Photo Friday #10

SANTA CLARA, PANAMA | TRAVELS WITH KID
First a little walk ...



Then a little more ...



And then the parents have a little quiet time in the cantina down the beach enjoying fried whole fish and a cerveza.



I wish I had a picture of that too.

For other travel pics, check out my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

Photo Friday #8

PANAMA | TRAVELS WITH KID
Getting in a little hammock time ... with a spotter.



For other travel pics, check out my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

Photo Friday #7

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA | TRAVELS WITH KID
Driving over the bridge of the Americas ... linking two continents.



For other travel pics, check out my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

Photo Friday #4: Isla Taboga, Panama

ISLA TABOGA, PANAMA | TRAVELS WITH KID

This Photo Friday is warm-weather-themed. We took our wee guy to Panama when he was 13 months old. He was very drawn to the sea and daddy must have retrieved him from crawling right into the ocean half a dozen times. Perhaps the sirens were calling?

You'll find other links to travel pics at my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

Panama Pics

Bridge of the Americas, linking two continents. Panama City.

White Beaches of Santa Clara

TRAVELLING WITH KIDS  |  DESTINATION PANAMA





Los Serenas, Santa Clara, Panama

Just across the border into the Coclé province, Santa Clara is probably only an hour away. That's the beauty of travelling in a small country. We found our place, fairly easily. While the reception was a little chilly we really grew to love our little cabin with kitchenette, A/C in the bedroom, and showers indoors and out. The large windows in the front and back only had screens in them and the ocean breeze kept things cool at night. The bugs are nuts. So many different kinds. So many big weird ones. And you just don't know which ones you should be wary of and which are completely harmless. Every morning there are dozens of beetle-like creatures, belly up, all over the floor. Even after we found a broom, it was hard to keep up with them and Spud most assuredly munched at least one ... protein!

Our little place didn't have a restaurant but a gorgeous walk down the beach, maybe 10 minutes away, was a simple outdoor restaurant at the Veraneras Resort with chilled beer and grilled fish. It was nice to have the kitchenette during the day but it was a nice treat to go out for dinner too.

The beach is wonderful and surprisingly spared of people. I found this entry in my journal about a simple evening we had on the beach that I will never forget:
"After dark, at Spud's bedtime, we dressed him in his jammies and loaded him up in the carrier. We thought he would fall asleep as we walked to the neighbouring cantina for a beverage. But no way. We walked back and forth many times [for 45 minutes or so] and he stayed wide awake. He was admiring the moon greatly. He squealed at it repeatedly. It was quite large in the sky and reflected nicely off the ocean. He reached for it over and over again. And looked at me quizzically when it became shrouded with cloud. And I thought, how many ages have babies communed with the moon? There were a few Panamanians foraging for something in the surf. It was all so peaceful. And good."

Forays in the Panamanian Rainforest

TRAVELLING WITH KIDS | DESTINATION PANAMA






We drove to Soberania National Park near Gamboa where the Pipeline Road is, it is said to have the highest concentration of different bird species in the world. But we had a lot of troubles finding the right trail and when we asked some Panamanian folk they talked us out of it completely, saying that it requires a guide. So on to the next, smaller trail then. By the time we got there, the rain was coming down so hard we could barely see across the street. Trying to wait it out was to no avail. So on to the zoo and botanical gardens then. But alas, the rain never relented. Eventually we packed it in, a little disappointed but it is the rainforest after all.

Our final attempt at communing with nature in the thick of it was in Park Nationiale, which is conveniently enough located right in the city. It was sunny and muggy as always and we looked forward to some time in the green shade, to see what we could see. With Spud on daddy's back, we started on the easiest trail. It's supposed to be flat and the loop takes about 45 minutes. Perfect. Well, actually a few minutes in, we realize that we most certainly should have brought the DEET! The three of went in with exposed legs and flip flops, if you can believe it. What a mistake! It doesn't matter how much travelling we do ... we still do embarrassingly dumb things.

At first I was in a bit of denial. "I'm a bit itchy, but maybe it's psychosomatic". I thought perhaps that if I walked faster, they wouldn't catch on. Nuh uh. But we really didn't want to give up. We took a photo. Admired some leaf cutter ants. And I was obsessing about these strange black bugs that kept getting between my toes and then resting on my flip flops. No amount of foot flinging would cause them to disembark. I was really feeling like a silly city girl at this point. And then, the evidence is there, a mozzy ... right on my leg ... "that's it, we have to high tail it out of here". I don't want to take Dengue fever home as a souvenir.

So do you have any dumb travel stories you'd care to share?

Paradise Imperfect

TRAVELLING WITH KIDS | DESTINATION PANAMA



Isla Taboga
The wavy, 45-minute boat ride on the Calypso Princess made Spud a little clingy ($5 per person, one-way). Our little hotel was brand new, nicely designed and comfortable but it had no kitchen in the room and we discovered there was no hot water which made it difficult to bathe the boy. Thankfully the staff in the restaurant downstairs were helpful with bottles and milk etc. The boy enjoyed a variety of foods including half a plantain which we were later told by Nino, our odd but likable host, should only be eaten cooked and would be very bad for a baby raw. Fortunately his pipes held up well.

Things we’ve enjoyed on the island were the fireworks on Fisherman’s day, the regular tiny ring of the church bell, the gorgeous and ubiquitous bougainvillea, the whole fried fish with fried yucca, ketchup and hot sauce, big yummy shrimp, warm rain, passion fruit con secco (Panamanian boozy beverage).

Other things on the island: backward expats, mosquitos at dusk, and a serious water shortage. We stayed here for 3 days and soaked up the paradise as much as we could. But it was the last time we stayed in a place without a kitchen.

Panama Canal

TRAVELLING WITH KIDS | DESTINATION PANAMA



I wasn't sure that the Miraflorez Canal would be more than a tourist-have-to for me but I actually really enjoyed our time there. And so did the kid.

It started with a typical entrepreneurial cabby who charged us $8 when we got there. He asked for $10 and from what I’ve read it should cost $5. We paid it without a fuss though. Then we declined his offer to stick around and wait for us for a cool 25 bucks. He tried to scare us by claiming that there would be no cabs waiting for us when we came out. It was somewhat believable since it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. But we took our chances. In fact there was a very kind and helpful driver there when we were done. And he only charged us $4 to get home!

Firtst we took in the canal museum which was pretty cool. It even had stuff to interest Spud, like fish and turtles in the aquariums.

Next we enjoyed lunch at the Canal restaurant and it was delicious. It's on the second level of the Tourist Building and overlooks the canal. We were told later that we were very lucky to see a big ship go through the lock, and we saw two while chilling on the restaurant's deck! The first boat we saw had to pay $80,000 to get through the whole canal. It’s based on weight and type of vessel. We also saw a couple of sailboats and a few tugs too. The weather was perfect. Warm, with a nice breeze. Of course, still muggy, but that’s a given. Anyway, the whole day was relaxing and charming and cute.

Our Digs in Panama City

TRAVELLING WITH KIDS | DESTINATION PANAMA







LA ESTANCIA Bed + Breakfast
This place was perfect for us travelling with the little one. The two suites downstairs have large kitchens. A/C. Cute outdoor patios where you can see the sloth, giant guinea pig type rodents, and listen to the billion birds. The hosts were extremely helpful with all of our travel needs such as renting cars etc.

Our little one LOVED the staff who ogled him at breakfast or whenever we went up to the common area. "Que paso, mi amore" they would greet him every morning when we went up for breakfast. One morning we came back to our room and they announced "we cleaned the room early because we knew the baby was coming". Sometimes the acting manager at the time would come down and ask if she could take him upstairs to the common area where she would encourage him to play the piano [he's very experimental] and show him the monkeys in the trees in the back. The people there were really lovely.

The only possible downside is that it's on Ancon Hill which isn't centrally located. A 10- or 15-minute taxi will take you to the city core or to Old Panama. The plus side is that you are in a rainforest. You can walk up the hill to the top and see the canal not to mention all the wildlife along the way.

Wandering in Old Panama City

TRAVELLING WITH KIDS | DESTINATION PANAMA





We took a cab to Plaza Francia [France Square] which is in Old Panama. We wanted to walk there but our friendly B+B host told us “You must not walk through El Chorillo”. As we drove through the neighbourhood, I could see why. It had all the signs of a depressed, desperate place. I’m sure I would have felt similarly if we were without child but having our little 13-month-old bundle of preciousness with us made the situation that much more intense. Since I had never been there before, I had no idea what to expect and my greatest fear was that what we were seeing was in fact our destination. My mantra went something like this: “Please don’t drop us off here. Please don’t drop us off here.” and “Please don’t let this be Casco Viejo. Please don’t let this be Casco Viejo”.

Thankfully the the taxi driver kept driving and In moments we arrived at our intended destination ... Old Panama City... and it was gorgeous. It reminded us a bit of Havana only much smaller and in better condition in spots. The area was almost deserted, save a few mild-mannered indigenous folk selling carvings, jewellery, tapestry, weaving etc. The Square, dedicated to the 22,000 workers who lost their lives in making the canal, led us to the very tip of the old city with a stunning view. Through the mist we could see the New City, the Pacifico, and Ancon Hill, where we were staying.

We then happened upon a 20m long bouganvaillea arch which is amazing albeit a little broken down. There were more people selling their wares. The soft sell is so sweet. Much of the colonial architecture was in ruins and there's a lot of poverty in the area. The kind that really makes your heart sad. Small doorways open onto the skinny sidewalk. I glimpsed inside through the dark and saw the sadness. Some of the old buildings had been beautifully restored. In general, the old town was much smaller than I would have thought. After 45 minutes we saw most of it. Spud saw none of it as he was lulled to sleep on daddy’s back the whole way. His sweet curls wet with humidity pressed on his head.

When he woke up we took a cookie break in Cathedral Square. Next we went to the Canal Museum which was well done but we had to rush because by that time our little traveller was getting restless. Then we found a cute restaurant for lunch. I had sancocho [Panama’s national dish, chicken and veggie stew] and Spud liked it too.

After lunch we happened upon a taxi with glorious A/C and Spud fell asleep as he usually does. Aside from the driver getting us lost and scaring the crap out of me as he aggressively crossed 3 lanes of traffic, the trip back to the B+B was pretty uneventful.