I decided to take a 3 day, 2 night trip to the San Blas Islands with friends from Bocas. The journey started at the crack of dawn, 5 am we took off in a cramped Toyota type jeep. After an hour or two on the highway we made our way into the mountains. My head felt like a bobble-head, swinging side to side for another two hours. The views were beautiful as we rose through the clouds, eventually you could look down and see the clouds in the lower valleys. There were a few major construction projects as we climbed, posters showed images of massive hotels, a sure sign that tourism in the area would be increasing ten-fold in the years to come...
We arrived at the first checkpoint where we all passed our passports to armed guards who appeared to write our names in a book. The locals on the islands, "Kuna" try to preserve their way of life on these islands so there is a tax to enter and they keep track of all people entering and leaving the area. It was around here that I realized that we wouldn't be stopping at any grocery store like they had promised to do the day before we left. Luckily the island trip included three meals a day, but the meals were not enough to keep you full all day so me and the two girls that I was traveling with had a few pieces of my bread loaf for three days, as our only food to snack on.
Honestly I'm not sure why people on the island sold coke-a-cola and rum, but didn't have any food for sale. But it turned out fine, and I can't really complain too much because we were literally in paradise. This wasn't like the pictures you see online of a deserted palm-tree covered island, it was that and so much more. You felt how secluded these islands really were as soon as you jumped into the water-taxi. It was the first time I really felt separated from society. There were several times that I started to think, if anything were to happen here, it'd be a good 5 hours before you got to a hospital. It felt relieving though, you really felt free, rugged, and raw. Friends, the ocean, a good book, and a home-made volleyball net were all that you had for entertainment, yet everyone was loving it! This was the culture that I thought I would experience throughout Central America.
Two days later though, I felt society pulling me back to it. I finished my book and realized that whether I liked it or not, I was brought up in a society where we feel the need to progress. That progress may be artificial but it was something that I couldn't deny. I wanted to do big things, see more, feel more! Although humans are creatures of habit I think that if I stayed somewhere like this long enough, my desires would diminish, and I would form new habits, but I didn't want them to.
So after an amazing three days of snorkeling, great meals, friends, and adventures I was ready to be back in Panama City, with new ideas and plans for life!
P.S. I didn't bring my camera unfortunately, but it was almost a blessing, because I really wanted to get away from all of the technology for a bit. No pictures or videos, but if you make it to Panama, please, visit the San Blas! I hear that the sailboat adventures of the islands are even better!
Honestly I'm not sure why people on the island sold coke-a-cola and rum, but didn't have any food for sale. But it turned out fine, and I can't really complain too much because we were literally in paradise. This wasn't like the pictures you see online of a deserted palm-tree covered island, it was that and so much more. You felt how secluded these islands really were as soon as you jumped into the water-taxi. It was the first time I really felt separated from society. There were several times that I started to think, if anything were to happen here, it'd be a good 5 hours before you got to a hospital. It felt relieving though, you really felt free, rugged, and raw. Friends, the ocean, a good book, and a home-made volleyball net were all that you had for entertainment, yet everyone was loving it! This was the culture that I thought I would experience throughout Central America.
Two days later though, I felt society pulling me back to it. I finished my book and realized that whether I liked it or not, I was brought up in a society where we feel the need to progress. That progress may be artificial but it was something that I couldn't deny. I wanted to do big things, see more, feel more! Although humans are creatures of habit I think that if I stayed somewhere like this long enough, my desires would diminish, and I would form new habits, but I didn't want them to.
So after an amazing three days of snorkeling, great meals, friends, and adventures I was ready to be back in Panama City, with new ideas and plans for life!
P.S. I didn't bring my camera unfortunately, but it was almost a blessing, because I really wanted to get away from all of the technology for a bit. No pictures or videos, but if you make it to Panama, please, visit the San Blas! I hear that the sailboat adventures of the islands are even better!