Ay que lindo esta Panama!

ENGLISH

'Look, how pretty Panama is!' This famous sentence from the Janosch book did not leave my head during our journey. After we landet in Panama City we took a bus to Boquete, a tropical highland province of Panama. Here we visited three waterfalls and a coffee plantation. The trip to the waterfalls was very wet due to the rain but also due to the water that runs into your shoes from above close to the waterfalls. Nevertheless, the small adventurous hike was worth it. The tour at the Finca Casanga gave us information about the cultivation of coffee and e.g. the difference between Arrabica and robusta. In the end, we were even allowed to roast our own beans and take them home.

After Boquete our tour went on in Bocas del Toro. Our lounge hotel was located on a small island called Bastimentos. From there we set off to visit a bat cave (much to the delight of my plush bats). The cave is home to four different species of bat. On the way back we even got to watch some sloths and dolphins with babies. Finally, we took part in the Oreba Chocotour. Here, we learned everything about the cultivation and processing of cacao. We were allowed to taste cocoa fruit, which to my surprise tastes much like lychee.

Last stop of our Panama trip and the end of my entire trip was Panama City. We made a trip to the famous Panama Canal. In the Miraflores Visitor Centre, we could read everything about the creation of the Canal but also watch how huge ships cross the narrow lock.

We also visited the Biodiversity Museum, which explains the history of the origin of today's species living in America, in which the emergence of Panama as a link between North and South America plays a decisive role.

The Panama Viejo Museum consists of old ruins and explains how Panama City looked before it was looted and burned down by pirates. Yes, there were a lot of fires in Panama.

I am currently in the Netherlands about to start my Master degree.

This was my last Blog entry and I hope you had fun reading.

Dory