dream | A Conscience Journey

Posts Tagged With: dream

So… it finally happened… Bed. Bugs. (*Blank stare) Meltdown Numero Dos!

Posted on June 15, 2014 by valarieivester

We made it to Panama!!! (As I jump from the sailboat to the ground kissing it..oh wait…it still feels like I’m swaying. ..ugh)
Now that we have completed our tour of South America we were excited to start Central America off in Panama City, Panama!

We decided to stay in the Casco Viejo part of Panama. The history and architecture was beautiful! Colorful buildings, colonial style Presidential Palaces, and GORGEOUS views of downtown Panama City….what more can anyone ask for?

Our view of downtown Panama City from outside the front door of our hostel!

If you find yourself in Panama City do not miss The Armador Causeway. It is a stretch of land (sorta like a boardwalk) that is about 6-7 miles both ways surrounded by water and here you will find locals running, walking, and riding all sorts of bikes. On one side you will have the most stunning view of downtown Panama City and on the other is the south entrance to the Panama Canal!

If you get a chance….rent one of these…they are AWESOME; )

If you don’t know, Jorgie’s emblem for his travels and his website (www.jrifter.com Check his site out if you haven’t! ) is the jrifter on the yellow crossing sign. Panama City has so many funny jrifters….this one here: BIG BOOTY JRIFTER; )

I WORK OUT JRIFTER 😉

THE “DO YOU EVEN LIFT?” JRIFTER ! LOL

Panama City was good to us but now we are heading north to BOCAS DEL TORO!!!!

We thought we’d run into them along this trip….we even prepared for them by buying a really expensive 100% silk bedliner cause we read they hate them…but to no avail….there you were. You NASTY LITTLE THINGS. BED BUGS. Now we noticed them as soon as the sun set, but after a very frenzied, tazmanian devil like gathering of our stuff, we were moved to another room where I TORE UP the room and bed looking for other little critters only to find this room crawling with geckos….BEFORE you let it slip from your mouth…I KNOOOOW “Geckos are our friends, they eat the bugs!” (in Jorgie’s annoying voice) 😉 I’m truly not that scared of them but I think after the bed bug incedent I wasn’t having these little geckos. Here’s the freakout…ENJOY:

Bocas del Toro is an archipelago ( group of islands ) so you have to take a small…I repeat…SMALL boat (THANK YOU JESUS!) to get there.

Bocas is known for it brightly decorated building afloat the island.

Keep your eyes open for hummingbirds! They are fast little things but they are EVERYWHERE here!

Hand shaven RASPA!?! I’M IN! Let me get my money out; )

Small bus ride can take you to another part of the island called Boca del Drago. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! The beaches here are gorgeous!

Looks fake right!?

Hop on a lancha for a 5 minute ride to STARFISH BEACH where there are no longer many starfish on the beach (if you swim just a little further out you will see them…but don’t pick them up out of the water because it kills them and they are trying to preserve them!) This place makes you feel isolated from the rest of the world….with Piña Coladas ofcourse! 😉

Local fisherman regularly pull their catches on shore to sale to the foodstands.

What in the world is the torquios one?!?

If you wanna little taste of “home” while on Bocas, visit TACO SURF! This restaurant/surf school is great! Their tacos were a welcome treat to these two TEXANS that were just about to throw the towel in on traveling if we couldn’t find a decent taco! 😉

The owner Justine and her husband run a cool place with a very chill vibe! For the budget traverler that’s wanting “not so budget tasting tacos” get your butt here! Thanks Justine….your place saved our trip!;)
Check them out on Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/bocas.tacosurf

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: Armador Causeway, backpacker, beach, bed bugs, Boca del Drago, Bocas del Toro, Casco Viejo, Central America, dream, geckos, ocean, Panama, Panama City, sand, starfish, Starfish Beach, taco surf, tacos, travel | 1 Comment

A Little Girls Dream

Posted on April 18, 2014 by valarieivester

I remember being 8 or 9 years old and sitting on a red bean bag when I first saw Machu Picchu. I was reading a National Geographic book, you remember, those ones with the yellow cover in school, and I distinctively remember being in awe. I remember sitting there thinking how awesome it was and how I just knew I wanted to see it. When Jorgie and I started planning this trip we asked each other, if we only got to see one thing…one thing we couldn’t leave without seeing, our #1 place, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
For him, it was Rio. For me it was getting to see Machu Picchu;)
I won’t ramble on any more, nor will I write much more like I tend to do in other posts. I’ll let the pictures do most of the talking and I won’t dare filter any of the photos….. I want to share Machu Picchu exactly the way I got to see it. 😉

There are several ways you can get to Machu Picchu, we chose the scenic route, The Perú Rail;)

You can pay $10 USD to ride a bus up to Machu Picchu…we opted to take the free hike, cause you know, we are in shape;) Baaaaad Mistake!!

It just keeps going up and up….

And up….

You have to climb literally up the mountain!

Finally we have arrived!!!

Gotta get the passport stamp…

Then celebrate the ridiculous hike that was up a mountain with a Snickers bar….DON’T JUDGE US! 😉

When I was little, this place just seemed so much bigger than me…bigger than anything I’d be able to do or see… and here I am, the same girl…now barely a woman, but feeling so close to that 8 year old girl sitting on a bean bag. This place TRULY deserves it’s title as one of the SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD!!!