Journal 2: Panama – Derek, February 29, 2008.
So we arrived in Panama City on Sunday afternoon after traveling for over a full day; we didn’t have the best connections in the world. We boarded a mini-bus headed to Surfers Paradise, Santa Catalina. The group consisted of eight UVic students of varying age, gender, area of study, surfing ability, and anything else you can think of. For the most part we were complete strangers, united only by our love of surfing. There was also a ninth member to our group, our inside man – Christian. We rocked up to the camp at around eleven at night and low and behold, the power was out. It was El Nino … or La Nina, I’m not too sure, but the usually dry season is wet and we were left in the dark. We rounded up a couple beers and then headed to sleep for a much needed rest.
The next morning was beautiful and sunny and we could finally walk around and see the area. Only one word could describe what we saw: paradise. Even if you weren’t a surfer you’d love this place. The property was at the top of a cliff with an overhanging balcony, hammocks, fluffy green grass, and palm trees all around. In the distance to the right you could see the point going off and around the corner to the left you could see to the beach. It was perfect, we had nothing to do but surf.
Now, after not even a week of being back home, the days seem to blur together. It’s hard to differentiate between Tuesday and Friday when everyday involves surfing great waves, eating great meals, drinking great beer, and the odd siesta. There were many epic surf sessions and great coaching and photography by out Brazilian pro, Christian. On two of the six days we took a boat out to sea to check out some fairly deserted islands in the Pacific. What we found: white sand, fun waves, coconuts, extravagant sea shells, sea turtles, a salt water croc, a dolphin, a huge sting ray, some sweet tidal pools, caves, the Panamanian coast guard shouting at us in Spanish, and not another human being in sight. Spending the day on a deserted island can have a very liberating effect, believe me.
Each one of us improved our surfing immensely, we grew close as friends, and shared an unforgettable experience in a culture very different from our own. It’s difficult returning to university after an experience like that. What do we do to keep us going? Plan our next trip (Brazil, Aug., ’08).
