Let the Panamania begin!

My roommate Alex--this is normal.

At the Panamanian border we had one instruction: act normal. Probably for any other group this would have been an effortless task, however we’re kind of…special. In our adventure pants, chocos, and assortment of heights and accents we do not appear even remotely Costa Rican. Frequently we find ourselves on a self-proclaimed “gringo parade,” attracting attention wherever we go. We also really like to play ninja—a get-to-know-you game introduced to us on our first field trip. Although we know each other quite well now (too well?) we still haven’t stopped playing. On mountain tops, in the ocean, even in the middle of the road, ninja can happen anywhere.

We were not allowed to play ninja at the border.

With much self-restraint, we all passed through customs and crossed into Panama. We reloaded the bus and headed to the coast where, under the cover of darkness, we loaded our bags and selves on to some water taxis. In the shadow of a huge freighter we took off, speeding through polluted waters (the large banana monocultures there, like Chiquita, dump all their waste in the ocean, so the coastal waters are pretty disgusting). The taxis dropped us off on a the small island at Bocas del Drago, a beach close to the famous Bocas del Toro. My roommates from Monteverde and I secured a small beach cabaña to ourselves with a kitchen, our own bathroom, and a balcony off the upstairs bedroom. 

from left to right, the panamanian bromansion, our house,
and the rest of the girls' house

After a dinner and some ocean beers (note: Panamanian beer is gross) we collapsed in our beds, exhausted from the day of traveling.

The next morning we embarked on an orientation hike. My sleeves of my hanes white-t were quickly severed, and the brotank movement was born. Although I had long ago purchased an Imperial brotank in Monteverde, the heat of Panama quickly increased the brotank followers, and the boys’ shirts quickly lost their sleeves as well. We walked up and down the seaside village, learning all about the species found on the island, the story behind breadfruit, and even getting to see a cemetery where some of the original settlers were buried! After some snorkeling just off our beach (which ended up murdering my camera) we jumped back in the water taxis and headed out to what can only be described as Avatar Island. Sprouting up from the middle of nowhere, the tree-covered rock looked like the floating cloud islands straight out of the movie. Magnificent frigatebirds, red-billed tropic birds swooped overhead, and brown boobies nested in the rocky edges. Ornithologists apparently have a 9-year-old sense of humor…and apparently so do I because I almost fell out of the boat giggling every time somebody spotted one…

“Look, a Brown Boobie! There’s a pair of brown boobies over there!” Okay come on if you don’t think that’s funny we can’t be friends. Anyway. We continued circling the island, pretending to be Na'vi until our driver stopped, told us to grab our snorkels and head into "de wata." Year of living in the Midwest have taught me to expect an icy shock when plunging into a body of water, but bracing myself was unnecessary. The warm waters of the Caribbean greeted me, as did hundred of gorgeous fish. There were beautiful anemones and rock walls that, while barren and boobie-inhabited above water, were coated with colorful life below. I’m probably not the first one to say this, but Ariel (as in the mermaid) is an idiot. Sebastian had it right—
                                           Just look at the world around you
                                              Right here on the ocean floor
                                         Such wonderful things surround you
                                               What more is you lookin' for?

 

Being a mermaid...duh.

The next day was an entire day of snorkeling. Sporting my Imperial brotank and a thick layer of sunscreen (and I even re-applied later, Andrea you would have been so proud), I boarded the boat and settled myself on to the prow. In between all our snorkeling sites I found myself up on the prow again, soaking up the sun and sea breezes—really it’s the only way for a princess to ride in a boat.

Our first stop was at some mangroves. Now, in our first field trip we learned all about mangroves above the water—I never imagined there was anything special going on below. The roots of mangroves are absolutely teeming with life! Bright orange corals, purple anemones, and hundred of other species coated the mangrove roots. Little fish darted in between, and I was filled with wonder at everything that I saw.

Hannah Julia and I sharing a life-affirming
moment

For lunch we stopped at a little dock restaurant only accessible by boat. We had some delicious seafood stirfry, and while dangling my feet in the turquoise waters that are only supposed to exist on computer screen savers, I had one of those life-affirming moments. You know, those ones where you just take a step back and think to yourself “yep, this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

At all of our snorkeling stops that day I felt the same. With every fish I saw, every new type of coral, wonder that a thing so beautiful could still exist in this world filed me up. How can anyone hate nature? How can anyone justify destroying it?