Panama

Feb 2

Written By Cat Jones

COSTS: In-country: £770.90 (£8.29 a day) // Out of country - £211 (see breakdown at the end)

CURRENCY: USD and Balboas $/B

DATE: 2nd February 2022 - 30th April 2022

DURATION: 93 days

AGE: 20

TOP APPS: Workaway/Currency Converter

French Homestay

I spent two months living just outside Panama City with a lovely French family. A Mum and daughter who had struggled to find happiness during covid in Paris and so uprooted their life to come and live here. Their rented house ‘el Refugio Del Valle’ was beautiful, surrounded by nature and local Panamanians + there was a pool and a mango tree in the front garden!

We played card games, laughed, cooked, walked the dog, swam, I practiced French (like, all the time), worked on my Open Uni course, and appreciated being accepted as part of their crazy, beautiful family. We vibed, I loved their energy and unconditional love for each other.

The daughter had experienced hard times growing up (to put it lightly) but her Mum is so patient, kind and caring. I learnt how homeschooling works and how it’s okay to not ascribe to a predefined cultural system, which in no way suits everyone.

I will appreciate them for a long time and hope they visit me in London! 💗

At the weekend we took trips to nearby ‘El Valle de Antón’, where you can visit snakes in El Serpentario and go hiking ‘La India Dormida’; a legendary mountain named after a indigenous girl (pre Spanish conquistadors) who lost herself in the jungle crying over the death of her friend and her lover - read more about the legend here . . .

Panama City

A city of skyscrapers, great food, basically neocolonial tourism (unfortunately) and a rather large canal. I had a great time here, but, as always, we make our own adventures.

I spent time here with myself, especially walking the big causeway by the sea called Avenue Balboa, but also with my then boyfriend.

I would recommend not just spending all your time in the expensive tourist area of Casco Veijo and explore more genuine (if dirtier) parts of the city. Here are some other highlights:

Hotel República: grungy enough to feel like I was in a James Bond movie, but with a rooftop terrace that put the other hostels to shame
The lovely receptionist who showed me around when he got off work on the first day I arrived; helping me find where the bus stop was, how to get wifi working on my phone, how to use the metro and even paying for my metro card!
Beautiful murals

Trying ceviche and yuca fries for the first time in different fonda’s (the term for a good cheap restaurant)
The Museum of Contemporary Art, which had a very interesting exhibition about transgender history in central and South America at the time

Maracuya (passion fruit) juice
The Afro-Antillean museum. Housed in a chapel 100s of years old, this museum explained the true history of those who suffered to build the canal
Aeriel yoga! 🕺🏽
The canal! twas very interesting for me to see as I was studying international relations

‘Lost and Found’ hostel

I spent three weeks volunteering in this amazing hostel, nestled in the northern jungles of Panama. It was very, very fun. I felt like I got to lived the student experience I felt I sometimes missed out on, following the path I chose.

The volunteer work was chill. 3 hours a day, 5 days a week; changing bed sheets, doing dishes, tidying and cooking. In return I got free accommodation - saving 250 quid!

The rest of the time I mainly:

went hiking and swam in some lovely waterfalls 🌊 + being over the moon when my phone survived after falling in the water too!

studied 📚 and explained my studies with Open Uni to anyone who asked

enjoyed the spectacular sunsets with friends 🌤

and partied, hard 💁‍♀️

Out-of-country cost breakdown

£ 149.64 Flight (split cost across the whole Central America trip)
£ 51.48 Travel Insurance (^ ditto)
£ 10 Health-related costs (nothing special, just paracetamol, suncream etc. as I already had yellow-fever vaccination)
£ 0 Visa (visitors are allowed to stay 90 days without a visa)