So the quick update:

After Bocas, I trekked down to Boquette, a small town nestled in the mountains of Panama. I took an old school bus to get there with a few friends I ran into from Puerto Viejo. We stayed at Nomba, a hotelito (very small hostel). I did a night in the natural hot springs under the full moon, walked the streets taking photos, and climbed a volcano. The volcano, Volcán Barú, was the most amazing – we started hiking at midnight and got to the top (15 km later) at 5:30. I was at the top alone in the complete (freezing) black for about 20 minutes before anyone else joined me. As the sun rose I could see both the Caribbean and the Pacific coasts. It was an amazing experience, despite the altitude headache (11,398 ft high), and though the trek down sucked just as much as the ascent, I loved it. 13 hours later I was back at the hostel, clean and ready to sleep.

After Boquette I went to Dominical on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, where I pretty much finished out my trip. I kind of forgot to get my passport stamped into Costa Rica, a mistake I thought would cost me. Nobody noticed. I meant to stay in Dominical only a few days, but after making friends, I spent several days just relaxing on the beach and having a great time. A bonfire was had under the stars, and the ghetto beach-front hostel held an amazingly tight group of travelers by day 3.

Tuesday I had to make my way back towards San José for my flight. I planned on bussing it, but as I realized I’d have to wait a few hours to get to San Isidro (on my way to Cartago), I decided instead to hitchhike. Several friends had done it the day before, and it was only a hour, so I thought I’d give it a shot. After hiking for about 20 minutes in the heat of the day, I was passed by a propane truck, to which I had greeted in Dominical that morning.  The driver, Fernando, offered me a ride (without me even asking). Turns out he was going to Cartago, where he lived, so he drove me all 4 hours and helped me find my hotel. He was such a nice old man, and seeing the mountains of Costa Rica in the central highlands from the window of a propane truck is certainly something I’ll never forget. I will also never forget how I still couldn’t speak Spanish all that well and he’d be really descriptive with his hands so we could communicate.

The night was spent in a nice room to myself, in another city (which, thankfully, was not San José). I ate at a soda and watched the sunset over a plaza. In the morning I had one of the best gallo pinto meals ever and jumped on some buses.  Our plane to Miami suffered a bit of a delay, causing me to almost miss my connection (several people did miss it due to customs), but I got home safe and sound and I’m laying in my bed, getting ready to upload photos and figure out what to do with my life now. I’m excited about my next trip, but that’s some time down the road. When that comes, I’ll try to be a bit better at blogging. Hasta.

Just to bring you folks up to speed…

Thursday was a good day. After shooting some surfers in the morning, I headed down the beach with my camera gear to explore. I walked half way to Panama. Not even joking. I would have kept going had it not started to rain. As I stood in the mangroves keeping myself somewhat dry, I was worried. I had my equipment with me, it was kind of cold, it was pouring rain, and it would be getting dark soon. I stood there contemplating what to do when it occurred to me. What was the worst that could happen? I put my gear in my waterproof bag and walked down the coast – the worst thing that could happen is that I would be a little chilly while walking up the Caribbean coast of a tropical country. Screw being worried, that’s not for me down here. I got back to the hostel with no problems.

Friday I rented bikes with Mike and we rode down to Manzanilla, a 45 minute ride south of Puerto Viejo. The bikes cost a cool $3 a day, and the ride was well worth it. Manzanilla is absolutely beautiful, and we met some really interesting people along the way. After cruising the beach, we stopped and hung out with our friend James, who was climbing a tree to grab some coconuts. We had some (sour) coconut milk and headed back into town. On the way we saw some monkeys in a tree and stopped at a tiny soda run out of a house, ate for $3 and embarrassed ourselves with our Spanish skills around some Argentinian girls.

Today we got up and jumped on the bus to Panama. I stood, uncomfortably for the first bit. I realized after I finally got a seat on the packed out bus that I enjoyed standing more – I got to connect with the Costa Rican people, if even in a small way, as we stood and bumped into each other around the curves.

On the way to Bocas del Toro in Panama, the following was notable:

• We saw a sloth on the side of the road. We got out and took photos, and it sprinted away from us at .03 miles an hour.
• The passport stamper was at lunch, so we waited an hour for her to return.
• A Panamanian boy, Alex, was hungry. I bought him some frozen Guavano.
• The boat ride was quite rough, and I thought we might sink.

Now I’m staying at Mondo Taitu, a hostel run by friends of my friend Naomi, who went to Emory in Atlanta together. They’re cool guys and the place is equally chill to the other places I’ve stayed. Thankfully quite a bit smaller. Tonight we ate Greek. I’ll be here a few days.

More photos…

This morning saw me up at 7:30 to go watch surfing. My rented lens is long, but not that long – they’re way, way out there riding huge waves. I was thinking about trying to get a boat to go out and shoot from there, but I’m not sure if I’ll do that or not. The big surf break, Salsa Brava, is pretty dangerous for surfers – there’s a huge coral reef that’s quite sharp. Sometimes you see guys wearing not only reef booties, but also helmets. Guess this isn’t the place for me to learn. Today I’m gonna do some beach walking. Probably check out Playa Cocoa just a 15 minute walk from where I’m staying. It’s supposed to be white and sandy and awesome.

After this, I think I’m going to Boca del Toros, in Panama. But perhaps I’ll chill here at the beach for a few days. As always, more photos here.

Anyway, I’m going to bed. I’m getting up early, making pancakes, and hitting the road with Mike. We’re taking a 4 1/2 hour bus to Puerto Viejo, where you can find the best surfing in Costa Rica (if not Central America), on the Caribbean coast. After that…who knows? Really itching to get out of city though.

Today I didn’t take so many photos, but I did put photos up of the hostel. Check them out on my photostream.

Until next time, enjoy the snow, and I’ll enjoy the rays.

• After a few celebratory glasses of Champagne, boarded a 5am plane on no sleep.
• Slept the on plane (and have neck cramps to prove it).
• Figured out how to take a bus after watching 7 buses pass.
• Found a hostel, much to the delight of my tired shoulders.
• Attended a protest of CAFTA and TLC (Tratado de Libre Comercio, to my dismay, and not, in fact, the band that sang “Waterfalls”).
• Had drinks and dinner with some guys from the hostel.
• Found out my hostel has wireless.

Also, I have met:

• a NYC cabbie from Haiti
• a couple from upstate NY traveling to Belize for vacation
• the Vice President of Chiquita Bananas
• a mother, her 3 kids and an uncle on their way to a cushy Costa Rican resort for a family wedding
• Rodrigo, who has been traveling since Februray. Of last year.
• Mike, who paints houses in Boston.
• Rodrigo’s new friend and her boyfriend (I don’t remember their names)
• Dominic, who despite having a name with a negative connotation, seems like a good guy.
• 31 prostitutes. They’re everywhere.

Now I sleep, but don’t forget to check out my photos (I’ll figure out putting them here later).