Boquete

Just returned to Panama City after having spent 3 days in the beautiful mountain town of Boquete, near the western border with Costa Rica. I wasn’t crazy about taking a bus 7 hours back towards CR, but the cool mountain air more than made up for it.

The town is situated at about 1200 meters of elevation, surrounded by mountain streams and lots of cloud forest. On Thursday we went for a hike, with my goal being to site the famed quetzal, a colorful bird native to the area (photo above, as example). But unfortunately, no quetzals were spotted.

On Friday, Mike and I went our separate ways. Or that is, he went his way and I stayed behind in Boquete. Mike has a couple more days than me in Panama, so it made sense for him to work in one last leg of the trip. So yesterday morning he took off for the islands on Panama’s northwest coast, known as Bocas del Toro.

With Mike gone in the morning, I lounged around the hostal with the staff and a few other travelers. Some of the hostal “staff” had come to Boquete with plans to stay only a few days, then ended up being recruited by the friendly and gregarious owner, Miguel. So two of the would-be backpackers ended up staying there a couple of months.

Later in the day, several of us hopped into Miguel’s truck, to drive up the mountain for a quick hike and a few afternoon beers. It was clear after the first few minutes that they intended to lure me into sticking around Boquete. “Don’t take the morning bus tomorrow. It’ll be full and makes a million stops. Go in the afternoon,” says Miguel.

They were a lot of fun, but I assured them I would be leaving in the morning.

So now I am back in Panama City at the same hostel where we started the trip, getting ready for a new leg of the adventure. At 3pm I head to the airport, to meet up with a Peace Corps friend coming from Costa Rica, and then board a flight to Cartagena, Colombia.

A few words should probably be said about my Panama travel partner, Mike, who I’m going to miss. Mike and I had not really hung out much for more than 5 or 6 years, ever since we studied abroad together in Valencia, Spain. However, when we spoke at Christmas and he mentioned he was interested in making a trip to Latin America, I jumped at the chance to travel with him.

My instincts did not fail me. He’s been a lot of fun to hang out with these days – always game for an adventure and meeting new people.

On the islands in San Blas, Mike kept myself and our fellow islanders marveled by his knowledge of all kinds of subjects – from biology and geography, to astronomy and Spanish (Mike is fluent). At some point during the trip Mike mentioned that he was interested in possibly seeking work as a teacher for his next job.

After listening to him talk very articulately about a variety of subjects for two days, it became clear that he would make an incredible teacher. So between myself and our other island friends, we encouraged him to go back home and become a teacher. The regular hours of a teaching job would also suit him, as he is coming from a job where he burned out due to the extremely demanding and unregular hours.

By Boquete, it looked like our lobbying was starting to bear fruit. Once we said our goodbyes, Mike had decided he would go home to begin the process of qualifying to become a teacher, which first involves taking a few required education courses at a university.

So I’m excited for him, and the kids that will benefit if he does go on to teach. I also look forward to seeing him later this year in Melbourne, FL, where he currently lives, to watch one of the last shuttle launches.

Colombia / Presidential Elections

Now, it’s on to Colombia. I’m extremely excited to be going to this country, where the Latin feel should be much stronger than Panama, which has had so much American influence.

We fly to Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast. Today, Cartagena is know for it’s tourism. It was recommended by a State Department friend, as it is friendly to tourists and safe.

Also, we will be fortunate to be present for Colombia’s presidential election on Sunday. The two frontrunners are the Conservative Party candidate, Juan Manuel Santos, and the Green Party candidate (not related to the American Green Party), Antanas Mockus.

The election comes at an important time for Colombia. The previous 8 years under the Conservative president, Alvaro Uribe, have brought great gains in the security situation throughout the country, as the military has greatly weakened the left-wing FARC.

Because of these changes, the conservative candidate should, and does, hold an advantage. Santos is up by roughly two points (38% to 36%) over Mockus in the latest polling.

However, it is extremely suprising that Mockus has even been able to achieve these numbers. Somehow, by campaigning with an emphasis on human rights and environmental protection, he has been able to strike a chord with Colombians, especially young voters.

It appears that after the recent security gains, Colombians are beginning to demand something more from their government.

Also, Mockus is no pushover on defense. Pretty much any presidential candidate in Colombia must have a proven defense record to be a serious contender, with the country’s history of violence. Mockus is a former mayor of Bogota, credited with reforming the local government, and ex-university professor in Mathematics and Philosophy.

Santos, on the other hand, is the establishment candidate. He is known as Uribe’s hand-picked sucessor, as he was Defense Minister under Uribe.

Colombia appears to be on the cusp of some very important changes in its society. I’m really excited to see what this presidential election will bring. Also, I’m interested in being around the atmosphere of the election, and seeing if it is at all similar to the Costa Rican attitude towards elections.

Costa Ricans mainly treat the elections as they would a football game, taking to the streets with flags of their party (or team), driving down the streets honking, and yelling for their candidate. I imagine it might be something similar in Colombia. It will also be an opportunity to talk politics with some Colombians.

The election winner must receive at least 50% of the vote to win, which would be extremely difficult for Mockus or Santos to achieve, so we can most likely expect a runoff.

Will come back in a few days with some thoughts on Cartagena and the election.