Santa Catalina

31.12.16 - 08.01.17

Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, I take a taxi to the bus station. Since there is no train network in Central America, the bus station is huge. It is very strange and completely inefficient that there is a ticket counter for each connection. I haven't counted, but let's say there were 50 to 60 counters. There is no sensible regulation because there are destinations that are not so interesting, while others, especially the classic tourist routes, are highly demanded. If you want to buy a ticket to Bocas del Toro, apparently THE destination from the city, you can easily wait in line for three hours or longer.

Good thing I'm going to Catalina. There is no one in line at the counter, no waiting time. Behind me are two German-speaking girls. Teresa and Katharina also want to go to Catalina via Soná, just like me. We have breakfast together and then go in search of our bus. It leaves on time. And here we go: MEGA loud music, full volume reggaeton throughout the entire journey. For the next bus ride, I make sure not to sit directly under the speaker.

Arriving in Soná, the minibus to Catalina is already waiting and we continue quickly. We drive on a winding and hilly road through beautiful scenery. In Catalina, we are taken almost to the doorstep of the hostel. Three Swedes, a couple and a girl who are traveling together, are also staying at Jammin Hostel y Pizzeria. We are warmly welcomed by Silvia and I get my 4-bed dorm, but I am alone for the first night. It is a small sweet house in the garden with two bunk beds and nothing else. I choose the best mattress, which is really great, and unpack my stuff.

Santa Catalina is a bit off the beaten track on the Pacific coast and is a small fishing village with very little tourism. Mostly I see couples here and hardly any solo travelers. There are a few hostels, small restaurants and not much else. However, the high price level from the city continues here. Being off the beaten track and expensive? Kind of stupid.

In the evening, I have a really good and truly Italian pizza with the Swedes at our hostel. After that, we go in search of THE New Year's Eve party. But since there is really nothing going on anywhere, we walk back and forth a few times, marvel at the absolutely stunning starry sky, and watch a small fireworks display on the beach at midnight.

The next morning, we go in search of breakfast. We, stupidly, go to a local 'restaurant'. Just like everywhere the night before, the incredibly loud reggaeton is playing from speakers that are about 1.20 * 1.20 meters in size. While we wait for our tasteless corn pancakes with slices of cheese on top and an egg, we can't even talk to each other. So I have even more time to deal with the emerging thought: I HATE IT HERE!!! Too expensive, lousy food, nothing going on, but music as loud as at a festival for 10,000 people. I want to leave! Damn!!!

Okay, can't do that now. We go to the beach, thinking we can chill there. So we grab surfboards and walk the 1.5 km to the beach. At the expansive, palm-lined Playa Estero, the next shock... Everything is full of big cars, yes, on the beach. And, surprise, the omnipresent reggaeton is blasting from every fifth car. Want a little impression? Here's a link: Raggaeton Megamix 2016 on Youtube. I HATE IT HERE!!!

At least the surfing works. At first, I hesitate and I'm a bit scared that it won't work, but then I grab the board, paddle out, catch a green wave, make the take-off, and stand up. Haha! Awesome! I expected it to be different somehow. That lifts my mood. Oh man, if that had been bad too, I would definitely have booked the flight to Bangkok that I researched on Swoodoo. Yes, I actually did that. €2,500 round trip.

So the next day, back to the beach and on the board. There are still many cars on the beach, but I'm slowly getting used to it. The car that plays music exactly where I wait for the next wave even has really cool music, and at one point, I even dance on the board. It's actually pretty cool to listen to music while sitting on the board in the water. As it turns out in the next few days, this car-on-the-beach-and-loud-music thing is only a thing on public holidays. On normal days, Playa Estero is deserted. Stupidly, I had already gotten used to it and now I miss the music a bit while surfing.

In the evening, we have a very delicious Panamanian dinner. Fish with patacones, which are mashed fried plantains, and a dollop of salad. The Panamanians unfortunately don't really eat vegetables. There is also a spicy passion fruit dip. And then we experience the first power outage. Fireflies, starry sky... Wow! And I start thinking in English, by the way...

On January 3rd, almost everyone goes to Coiba, a beautiful island. There you can snorkel, dive, and relax. Still in shock about the price level in Panama, I decided not to spend $175 for a day trip with diving. Looking back, that was a stupid decision considering how enthusiastic everyone is about Coiba. It must be really amazing. I'm such an idiot!!! Well, instead, I do a good deed and collect trash on our little beach that the ocean has washed up, probably during the last storm. 120 liters and I could have filled three or four more bags like that. In the afternoon, I treat myself to two more hours of horseback riding. Super beautiful! Galloping on the beach, riding through the expansive and hilly pastures...

The next few days, I spend my time surfing, taking long walks on the Pacific, chilling, reading, in my abandoned house, and with myself. After initially disliking the country, the place, and the food, I feel incredibly comfortable here. I enjoy the fact that there is so little going on here, that I'm off the beaten track. I think my initial problems stemmed from doubts. I mean, I'm doing something here that I may only do once in my life, and I'm also spending a lot of money on it. Subconsciously, the question probably arose: Did I choose the right destination? And yes, I did! I wanted to surf, learn Spanish, and see a different corner of the world.

I am happy and proud of myself for not fleeing the situation and Santa Catalina, but consciously dealing with it. You can see the negative side everywhere, but you can also find the positive things everywhere. In Catalina, I have that so much that towards the end I even consider staying longer. But since I want to experience many other places, I don't want to get stuck in the first place. And so I say goodbye to this peaceful spot on earth after eight days, which has conquered my heart after a few initial difficulties.

Conclusion: Don't move immediately if you don't like it! Give things a chance.