With past trips, I try to ask my travel companions to share their thoughts. Especially with the global pandemic going on, I think some of my companions relished the thought of reflecting on a past trip! I sent all three of my travelling companions a list of questions so they can share their impressions Panama with us! This is The Sister’s reflection on the trip!
If you’re interested in reading through the whole trip from beginning to end, please click here.
My top 3 highlights of the trip
Highlight #1: Sloths
The reason I wanted to go to central America was to see sloths. They are such funny creatures! So slow and always smiling. We did a lot of sloth hunting in parks and we were able to see some in random trees, which made me very happy!
Highlight #2: Day trip to San Blas Islands
I wasn’t initially very sure about this day trip, but I’m so glad I was convinced to go. If you looked up “tropical island” in the dictionary, I feel like you’d see some of these. Some of them literally looked like island emoticon 
. Like there would be maybe 20 or so palm trees on the island and you could walk around the whole circumference of the island. The water was also so clear.
One of the best stops on the trip was this sandbar area. You stepped out of the boat and it would look like you were stepping into the middle of the ocean, but then your feet touch sand. And all around you is just open water. It was very cool.
Highlight #3: Sun getaway during the winter
Why haven’t I done that before? Winter blues be gone! This is the first time I had ever gone anywhere warm and sunny during the winter months and it made SUCH a difference in my mood and motivation level the rest of winter. I’m usually sadder and more irritable during the winter time, but going somewhere where it was hot made the rest of the winter seem much more bearable. When I came back, I was sun-kissed, relaxed, and happy. I see now why people go south for the winter!
What was your favourite meal or thing you ate?
The chicken and rice at Concolon Panamanian Street Food — a restaurant by our hotel! Actually we went to this restaurant twice and both times it was really good. It felt like we were eating authentic Panamanian food.
Pedro Mandinga Rum bar in Old Town was a place we ducked into just as it was starting to pour. We settled into these comfy seats and had happy hour cocktails and snacks. I didn’t know I liked rum, but the rum cocktails here were delicious! It was also just really nice to relax and have some drinks together on the Minion’s birthday.
If you could change any element of the itinerary, what would you change?
I’m not sure I would change any elements of this particular trip since it was my first time going to Panama. I know there had been some suggestions of spending time in other parts of the country or doing an overnight trip to the San Blas islands. Knowing what I know now, I think I would recommend others try to do that if they have time in their itinerary. For me, I only wanted to go for a short time and since I wasn’t super sure about what the country was like, I wanted to stick around Panama City. I didn’t feel bored at all though. It felt like we had enough to do each day and it wasn’t too rushed.
What caught you by surprise on this trip?
The biggest thing was that it wasn’t as dangerous or as scary as everyone thought it was. When we had booked the trip and I told people I was going to Panama, I would often get responses of “….why?” or “Isn’t it dangerous there?” I had also heard/read that the people there were grittier and not the warmest. Hearing that did make me feel a bit anxious and, admittedly, I was a bit nervous about what it would be like. But everyone we encountered was so friendly and welcoming. And it felt no more dangerous than being in Europe or even parts of the US. It completely exceeded my expectations.
I was also really surprised at how many hip places there were to eat and drink in Panama (at least in Panama City). Near the end of our trip, we went to a place called Mentiritas Blancas for lunch that seemed super trendy, served pour over coffee out of carafes, and had things like avocado toast on the menu.
On our last night, we also went to this area that had a bunch of different restaurants and bars with outdoor seating. That was really cool.
Share one memorable story from this trip
There were many memorable stories from this trip, but one of my fondest was the super bumpy car ride to the dock that would take us to the San Blas islands and the rocky boat ride to the islands. Both were super fun because it felt like a roller coaster. The road going to the dock was riddled with huge pot holes so our driver had to expertly maneuver around them. There were lots of ups and downs and curves. On the boat ride out to the islands, we sat in the front row and the waves were so bumpy we would literally fly off the seat when we went over them. On the way back, we sat in the back and it was hilarious because we got soaked by all the waves (in the front, we didn’t seem to have this problem so we were blissfully ignorant).
Did you pack properly for this trip? What would you have done differently?
I didn’t anticipate sweating as much as I did due to the humidity and had to buy some additional clothing to work into the rotation. The evenings were quite cool though so I might have brought some more long-sleeves. I also would have brought different footwear had I known it would be so rainy. I brought Toms, runners, and Birkenstocks — but not the plastic kind. Right after this trip, I bought the plastic kind and that would have totally been a great item to bring (I would have just worn those the entire time).
I did use a fanny pack for the first time instead of a purse and it was a GREAT choice. I liked the security of having things close to my chest and in front of me and I was still able to carry everything I needed.
Any regrets?
I do regret not seeing more sloths or seeing them more up close. That’s not for lack of trying though. I also regret — though this is also not within my control — that it wasn’t sunnier. It was hot, but it often rained. It would have been nice if it was hot AND sunny. On the day we went to San Blas, it was warm, but not smoking hot, which I would have preferred.
Any advice for people considering similar trips/destinations?
It’s not as scary or as dangerous as everyone makes it out to be. For the most part, we felt very safe and comfortable, and everyone was very friendly. Yes, there are unsavoury people around sometimes and some parts can be gritty, but you get that in other countries too. One other thing, and I was warned of this before we went, was that just like in other central or South American countries, the police may sometimes stop you for a phony reason. They’re just looking for some money, they’re not out to hurt you. This did happen to us on our last night and it was really the only negative/scary thing that happened to us I feel.
Overall, though, it definitely isn’t the scary, dangerous place everyone seems to think it is. We had a great time, and everyone was super nice and welcoming.
Final thoughts?
I had a really great time in Panama and it completely exceeded almost all of my expectations. I am not sure I would go back to Panama (I feel once is enough), but I’m also not in a huge rush to return to Central or South America anytime soon either.
Thanks for another wonderful Sibling trip Sister! Even though it wasn’t exclusively a sibling trip this time, you are still the ultimate travel buddy and I can’t wait for the next Sib trip!