Off I go to Central America!

clownfood

Oct 15, I start my vacation early in the morning when I leave work, grab my backpack and head to the airport to board a plane to Cancun, Mexico. I will have a month and somewhat limited finances to get from Cancun to Panama City, Panama where I will board a flight and return to Portland.

I have been reading Lonely Planet and various sites on places I HAVE to see while passing through Central America. I kinda have a tentative schedule of visiting some ruins near Merida, Mexico, But outside of that, My plans are probably best described as fluid. I hope to visit Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, but some of the best laid plans will go the way of the dinosaur. But for the most part, I would rather stay in smaller cities rather than the huge metro areas.

My current gear is a rucksack and various meds for food poisoning and indigestion. I have some clothes, but I will pick up some stuff that is better for backpacking. I will be making an appointment to get any needed shots and have already picked up my absentee ballot for the upcoming elections. I also plan on getting a swiss army tool as well as this safety netting that goes around your backpack that allows you to secure it so that people can't rummage through the pockets while it is on your back. I have traveled through asia and europe, but nothing probably compares to riding carppy buses from country to country and dealing with potentially sketchy border crossings. Most of my travels have been by train and plane.

So I am asking for general advice. Know of some places that most probably don't think of going, a great little restaurant with the best food or places to sleep that won't result in my stuff being jacked, I am all ears. Is there some gear that i really should look into getting? Should I avoid a certain spot because I might die due to the extreme paleness of my skin?

ceres

Find out if there is anything you should be vaccinated against in the part of the world to which you plan to travel, and get vaccinated against it. It's probably not the way you want to die, or at least spend weeks in a hospital.

Gafoto

Also maybe find out what places you should avoid in terms of crime.

Gork

I just got back from a cruise that hit up Cozumel, Roatan Island, and Belize City. Cozumel wasn't anything special. Roatan Island, in Honduras, has a pretty impressive coral reef, so check that out. Belize had by far the best thing I did. We drove up into a rain forest park, hiked through the rain forest, then went tubing through caves that were used by the Mayans as sacrificial sites. If you do make it Belize, I cannot recommend doing this enough. Very fun and not dangerous at all unless there has been a lot of rain prior to your trip. I was told Belize City itself isn't very safe, though.

All these areas have Malaria carrying mosquitos, so you're going to need about a month's worth of chloroquinine.

Cauld

You're a little late going to the doctor, but I'm sure they'll tell you that there.

Make sure you do the standard safety travel stuff. Get your passport photocopied an leave a copy with someone trusted at home. Bring copies as well. Also make sure you notify your credit card companies, etc. My biggest concern would be crime. I'm sure you've researched it, but some of those places you mentioned can be dangerous.

Always count on your buses being late. I took a bus from LePaz to Paraguay and it was scheduled for 24 hours. It took more than 36.

Other than that, you've done similar things before so this shouldn't be all that different. Just tell us when you're back. I want to hear the stories.

edit: when on the bus keep valuables on your person. Watch out for people stealing from your bag and your entire bag during bus stops. And in general watch out for people stealing things out of your bag by cutting it open.

Morinoko

Hello Clownfood; i'm from Panama. Do you need any advise or help on getting to specific places?

Do you have anything in mind, for example: historical places, hiking, camping, beach, mountain, cultural visits, museums, country side, night lige?

I'm big into Outdoors, like camping and hiking; there's a lot of that here, but you have to know the places (or the people) and it's not developed or organized as in the US (lack of bathrooms or any other facilities, it's just you and the wilderness).

There's also a very developed night life culture here. I hate the night life... i live right next door to one of the most busy streets in Panama full of bars and discos, and actually, have a difficult time sleeping (can't sleep right now, because of the noise).

Anyways, there are a lot of things to do here, regardless of your tastes, and it's very inexpensive. The country is also very secure, specially if you stay away from the dangerous neighborhoods.


Let me know if you need some specific help deciding what to do, or suggestions on hotels, etc.

clownfood

Morinoko wrote: »

Hello Clownfood; i'm from Panama. Do you need any advise or help on getting to specific places?

Do you have anything in mind, for example: historical places, hiking, camping, beach, mountain, cultural visits, museums, country side, night lige?

I'm big into Outdoors, like camping and hiking; there's a lot of that here, but you have to know the places (or the people) and it's not developed or organized as in the US (lack of bathrooms or any other facilities, it's just you and the wilderness).

There's also a very developed night life culture here. I hate the night life... i live right next door to one of the most busy streets in Panama full of bars and discos, and actually, have a difficult time sleeping (can't sleep right now, because of the noise).

Anyways, there are a lot of things to do here, regardless of your tastes, and it's very inexpensive. The country is also very secure, specially if you stay away from the dangerous neighborhoods.


Let me know if you need some specific help deciding what to do, or suggestions on hotels, etc.

Well i am not a huge club kinda guy. In fact I prefer a quiet low key bar to most anything. By the time I get to Panama, chances are, I will want a quiet night or two to relax before I take off back to the US. I would love to know some places to wander about in Panama that is full of friendly people, great food and maybe a little bit of history. Really...if you have a place that you find particularly wonderful or interesting, I would gladly check it out. I am all about getting out of my comfort zone for something that might give me a better perspective on life.

Shazkar Shadowstorm

i learned, after a month in guatemala, wait to take immodium until it is absolutely necessary, because once you do, you won't shit for days
it puts your body on lockdown

Morinoko

clownfood: there are a lot of great restaurants here, basically any type of food you want, and with different prices depending on the zone / restaurant. Don't miss Leños & Carbón, a Colombian franchise that sell BBQ steak and chicken; it's really great and very affordable (they are in the food court of the malls).

There are also a couple of historic places, like Panama Viejo (Old Panama) that was the first city of Panama founded by the Spaniards and later destroyed by pirate Morgan. There you can see what remains of the old buildings, build with stone walls (but destroyed). It's right here in the city, very close and they have a museum. There is also Casco Antiguo, that is, like the second city of Panama they founded after the first one was destroyed. It's antique architecture, a couple of museums (the Panama Canal museum, for example), guided tours and lot of restaurants.

If you have more time, you could travel to the Caribbean side of Panama (2 hour drive), and there you can go to Portobello, a town that has the ruins of an old Spaniard fort, from colonial times. Plus, it's right there by the sea side, so you can have a nice beach time, or do snorkel or scuba diving. In Portobello, there's also a three canopy tour, it's around $30 and very cool.

If you prefer the beach, there are a couple of all included resorts on the Pacific side, a 2 hour drive from the City: Playa Blanca and Decameron. Both are very good and have everything (huge pools, restaurants, bars, activities, etc). If you want to go to a beach that is frequented by locals, there is Santa Clara, 20 minutes farther than Playa Blanca; it's very crowded on the weekends and very fun.

If you stay in the city and want to see local people, your best bet is to hit one of the malls: Albrook Mall is in the area that used to be the American Canal Zone, it's huge and have all sort of stores targeted at different budgets. There you will see huge amount of people, from all social levels. There's also Multi Plaza, in the middle of the city, it's targeted to a higher class and have some ridiculous fashion stores that sell $4000 purses (XOXO, Channel, etc).. but you can see different people here (not just higher class), since the movie theater here is one of the best, and also it's food court.

The other must see it's the Amador Cause Way (Coast Way); it's a land fill done with the rocks and material taken out when they built the Panama Canal, so it's like a street that goes into the see and connects 3 islands to the main land. It's filled with restaurants, bars, shops, etc. There's also a small Three Canopy Tour there, bicycle rental and a lot of sight seeing.

Finally the Panama Canal, that has a mirador, a place you can go, sit down, watch a movie about the canal and then watch the ships pass. There's also a somewhat expensive restaurant there.

Anyways, there's a lot to do here, 2 days is not long enough. If you have some specific questions, just shoot them.