Taking risks

Megan:
Jon and I have been traveling through Panama for about a week and a half now and have been quite impressed by the variety of climate, landscape and culture. Boquete, a small town in the western state of Chiriquí, has made it on our list of trip highlights. This mountain town remains refreshingly cool during the day, has an impressive restaurant and coffee scene, and offers numerous lush hiking trails that are easy to navigate independently. We took advantage of this opportunity to do a few hikes on our own, crossing over rivers, back country roads, farmland and dense jungle. Our last day of hiking was along the Quetzal Trail, named after the infamous quetzal bird, which connects Boquete to the nearby town of Cerro Punta. We were amazed by the beauty that we saw along the way - misty low-lying clouds, brilliant green fields, a rainbow, and the crystal clear water of the Río Caldera. After hiking for 15km, we arrived in the sleepy town of Cerro Punta where we spent the night before embarking on what ended up being a very full day of travel to Panama City.

This capital city has been a great cultural outlet for both Jon and I. We spent yesterday afternoon at Casa Cor which is an annual architecture and interior design expo showcasing 50 rooms designed by different professionals throughout the country. We have also been enjoying art galleries, historic plazas and many eclectic restaurants. And of course, no trip to this city is complete without stopping by the Panama Canal. What an impressive operation to witness. We were both captivated by the scale of the ships passing through the Miraflores Locks and the detail that must be maintained for everything to run smoothly. We were also pleasantly surprised by the well designed museum filled with explanations, models and photos.

In just a few days, we will bidding farewell to Central America and getting rid of another bulky tour book. We are departing by sailboat for the San Blas Islands off the northern coast of Panama where we will enjoy our last chance to snorkel in the Caribbean, and our final destination will be Caragena, Columbia. Although not originally in our itinerary, we decided to add Columbia to the trip after talking to traveler upon traveler who have recently passed through there and told us not to miss it. We've heard that the cities, the culture, and the people have an unspoiled friendliness, and a welcoming quality that is very unlike anywhere else in Latin America.

This has been a decision Jon and I have thought long and hard about since as US citizens we are told that Columbia is a risky country to be visiting. As we have been sharing this change in plans with family and friends, I have noticed how vulnerable I am to the influence of other people´s opinions. When someone questions this decision, it is easy for me to move into a place of self doubt. Jon and I have both become increasingly aware on this trip how easy it is to operate from a place of fear. It's been interesting to travel alongside people from Europe, Canada, Australia and the rest of the world who have come here without our American sense of paranoia about what might hurt us. They tend to take more risks when it comes to eating, talking to locals, exploring a new area and because of this, they often attract richer experiences. We have come to depend on using common sense and trusting our gut when a situation doesn't feel quite right, but we have also found that if we become too obsessed with what might hurt us, we do not remain open to really experience the places we are visiting.

Still, for the moment, I find myself feeling torn between my intuition and fear. This trip is teaching us both how to take risks; it's teaching us to trust ourselves, and I think our experience will be richer because of it.