Santa Catalina

Oh, Santa Catalina. We had high hopes for our trip to Santa Catalina because everyone in Santiago talks about going there during vacations to enjoy the beach. As usual, Earl was hoping for a more familiar feel than we encounter in most of our off the beaten path adventures. And also as usual, nothing really went as expected. First, the trip to Santa Catalina is a long two hours. Parts of it are beautiful rural areas, where you see a distinctly poorer side of Panama. It ends with a bunch of small, rollercoaster-like hills and then lots of potholes. Naomi was car sick, and the rest of us were doing our best not to be. I can't even imagine the trip on a bus!

We found our hotel/eco-lodge, and it was a little too rustic for Earl's taste and stunk of mothballs. It was down a dirt road that required 4WD. On one drive, I was videoing it until we bottomed out! You can hear the noise under the car and our surprise as the camera drops. We had a couple of strange meals: one eerie place with a brand new staff and a way too friendly cat and dog and no lights outside the restaurant, and then a mystery veggie burger. Still don't know what it was made of. Sleeping arrangements were tricky, because C suddenly sat up during her sleep inside her mosquito net on the top bunk, and we realized it wasn't a great place for our sleepwalker. And it was hot! We attempted a hike, and the views were beautiful until the height scared C and we turned back. On the way down, we were all bitten by ants, and the bites were insanely painful.

With all of our struggles, we were pleasantly surprised by the beach. After all, that's the point of visiting Santa Catalina. At low tide, the black sand goes on forever. E and C enjoyed a swim while N and I covered ourselves in mud. We saw people riding horses there, too. The interesting thing about Santa Catalina is that a river empties onto the beach, dividing it in half. To get to the main part of the beach, where there are also cabins and a restaurant, you have to cross the river. At low tide (day one), it's ankle deep, but at high tide it was up to E's waist, so on day two, only E and C were able to make it across. N and I hung out on the near side, where I took some photos. Before we headed out of Santa Catalina, we scoped out a hotel for next time where I think we'd be happier.

We got about 1/2 way home and got a call from the eco-lodge saying we'd left a bunch of stuff. The two hour trip turned into a four hour ride, and that night was the first time I felt relieved to be 'home' in Santiago!