Trip to Panama

Trip to Panama

My passion for the Hispanic culture picked when I traveled to Panama. Previously I had travelled to many of the Caribbean islands and got a little taste of Central American culture. It was a good motivation for me to make the trip to Panama when the opportunity presented itself. I was privileged to make friends with a Panamanian while was at school. Of course we kept touch after school and one year after our reunion I was invited to visit Panama for Christmas and New Years. Traveling from DC, there are always flights to Panama City.

When I left DC it was below freezing and when I landed in Panama City it was above 80 degrees. December is considered dry season in Panama, meaning it doesn’t rain as much as it rains in the rainy season. It still rains every few days but not every day. This makes the heat much more bearable.

My friend picked me up from the airport and we headed to his parents house. I should mention that my friend resides in San Francisco and he visits home every year. When I arrived to his parents’ house they were still up waiting for my arrival. From the day one I found Panamanian very friendly, kind, helpful and hospitable.

Panama is located at the tip of South America, connecting South and Central America. Many people know Panama by Panama Canal. It is knows to be the most famous canal in the world connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. The Panama Canal is considered to be one of the engineering wonders of the world. It is about 50 miles longs and is a shortcut between the Eastern and Western civilization. Ships and vessels ferry more than 280 million tons of trade goods yearly. 

Trip to Puerto Rico

I have always had a soft spot for traveling. Whenever I had the chance or the money allowed I have used it for traveling.

This time I took advantage of my time and a little money I had saved to travel to Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is located at South East of Florida, East of Dominican Republic and North of Venezuela.

Puerto Rico consists of the main island of Puerto Rico and various smaller islands, including Vieques, Culebra, Mona, Desecheo, and Caja de Muertos. Of these last five, only Culebra and Vieques are inhabited year-round. Mona is uninhabited most of the year except for employees of the Puerto Rico Department of Natural Resources. There are also many other even smaller islands including Monito and "La Isleta de San Juan" which includes Old San Juan and Puerta de Tierra.

Traveling for U.S travelers is pretty simple since Puerto Rico is considered to be one of U.S territories even though it is independently governed. So U.S and Puerto Rico’s residents can easily travel back and forth.

From the moment I landed in San Juan I fell in love with the weather, a perfect weather. You have the oceanic breeze and you have the land breeze that is constantly there. Of course, nothing that would bother you. You have the warmth of the sun and the cooling power of the breeze.

It wasn’t long after I left the airport that I noticed how kind and caring the Puerto Ricans are. I had arranged to get a rental for my stay. So when the shuttle dropped me in front of the rental agency, not only the shuttle driver gave me all the ideas and places I could drive to, but he also reminded me of driving rules in PR, which aren’t that many. You think it’s a good thing, but not so much.

For some reason the GPS I had brought from DC wasn’t working in PR, so I had to rely on my Map reading skills. With a little struggle I managed to find my hotel which was located very close to a beach and walking distance to many restaurants and bars. After taking a nap, I decided to go for a walk and see what I can do with a little time left on that day.

What I didn’t realize was that at night, you get a different cooling breeze that would take any tiredness out of your body. I started walking towards the beach. There was a great boardwalk right across from my hotel that would give a beautiful view of that Atlantic Ocean, not to mention it was a perfect place for young couples to come and enjoy a late evening walk or share the scenery.

Then I walked towards the restaurants and some bars on Dr. Ashford Ave. You can find restaurants that are extremely local to establishments created for more tourist attractions. It was amazing that how the local places were putting much more effort when they had a tourist adventuring their little family-owned place. When I went to a touristier place and had a couple of drinks a nice filling dish, my bill came out to be at least three times the family joint. Quality and taste was even better at the family-owned restaurant.

As many people know, Puerto Rico is famous for a few things. Two of them that right away jump into my mind are their amazing rain forest and the Bacardi Rum Factory.

When I decided to go to the Bacardi Rum Factory, the receptionist at the door suggested that I should take a cab since the roads can be a little confusing and driving is not as easy as it is in the U.S. Of course when he brought up the driving, I had to do the driving. I looked at my map and didn’t see my difficulty getting to the factory and figured it would take me 15-20 minutes to get there. I think I was driving for an hour before I gave up and asked a taxi driver to show me how to get to the factory. He did tell me it’s not as easy for tourists to find this place since the roads might not necessarily match my maps. So first he gave me the direction by maybe telling me to make 10 or 15 left and rights. Then he saw a total lost stranger looking at him all confused. So then he offered something that would never ever happen here at home. A cap driver offered me to follow him and he would take me to my destination. I was amazed of the hospitality. I drove behind him and he made sure I don’t get lost. After 10 minutes he got me to the factory, got out of his car and told me exactly how to get back later on, he gave me his number and said call him if I couldn’t find my way back. I tried to pay for his help, offered him the amount of money it would have cost to bring a customer, and I heard was refusal that he did this as a token of friendship. BEAT THAT my friends.

The Bacardi Rum Factory was more like a small city, with amazing views. They had a free tour that was running throughout the day and would take you through the history of the Bacardi Rum with of course samplers so you wouldn’t stay thirsty.

Last place I visited was the Rain Forest. It was located on the mountainous area not far from San Juan. Nothing I had ever seen like it before. It was a sunny day, and I parked my car in one of the parking areas. I walked into the forest using one of the many hiking endurances that would lead you into the forest.

I hadn’t walked for more than five to ten minutes that I felt a little moisture. I walked a little more and I realized while they call this a rain forest. It was raining in the forest. The most amazing things, there was only a piece of clouds on the top of the forest while the rest of the island was sunny as it could get. This was one hell of a hike, leading me to an amazing waterfall. The water was freezing but it was well worth jumping in the water for a little cooling off.

I would recommend everyone who has a thing for seeing new places to visit Puerto Rico. I am sure you will fall in love with Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans. Because I surely did.

Ciao’