Panama City

13th May 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

Panama City is unlike any other place I’ve been in Central America. It is a large metropolis and doesn’t look like anywhere else in the region with its skyscrapers on one side and colonial town on the other. After a week and a half of discovering everything else that Panama has to offer (and it’s a lot!), finishing in the nation’s capital felt like a must. It was our last stop in Panama, a country that really surprised me and that I really enjoyed. Panama City wasn’t my favourite of the places that we visited but I still had a great time!

Getting from Boquete to Panama City involved a long travel day, 10 hours in total. Our hostel was called Magnolia Inn and honestly, it was like a luxury hostel that felt a little more like a hotel. I really liked it though it wasn’t necessarily the most sociable place as a lot of people seemed to be there as part of a group or a family. This didn’t bother us too much because as you’ll read about later, we actually knew a number of people who were in Panama City at the same time as us! The hostel itself was beautiful, had a great big kitchen, a HIGHLY air conditioned lounge (no complaints here!) and is very central in the neighbourhood of Casco Viejo. This is the old district of Panama city. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and dates back to 1673, although it all looks pretty new as there has been a big effort to renovate it recently. One day we did a walking tour to learn a little bit more and while it was interesting, I also thought the guide was a little dry. He clearly knew his stuff but I think he suffered from having done it so many times because it was all a bit rote. It was still good to be led around Casco Viejo a little more, see some new areas and learn a little more.

There’s obviously one thing that comes to mind when most people think of Panama City and we’ll get there but we actually did a lot of other great things! At Hannah’s request we went to MAC Panama, the modern art museum. Sometimes modern art goes a little over my head but I really enjoyed this museum, especially the exhibition ‘Esto es lo que hay‘ by Donna Conlan and Jonathon Harker. It wasn’t trying too hard to be clever, it just was clever and it was fun! The exhibit called itself ‘una retrospectiva seriamente juguetona‘ – a seriously playful flashback. One video used empty bottles of national beer to play the American national anthem, also used as a drinking song by a London gentlemen’s club. The names of the Panamanian beers – Panamá, Soberana and Balboa – reflect aspects of the country’s history and identity, evoking the complex relationship between Panama and the US and shows how national symbols can be arbitrary and deceiving.

After visiting the MAC, Hannah had another request. She wanted to head to the well known Mercado de Mariscos (the seafood market) to try ceviche! Ceviche is a classic dish in Panama and I had never had it before but I have to say, I’m not the biggest fan. We made a bad choice with the black conch because it was extremely chewy but the white fish and shrimp options were better. Some other good spots for food and drink that we tried in Panama City- Tantalo has a great rooftop bar and so does the Selina hostel, both in Casco Viejo. We ate twice at Nomada Eatery, near our hostel. The food was decent but more importantly it’s cheap, the vibes were good and we had a good time sheltering from the rain playing Jenga one night. Panama can be a little more expensive than its Central American neighbours (other than Costa Rica) so La 10 is a great place to save some money! Beers and cocktails are all $1.65 and they also have cheap small plates (though they’re not very good).

A pleasant surprise was Parque Metropolitano, a massive park in the centre of the city which is the perfect place for some hiking, to hang out with some turtles, see sloths and get a great view of the city. It was lovely to have such a big green space in the centre of such a large metropolis and it only costs $1 for nationals and $4 for foreigners. The park boasts almost 300 species of birds, 64 mammal species, 39 species of reptiles and 21 of amphibians. There are a selection of trails but even the most challenging is pretty short and manageable. There are lots of things to look at which makes the perfect excuse to stop for a breather if you need to! It was the kind of hiking that I like where it wasn’t really hiking, more of just a walk around. It was a bit steep up the final bit to the viewpoint but it was nice to look out over the city in one direction and then out to the canal on the other side.

Now time for the main event, or almost. Something I would recommend doing before you visit the Panama canal itself is to visit the Canal Museum which is in Casco Viejo. Visiting the museum before the canal gave us more context for what we saw the next day. There’s so much information inside, some of which I found a little dry, but some really interesting and you can pick and choose the areas where you want to spend more time. One area that I was particularly impressed with was the booth where anyone can go in and record their own account of the events of December 1989, the US invasion of Panama. I think this is an incredible use of the museum to allow anyone who has a story to tell to share their own experience and to make it accessible to everyone visiting the museum. History should be told by the people who lived it but often it’s only a very limited and specific group of people who get that opportunity. Particularly in the case of much more recent history, where the effects might still be unfolding and the experiences are still fresh, I think it’s important to record that. I would love to see more of this in museums.

When it finally came to visiting the canal itself, I was really looking forward to it! I’ve always been quite fascinated by the idea of the canal so it was my one non-negotiables of our visit. To get to the canal, there are various tours or you can just do it yourself. It’s a bit difficult by bus so Hannah and I plus another friend went via taxi. Our first taxi driver in Panama City was super friendly and had given us his number in case we needed anything. He took us to the canal, waited for 1.5 hours and took us back for $30 total (he also gave us some information on things that we passed on the way). It took us about 20 minutes to get there from where we were staying in Casco Viejo (with no traffic on a Saturday morning). We got there at 8am because we had been advised that the last boat of the morning would be passing through around then and there wouldn’t be another until 2.30pm. I definitely think it’s worth asking around about these timings to make sure that you don’t make the trip out there for nothing.

Saying that, all the tour groups had the same idea so it was very busy! Luckily we got through just in time to see the last boat make its way through, even if it was over the heads of a crowd. Other than watching the boats go through, there is also a 45 min film narrated by Morgan Freeman included in your entrance fee. It was interesting but there were a few areas that I think it glossed over. It’s the only other thing to see around the canal which is why I think going to the museum before is a good idea because you can approach the (very positively framed) film a bit more critically. The most interesting thing I learnt about the canal (although I can’t actually remember where) was related to the tariffs that boats pay to go through. This is calculated by weight and a modern cargo ship can expect to pay around $800,000. The smallest fee was only 36 cents and was charged to travel writer Richard Halliburton in 1928 when he swam the length of the canal!

Overall, I was really pleased that I finally got to visit somewhere that I’ve been interested in for years. A big part of what made it so great was our taxi driver, Ariel! He was the first person Hannah and I met in Panama as he took us from the bus station to our hostel when we arrived. We immediately warmed to him after he found out we were from Scotland and started talking about the Scottish boxer, Ken Buchanan. He was a huge fan and even though we had never heard of him, Ariel’s enthusiasm was infectious! He gave us his number in case we needed a lift anywhere else while we were in Panama City and we ended up using him a few times, both for the canal and then to go to the airport. He was good fun, kept things appropriate, acted as a bit of a tour guide on the way to the canal and then changed a flat tire in about five minutes on the way home! On the way out of Casco Viejo to the canal, we also got a view of Ancon Hill, the home of the largest Panamanian flag! Ancon Hill was previously controlled by the US government and was home to administration for the canal. In 1977, Panama was given back control over the canal and the flag the size of a football field was erected here as a symbol of Panama’s sovereignty.

Panama City was a really special place for me because of the people we met or reconnected with. From my time working in France, I actually have a friend from Panama City who I had reached out to before we arrived. Mafe gave us some recommendations (going to Parque Metropolitano was her idea so thank you!). We had a bit of a chaotic afternoon when we tried to meet up with her. We agreed on meeting at the Amador causeway, a 6km strip extending into the ocean away from the city, built out of the rock excavated from the Panama canal! We got dropped at the far end of the causeway, planning to walk back but we definitely underestimated the heat that day! What was cool though was that from the beautiful weather on the causeway, we could look over the water to the skyscrapers of the city and see dark clouds and rain rolling in. Eventually we caught up with Mafe and her friend Ricardo at a restaurant. It was great to see her again and a lovely reminder that the world is a small place!

There were others that we got to reconnect with while in Panama City, all people that we had met in the Lost and Found hostel. Makenzie, an American girl who we had arrived at Lost and Found with, arrived to our dorm in Magnolia Inn and came to the canal with us. We also got to see the Dutch trio, meeting up with them for some food, drinks and an embarrassingly bad game of beer pong! They were such a lovely group and we were sad that we didn’t get to see more of them. Saying that, we did see one of their number, Tomas, when we were in Colombia but Livia and Youri headed home from Panama City. We also saw more of Makenzie in Colombia, right before flying home.

This brings me to the end of our time in Panama. Initially, Panama was only really meant to act as a stopover between Honduras and Colombia. It was also going to be the last country I had to cross off in Central America, I can now say that I’ve visited them all! But in the end, it was so much more than this. Panama has such a variety of things to offer, the infrastructure is pretty good for tourists, I found the people to be welcoming and helpful and I think that it attracts a type of traveller that I’m likely to get along with (maybe with the exception of the party hotspot of Bocas del Toro). Now that I’m living in Costa Rica, Panama is just next door and I’m definitely hoping to get back there again!

Boquete

29th Apr 202413th May 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

After leaving the Lost and Found hostel on the side of a mountain in Panama, we really didn’t go very far to our next destination, Boquete. As the crow flies, it’s less than 50km away although it’s almost three times that distance by road. We had a packed few days here although when we first arrived, all we knew was that Hannah wanted to climb the volcano and that I did not! Boquete is known for the Barú volcano, the highest point in Panama. It’s an all day hike that many do overnight in order to watch the sunrise from the top. You can actually see Volcán Baru, the background to Boquete, from the terrace of Lost and Found!

The view of Volcán Baru from Lost and Found hostel

I actually really enjoyed our few days in Boquete, not just because the weather was a bit cooler and fresher. Despite this, and arriving on an air-conditioned chicken bus (quite the novelty!), things quickly went downhill when we were trying to find our hostel. We stayed in Blasina Beer Hostel which was associated with the town’s brewing company. Originally we were booked in somewhere else but when we were staying in Lost and Found we found out that we could get a discount at Blasina so we cancelled and rebooked. It was about half the price of the other place which was great but it wasn’t my favourite hostel. It was pretty simple, not much of an atmosphere and there were ants in the room (not uncommon but annoying). It was also impossible to find! The original location that we headed to (according to Google Maps) was next to the brewing company but it was a construction site and clearly being renovated. We had no idea where to go and I could not for the life of me find a number to call. We managed to get on the still functional wifi and found a different location on Hostelworld. We headed to the second spot but it just looked like a normal house, not a hostel. We asked in the sandwich shop across the road and the owner wasn’t sure but phoned someone to ask where Blasina was. It turns out that it was somewhere else entirely but Nuria, the lovely sandwich shop owner, drove us there (only a few minutes away) and helped us find the right place.

Hannah decided to get her climb of the volcano out of the way on our first day, leaving at 3am in order to try and get to the top for sunrise. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible so she couldn’t see anything! She still enjoyed the climb, though she said it was pretty hard. I had most of the day to myself but there wasn’t anything in particular that I wanted to do. In fact, I didn’t want to do much at all! I went for a walk in the morning that had me almost literally bump into a German couple, Jennifer and Victor, who we had met at our previous hostel! They had decided at the last minute to come to Boquete for a night and were also staying in Blasina so I offered to walk them there otherwise they would never find it! For the afternoon I found a nice coffee and chocolate shop called The Perfect Pair and settled there to work on a blog.

I met Hannah back at the hostel when she finished and she was on a high, not tired at all! We went for a walk to see some more of the town together. Right across the road from Blasina there was this incredible bookshop called Librería Bloise. It’s like a treasure trove of second hand books in both English and Spanish, of all genres and a great place to peruse the packed shelves. Later in the evening, we met Vincent and Jennifer at the Boquete Brewing Company because it was linked with our hostel and we got a discount. It was a fun place to hang out and try some of their specialty beers. There is also a food truck in the court yard called Aqui Va la Niña that sells incredible burgers! They are the perfect accompaniment to some beers.

There are some aguas termales outside Boquete that we considered going to the following day but they were a bit difficult to get to by public transport. Another popular thing to do in Boquete is a coffee tour but Hannah and I were already planning on doing that in Colombia so we were looking for something else. We settled on something that was a little different for us, visiting the Jungla de Panamá, a wildlife sanctuary a $5 taxi ride outside of Boquete (it’s best to arrange with the driver to come back and pick you up). We basically got a private tour to see all the animals, including giving Daisy the spider monkey some fruit! We also got to meet the monkeys, coati, goats, horse, rabbits and birds. A lot of the animals, including Lupita the coati, were pets and were given up and brought to the sanctuary. Hannah loved the birds the most, I… did not. I prefer birds from a distance but I did have a nice chat with Paco the parrot! It was a $25 entrance fee which I personally think was very steep, especially considering it only took an hour to see everything. Everything I had seen online said that it was free or donations as well. I think $10-15 would be a much more appropriate price point. We still stayed when we discovered the price because we had already arranged for our taxi to come back in an hour and a half and at least the money is going to a good cause. A side note, it was all in Spanish and I’m not sure if it would be possible, at least in as much detail, in English.

In the afternoon, we were also doing something a little unexpected. That might be the word to describe Boquete in general, maybe because I didn’t have that many expectations to begin with, but it was all good! Remember the coffee shop, The Perfect Pair, where I went while Hannah was climbing the volcano? Well, we went back there to do a chocolate making class! It was $39 for a two hour class with a free drink included and three chocolate bars to take home at the end. We were initially a bit sceptical about the price but it was absolutely worth it in the end. We had Christina guiding us through the chocolate making process. She was fantastic, engaging, fun and really knew her stuff! Some chocolate facts that I learnt in the workshop – beans are fermented for 7-9 days, they spend 2-3 days drying in the sun and then are roasted for 40 mins at 142ºC. If chocolate tastes too bitter, then it has been roasted for too long or at too high a temperature. Roasting is what gives chocolate the nutty flavour. The Perfect Pair wasn’t using their own cocoa beans yet, they are two years into growing their own supply but it takes 4-5 years for them to be ready. The Perfect Pair uses their own cocoa butter instead of oil to mix with the blended cacao nibs as it is solid and keeps the chocolate from melting as easily. Oil is extracted from a second batch of cacao and the remnants are used to make cocoa powder! The province of Bocas del Toro produces the most cacao in Panama because of the higher temperatures. We got to use coloured milk powder to make patterns for our chocolate bars and then we tempered the melted chocolate which means cooling it down from around 37º to around 25º so it has a nice shine and snap. There’s a machine that does it for big batches but we did it by hand which involves spreading it across the countertop and moving it around. We added toppings like various nuts, coconut or Oreos after we poured the chocolate into the mould and voila! We had our own, handcrafted chocolate bars!

Our last night in Boquete was a relaxed affair. At this point in the trip, budget strings were bring pulled a little tighter so we started cooking for ourselves a little more. In Honduras, it’s generally just as cheap to go out as buy groceries, especially if you eat at the comedores. Panama was a bit more expensive and we still had a while to go on the trip so we wanted to make our money go further. It was also nice to choose exactly what we wanted to make as well. We spent the evening cooking some mac and cheese with a nice salad. Hannah went on a walk after we ate but came back to get me because she’d stumbled on an artisan’s market that she wanted to show me! It was a great wee find, good for some souvenirs and to add to my ever growing earring collection. Then it was off to bed early before a big travel day to Panama City!

Lost and Found Hostel

16th Apr 202424th Apr 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

Stop number two in Panama was all about the hostel rather than the place itself. But when the hostel is in the middle of the cloud forest on the side of a mountain, you can understand the appeal. Touted as Panama’s only hike-in jungle hostel, Lost and Found hostel is the experience in and of itself. That’s not to say there isn’t plenty to do in the area if you want to, as you’ll see, but it’s also a great place to do nothing. I discovered Lost and Found on Instagram somehow before Hannah and I really started planning the trip and worked the rest of our Panama itinerary around it. It was also conveniently on the road from Bocas del Toro to Boquete, which would be our next stop.

The boat tour that we did in Bocas came with a deal on a shuttle from the ferry that would drop us off at the bottom of the hill to Lost and Found. This was very helpful because it’s pretty much just a random spot on the side of the highway. If you are visiting and not getting a shuttle, there are in depth directions on their website from all the destinations you might be coming from and most of the bus drivers will know where it is anyway! The trek up from the road isn’t too bad, only about 15 minutes but pretty steep. I would say just take your time, I definitely did because I had sprained my ankle a few weeks before the trip, and I would recommend arriving during the day because I wouldn’t want to do the hike up at night. The main area of the hostel is built around the dining area with some hammocks and big tables perfect for meeting people and making friends. There’s also a comfortable living area and a fairly big kitchen that I used once but it’s not that great. Group meals are available each day though. All of the meals are vegetarian, if not vegan, and cost between $5-6. The pancakes for breakfast were delicious but so huge that I couldn’t finish them by myself! I ended up sharing with other people most mornings. For one lunch I had bean burritos with plantain chips and chickpea coconut curry one evening for dinner.

We were welcomed by a beautiful sunset on our first night, a recurring theme throughout our stay. The common area looks out over the trees and you can actually see Volcan Baru in the distance, which Hannah would be climbing a few days later! There was lots of wildlife around including lots of hummingbirds coming to the feeders that were hung everywhere. There were also a lot of bugs, moths, caterpillars, spiders and unfortunately mosquitoes. Definitely make sure you have bug spray. There was also a really cute cat! The rooms are in a smattering of buildings a little further down the slope from the main communal area. We were in a dorm but were the only people in there to start with!

That evening, Hannah wasn’t feeling great so she went down to bed to chill but I hung out with the other people that were around. We were lucky that even though the hostel was quiet, we met a few great groups of people. I think it’s easy to make friends with other travellers who are often doing the same thing as you with a similar mindset, although you’ll still meet people that you just don’t vibe with. However I also think that the environment can make that easier or harder and this was an easy place to get talking to others. In fact, almost everyone we became friends with here, we had either crossed paths with before or met up with afterwards! There was an American girl, Makenzie, who arrived on the same shuttle as us who we saw a week or so later in Panama City and then right at the end of our trip when we were all in Bogota before flying home. We met a pair of Spanish cousins who had been on the same dive boat with us a few days before in Bocas del Toro. On our second day we spent the evening with a German couple that I almost literally bumped into on the streets of Boquete a few days later. We also became good friends with a Dutch trio who we saw again in Panama City with Makenzie, one of whom, Tomas, we met up with again in Salento in Colombia and travelled with for a week.

For our first full day, we were met with heavy rain and strong winds which we took as a sign to get cosy and slow down for a few hours. It did eventually start to brighten up so Hannah and I went to explore some of the trails around the hostel with another girl. I wasn’t out for that long before I decided to turn around. The paths were very steep and after the rain, very slippery and I was worried about injuring my ankle again. The rest of the afternoon was spent planning the Colombian portion of our trip, enjoying the hot showers in the cool climate and just generally chilling. There is a little bar on site that they open if there are at least five people who are interested. It doesn’t sound like a lot and it wouldn’t be in the high season but as we were there in the low season which is also the rainy season, it was pretty quiet. We managed to gather the troops that evening though and played some giant dare jenga with $1.50 beers that were cheaper than the fizzy drinks!

The rain continued the next day but we didn’t let it stop us! We headed down the mountain with a group of girls, hoping that there would be better weather. And we got it! We got the bus down to Gualaca, thirty minutes down the road in the direction of David, which is known for its canyon. It’s a ten minute walk from the main road that goes through Gualaca and was a beautiful spot filled with locals enjoying their Sunday. The canyon really looks like the ground has been cracked in half, running narrowly for 40m or so before it opens up. If you jump in at one end, the current will float you down to the pool at the other end. After swimming a bit and lying on the rocks in the sun, our wee group split up a bit with some people heading to their next destination, others wanting to hit up some nearby waterfalls while Hannah and I wanted to relax some more.

I was a bit tired that evening and wasn’t feeling in the mood for socialising and meeting new people. Sometimes those kind of evenings are very necessary, especially as there’s usually quite a high turnover among the people you meet which can be quite draining. Thankfully I shook myself out of it that night and went up to the bar with Hannah and a new group of guests. This is when we got to know the German couple, Jennifer and Vincent, and the Dutch trio, Tomas, Liv and Youri, who we would see again elsewhere. I really enjoyed their company, they were the kind of people that I find it really easy to get along with and have that almost immediate sense of familiarity with.

We were checking out of the Lost and Found the next day but Boquete, our next stop, was only a couple of hours away so we decided to go on one more adventure before leaving. We went with the German couple and Dutch trio to discover the Cuatro Cascadas (Four Waterfalls). We got a bus ten minutes down the road to Los Planes where we paid the $1 entry fee for access to the waterfall hike. We walked along to the last waterfall and worked our way back. Each waterfall had a little trek down and then back up to the main trail to get to it. The first two were nice but nothing too special, although they had nice big pools for swimming in. The third waterfall had a longer trek down and the fourth was the hardest but the most spectacular. On the way down to this one there was supposed to be a hot spring as well. Maybe this was on me but I was thinking about the ones in Gracias in Honduras so I was expecting a little pool that we could have a dip in (the waterfalls were very cold!) but it was really more of a trickle, much more suitable for dipping your toes into.

We hiked back up to the road and again it was time to part ways. This time it was Hannah and I heading back to the hostel to get our bags while the rest of the group headed down to Gualaca to the canyon. The hike up to the hostel was still tough, despite having done it a few times at this point. We actually ended up having a really nice travel day, not just because we had time to actually do something fun before spending several hours on a bus. We first had to head to David and from there change to a bus to Boquete. To get a bus anywhere from Lost and Found (that isn’t a private shuttle), you head down to the main road and just wait for one to drive past and hope it has space and stops! In this case, one came along almost immediately and once we arrived in David we were able to get straight on a bus to Boquete. It was probably the easiest travel day of the whole trip!

Bocas del Toro

1st Apr 202413th Apr 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

The second country on my big summer trip was Panama, the last country in Central America that I had yet to visit. When I was planning a trip to Honduras and Colombia, I thought that Panama would make the perfect stop on the way. At first, I’ll admit that it was a bit of a tick box exercise to ‘complete’ Central America but in the end, I was so pleasantly surprised! Panama doesn’t get as much attention as some of its neighbours but I definitely think it’s worth a visit. I’m going to have a dedicated blog to each destination we visited and I think that we had a great variety of activities in our two weeks there.

Leaving Honduras, one of my favourite places on earth, was already difficult enough but for some reason, Hannah and I decided to make it even more challenging by spending four days on buses to go from Utila, Honduras to Bocas del Toro, Panama. The reasons for this are honestly kind of blurry now but I think it was to do with flights being very expensive and awkward. This journey took us via Managua, the capital of Nicaragua, and San José, the capital of Costa Rica (at this point I didn’t know how soon I would be back here!). The last part day of the journey involved crossing the border into Panama, managing to get help across the border and a cheap minibus ride to the ferry and finally the boat to the island archipelago of Bocas del Toro. There are three main islands making up Bocas del Toro: Isla Colón which houses the main town, confusingly also called Bocas del Toro; Isla Bastimentos; and Isla Carenero.

Hannah and I stayed in a hostel called Aqua Lounge on Isla Carenero. Despite not being on the same island as the main town, it is visible from Aqua Lounge, just a few hundred metres across the water. You can take a water taxi for $1 (USD is the Panamanian currency) which takes 30 seconds and really easy to flag down. It’s known for being a bit of a party hostel but because we were there in low season it was actually pretty chill. There seems to be a lot of good places to stay in Bocas and a lot of hostel bars like in Aqua Lounge and Selina (a chain of hostels you’ll find all over Central America and Colombia) are open to the public so you can still go and hang out there and meet people. I will say, because of the humidity in Bocas, I think air con for your room is a must! Hannah and I had splurged for it in our private room which was a bit of a treat in itself (although sometimes a private room is the same price as two dorm beds) but after our arduous journey we felt like we deserved it!

The view from Aqua Lounge across the Bocas Town

For our first full day in Bocas, we had done something a little out of the ordinary for us but it ended up being one of my favourite days of the whole trip! We signed up for a tour of some of the best spots around the islands. After so many days on buses, the idea of someone telling us where to go and then taking us there was very appealing! It was good value for $30 and came with a deal on a shuttle to our next destination for $15. Our first stop was the aptly named Bahía de Delfines (Dolphin Bay). We had just seen rough toothed dolphins in Utila but the ones we saw here were grey dolphins. They come to this area particularly during breeding season, when we were there, because there are a lot of jellyfish for them to eat. The jellyfish are also why you can’t get in to swim with the dolphins here. Even though you couldn’t get into the water with them, it was so fun to be around the dolphins. They were enjoying playing in the wake of the boat, jumping out of the water and following us around for a while.

The second stop was in Cayo Zapatilla, an uninhabited island, great for snorkelling because of how shallow it is! We saw lots of fish and even two sleeping nurse sharks only 10m from the shore. We had an hour or so of free time here so Hannah and I also took a wee walk through the forest and our boat captain John macheted open a coconut for us! We stopped for lunch at a floating restaurant at Coral Cay, near another snorkelling spot called ‘The Garden’ that we would go to after eating. Lunch was included in the tour, I chose creole octopus which came with rice, salad and patacones (fried plantain fritters).

We had a quick stop at a place known as Hollywood because there are so many starfish. They weren’t very easy to see but our hostel had a lot of starfish visible from the dock anyway so I wasn’t that bothered. And then as a bonus, Captain John took us to see his friend, Pepe the sloth! We actually saw three, including a mother holding a baby! The mother was climbing down the tree and considering that sloths only do this when they need to go number two, we all know what was about to happen.

For our second day in Bocas, we went diving! I’ve never been diving anywhere in Central America other than Honduras so I was excited to see what it would be like. We went with La Buga Dive and Surf who were great (big thanks to our divemaster Anna who had actually come in from another company, Pirates, to help for the day). We headed there a little bit early because they have kayaks and paddle boards that you can use for free before or after your dive that we wanted to make use of. La Buga also has agastro market so it’s a nice place to get some food or a drink which we did after our dives. The dock area is a cool place to hang out and if you look around the edges of the swimming hole, you might spot some baby squid like we did! We also saw a porcupine fish (aka a puffer fish) off the dock!

We went to a site next to Isla Solarte first, known as Magic Wind or Buoy Line. We saw so much! A nurse shark, lion fish, two nudibranchs making more nudibranchs (if you know what I mean), two stingrays, one of which was massive, so many sea cucumbers, arrow crabs, a cowfish, lots of colourful brittle stars and some baby trumpet fish which are cute. There’s a wreck as well so we got to swim around and then through the window!

Our second dive was at a site that Ana had been telling us about before, her favourite called Sachen. It’s basically a big mound under the water but is super colourful and with lots to see. We saw another nurse shark, a couple of spotted lobsters, two scorpionfish, disco fish, fireworms, a giant hermit crab, squirrelfish and blue tangs. It was actually a really challenging dive because the current was pretty strong. To start with we were swimming against the current so not moving anywhere really fast and then it was really shallow so we were getting battered about a lot. It was better once we were able to just go with the movement though.

That covers the main things we did while in Bocas del Toro. We enjoyed the chill vibe of the islands a lot, recovering from a long journey to get there. There are a lot of nice looking cafes and places for food, some of which we tried and many more that we didn’t. Bocas can also be a bit of a party town if you want it to be. We went for a few drinks one night, crossing the water from our hostel and meeting some people at the bar in the Selina hostel. We also happened across karaoke which was fun (to watch!). One of the main attractions to Bocas though is the Filthy Friday island party crawl. It’s similar to the Sunday Funday pool crawl in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua that Hannah and I both went to when we were 18 and living in Honduras. Unfortunately, we were leaving Bocas on a Friday so we didn’t get to experience it for ourselves. I’m sure we could have rearranged things a little in order to attend but we also didn’t really want to. Overall, this trip was more chill, enjoying a few drinks at the beach, with sunset or with new friends and with only a few of what could be called big nights out.

This trip is getting further and further in the rearview mirror but writing these blogs gives me a great chance to reminisce on an incredible trip. I’ve always said that I write this blog for myself more than anyone else reading it so even as more time passes, I’m still just as keen to get it down on paper, so to speak. It’s something that I can look back on and gives me a chance to reflect. Saying that, I hope you’re still enjoying reading them as much as I am writing them!

Utila Recommendations

30th Jan 202424th Apr 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

If there’s one place that entices travellers off the beaten path (you know, the one that usually skips Honduras entirely), it is the 45 km² island of Utila. The smallest island of the Islas de la Bahía, Utila is known for two things – diving and partying. This is the place that I learnt to dive and I’ve indulged in it’s other pastime plenty as well! In the year I lived in Honduras I visited 3 times, once for Christmas and New Year with the whole group of volunteers, once for a random long weekend and once when my mum and twin sister were visiting. I was happy to be able to go back for a full week as part of this trip. Hannah was equally excited – she was supposed to come here to do research for her undergraduate anthropology dissertation but that was in the summer of 2020 so I’m sure you can imagine what happened… Anyway, we were finally back and ready to make the most of it. Our days alternated between diving, relaxing and good food, drinks and company! If you ever make it out there, I wanted to share a few of my recommendations though there are plenty more not included here!

WHAT TO DO

Scuba Dive

This (even above partying) is the number one reason that people go to Utila. It’s actually where I learnt to dive seven years ago and still where most of my dives have been. The Caribbean side of Central America is home to the world’s second largest coral reef which is a large attraction for scuba divers of all levels. Utila is also one of the cheapest places in the region to dive. There is incredible diversity on every dive – with most dives on the reef, there’s an abundance of coral to see (unfortunately not always healthy) and a large variety of fish. It’s also common to see larger marine life such as rays, sharks and dolphins. Even if you don’t see them on your dive, you can go dolphin hunting on your surface interval! This is what I did during the summer and we ended up having over an hour in between dives because it was so incredible. There were 15 or 16 swimming at a greater depth to start with and then three came up to the surface and swam right next to us for a while.

My go-to in terms of a dive shop has always been Underwater Vision. A friend recommended this place to me before I even went to Honduras, I ended up learning to dive there over Christmas 2016 and it’s the only place I’ve ever gone since. They have always had great instructors and divemasters that I’ve felt safe and comfortable with. Some other places that I’ve heard good things about are Utila Dive Center (right next door to Underwater Vision) and Alton’s Dive Center but I can’t vouch for them myself.

See whale sharks

I don’t have much that I can personally add to this one because I’ve never been lucky enough to see one but Utila is one of the best places in the world to see whale sharks. Despite the name, whale sharks are actually the largest species of fish, known for their distinctive patterns of white spots. They can be found in Utila’s waters all year round but the best chance is between February and April. You’ll still need a lot of luck though!

Neptune’s Beach

While Utila is a bit of an island paradise, it’s not lined with beautiful beaches all the way around. Bando beach is a small private beach at one end of Utila Town and Chepes beach is a small public one on the other side of town but if you want an idyllic beach day, head to Neptune’s. When I visited in the summer, my twin sister Amy happened to be working on Utila at the same time, leading a coral research team. Their base, Coral View Dive Center, was right next to the dock where you can take a 50 lempira (£1.60) boat through the mangroves to Neptune’s. Technically the beach is called Coral Beach and the restaurant is called Neptune’s but everyone just refers to the whole place as Neptune’s. You don’t have to order from the restaurant or bar but I would recommend it – definitely get the onion rings!

One side of the beach has live corals that come right up to the shore so you can’t swim there but on the right side of the jetty the shore is just sand so it’s safe to get in. Further out on this side there are also coral reefs that you can swim to and snorkel over. This is one of the best snorkelling spots on the island! One of my favourite dive sites, Black Coral Wall, is also just off shore around here.

Rent bikes

One thing I’ve never done, the previous times I’ve been to Utila, is explore outside the town much. To remedy this, Hannah and I rented some bikes to see some new places! You’d think it would have been too hot but the movement actually created our own breeze which was really refreshing. We stopped at a few places like Scott’s Driftwood Beach which has incredible sculptures, a random spot with a beautiful view out to the ocean and later at a little pulpería for a nice cold drink. I’m not a goal oriented hiker or cyclist it turns out, so when we wanted to stop to take pictures, look at animals or drink emergency electrolytes (true story), we did it! It was nice to get out of the traveller bubble of Utila town. What we saw reflected a little more of the Honduras that we know from the mainland. We rented our bikes from Golf Cart Rentals along Main Street for $10 for 24 hours though they are also available for just a couple of hours at a time. The bikes weren’t in great shape and it took us a while to figure out the brakes but Utila is pretty flat other than the hill going into town from the back so they got the job done.

Jade Seahorse

A bit of a hidden gem, both due to the fact that it’s under appreciated in my opinion and also somewhere you could walk past without really noticing, is the Jade Seahorse. While technically a hotel with rooms that you can stay in and home to the Treetanic bar (slightly random opening hours mean I have never been there for a drink), Jade Seahorse’s real attraction is the mosaic garden. The 50 lempira entrance fee is well worth it (the owner will most likely be sitting somewhere in the garden and will ask for it as you’re walking around). There is so much to take in that you won’t know where to look. Take your time and enjoy all the little details.

WHERE TO STAY

Trudy’s

Just like Underwater Vision is the only place on the island that I’ve ever dived, Trudy’s, the hostel attached to Underwater Vision, is the only place I’ve ever stayed. I find the rooms to be clean and comfortable, whether that’s a dorm or a private room. There is a restaurant with great food, particularly breakfast, and nightly specials like pizza or wings and a bar that has various events throughout the week like karaoke and quiz nights. These are a great way to get to know other guests but also draw people from elsewhere on the island so it’s a really social place. It’s not, however, a party hostel and most nights things quieten down around 10pm or 11pm (the exception being for divemaster graduation ceremonies but these are a spectacle in themselves). While there’s not a beach, Trudy’s is right on the water with it’s own dock where you can swim and where the dive boats leave from. There is a large sandy area that is perfect for sunbathing (with lots of suncream on!), playing beach volleyball or chilling in a hammock in the shade. If you stay at Trudy’s and take a course with UV, there are discounts on the accommodation prices which is an added bonus.

I’ve stayed there in a big group, a small group, with my family and this summer just as a pair and I’ve always had a great experience. It’s easy to get talking to anyone, whether it’s on a dive, swimming by the dock or having a drink in the bar. All of the instructors and divemasters get involved with the guests and are friendly faces around the place. This summer, Hannah and I built a great wee group, a trio of girls from Germany, Austria and Norway, one of the divemasters and the first of two great Dutch T(h)oms of the trip. I also, absolutely unbelievably, managed to find a few long lost cousins from the Isle of Lewis by way of Ireland! That’s a story for another day but it still baffles me not just that we met on this tiny island in the Caribbean but that we managed to figure out the connection!

Other options

As I’ve said before, Trudy’s is the only place I’ve stayed but I have heard bits and pieces of other places. Mango Inn is the name of the hostel attached to Utila Dive Center which is supposed to be nice. Whereas Underwater Vision and Trudy’s are in the same spot on the waterfront, UDC and Mango Inn are separate. UDC is right next door to Underwater Vision but Mango Inn is about a 15 minute walk away, in the centre of Utila Town. You could also stay in cabins at the Jade Seahorse that I mentioned above, each room with a different theme. There are a lot of options to choose from around the island and anywhere in Utila town is not very far from anywhere else.

WHERE TO EAT

Mama Rosa’s

Due to its proximity to Underwater Vision, cheap prices and large portions, this is a go-to spot of mine in Utila. Baleadas are great anywhere really but Mama Rosa’s are huge and you can get them all loaded up with chicken, beef, avocado, salad and more. They also have massive pupusas, large stuffed tortillas that are a favourite of mine. They also have things like burritos and quesadillas as well as great fresh fruit juices.

La Casita

What drew me to La Casita was initially the bright colours of its exterior but also the amazing smells every time I passed by. It has all kinds of things on the menu from baleadas and burgers to pasta and seafood. I had the special of the day when we went which was birria tacos and they were delicious.

Camilla’s Bakery/Pizza Nut

A very versatile spot, Camilla’s Bakery serves breakfast and lunch during the day and then reopens at night as Pizza Nut. As far as Camilla’s Bakery goes, they have a great selection of bagels that have saved me on more than one worse-for-wear morning over the years. I have actually never been to Pizza Nut but hear nothing but good things!

The Pelican

The Pelican is right opposite Underwater Vision but was new since I was last on Utila. Hannah and I figured that we should check it out one night but it was actually completely full when we first tried to go! It’s a pretty small space but is very popular so it’s actually somewhere that I would recommend booking if you want to make sure you get a table! We booked for the following day and enjoyed an incredible meal. I went for the Thai yellow curry which actually wasn’t on the menu but had been the special the day before. The server remembered that we hadn’t been able to get a table then and offered us the option of the curries that were on offer the previous day. It was absolutely delicious and I was very grateful for the chance to enjoy it! As good as most of the other options around Utila are, having some lighter food made a nice change from the heavier Honduran and American options.

Pink Flamingo

I met my sister here on her day off to have a wee brunch and it is such a stunning spot. You could be forgiven for missing it because it’s hidden from the road and is very inconspicuous. Once you enter, you are greeted with a wooden structure that stretches out into the most stunning turquoise water that surrounds the whole of Utila. Pink Flamingo really leans into the aesthetics of its surroundings, making it a very Instagrammable spot. It was a place I could have quite happily stayed for several hours, enjoying my book in one of their hammocks or swing chairs. The food was good too, I had a Mexican style brunch option but their salads, bowls and sandwiches had me wanting to go back and work my way through the menu! It’s a little more expensive and with smaller portions than some other places but I think it’s worth a visit for the vibes!

The Point

On the recommendation of a new divemaster friend we met at the start of the week, we had a spare day with no plans and decided to head to The Point. It’s a restaurant and bar looking out onto the water that also has a small chlorinated pool. I love being in the ocean but there’s just something about being in a chlorine pool that makes me feel so clean and so at home. On the menu are American staples and I enjoyed a great buffalo chicken burger. Hannah and I enlisted a couple of our new friends to come along with us and we spent most of the day there, playing cards, reading and chatting in the pool.

WHERE TO DRINK

Ask around for the best place to go depending on the night!

There are endless options on an island that is known for its party scene and it mostly depends on the night. Talk to people at your hostel or around town and ask where will be good that night. Back in the day, Tequila Tuesdays at Tranquilos and Ladies Night on Thursdays at Vinyls were the place to be and still to this day. Hannah and I have fond memories (if a little fuzzy in places) of both of these nights when we were 18 and we did actually go back to Tequila Tuesday this summer. I don’t know if it was my advanced age of 25 or just not being in the mood on the night but it didn’t hit quite the same.

La Cueva

Something that I did love and the thing to do on Monday nights is karaoke at La Cueva! My sister and a lot of her research students plus Hannah and I and our group from the hostel (and pretty much everyone else) were packed into the bar. I’m not a big karaoke singer but I am an avid and enthusiastic audience member. There were lots of great performances, Taylor Swift from Amy and her friend, some Patti Smith from Hannah and someone sang the Cha Cha Slide which I’m definitely stealing in the future.

Utila Brewing Company

This was more of a one off experience or at least monthly rather than weekly, but we happened to be on the island for one of Utila Brewing Company’s big jungle parties. The brewing company was actually set up by the instructor I had for my Advanced diving course seven years ago! Normally it’s only open at the weekends but the jungle parties are usually Friday nights. It was 100 lempira (£3.20) to get in and there was a great DJ, and even though it was mostly techno music which isn’t usually my thing I really enjoyed it!

Top Tips for Visiting Honduras

12th Jan 202424th Apr 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

Despite how much I love Honduras, I recognise that it’s not top of most people’s list of must-see destinations. However, it feels like a personal mission to change people’s minds about that. With everything I’ve written and will write, I hope I can show people that Honduras is definitely a country worth your time. At the same time, Honduras has a certain reputation that precedes it that I don’t think is representative of the country as a whole. It is safer and easier to navigate than it might appear. That’s not to say that there aren’t things to watch out for and you also shouldn’t expect the same level of tourism infrastructure as somewhere like Costa Rica. With that in mind, there are a few things that I think are important to know before you visit so that your expectations are in line with reality.

Take what you might have heard with a pinch of salt.

Back in 2015 when I was first embarking on the journey that would take me to Honduras (the selection and fundraising process started a year before I would actually leave), the prolific BBC investigative presenter Stacey Dooley had just released a two part documentary about the worst places in the world to be a woman and guess where one of those places was? This meant that many of my first interactions with people when I told them that I would be moving to Honduras for a year was shock and horror. This was quickly followed by questions or comments about how bad it is for women there and generally how dangerous it is. At the time, I had no idea how to respond and usually just laughed somewhat awkwardly before moving the conversation along.

Now, I’ll say that while Honduras still doesn’t have the best reputation among international travellers, a lot of the problems (gangs, violence, drugs) are localised to specific areas of bigger cities and visitors are rarely affected or the targets. Outside of the large cities of San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, I have never felt unsafe in Honduras. (Saying that, still don’t take any unnecessary risks.)

Don’t flush toilet paper.

The pipes in Honduras are not what you will be used to at home. It sounds like it’s going to be really annoying and it will definitely take a few days to get used to this but it’s the same throughout most of Central America. You’ll get the hang of it eventually and if not, I hope you’re good with a plunger!

Cash is king.

To be on the safe side, I would assume that nowhere takes card so always have lempiras (the Honduran currency) on you. Most larger towns and cities have ATMs but sometimes these are out of service or there’s an unexpected problem with your card so stock up when you can. In general when it comes to using your bank card, Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted. I personally use my Monzo card when I travel because they have pretty good travel rates and won’t block your card if you change countries without telling them. Back to cash, dollars are not really used (other than in very touristy places like the island of Roatán) but can be good to have for emergencies. In smaller shops or restaurants it might be hard to break a 500 lempira note (~£15) for smaller purchases.

Dress a little more conservatively.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll spend the whole time wondering how Hondurans are going about their business in jeans in up to 40° heat! I’m not saying you have to follow suit but Honduras is generally a pretty conservative place so keep that in mind in your clothing. Especially if you travel to a smaller town, somewhere like Candelaria for example, I wouldn’t wear shorts and I would have more coverage on the top, no crop tops or low cleavages. In the cities and on the islands which are used to more tourists, you can be more free with what you want to wear.

Visit the mainland!

So often people travelling Central America will skip Honduras entirely or only visit the Bay Islands of Utila and Roatán. I’m not saying they aren’t worth visiting (I love Utila and have been four times, watch out for the next blog post) but the mainland has so much to offer too! Copan Ruinas are in the northwest of Honduras, near the borders with Guatemala and El Salvador and are most well known for their Mayan ruins. These are the most southern Mayan ruins and my favourite of the handful that I’ve visited. I feel like they are the ones that I could most imagine being full of life and I could still see how everything fit together as a city. The town itself is really cute and there’s also a scarlet macaw sanctuary that’s worth a visit. In central Honduras, you’ll find Lago de Yojoa which is a hot spot for outdoor activities. It’s popular with bird watchers, kayaking out into the middle of the water gives you incredible views and you have to go to one of the many lakeside restaurants and try their specialty, pescado frito (fried fish). Nearby there is also the very impressive Pulhapanzak waterfall, 30 metres high. You can spend the day at the facilities there, go ziplining in front of the falls or go canyoning through them. And of course, there’s always Gracias for the hot springs and zipline.

Basic Spanish will help.

Obviously knowing the language of wherever you’re visiting is always a massive help, this almost goes without saying. But Honduras isn’t Costa Rica where so much of the economy relies on tourism that English is fairly widespread. Even in touristy areas like Utila, Roatán and Copán Ruinas but especially outside of it, a basic command of Spanish will go a long way. I think it’s polite and shows respect to the country you’re visiting to know a few phrases at least and people like it when you make the effort! Being able to have a basic conversation, ask for directions and order food are the most important things to learn but the more the better! Have Spanish downloaded on the Google Translate app as a last resort too.

People are generally kind, generous and willing to help.

You can’t generalise a whole country of people but I have found most Hondurans to be some of the most friendly and welcoming people. It’s hard to put into words how welcome I was made to feel when I lived there and am still made to feel every time I go back. I’m welcomed back into the home and the family that I lived with, my friends won’t let me pay for anything and I’ve had amazing interactions with strangers. This ranges from interesting conversations and lifts from bus stations to getting the best, authentic but otherwise unknown recommendations.

Trust the bus men throwing your bags on top of buses (and in public buses in general).

There are some private shuttles that you can take from the more touristy destinations in Honduras, from the islands to Lago de Yojoa or Copan Ruinas, or to the main cities like Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula but they’re expensive and if you want to venture further afield, more than likely you’re going to have to trust in public buses. There’s not a nationwide bus network, instead there are a collection of bus companies in each city running specific routes to another city. There’s no app or website in most cases so your best bet is to turn up at the bus station and ask around! There are times when someone will grab your bag and run off with it but they’re not stealing it (probably) – the men who work on the buses are very helpful but not always the best with instructions. Follow your bag and you’ll find the bus you need to get on. What looks like chaos on the surface is actually a well oiled machine.

Cold showers are the standard.

Unlike at home where hot showers are the norm, almost no matter the weather, you’ll have to get used to bracing yourself for freezing water. If you go around expecting this, hot showers become a welcome luxury which is nicer than constant disappointment. Your hair maybe won’t be as nice but take it as an opportunity for some cold water meditation and focus on your breathing. It’s hot enough anyway that you might welcome the cold water!

Women will most likely get catcalled.

Honduras has a strong culture of ‘machismo’ which is defined as an exaggerated sense of masculinity. This manifests itself as Honduras being a very male dominated culture. Men are the heads of the households, the primary breadwinners and much more visible in public and high-level positions. In day to day interactions, one of the ways the macho culture manifests is in catcalling. When I was living there, I had to get used to walking around with the background noise of whistles, kissing noises and various comments. Honduran men have yelled ‘I love you’ in English at me more times than I can count. Usually it’s harmless and ignoring it works. As a tourist, it won’t usually go further than this catcalling although that is unfortunately not the case for many Honduran women who suffer from high levels of violence, both in the home and in society at large.

Go to the local restaurants (comedores).

From the outside they don’t look like much, sometimes a bit more like someone’s living room than a restaurant. It might be tempting to go for more aesthetic choices and of course there’s always times when you just want some pizza but you’d be missing out if you don’t give the comedores a chance. You might be wary, particularly at the beginning of the trip, about the cleanliness or hygiene of a place but there’s usually signs to tell if the place is safe, the main one being if it is popular with locals. Try some of the classics like baleadas, fried chicken or a typical dinner. Big plates of food can cost up to around 120 lempira (£4) so it’s a cheap option too. But still trust your gut if something looks too dodgy.

Things will go wrong but they’ll all work out.

A good motto for visiting Honduras is ‘go with the flow’. The phrase ‘organised chaos’ comes to mind but embrace it. Particularly when it comes to transport, things don’t usually go to plan (add at least an extra hour on to the supposed length of any bus journey). Everything is a bit more relaxed in Honduras though, especially timekeeping (although I wouldn’t recommend turning up late for buses). Being open to new experiences can lead to some amazing things! Talk to people and you never know what might happen, you might end up in the most incredible situation that you wouldn’t otherwise have experienced. There is magic in the chaos.

Seven Years Later…

14th Dec 202324th Apr 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

Of the whole two and a half months that I was travelling, these next few days were my absolute favourites, not that I expected any different. After a few days relaxing in Gracias and a night in Hannah’s old project in Yamaranguila, I was returning to Candelaria, a town that feels like home. It had been seven years since I first stepped foot there as a fresh faced 18 year old, although I did go back for a week in 2019. Travelling to new places is exciting and there is much to be learnt but I have found that nothing makes me more reflective than returning somewhere I’ve been before, especially somewhere that means so much to me and had such an impact on the person I am today. It was also really special to share this experience with Hannah because while I had visited her project during our original time in Honduras, she had never made it to Candelaria (awkward bus schedules are mostly to blame).

From Yamaranguila we had to take the bus from La Esperanza towards Mapulaca, a border town with El Salvador, and get off in Candelaria. We were waiting for the bus to take us from our hotel down to the station while simultaneously trying our luck at hitchhiking (a very common practice in Honduras) and we ended up getting a lift with two policemen! The bus journey was easy enough, about five hours in total and much smoother than our bus ride from San Pedro Sula to Gracias. As we were coming around the last few bends before arriving into town, I could barely contain myself! It already felt like coming home, even if I was already noticing a lot of changes.

I was very excited to see some newly paved roads!

And now comes the real reason that I was so excited to be coming back. My family met me off the bus! When I lived in Honduras in 2016-17, I stayed with a host family – Saida, the mum, Jaime, the dad, and three girls, Daniela, Jamie and Antonella. Antonella was actually born while I was there! Unfortunately the dad Jaime passed away in 2019, just before I came back to visit for the first time, but I’ve remained close to Saida and the girls. I had the loveliest big hug from Saida and I immediately couldn’t believe how big the girls were since I last saw them. Daniela and Jamie are fully teenagers now and Antonella has started school! Mind blowing. They don’t actually live in the same house as they did when I lived there, right on the main square, because they rent it out as a shop now but they’re only one block away and right opposite two of my friends. I introduced Hannah to everyone, we got the grand tour, including meeting the new cat called Sushi, and settled in a little.

For our first evening we went to the pool which is definitely something new, one of the many developments around Candelaria! I would have loved it if this was here before so I could have run some actual swimming lessons (I used to be a swimming teacher and I would teach my host sisters how to swim in the river!). Finca Don Jorge is so cute and definitely would be a good spot when it’s super hot. At this point the sun was going down so it was getting dark and cool but it was still nice to get in the water after being on the dusty bus. Not everyone got in but I enjoyed splashing about with Jamie and teaching Antonella how to blow bubbles and kick her legs. She’s already so confident in the water which is good but it was one of many moments over the next few days that made me wish I was staying much longer. Antonella didn’t remember me from last time because she would only have been about two years old but apparently she was the most excited for me to come, asking when her hermana was getting here… I’m not crying, you are.

On our second day, we went with Saida to the nearby village of San Lorenzo where she works. They were having their elección de la india bonita , an event that happens just before Lempira Day, a national celebration that would be happening on the final day of our stay. The girls make and wear these incredible dresses using natural materials like beans, seeds, corn, leaves, moss, flowers and more. They have very intricate designs of their town, of Honduras, of national symbols like Lempira or the scarlet macaw. We were helping some of Saida’s students finish their dress and get ready for the presentation which involved braiding a lot of hair! The actual ceremony was really interesting to see, the dresses were absolutely incredible but it was a long afternoon in the hot sun. Hannah, Antonella and I ended up getting a lift back to Candelaria a bit early while Saida stayed on.

We had a chilled evening in the house because everyone was tired after a long day. This was actually one of my favourite evenings though. Over dinner, Saida, Hannah and I had an interesting conversation about various political and social issues which are conversations that I enjoy anyway. This conversation happened in Spanish though so was a bit more challenging. I was very pleased and a bit surprised with how well I’d been able to keep up my Spanish before this trip and how quickly it bounced back even more after arriving in Honduras. Hannah has a pretty good understanding of Spanish but won’t mind me saying that she struggles a bit more with speaking. She absolutely held her own in this discussion though and was participating fully in it. It was so nice for me to see her and Saida getting along and communicating together. After dinner, we helped finish a sign for Lempira Day that involved hot glueing beans to outline letters. While we were doing so, I had a conversation with Daniela, the oldest of the girls, in English. It was simple and short but had full sentences and used the past tense. When I was first here, I taught Daniela English when she was in second and third grade plus some extra bits and pieces in the house. Seeing the progress she’s made and her continued interest in English made me so proud that I was genuinely holding back tears.

The following day was packed full of catching up with as many friends as possible. I’ve already written about the complicated feelings I had after I left about not having made any lasting friendships and this being proved wrong the moment I was back in Candelaria. (While re-reading the blog from my last visit while writing this one, I found that what I had written still resonated a lot and I was very proud of that piece of writing and the reflections in it so it might be interesting for you to have a look at it too if you haven’t already.) It was the exact same this time. From the start of the day until the end I was catching up with people. It started with picking Antonella up from school mid-morning as there were only a few classes in preparation for Lempira Day. It was a bit of a shock that the only students I still knew in the primary school were the sixth graders who I had taught while they were in Kindergarten! A group of them gathered around to talk to me and there were lots of questions about Amy, my project partner (not my twin sister!). Hannah, Antonella and I walked back into the centre of town with our entourage and ended up going to play with them in the park and then being introduced to minutas, like a snow cone topped with flavoured syrup, condensed milk and candy belts.

After a brief air conditioning break in the house (a new but welcome addition since I lived there), we headed out for lunch with my friend Nayely. Her family has a comedor, a typical Honduran restaurant, so we ate there which was absolutely delicious (food pictures are further down)! We were very hot and very full after our pollo frito and tajadas so we went home to chill before I got called out to meet up with another friend, Enedina, for a cold frappé. Hannah was tired so she stayed behind but Saida and Antonella came with us.

The final stop of the day was dinner with Lety and Victor who were like my second host family back in the day. They were the organisers of the project so we spent a lot of time with them and their four kids. Three of them are much more grown up now, including the eldest who is off at university, but Hannah and I got to spend some time with the youngest, Samuel, while waiting for dinner. He was only a toddler when I was here the first time so didn’t really remember me. This time he took us through all 60+ Youtube shorts of something called Skibidi Toilet (if you’re lucky enough not to know what that is, don’t look it up). As painful as it was, it was nice to spend some time with Samuel so that next time he’ll remember me more, the same as with Antonella.

And now for the main event, Día de Lempira! Lempira Day was my favourite national holiday when I was first here, and there are a lot to choose from, so I specifically planned this trip and it’s itinerary around that. Lempira is the national hero in Honduras who led the Lencan people, an indigenous group, against the Spanish in the 1530s. The name comes from two Lencan words that mean ‘señor de la sierra‘ or ‘señor del cerro‘, both meaning ‘lord of the mountain’. Today he is remembered on 20th July every year. The national currency is named after him as well as one of the departments of Honduras (where you’ll find both Gracias and Candelaria).

The first step is the parade! Before that however, everyone has to get ready in their various outfits. My contribution to the morning was plaiting all three girls’ hair plus Saida’s. Hannah and I walked Antonella to the meeting point for the parade, which is a couple of hundred metres shorter than in my day (not that I’m complaining). The whole primary school and high school are part of the parade, dressed up in different styles. There are the indias bonitas, the girls in handmade dresses decorated with beans, corn, flowers and leaves like we had seen in San Lorenzo. There are the caciques, the warriors, the campesinos, the peasants, and those in the traditional folkloric outfits.

The second part of the day is in the main square where there are different kinds of performances and speeches, starting with the national anthem sung by my former students. Next up was traditional dancing, again with my former students, mostly those I taught when they were in fourth and fifth grade (now they’re in eleventh grade!). The final and most important event of the day is the reenactment of the death of Lempira. One student from the high school is chosen to play Lempira (another one of my old students, Josue Maria, was chosen this year!). It is said that Lempira died when he was lured to peace talks with the Spanish who then shot him from horseback in an act of betrayal. There is another telling of events that says he dies in battle and the Spanish cut his head off to prove he was dead but that’s a bit harder to reenact!

After being in the sun for several hours, we went back to the house before going out for lunch with another friend, Karen. We actually ended up back at Nayely’s comedor, today for pollo asado. A common theme throughout my visit was that I wasn’t allowed to pay for anything. It was lovely that all my friends wanted to invite me out but I wanted to contribute to the town and I wasn’t expecting everyone to pay for me. Especially when it came to supporting my friends, like at Nayely’s comedor or buying coffee from Victor (at my dad’s special request), I tried to insist but after a certain point it becomes rude to refuse. Part of the Honduran culture is their generosity, looking after guests and feeding people!

Some of the delicious food I ate in Candelaria

The morning had been a busy one, as had the last few days which caught up to us so we spent the afternoon resting in the house. In the evening, as a last hurrah for our last night, Hannah, Saida, the girls, Saida’s cousin Miriam and I went out to a Mexican restaurant that is also new since I lived here. We had a nice meal and then spent the evening watching a film on a projector in the house. It was a lovely way to wrap up our few days there.

It’s still somewhat of a challenge to put into words how much this little town and its people mean to me. Being back here is like using a time machine – I feel 18 again but at the same time I’m able to see how far I’ve come. And I’m not the only one who has changed. More so this time than the last time I was here, I noticed the differences in the town. In most cases, the changes are positive. There are lots of new businesses and restaurants which is encouraging to see after the economic challenges of the last few years during the pandemic. Coming back to Candelaria feels like coming home and a lot of that is about coming home to my family, particularly my mum Saida. The love I feel for her and from her cannot be described as anything else. The girls are growing up so fast, as are all of my former students, and it is a privilege both to have known them when they were younger and see them transforming now into the strong, independent, intelligent people I always knew they would be. Sharing this experience with Hannah was also really special and I know she saw at least some of what I see in this amazing town and these amazing people. They opened their arms as much to her as they do to me and I’m so grateful for that. Now that I’m in Costa Rica for the foreseeable future, I hope it won’t be four years until my next visit!

Surprise! I Moved to Costa Rica

9th Oct 202324th Apr 2024 sarakmorrisonLeave a comment

I won’t bury the lede with this one – as the title suggests, I’m writing this from my new home in Costa Rica! How I got here is a bit of a wild ride and I still can’t quite believe it. I will say that this feels like a very full circle moment after coming here for the first time in 2015, falling in love with the country and travelling in general, and now being back long term in 2023. It all happened very quickly so writing this blog is as much to process it a bit more myself as to explain it to anyone else!

Before I get into the job and the application process, let me give a bit of background. I have history with Costa Rica that goes back to when I was 17. During the summer before my final year of high school, I spent a month in Costa Rica as part of a culture and volunteering programme with an NGO called GVI. I spent a week living with a host family and taking Spanish lessons, two weeks helping to refurbish a primary school and one week doing adventure activities like canyoning, ziplining and white water rafting. The whole experience had a profound impact on me. I think this experience inspired my love of travelling and my desire to see the world. It is also responsible for a large part of who I am now, or at least starting me on the path to becoming that person. I came back much more sure of the person that I wanted to be, independent, adventurous, confident. Below is a quote from a blog that I wrote just after getting back that is still very poignant today:

This trip has ignited a desire to travel in me, one that was already there but has now been sparked. It has also shown me the way I want to spend the rest of my life – seeing the world and helping as much of it as I can. So until next time – ¡pura vida Costa Rica!

I was able to go back to Quepos, the town where I stayed during the first three weeks of my GVI programme, the following year. I was living in Honduras and I had a couple of months off from teaching. A group of six volunteers were travelling together and this was one stop that I insisted on. I visited my host family who were very impressed with my much improved Spanish. I was also able to visit the GVI base, a different one from where I had volunteered but interesting all the same. It was nice to still feel like I was connected to GVI and step back to the past.

Fast forward eight years later, I’m very happily living the life that I’ve worked hard to make for myself. I’ve just finished teaching in France for two years, I’m travelling in Central America and Colombia for two and a half months over the summer and I’m looking forward to returning to Scotland after my trip and finding a job in the tourism industry. This is what I had planned for myself and I was really looking forward to it. Then I got hit with a very unexpected curveball.

I was sitting in a bus station in Cartagena in the north of Colombia, waiting to head to Tayrona national park. I was killing time and checking my emails when one came in from GVI. Back in May I went to an online careers day with them so they had my CV on file. I had also spoken briefly to someone from the recruitment team in June but wasn’t available for any roles because of my trip. I also didn’t really see it as something that would be on the cards for the immediate future but more something I would be interested in further down the line. I wasn’t expecting to open the email and have an offer to interview for my dream job!

The position was as Education Coordinator at their community base in Cartago, Costa Rica. They were looking for someone who spoke Spanish and reading through the job ad, it was like it had been written for me! It wasn’t as a full time English teacher, something I wanted to move away from, but still working in a school, supervising volunteers that would be doing the teaching, helping them with lesson planning, building the curriculum and generally supporting volunteers through their experience. This kind of job has always been something that I’ve been interested in doing and if you look at my job history, you can see that interest permeating through. From my most recent work as an English teacher to working with young adults who want to volunteer with Project Trust, the organisation I went to Honduras with, even to staying involved with GVI as an ambassador, it felt like it had all lead, albeit accidentally, to this moment.

I immediately said yes to the interview but because of our travel plans, I was away from the internet for a few days and didn’t really think about it. When we arrived in Minca, a small, very relaxed town in the mountains of northern Colombia, I really started to prepare for the interview which would be at the end of our few days there. However, as well as getting ready, I was also deciding if I actually wanted the job! The idea of moving to Costa Rica at the end of that trip was such a wild departure from the picture I had painted in my head of moving back to Scotland. There was no easy way to get around the hard feelings so as is my way when I’m a bit stressed, I went for a swim in the hostel pool. At one point, my friend and travel buddy Hannah looked over to see me leaning against the side of the pool staring off into space, looking as if I was having a bit of a breakdown! I probably was but at the end of the swim I had figured out how I felt.

It came down to two things. First of all, this wasn’t the plan! For 8 months I had been determined that I was going to go back to Scotland, be near family and friends, in a country and culture that I am comfortable in and start working in an industry that I thought would suit my interests and skills very well. I found that hard to get over initially. But you know what they say, when you make a plan, the universe laughs. This being unexpected didn’t feel like a good enough reason to say no. I was also in a perfect position to take the job and move across the world – no house, no car, no partner or dependants to worry about. There’s no guarantee that this opportunity would come again or that if it did, I would be in as good a situation to take advantage of it. The second thing was that I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t taking the job because I felt like I should. I knew this was a great opportunity and it is literally the kind of job, maybe even the literal job, that I’ve wanted to do since I was 17 and on a GVI programme myself. I won’t take you through all of the mental gymnastics that got me to the other side of this one but by the time I got out of the pool I had decided – I wanted this job. And I really wanted it.

Not a bad place to prepare for a job interview!

Thus ensued the first interview – it went pretty well despite extremely spotty hostel wifi – and the second – ten minutes long in a hostel co-working space, still with spotty wifi – until one fresh and sunny morning in Medellín when I received an email offering me the job! Fast forward to the end of my trip three weeks later and I was flying back to Scotland for a whistle-stop, week-long visit home. I was originally thinking of heading straight from Colombia to Costa Rica to save the money on the flight from Scotland, even if I lost out on my already booked flight home from Bogotá. However, when I said goodbye to my friends and family, particularly my 96 year old grandad, at the start of my trip, it was for two and a half months, not for potentially a year! With a bit of encouragement (read pleading) from my parents and sisters, I decided that even a brief visit would be worthwhile.

A week of quality time at home was good for the body, mind and soul. I spent five days running around, catching up with friends in Edinburgh and Glasgow, spending time with my gran who had come over from Northern Ireland for the weekend, getting another tattoo, cuddling my dog, meeting my two new cats and visiting my grandad before spending the last two days packing and preparing for another move across the world. You’d think I’d be used to it by now but packing still always takes longer than I expect. One 3am start later and I was off to San José via Paris!

I’ve now been here for a week, I’m settling into life on base and getting into the routine of it here. On the whole, I do feel well prepared for Move Across the World: Part 4812596. Some of the more difficult things about starting over somewhere completely new – the isolation, lack of routine – are already abated by virtue of the job I’m doing and I already know and love Costa Rica, even if the area I’m living in is new to me. Some of the shock of being quite suddenly on the other side of the world from my friends and family when I’d been planning on the exact opposite has been abated by the fact that my sister is soon moving to the British Virgin Islands (a series of islands next to Puerto Rico in the Caribbean) and a Christmas there together might be on the cards!

I’m not sure how much I’m going to share about this job here moving forward. There will definitely be lots of general Costa Rica content and maybe one more post explaining a bit more about my responsibilities and day to day life (let me know if you have any specific questions!). Beyond that (and once I’ve gotten through my hefty backlog from this summer), you’ll have to stick around to find out!