An evening in Panama

by jose

The first mouthful was a heaven-sent indulgence. After weeks of eating boiled carrots and tomatoes, we had eventually allowed ourselves chicken fillet to go with our cheap pasta. With bell peppers and marinated in cream cheese.

We were feeling like kings.

Across the water in front of us, we could see the faint lights of Carenero Island illuminating the bay. After a day of rain, the clouds had finally given us a respite and the full moon was brightly shining upon the Bocas del Toro archipelago.

“It actually could be quite pleasant here. If it were sunny.”

“I guess so,” answered Ladina.

A dive and surf center doubling as restaurant/bar, right above the water across the street, was giving a soundtrack to the moment. Smart electro with a summer mood and contagious beats. A group of Panamanian locals passed on their bicycles, loudly laughing and joking in their Spanish flavored with a Caribbean accent. The whole world seemed to tell us the rainy days were over.

Continue reading →

Ometepe

by ladina

Many a traveler has heard of the beauty of Ometepe Island with its two volcanos, lush hills and beautiful beaches. On our way back down to Costa Rica, we made it our last destination in Nicaragua, thinking that we would finish our stay in this country with its jewel. On the morning we set over to the island, the weather was rather friendly and we therefore got a glimpse of the island’s unique beauty from the deck of the ferry. However, the following days showed us what “rainy season” meant in Central America and we often had to take refuge from the downpours. Luckily we found a room in a nice homestay in Moyogalpa, the main town and port of the island, where Doña Chilo prepared tasty asados (grilled meat) and a vitamine bomb called tutti frutti (fruit juice with pieces of many different fruits in it) — so we did not mind to stay and wait for the rain to pass. In fact, we had some of our best meals of the whole country on this island; and, on top of that, the locals were very friendly and relaxed, more so than on the mainland, creating a laid back atmosphere and slow pace that suited well our days of rest.

Continue reading →

Playa el Coco

by ladina

I guess we dreamed about that, when we were sweating in the unswerving heat of Montaña Grande: a deserted beach, a lost paradise on Earth, where we could relax and cool down in the water whenever we wanted. Though the waves of the Pacific Ocean — I still cannot fathom who named it like that — mostly raged so furiously that we would not swim in the sea, we found refuge in the pool that belonged to our hotel. No wonder we stayed for a whole week at Playa el Coco, tanning in the sun, playing frisbee on the beach and splashing in the pool. In the evenings we even had the chance to observe courageous little turtles which made their first journey into the vast deep blue, being swallowed by the waves and not returning on land until they would be old enough to lay their own eggs.

Continue reading →

Study

by jose

Arrived in Playa el Coco, Nicaragua, one thing was clear to us: we had not seen a prettier beach for a long time. In particular, the cliffs gracing the northern side of the bay were a perfect immobile counterpoint to the vast array of moods the Pacific Ocean could take, and a perfect subject for a photography study.

Continue reading →

Seclusion in Montaña Grande

by ladina

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged
to find ways in which you yourself have altered.

 — Nelson Mandela

 

The smells are still the same: the smoke from the burning fire in the kitchen, the steaming dark Costa Rican coffee in the mug, the scent of the dogs and of the horses in the garden.

The sounds are still the same: a rooster crows, a dog barks, Angela shouts unintelligibly at Macha’s house, Rigo hammers a nail in a log, the telecaster babbles along though nobody watches.

The earth is still mercilessly scorched by the sun. No wind stirs. There is no escaping from the heat.

Continue reading →