Life Nomadic: The Pan Panama Road Trip Begins!

by Tynan on

The best adventures are the unexpected ones.

We sat at La Novena, an amazing Vegetarian restaurant on Via Argentina in Panama City. We order the same thing every time. Soup of the day, avocado salad for me, almond and pear salad for Todd, and whole wheat pasta with eggplant and tomato. We ordered it so much last year that when we returned the chef already knew exactly what we wanted.

After a predictably amazing dinner we stood in front of the kitchen chatting with the chef, Arturo. He used to be an engineer, and it shows in his meticulous preparation of the food.

Next to him was one of his employees, chipping away at the shells of dark brown beans, putting the cleaned bean in a small tupperware container.

“Que hace ella?”

And that’s when our education on the making of chocalate began. From a town near the Costa Rican border, called Al Mirante, came the raw cacao beans. Then they fermented them, roasted them, chipped away the shells, and ground them into cocoa powder.

Amazing. Todd and I are huge fans of dark chocolate. Anything above 85%. Can we try one of the beans?

The beans were delicious. We’d had both tried packaged cocoa nibs back in the states, but this was something different. They were barely bitter, just an overpowering chocolate explosion with a subtle fruity flavor.

We were hooked. Arturo put some of the beans in a cup for us to take home and Todd and I resolved to make the twelve hour drive to Al Mirante try to visit a chocolate plantation.

After dinner we headed to an internet cafe. A quick search revealed that Thrifty would rent us a car for only $8.10 a day.

“At that price, let’s just get the thing for two weeks and go everywhere.”

“Yup.”


We instant message our friend Vince, who is also in Panama, to see if he wants to come.

“Where are you planning on going?”

We never plan. We just go and let the adventure unfold ahead of us. The rental car wasn’t available the following morning, which had already put an annoying delay in our adventure.

From meeting fellow travelers during our time in Panama we know of a bunch of places that are worth visiting. David, Boquete (our first stop), Bocas Del Toro, El Valle De Anton, and of course a stop in Las Tablas for Carnaval again.

And so now I write this from the car as Todd drives like a madman through the Panamanian frontier. I occasionally glance up to find us in the oncoming traffic lane as he passes a car. Besides going relatively lightly on the horn, he’s adopted the Panamanian way of driving.

Thus begins the great “Pan Panama Road Trip” of 2009. Stay tuned as we go everywhere in Panama and let you know what can and can’t be missed. If you’ve been to Panama and want to suggest somewhere not on our list, let us know and we’ll probably go check it out.

Life Nomadic: Traveling without Planning

by Tynan on

Ahh, and we’re back. After a semi-hiatus of a few months, Todd and I are back to the full nomad lifestyle. I say semi-hiatus because within those four months we both spent a good amount of our time traveling around the US, Mexico, and Canada. And even when I was in Austin, where my family and most friends are, I lived in a 21′ RV on the side of the road.

Once a nomad, always a nomad?

Our trip this year is going to be very different from last year, but our first stop is the same as last year’s first stop: Panama.

I’m not sure why exactly we chose Panama last year, but this year we chose it because we’d fallen in love with the country. The people are universally friendly and warm, as is the weather, the food is dirt cheap and amazing, and there’s no shortage of adventure to be found.

Not to mention that Todd and I are both nearing fluency in Spanish and Panamanian Spanish is actually known for being very clear.

One hallmark of our trips is that we usually don’t plan much. We often go to a city with no place to stay and no plans, assuming we’ll figure it out once we get there. That’s probably where our mantra, “everything always works out” comes in.
When our flight landed in Panama, it was two in the morning. We have a few friends in Panama from last year, but imposing on them to sleep on their couches at 3am seemed a bit cruel. Getting a hotel was an option, too, but it doesn’t make much sense to pay for a hotel you’re going to be in for just eight hours, even at Panama’s bargain rates.

And so we chose the third, less obvious option. In our backpacks we cram in luxury-lite cots, giving us the ability to sleep in perfect comfort just about anywhere.

(side note: if you have the foresight, check www.sleepinginairports.net before deciding to sleep in an airport. They have a good database, though most of the complaints people register are negated with a luxury-lite.)

We headed upstairs to the waiting lounge, where a dozen or so fellow travelers were awkwardly sleeping on the hard tile floor or slumped over in chairs. I hate to admit it, but I felt pretty smug knowing we were about to rest in perfect comfort in an otherwise inhospitable environment.

And we did. A security guard gently woke us up at 7am, we packed up our cots, and headed in to one of our favorite cities in the world with no plans or accommodations to speak of.

Budget Travels’ top 10 budget destinations and a Gadling twist

by Jamie Rhein on

As you may have noticed, Gadling’s been busy this month with budget destinations. Each one we’ve found deal worthy from personal experience. Budget Travel magazine has picked top 10 budget destinations for 2009. The variety is such that anyone should be able to find a deal to his or her liking whether it’s a particular city you’re after, or a whole country. Instead of presenting them in a rated fashion, the magazine lists them according to what makes them list worthy.

Each of the suggestions offers details that range from what to do to where to stay and describes exactly each place was chosen to highlight.

Throughout the past few years, we’ve had personal experiences with these destinations ourselves. Here are the destinations with a Gadling blogger’s angle. Some bloggers are alumni and others are current.

Closer to Home

Tumbling Currencies

  • Budapest, Hungary–Erik’s first visit to Budapest was after college where he found the architecture and the women sublime.
  • Reykjavik, Iceland–The economy has helped make it a bargain. Although Brook Silva-Braga didn’t talk about Iceland’s economy in this post of his, he did give a close-up look at a pretty wild and fun camping experience.
  • Mexico– If you’re going to be driving in Mexico, Kelsey gave the tips on how to survive the experience. She and her husband drove the length of Mexico from north to south

Major Events and Anniversaries

  • Berlin–Iva headed to Berlin in June 2008 and offers her first impressions. The anniversary is the 20th year after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
  • Vancouver, B.C.–Ember Swift who spent some time at Gadling blogging about her travels in a band, spent time in Vancouver riding the SkyTrain. The upcoming Olympics have the city going through some additions that will add to the traveler’s experiences.

Before They Become Overrun

  • Cambodia–For a perfect way to see Cambodia, Erik suggests a boat trip from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, one of the most interesting trips he has had.
  • Panama–Kent’s version of Panama is from the unusual perspective of the cockpit. He was there during the riots in Panama City earlier in 2008.

Perhaps you’ve have your own ideas of budget destinations, and we have more on the way.

Top Destinations for Independent Travelers in 2009

by Kraig Becker on

BootsnAll, a great online resource for independent travelers, has put together their list of top 10 destinations for 2009. The locations on the list are lauded for the options they offer the experienced traveler who is looking to explore on his or her own.

Last year’s list was compiled by the writers and staff from BootsnAll, but for the 2009 edition they opened it up for suggestions from their very well traveled community as well. The results are ten great suggesions for experinced, adventurous travelers hoping to go abroad this year.

Some of the places on the list are a bit more obvious than others. For instances, Tasmania comes in at number ten, as Australia has long been considered a great destination for independent travelers, and the remote island maintains helps to maintain that reputation. On the other hand, the number one spot is held down by Columbia, which has not always been a great destination for visitors, independent or otherwise. But in recent years, the country has undergone a bit of a resurgence, and has now become a favorite destination for savvy travelers everywhere.

The other eight locations on the list are quite ecclectic as well, and span the globe, offering a wide variety of experiences and settings. There is something for everyone, from the outdoor adventurer to the more relaxed traveler looking for a more quiet escape. If you’re an independent traveler looking for a destination this year, you could do worse than starting with this list.

Four good reasons to visit Central America this fall

by Grant Martin on

With many of our travel budgets shrinking this season, now is a great time to consider the halfway point between that costly trip to Europe and the staycation that you’ve been dreading. Oh yes, I’m talking about Central America.

Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua have a lot to offer and are a great alternative to sinking a large chunk of cash into a heavy vacation. They’re close enough so that you can get away for a long weekend, not stuffed with tourists like many of the Mexican port towns and warm enough to cure those chilly fall hangovers.

Why else would we move our Thanksgiving family dinner from Providence down to Panama City? Check out four good reasons below.
The (relative) strength of the dollar: Sure the American dollar has made up some ground against the Euro in the last two months, but hotels in London and Paris are still going to cost you dearly per night. Compare that with some of the four star hotels that go for a third of the price in Panama City then factor in the price of food and entertainment, and you’re saving a ton of money over Europe

Plane tickets are inexpensive: Partially motivated by a slew of fare sales from Continental Airlines, destinations across the entire isthmus are dirt cheap right now. Many fares out of the country this fall are less expensive than domestic tickets across the US.

Diversity of activities: While the region may not have the cliche anglocentric activities you’re used to on vacation, the natural beauty alone is enough to keep vacationers busy ziplining through the forest canopy, sea kayaking or loafing on the beach. Mix in a heaping scoop of American history, keen architecture and an emerging nightlife and you’ve got a winning combination.

Tourism is booming: San Jose, Costa Rica is the perfect model that shows why tourism has worked excellently in Central America. Labor is inexpensive and resources are rich, so tour companies and travel agents will be competing to book your snorkeling trip and give you the best price on your jungle adventure. Furthermore, with the tourism base growing in each respective country, more and more content is now available by word of mouth, through tripadvisor or on gather.com for you to do more organic research.

Piqued your interest? A great place to start your research on a trip to Central America is right here on Gadling. Take a look around our articles on Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala and Nicaragua and check your sock drawer — you’ve got enough rainy day money for a small vacation this fall, right?