Expect the unexpected. Words easily said, but in reality ones that are difficult to put into practice. When planning a trip of this magnitude, we knew we would experience plenty of the unexpected. We figured there would be injuries, meltdowns, equipment mishaps, transportation interruptions, hidden fees, sub-par accommodations, weather related interferences, etc. You know they will happen, it's just a matter of when, where and how you handle them.
Knowing this, we've tried to prepare for excursions as much as possible. Michael is a natural planner. He does his research so he is organized and prepared. Similar to his work with finances, he sees his job as minimizing risks. As parents, that's what we do. Again, easier said than done.
I can easily say there was plenty of the unexpected as we crossed the border from Costa Rica to Panama. We were outside our hotel and ready for the shuttle at 6:20 a.m. One reason we took a shuttle as opposed to private transport was to meet other travelers. We did find another girl waiting outside and we asked if she was also waiting for the shuttle to Panama. She was, and so we invited her over and we struck up a conversation with her. Her name was Alex and she's working in Costa Rica in international education.
The driver arrived at about 6:45. There was another couple on the bus, but they only spoke Spanish. From what Alex told us, they were mainly interested in soccer. The drive didn't start out too bad. It was interesting to see the changing neighborhoods. Talking to Alex helped pass the time and she shared what she knew about the area. We also learned quite a bit about her job. It was refreshing to meet someone new.
We made a stop for coffee and bathrooms. Liam had become interested in coffee and decided to buy a coffee latte. He tried to pay with a $5.00 bill. The bill had some markings on it, so the casheir wouldn't accept it. He he had to pay with a $20. He got his change in Costa Rican colones. They wouldn't give us U.S. dollars in change, but they'll take U.S. dollars. He was stuck with about $18.00 in colones that he couldn't do anything with because we would cross into Panama soon. Needless to say, Liam wasn't happy about that.
We stopped for lunch in Puerto Viejo. This was included in our transfer cost so it wasn't an opportunity for Liam to unload his colones....mind you, he would not easily part with his money unless he were reimbursed by us. The small resort where we ate was lovely. It was peaceful with a small pool and an area next to the restaurant with lots of koy fish. The food was excellent too. It was on the ocean, so we wandered toward the beach and took in the views. After lunch, we switched shuttle busses and driver and picked up a new passenger.
Puerto Viejo, Costa RIca
The road between resorts
The resort where we ate lunch in Puerto Viejo
We finally made it to the border town of SIxaolo at about 1:00. It was not the best neighborhood. It's a very low income area and lots of small booth type shops for last minute touristy gifts/tee shirts. The driver stopped in one of the last tee shirt shops and we were instructed to get out and get our luggage. The new girl said, "This is the border?" I told her that this is where we are paying our departure tax. We knew to expect this and oftentimes you can pay this tax at a hotel or shop. It was $7 on your credit card or $10 cash. We were planning to pay at the advertised kiosk with our credit card. Clearly there was no kiosk at the tee shirt shop. We were forced to pay cash. Unfortunately, we had very little cash.....but Liam did. We took his colones, but that would not even cover two of us. Then we looked at Maeve. I knew she had some money from her grandmothers. Maeve is far more generous and doesn't have the gangster mentality relating to money that Liam can espouse. Maeve coughed up her cash and we were set to proceed to the immigration/passport check office. We carried our backpacks down the street and up some stairs. We were not prepared for this. We thought would be driven to an office, unload and load. We didn't think we'd be walking distances or we would have packed more efficiently.
Once we got the the passport office, we noticed the kiosk. Hmmmm. We could have purchased our departure tax there with our credit card, but the shuttle bus made us stop at the tee shirt shop. The driver certainly never informed us of the kiosk at the immigration office. The shop must be making money off our stops and departure tax purchases there. They also probably hope that someone buys some last minute souvenirs.
Maeve and Liam patiently wait while Michael is inside with our passports. This is the spot where we could have used the kiosks to pay by credit card
With that little hiccup behind us, we are then instructed to cross the bridge into Panama. Sounded fine. I looked down the road and saw the bridge - seemed like a long trek with the luggage, but nothing I could do about that.
Getting ready to cross the bridge
There wasn't much I could say as I approached the bridge. I was shocked. Locals walked in to Costa Rica on the left of the tracks and we were entered Panama on the right. I'm not sure how long this bridge had been here, but nothing had changed since it was built. Apparently, buses would empty their passengers and cross on this bridge up until last year. I wasn't sure it would hold us, let alone a bus. There were three planks on each side of the tracks. They were not lined up and some were loose. At some spots, there were major gaps between planks and you had to navigate this while juggling your luggage for a good 100 meters.
That's me crossing the bridge... you can see the loose boards, open gaps with a lovely view of the distance down... all while carrying your luggage. Glad Michael managed the pic.
The first thing that enters my mind is...my mother would kill me. On the positive side, Maeve is in front of me, crossing the bridge with ease. Her backpack is properly secured on her back and she is moving along like this is no big deal. Michael and Liam are behind me. Michael has the bulk of the luggage and a freaked out ten year old. One old man stopped me and advised me to only walk on one plank....like a balance beam...as opposed to the two I was walking on...one for each foot. While his suggestion seemed wiser, it was difficult to do while balancing the luggage. The old man offered to carry my backpack for me. I kindly declined and he continued to offer. I wasn't giving up my backpack and I didn't want to stop and continue a conversation in the middle of this bridge. I guess I offended him, because he waved me off with a 'suit yourself' attitude. I apologized and explained that unloading here would throw me off balance, but he didn't seem to buy it.
We made it to the Panamanian side in tact. The nerves would need to be calmed later. We still had to clear customs and immigration on this side. Michael got stopped to have his luggage checked. This is a normal occurance for us as we enter countries. The officer noticed he had a family and asked Michael to pick a bag for inspection instead of checking everything. He didn't keep us long.
Next we found out we had to pay a tax to enter the country. Six dollars for each adult, nothing for the children. I was a bit leery of the situation, but saw that Alex had just left this 'office' having paid as well, so I felt like it was okay. There was some confusion as to the amount and where to go. There were two officers in this office. One had limited English skills, the other none. They were trying to figure out why we had four passports and were only paying for two. I stood in the doorway and told them about the dos ninos and they understood. We were eventually allowed to move on. We were the last of the group then to go to the next obstacle. Fortunately at this point, we were allowed to load our luggage in the shuttle before walking to the booth. There were plenty of men waiting to help carry your luggage for a tip. We allowed the one man associated with the shuttle service to help out....well, he didn't give us much choice since we were the last ones and we were taking the longest to clear this border gauntlet.
So off we go to the next office. There are a bunch of grungy Australian girls there, but no one else. We now have to prove we have an exit plan for Panama. You can't enter the country without showing you will leave the country. We showed them the paperwork that detailed our purchased flights out in two weeks.
All in all, this process took about an hour. We all loaded back into the shuttle van, paid off the helpers, and moved on. We were in the back dripping sweat. The AC was not working too well. A few minutes into the trip and we notice we left the main road. Next thing you know we are at someone's house picking up a girl. Seriously? I have no idea what that was all about. Could have been the driver's girlfriend or a prearranged favor, but she sat in the front and joined us for the rest of the 45 minute ride to Almirante.
Michael and Maeve walking back to our shuttle in the distance after we cleared all requirments in Panama
Almirante is the town where you catch the 25 minute water taxi to Bocas Town. We were informed there would be three water taxi options and we were supposed to call the condo owner so he could pick us up in Bocas Town. There was no phone and it didn't seem like anyone was going to help us. This water taxi must have been another prearranged deal with the shuttle boys. It was dirty, smelly and crowded.
Eventually we got onto a boat with about 20 other people, a newborn, all our luggage and a bike. The boat was weighted down and there weren't enough life jackets for everyone....not that we were encouraged to use one. At least it was a sunny day.
Michael and Maeve wait for the water taxi to arrive
The whole day was like a wicked game of dodgeball. We were the victors in the end, managing all that was thrown at us. We now had some time to relax and prep for our next adventure. It would seem our first priority in Panama would be to find a bank for cash to pay back the money owed to the children. Liam didn't know we had also borrowed money from Maeve. When he found that out he asked her, "Did they break you too?"
Enjoying a pineapple smoothy after the long ordeal
Our view from dinner after a long day