Reading these picks before brunch with the ladies at Great Maple in South Park (what should I order, in addition to the maple bacon doughnuts?!):
Photo via AFAR
Archives for category: Panama
In the middle of the gentle turquoise and aquamarine waters, lapping at the sides of the motorboat we dropped anchor. Anxiety crept in as I swiveled my head around in all directions; there was nowhere to go, nowhere to grasp onto except the edge of the boat and plop myself down into the knee-deep expanse. After my relationship ended – it was long, meaningful and although the decision to part ways was mutual, it would take nearly a year to acknowledge that time as merely another chapter of my past.
At times, I felt as if everything was happening around me even while I was participating. I felt unraveled, detached and lost. I heard, but had trouble listening, conversed but struggled to truly engage. I sought to keep myself busy in the hopes that the passing days would ease the discomfort and offer the clarity needed to guide my next step. Time heals, right? So I made time; to cry, overanalyze what went wrong, come to terms with the part I played. I made time to pick up old interests, spend time with friends, family and said ‘yes’ to new experiences and people, and yes, over time, it seemed that I was bouncing back. Months passed, something was still missing.
I waded out to a spot where I could sit in the water surrounded by the largest, orange creamsicle-colored starfish I’ve seen. The cool, gentle ripples of the Caribbean ocean invited us to settle in and embrace the warmth of the sun, camouflaged by the cloud cover. Curiosity compelled me to slosh around on all fours until I could pick one of the starfish up and feel it’s pebbly casing and the subtle suction from beneath as I cradled it in both hands.
We were on our own private sand bar in the San Blas islands, a sprinkle of more than 300 remote islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama. Time rolled by without restriction and illuminated the simplest of pleasures, like the two young boys from the lone Guna Yala family on the island duck and dive the waters near their boat before the sun came out in full force the next morning. Or handing over $1 to the same Guna Yala family to quench my thirst on slightly saccharine coconut water while I strolled back to the same log beneath the lone palm tree my travel companion and I found ourselves at most of that weekend. I was present while our travel peers chattered on about the cities they were just in – Bocas del Toro, or Bocas for short – and where they were headed next – Boquete, Mexico City, Nicaragua. I soaked it all in and noticed a shift had happened.
I felt it in the morning, where the only decision we had to make was whether we were going to post up against the log beneath one of the palm trees, or the washed up log on the shore. I tasted it from the first sip of Ron Abuelo and Coke out of a bright plastic cup while we waited on the grill to finish our burgers. There were many events and events within events that week that can be best described as a fantastic blur of laughter and reflection and as we returned home one typically sunny, Southern California afternoon one thing was clear; I found my reset button in Panama.
I recently read a post on Darling about tips for traveling with a companion and realized that it’s only been in the last five years or so that I started getting specific with my travel partners about what would make a satisfying journey for everyone involved. With that said, I’ve outlined a few things I would add to the author’s post, as well as my variation on her existing topics that seem to be threaded with a common goal: obtaining peace of mind.
Talk About It
Everyone travels differently. While you may prefer leisurely afternoons at local cafes and museums, your travel companion may rather hit the bike trails or be chauffeured around as part of a tour group. Learning about travel styles and preferences BEFORE the trip can be helpful to create an itinerary the both of you can look forward to and will enjoy. I’ve found it helpful to chat with my travel companions about “must-dos,” “must-sees,” and “must-eats” – activities that encompass the day-to-day of a trip.
While discussing our trip to Panama over tater tots at Station Tavern and from the comfort of her apartment, beer in-hand, Google at the ready, my friend Cyndi and I agreed that we wanted adventure and authenticity and built our trip around zip lining in El Valle de Anton, an overnight camping trip to the San Blas islands and a commitment to dining out for traditional, Panamanian fare.
On a road trip through the Pacific Northwest with my high school buddies, we discussed and agreed that we would not patron big chain restaurants unless they were local to the area or were chain one of us hasn’t been to yet.
Keep an Open Mind
Being receptive to meeting new people, locals and other travelers alike can mean a recommendation to a restaurant that isn’t easily found in search results or a serendipitous connection to your peers. Engage your barista or waiter, mill around the communal areas of your hostel (or any hostel!) and don’t be surprised to discover a sixth degree of separation connection thousands of miles from home. These are the types of events I get excited about the most because these connections enrich the experience of the trip and adds extra color to the stories you’ll tell when you get back home.
Upon gathering our bags at the hostel who hosted our overnight trip to the San Blas islands I ran into a peer who worked on the same block as my former employer while I was still living in Los Angeles. During a normal work day, we would have both been clothed in business attire, attempting to avoid a jaywalking ticket from the LAPD camped on the corners as we rushed from lunch back to the office. But, here we were that evening, dressed in tanks and shorts to beat the Panamanian humidity, chatting it up and referencing the day-to-day of our lives stateside. The encounter was surreal and magical at the same time.
Slow Down
An overzealous itinerary can brew discontent for both parties. Build in some downtime to recover from a travel day, and be mindful of how each piece of the itinerary could effect the next. Maybe rethink scheduling a sunrise hike after a debaucherous night out (though to each her own – I know I can’t function properly on less than 5 hours of sleep).
For example, as I plan a Spring trip to Australia and New Zealand my travel companion and I agreed that we would stagger activities that require more energy in between more relaxed activities. Instead of tackling a Great Walk immediately after landing, we might scope out a nice brunch, grab a flat white and browse the boutiques while we give our bodies some time to adjust to being blasted into the future.
Have a Back up Plan
If you’re traveling through a foreign country where you don’t speak the language and WiFi is spotty, finding your way back to your travel companion should you two get separated can add an extra layer of frustration. A curfew and designated meeting place worked for us during our trip to Panama, as well as a mutual understanding that one of us wouldn’t just disappear on each other without huddling about it first.
Other ideas I’ve read about include keeping your hotel’s business card on your person to show a cab driver if you’ve strayed too far, as well as jotting down a few key phrases to help get you back to a central location and hopefully back to your travel buddy.
Cyndi and I in the San Blas islands.
What do you think? Anything else to add?
the curious passport 