Our time in Costa Rica and Panama has come to an end. It's been a great three weeks. Here are our last top takeaways before we head to South America.
Solo water taxi home from Isla Bastimentos in Bocas del Toro.
1. Cash is not king; dryness is king. We totally took for granted the humidity level of New York. In the jungle, nothing ever dries properly...especially if you try to do your own laundry. Mold can grow in hotel rooms given the constant humidity, which aggravates my asthma. If you spend three weeks down in this part of the world, expect to feel some degree of moist most of the time.
2. We are sick of our clothes. We knew this would happen, just not so soon. We wear the same outfits all the time. And I love Sarah's new Montauk t-shirt, but it's made an appearance four times this week. We might be buying some new stuff in Colombia.
3. The weather has a huge impact on what we decide to do. When it was beautifully sunny in Bocas, we were very excited to get out on the water and sail; when it was pouring rain in Bocas, we were much more motivated to be lazy (though to be fair, I was finishing up Gone Girl, so I think I have a decent excuse for wanting to stay in and read). Fortunately, we should be headed to dryer climates for the rest of this leg of the trip.
4. Speaking of reading, we've both read much more so far than we did when back in New York. I think our collective total is nine books so far.
5. Sarah is a new person with regard to her "getting ready" routine. In New York, it would rarely be less than one hour. In the jungle, it can be as short as 10 minutes. Bravo, babe!
6. Reading reviews beforehand is very helpful. Doesn't matter if on TripAdvisor, Lonely Planet or whatever your preferred travel site is - getting feedback before making a decision on a meal, tour, adventure, etc. is very worth the time. We haven't had a bad experience yet when we consulted TripAdvisor beforehand; can't say the same about our "Oh this place looks cute" barometer.
7. I feel totally behind on current music in the States. Besides "Fancy" what is everyone listening to? Not sure Spotify's Top 100 Tracks in the USA is that good an indication.
8. Prices vary from place to place and country to country. Of course this is an obvious point, but I would've expected prices to be more expensive in Bocas del Toro than in San Jose (shouldn't meals on an island cost more than meals in the capital city of Costa Rica?). Not the case. Not that I'm complaining though.
9. Local poverty is hard to ignore. Certainly we'll see more of this along the way, but it is somewhat startling to see just how little some of the locals have. Despite the poverty, all the locals we've spoken to have been very nice and welcoming.
10. I'm ready to get out of San Jose. We've been in the city four times now. That's enough - time to see something new!
Peak: Sailing around Bocas (and snorkeling)
Pit: Our one night in Tesoro Escondido (the cabin overlooking the Caribbean in Bocas) - really just wasn't an enjoyable experience
Next stop: Bogota & Cartagena, Colombia