back and kill some extra time back at the hostel. This honestly wasn't a bad thing as it gave me an extra couple hours to recover. After some time, we tried again and finally made it to the little town of Puerto Obaldia. It was a hole. But, we had to go there to get our exit stamp. Then, before officially being stamped into Colombia, we visited the town of Sapzurro, where we were illegal immigrants for a couple of hours (I think). After some ceviche, tamales, and coconut ice cream, we relaxed by the water. Given we hadn't had a proper shower in 4 days, most people couldn't even be fucked getting all salty again and chose to explore the little town or just chill on the beach. Finally, we continued on our Colombian adventure, this time informing the authorities of our presence in their country. Upon arrival, we had a free afternoon and most decided on a nap, us included. We woke up and went to the farewell dinner where most of us said our goodbyes and thanked the team for having us.Read more

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