And yes, I realize the picture isn’t of kayaking, but I can’t find one that actually includes me kayaking, so I’ll have to wait until I find more pictures!

We stopped for lunch in an etty (the opposite of a jetty), and then continued on. The second half of the river was Class III, IV, V, so some of it we had to walk, while the guides guided the boats down. The group was a little cranky and paranoid, but we survived. Personally, I was ok with rafting anything, as long as the guides were comfortable with it. Oh wells. We finally got through the rough patch and on our way.

I really love my new river shoes. They’re excellent for jumping and running rocks. I felt like I was 7 years old again, rock jumping across the river.

By the time we got down the river, the trucks were waiting to take us back. We drove to a drop-off point for several of the guides. It was fascinating to watch all the activity at the “Fred Meyer / Wal-Mart” of Chico, Panama. People milling about, kids in school uniforms, little groups of teenage girls wearing decade old trends, and Diablo Rojos driving by every few minutes. We finally got back in the trucks and headed into the hills to the 4×4 camp (4×4 camper cabins). We passed some rank chicken farms and finally arrived at a mini-paradise, cuatro y cuatro paraíso. We walked up to the top of the hill while we waited for dinner. Dinner was pretty bad, it was mainly meat, so I was really hungry still. Thankfully there was also plantain, other than just salad. After dinner we sat around outside the “Cabin Romantica” and had Panama beers. The host was explaining to us in español that the dorm cabin was just the general camping cabin and the cabin by the “pool” was la Cabaña Romantica, lol.

After checking in to the hotel, I took a short nap. Very nice after a red-eye flight. We had a meeting in the hotel lobby with the local guide in the evening, and then went to dinner. I had “yuca mole”? Not sure how to spell it, but it was yuca plant and onions and surprisingly good. After, we walked to the grocery store to stock up on anything that wasn’t on the menu for the islands trip. Panama looks like Miami, not that I’ve been to Miami, but the Miami I’ve seen on TV, movies and in pictures. It’s kind of old and dirty, but still beachy. The buses here are called Diablo Rojo, red devils, and they aren’t a regulated form of public transportation. It’s a very interesting, if not slightly dangerous, concept. Apparently, drivers don’t necessarily own the buses, but they give a cut of the bus fare to the bus owners and the rest they get. So, their motivation is… get there faster and with the most people on board. :) And they have great advertising and marketing, they paint their bus all crazy colors and have music playing. Now that’s grass roots marketing.