Panama

After leaving Guatemala we survived a 22 hour direct bus from El Salvador to Costa Rica requiring numerous border crossings and fees. It was quite an experience and more comfortable than I imagined. Once we got to Costa Rica we found Andreas and his lady friend Gudrun (the emphasis is on the first syllabal) AND Louie and Jasmine. It was awesome! The four of us then crossed the Panama border together and met up with Lane. I simply can´t tell you how awesome it is to be with friends and catch up on what´s been going on over the past year. We all went to Lane´s Peace Corps site to celebrate Christmas. Lane lives in a village that is a 30 minuted hike in from the road through the jungle. We were lucky enough to encounter a coral snake (=poisinous) on the way in on our first night which was a surprise since Lane´s never seen one on that trail. His house is a small hut with a thatch roof and cool porch overlooking the rest of the village. I should also add that there are lots of BIG bugs in the jungle and I freaked out on our second night when I looked down to find a scorpion on my foot! Those things seem to like me! Lou and Jas brought some of their homemade port to us for Christmas and we enjoyed a yummy Christams Eve dinner with locals in Lane´s community. That was an awesome experience and it was fun to spend the holidays with friends we had not seen in so long.

After Christmas Andreas and Gudrun head back up to Costa Rica and the rest of us came to Bocas Del Torro. I have never been in the Carribean before and I really like it here. The beaches are beautiful, and the water is warm and colorful. I am particularly a fan of the hostels, restaurants, and homes built over the ocean! Today I learned how to kayak surf which was amazingly fun. I somehow managed to break my seat in the tandem kayak Keith and I were in when a huge wave hit us and we went crashing. It was a lot of fun. Tomorrow we are taking a boat around to different beaches and snorkling areas in Bocas. Louie is very excited to use his new snorkel gear! We will be here for a few more days and then we are off to explore more of Panama!