Category Archives: Antarctica to Alaska

80. Row, row, row your boat…

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Tuesday, 12 March 2019

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

 

The disadvantage of sleeping in a chalet with a corrugated tin roof is that when it rains it sounds like bullets being fired at the roof.

All.

Through.

The.

Night.

Just like being in a caravan.

An early start too.

The itinerary says, “Enjoy a boat ride down the river Penas Blancas.” Now, when you read that, does it scream a nice pleasure boat sitting in the dry with comfy seating admiring the view or does it scream sitting on an inflatable dinghy, wearing a life jacket, getting your feet wet and having to paddle?

Yeah. Me neither.

Most enjoyable though and immense fun.

It’s a very pleasant hour and a half trickling down the river at a sedate 3mph admiring the birds, monkeys and iguanas. Some rowing required though. Though as the unofficial photographer for the group (on account that I’m the only one to have brought a camera as have a waterproof dunk bag) it’s a veeeerrrrryyyyy slllllooooowwwww process putting camera away when instructed to paddle. If you get my drift. It’s not white water rafting by any stretch of the imagination. More the River Trent.

And that was about as exerting as today got. Humidity preventing doing anything more exerting than the short walk into La Fortuna for lunch and laundry.

Having collected laundry later in the afternoon, find myself walking back with a plastic bag full of clean clothes with my name written on the bag in large letters. Approach a bank which has both a security van transferring money to the ATM and an armed guard watching proceedings.

As I get nearer, armed guard puts his hand on his weapon ready to draw. Hardly look like a bank robber at the best of times. Let alone wearing shorts, flip flops and bag of washing with my name in big letters written on it.

Armed guard obviously thought otherwise.

79. Hi-de-hi

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Monday, 11 March 2019

La Fortuna, Costa Rica

 

Cold, wet and very windy as we leave the highlands of Santa Elena. The rain is a theme for the day but as we descend down to La Fortuna, the cold gives way to heat and humidity. Instead of a 3hr bus journey back the way we came, it’s to be a 1hr-ish bus plus a 45 minute boat ride across Lake Arenal and then a 30min bus.

Cloudy and grey. The boat is more a floating pontoon with seats and an engine and embark from a small beach reached down a very steep dirt track. The sort you might find in Devon driving down to a very small National Trust car park and secluded beach.

Arriving at La Fortuna, it’s a far cry from the clear blue skies and sun when we passed through a couple of days ago. The volcano is now shrouded in cloud, it’s raining, hot and humid.

Spending two nights at the Hotel Montechiari (http://www.hotelarenalmontechiari.com/). It’s how I imagine Butlins to be. Rows of very basic chalets.

But set in tropical gardens.

And a view of the cone of Arenal volcano.

So a bit different to Skegness in that respect.

All it needs is Ruth Madoc to come over the PA saying, “Morning campers. Hi-de-hi.”

An afternoon at leisure was meant for activities such as horse riding, trekking, quad biking, rafting and the like. But the heat and humidity has got to us all.

And it’s raining heavily.

Lazy afternoon doing nothing required.

We’re all knackered.

78. Too many beans

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Sunday, 10 March 2019

Santa Elena/Monteverde, Costa Rica

 

Travelling companion arrives for the morning meet a couple of minutes late. “Sorry I’m late, too many beans.”, she says. Really don’t want to know about other people’s bowel movements.

Short drive up to the cloud forest for a walk along the trail with a properly trained guide who knows what he’s doing and where he’s going. Unlike the other day.

Someone who knows what he’s doing. Within a few minutes he can hear a bird call. Within seconds he’s set up his spotting scope and got it centred on the bird. Just like that. We’re all standing there dumbfounded as none of us can see a thing through the foliage even when he points the bird out. The view through the spotting scope is superb. Really brings it alive with colours. Definitely need the spotting scope. Without it, we’d be in the same boat as the other day. Looking at leaves all day. He also has a laser guider to point out the area we should be looking at. This is more like it. Actually seeing something. Well worth having.

So many tourists and at one point there’s a traffic jam on the trail as all the guides have their scopes set up in the same place along with their groups to look at a bird.

For the first time in weeks, wearing a rain coat. It’s quite cool and drizzly in the cloud forest, as we’re up at about 5,500ft.

Excellent walk along the trail and see a few birds through the scope and a monkey. And it’s not hot and humid.

Adjacent the park entrance is a hummingbird centre. They’ve set up sugar water feeders to entice the hummingbirds. Oh my. Just stand still and they ruffle your hair as they whizz past. You can get so close to the feeders it’s mesmerising. Look at the slow motion video below and you’ll see what I mean.

Quick visit to an orchid garden followed by a butterfly farm. Both fascinating and interesting. The butterfly farm tour starts with a display of creepy crawlies. Scorpions, spiders, bugs and a cockroach. The lad says that cockroaches are very clean and to prove it puts it in his mouth whole. Yukety yukety yuk!

Yeah, we all go, “Eeeuuwwwrrrgghh”, in unison, too.

77. Two toucans twice

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Saturday, 9 March 2019

Santa Elena/Monteverde, Costa Rica

 

Leisurely day today. Starts with being shown a baby pineapple plant. They take 9 months to grow to full size and pass many pineapple plantations enroute. Makes a change from bananas.

Drive 5hrs through lush rolling countryside to Santa Elena in the Monteverde region. The landscape and housing has changed substantially. Gone are the rainforest and banana plantations. Now it’s like driving through the Derbyshire Peak District. Hills, fields and farms.

A lot more tourism in this area has obviously created a wealthy economy. Posh hotels and resorts. Plenty of outdoor activities. Driving through La Fortuna, see the Arenal volcano. A true volcanic cone standing proud. Last erupted in 2010. Let’s hope it’s not on a 9 year cycle.

Stunning scenery as we drive along the shoreline of Lake Arenal, a very large lake, with amazing views when we have a brief pit stop at a cracking café. They have perhaps the largest display of homemade cakes. The cinnamon roll looks tasty. As did that upside down pineapple cake. Naughty but nice.

In the car park stands a tree with two toucans. They’re the ‘Collared Aracari’ type as opposed to yesterday’s glorious ‘keel-billed’ type. You see. You learn on this blog. They’re soon joined by another pair.

Two toucans twice.

Good quality roads until the last 30km where it turns into a bumpy gravel dirt road. But we’re taking country roads passing nice farms and haciendas. There’s an upmarket feel to the place now. Unlike the run from the Panamanian border to Sarapiqui the other day.

This is nice.

Check into the Hotel Poco a Poco (http://www.hotelpocoapoco.com/) in Santa Elena. Sunset terrace overlooking the swimming pool overlooking the spa overlooking the lush green valley.

Ah yes.

This’ll do nicely for a couple of days.

And relax.

76. Lost!

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Friday, 8 March 2019

Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

 

Scheduled for a 2hr walk along a 1,600m trail through the rainforest, starting at 0830hrs and returning 1030hrs.

Ho.

Ho.

Ho.

Walk along the suspension footbridge to cross the river far below. Immediately see an iguana sunning itself high up on a lone branch, quickly followed by a bright red breasted bird. Things are looking up. Expecting great things from this rainforest walk. Seeing lots of interesting wildlife in this vast nature reserve in Costa Rica, famed for its rich wildlife.

Ho.

Ho.

Ho.

I should perhaps mention the heat and humidity too.

Walking along the main trail, hear a howler monkey howling to its mates who quickly reply. Can hear them but can’t see them. Too far away from the trail. Which becomes a theme for the day.

Spending too much time looking at feet trying to watch where you step to ensure you don’t trip over on the footpath through the rainforest.

Find a toucan sitting on a branch. You’ve got to look hard through the foliage. Its brightly coloured beak is quite large and struggle to get a clear photo of it. What you see below is the best I can do. Seeing it reminds me of the Guinness adverts of old.

A poisoned dart red frog (nicknamed the blue jeans frog as it has blue legs on its bright body body) is seen but hops off before I can take a decent photo.

This wildlife is a bit elusive and not seeing much. We’ve been walking 2hrs now and nowhere near returning. There’s a lot of walking but not much to see apart from trees and leaves. Dripping in sweat too. Not a pretty sight.

Now 1100hrs and realise we’ve actually left the main signposted trail. Somehow. And now on a tributary trail that isn’t identified on our basic map.

We’re off-piste.

Ask the guide where we are and he points to the top left of the map.

Even I know that’s not right and we’re more towards the bottom right of the map. But on an unmarked trail.

It’s clear he doesn’t know where he is.

Right.

GPS switched on phone. Google Maps shows the blue GPS dot in a sea of green forest. No trails marked obviously. Continue on the side trail for about 20mins. A large tree has fallen over the trail blocking our way.

So.

Retrace our route and go up another side trail. After 10mins that too is blocked by a fallen tree.

Retrace our route back to the first fallen tree and decide that if we can make our way through it then it will lead to the main trail that we should be on.

Ho.

Ho.

Ho.

Walk some more through the heat and humidity. Scramble through and over the fallen tree. Desperately trying not to touch anything lest there are creepy crawlies hiding in nooks and crannies.

That might kill us.

A fork in the trail. Left is another side trail. Straight on is a continuation of the side trail we’re currently on. Take the left fork. And walk for 10mins. Until we see a river in the valley below on our right. If we’re where we think we are, then the river should be on our left and if we keep it to the left will bring us back to the suspension bridge.

Walk some more.

Until another fork in the trail.

Guide hasn’t got a clue where we are now. A further problem is that we can now see that the river that we’ve been following now on our left is flowing in the wrong direction. It should be flowing the way we’re walking. But it’s not.

So that’s that then.

We’re lost!

Have been walking for two and a half hours. On a trail that isn’t shown on our map. Map only shows the four main tourist trails of varying lengths. Somehow, we’ve deviated off the main trail that we were meant to be doing.

We’re not on any of them.

Oh. And we’ve not seen any sodding wildlife for two hours. Bizarrely.

Guide decides we need to retrace our route. He’s right of course. That’s the proper way to do it. But it’s taken two and a half hours to get where we are so, in theory, another two and a half hours back.

In the heat and humidity.

With water supplies dwindling.

Back the way we came. Through and over the fallen tree. Along the muddy paths. With no sodding wildlife to look at. Just trees and leaves.

Oh yes, dear reader, it’s a giddy existence.

After 45mins, find the main trail that we should have been on. For some reason, our guide had taken us left at a junction passing a sign that says, “Do not enter, nature reserve staff only.” We should have turned right at that point to keep on the main trail. Which is another half hour back to the suspension bridge and home.

Fortunately, the rainforest redeems itself slightly as then see a howler monkey high up in the trees resting and soon after a woodpecker hammering away. Always wanted to see a toucan and a woodpecker, so at least a successful walk in that respect.

Finally arrive back at the hotel at 1200hrs. Three and a half hours of walking in the heat and humidity.

A hot sticky mess am I.

Guide has arranged a couple of local taxis to take us to a local restaurant for dinner about 5mins away.

Your life in their hands. In what must be a 30mph zone, we speed along at 50-60mph.

With no seat belts.

Couple of boy racers.

The only thing missing was a handbrake turn in the car park.

75. Border crossing

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Thursday, 7 March 2019

Sarapiqui, Costa Rica

 

Some village drunk was singing outside the hotel until the early hours. Another disturbed sleep. Not good as it’s a 0530hrs wake up call.

Still dark and chucking it down with rain as I stir from my hibernation. Public water shuttle speed boat to the mainland full of locals either off to work or returning home after the carnival weekend. Somewhat bumpy as we speed across the Caribbean in the early morning light. Thought the Caribbean was meant to be a nice calm sea. Back breaking on these fibre glass seats where you feel every single jolt as it skims across the waves.

Private mini bus to Sixaola but we’re giving a lift to a young French surfer dood who completely ignores us. Ignorant Frenchie.

Drive through the Chiquita banana plantations. Most of the banana bunches have blue plastic bags around them to protect them from insects and not yet ready for harvesting. Those that are ready are cut and hung on a conveyor system that runs through the plantation to take them to the central packing area and a chilled shipping container.

Arriving at Sixaola, quickly exchange some US Dollars for Cost Rican Colons. In a supermarket down a side street. All above board and fully official. Of course.

The Panama Immigration office is tucked away down a side street and as we’re the only ones there takes no time at all to have passports stamped and fingerprints scanned. This is why we’ve had to get up early. To avoid the queues at the border when the big coaches arrive.

Having waved goodbye to the Panamanian mini-bus, have to walk the few hundred metres across the bridge forming the border and over to Costa Rica, to then pick up a Costa Rican mini-bus. Hot and humid. At each end of the bridge is a contraption which should disinfect all vehicles crossing by spraying them with disinfectant from hoses. Like a glorified car wash. Judging by the state of it though, doesn’t seem to be in operation.

Fortunately beat a crowd off a coach at the Costa Rican immigration office and so stamped in quickly.

More Chiquita banana plantations as we drive along. Costa Rica looking very much like Panama at the moment with poor and basic accommodation. Told this is very rural because of all the plantations. Costa Rica has its own Chiquita port to ship all the bananas over to Europe, and elsewhere for that matter. Plenty of chilled shipping containers stacked high every so often waiting to be filled with bananas.

Arrive soon after lunch at Tirimbina Lodge (https://www.tirimbina.org/). It looked to be one of the worst places we are staying at on the trip but is actually quite clean and comfortable.

Set in a rainforest am expecting lots of mosquitoes. Rather surprisingly though. Not seen any.

Short walk through one of the trails. Only 900m long. But takes 1hr. Necessitates crossing Costa Rica’s longest suspension footbridge. Swinging and a swaying as we go.

Some fool (me) shouts out, “I’m a celebrity, get me out of here!”, because that’s what it reminds us of.

Expecting great things from this walk. We’re in Costa Rica. We’re in the rainforest. We’re in a nature reserve. We’ll be seeing lots and lots of wildlife. Won’t we.

Er.

No.

There’s diddly squat.

Disappointed is an understatement.

It’s just dense green jungle.

Spend most of the time looking at your feet to make sure you’re not going to trip over anything.

Oh. And did I mention the heat and humidity?

A very sweaty TT.

74. Pirates of the Caribbean

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Wednesday, 6 March 2019

Bocas del Toro Island, Panama

 

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Went the drums.

Constantly.

Right next door to hotel.

Until 0100hrs this morning.

No.

Sleep.

Whatsoever.

It wasn’t even music.

Just noise.

Or is that a sign I’m getting old?

Boat trip around the islands to see dolphins, starfish, sloths and a bit of snorkelling.

All before lunch.

Bounce over in the speed boat to ‘Dolphin Bay’. So called because that’s where all the dolphins congregate to catch all the fish that tend to be swept there by the currents.

Not seen a dolphin since Tierra del Fuego. Remember? When my camera memory card was overloaded?

Well I’m all checked and double checked. Am good to go. Ready for that prize winning shot of a dolphin in mid air.

Yes. Can’t wait.

So. There. We. Are.

Bobbing up and down for half an hour.

With. No. Dolphins. In Sight.

Not a sausage.

Oh well.

At least we’ve got Sloth Island to go to. To see all the sloths.

Do see plenty of starfish in the shallow waters by the mangrove islands. Quite startling how many there are.

Arrive Sloth Island.

I’ve got it in my head that sloths are big. So will be easy to see.

They’re not. They’re actually quite small.

Which means they’re difficult to see through the branches and leaves of the dense mangrove trees. We see one. All on its own. Not doing much. Hoping this isn’t going to the be only thing we see, continue purring along the edge of the mangrove island. All of us looking through dense vegetation for that elusive sloth.

Another speedboat is nosied up into a mangrove tree. Its occupants are staring up at a tree with binoculars.

Ah. Ha.

There be a sloth.

Two to be precise. And a baby.

Daddy Sloth is surprisingly quick at climbing down. Has a pee, scratches his bum, and then scurries up to Mummy and Baby Sloth again. And here’s me thinking sloths were slow.

Well, dear reader, I tried to get a photo. You’ll have to judge for yourselves if it’s worthy. But you try focussing on a small thing through branches and leaves in the foreground which screw up the focus.

Excellent lunch on Caranero Island overlooking the Caribbean whilst eating fresh prawns in a garlic sauce. Stop licking your lips. So delicious.

Rather pleasant way to spend a few hours pootling around the Caribbean in a speedboat. Island to island.

No wonder there were so many pirates in the Caribbean. What’s not to like.

And you know why pirates are called pirates?

Because they aaarghh, ah aaarggh.

73. Cheers

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Tuesday, 5 March 2019

Bocas del Toro Island, Panama

 

Woken at 0200hrs by someone shouting in reception just down the corridor. It’s carnival time so not unexpected. Everyone goes crazy.

The bed spread is the size of postage stamp. Sadly, I am not the size of a postage stamp and surprisingly feel the cold in the early hours. We’re about 3,000ft up so quite cool at night.

4hr drive over the Continental Divide. In theory, you can see both the Pacific and the Caribbean within a few kilometres drive along the ridge. Were it not for the cloud.

Quick stop at the Mirador de Fortuna, a hydroelectric dam, which is guarded by a young lad on his own standing in a kiosk with a pump action shotgun. Clearly bored and a bit lonely.

Arrive Almirante about 1300hrs, a small port on the Caribbean. When you next tuck into your Chiquita Panamanian bananas, this is the port where it will have been exported from. Lots of chilled shipping containers being loaded onto a massive ship ready for the onward journey.

The island of Bocas del Toro is a 45 minute speedboat trip across a choppy Caribbean. There’s not much comfort sitting on the fibreglass seats as the boat bumps and bounces of the waves. Even have to wear life jackets but they look like they last saw action on the Titanic. They’re that sort of design.

Sailing away from the mainland, pass typical houses for this area. Each juts out into the sea on stilts with a balcony and a mooring for the boat. Built of wood, single story and seemingly very basic living conditions. But they all have a satellite dish.

Bocas del Toro is one of about seven main islands just off the coast of Panama, up near the Costa Rican border. Full of American tourists. Especially as it’s the carnival weekend. Traipse through a hot and humid town with bags to the hotel. We’re hardcore. No private bus transfers for us for the short 10 minute walk to our hotel, the Bocas Inn (http://www.anconexpeditions.com/about-us/our-lodges/bocas-inn). A basic affair but has stunning views over the Caribbean from the hammocks strung up on the first floor balcony.

Told it will be very noisy tonight because of carnival in the main square about 200m away. Oh, and the bar next door. Which will be playing live music until 0100hrs.

Great. Can’t wait.

In search of dinner find a little gem of a restaurant, on the waterfront, El Ultimo Refugio. The last Refuge. I’ve just poured my ice cold beer and about to take a sip, when the middle aged American lady, sitting with her husband, thrusts her glass of wine into my beer glass and says,

“Cheers!”

Eh. What. Where did you come from?

And then turns back to talk with husband before I can say anything in reply.

Most unusual.

72. I’ll be washing you

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Monday, 4 March 2019

Boquete, Panama

Early start to catch the 0830hrs public bus from Panama City to David, 450km away. Not looking forward to this journey. Arrive at the bus station thinking the tour company will already have pre-booked the tickets. Er no. You can’t pre-book. First come, first served. Tour leader tells us we haven’t got the extra leg room seats on the front row and are dotted about the bus as it’s full.

Tell him not bothered about that, primary concern is leg room. Not doing 8hrs crammed into a seat I can’t fit in. He buzzes off and returns later.

We’re not on the 0830hrs bus. We’re now on the 0930hrs bus. Another hour and a half to wait in this sodding bus station. But at least we have front row seats with extra leg room.

Finally board. Not like the Le Paz to Puno bus with business class seats. These are normal coach seats. Thankful that we do have the front row as it’s tight legroom in a normal seat.

The cracked front windscreen is held together with a plastic layer. Another day of liquid management treading that fine line between keeping hydrated and not having to use the loo. One of our group finally succumbs to the bus toilet. Told it’s grim. Very grim. Bowl is full and not flushing.

Very slow going to the half way point and lunch stop at Santiago. Every few kilometres is a policeman. They’re pulling people over to check licences, breath testing and speeding. Never seen so many police along a stretch of road but told it’s because of carneval weekend and so they’re out in force.

4hrs is a long time to sit on a bus until the first stop at Santiago and glad to be able to use the loo in the service station and much needed stretch of the legs. We’re all glad we’ve got snacks with us as the buffet food looks less than enterprising. No idea how long it will have been stagnating there for. After half an hour, back on the bus for the final 3.5hr stretch to David. Much quicker going, better roads and less police although do have a passport check half way when the police board the bus.

Bus is hot, sweaty and cramped. Not the best journey I’ve ever had and not one I wish to repeat.

Hot, humid and chucking it down with rain as we arrive in David. Use the bus station loo and as the woman at the cash desk has her back to me sneak in without paying. She collars me on the way out but keep on walking feigning ignorance. In any event, if I’m paying for a pee, I want a nice clean toilet not the scummy mess I’ve had to walk through missus.

We were meant to be taking a local ‘chicken bus’ (so called because it takes anything and everything) for the 1hr drive to Boquete but tour leader has seen sense and arranged a private bus complete with ice cold air-conditioning, which we’re all thankful for after the hot public bus.

Boquete, in the foothills of the Baru volcano, has a large American ex-pat community who retire here because of its temperate climate and cheap living. Could think of better places to live but it’s a nice town and bit more upmarket than what we’ve seen enroute with lots of good quality restaurants lining the main street.

Check in to Casa de la Abuela (https://www.lacasadeabuela.com/), basic but comfortable hotel, followed by much needed cold beer at the Boquete Brewing Company, who brew their own beer on site.

Live music tonight. They start playing The Police’s ‘Every Breath You Take’ but with their Panamanian accent, they sing that well known line as, “I’ll be washing you.”

Made me chuckle after a very long day.

71. Panama Hat

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Sunday, 3 March 2019

Panama City, Panama

 

Today is the start of the organised group tour travelling from Panama through Costa Rica, El Salvador and Honduras to Guatemala. Meet up with the other three English members of the group and the tour escort, who is Guatemalan.

The local guide for Panama City meets us. He’s tall, exotic looking, nattily dressed with a Panama hat, speaks fluent English but with an accent one assumes to be Panamanian.

But. There’s a surprise.

He’s actually from Leeds.

You would never know.

It’s carnival weekend so everyone is going crazy and various roads are closed for the procession. Plenty of police about too.

Early start to beat the crowds at the Panama Canal museum and visitor centre at the Miraflores Locks, where I sailed through on Friday.

Unfortunately, we just miss a ship transiting the locks so don’t get to see the locks in action from another perspective. Can see a massive neo-Panamax container ship transiting the new lock system some distance away though and it makes you realise how small the original locks now are.

Having travelled through what I thought was the old town enroute to the canal on Friday, not looking forward to a tour of the old town. It looked squalid on Friday and as we approach the centre of the old town, it still looks squalid and dirty. Lots of grubby blocks of flats with grubby people hanging over the balustrades with their grubby washing hanging out to dry with their grubby chairs and tables on the balconies.

Grubby.

Grubby.

Grubby.

And then.

Within the space of one block, and this is not an exaggeration, it really is one block, it’s as if we’ve been transported through a worm hole because it’s all shiny newly refurbished apartments, shops, restaurants, bars and hotels.

The contrast between one block and the next is staggering. Can’t recall anywhere else where the change is that instant. There are plenty of towns and cities where you see a gradual change from squalor to shiny but nothing as quick as this.

The newly refurbished part of the old town is stunning. Some money has obviously been spent converting the old grubby blocks into shiny new places. Pass an upmarket hotel. People quaffing champagne with their Sunday brunch. All the more staggering as it’s within view of the grubby old town.

The local authority is gradually gentrifying the old place and investing lots of money to make it a lot more upmarket but the local lower classes who live in the old town are protesting as they’re being moved out to make way for champagne and caviar.

Panama City has redeemed itself. Was thinking that all there was to Panama City was the newer skyscraper area of the city. Its skyline very much like Dubai’s but with pockets of squalid housing amongst the skyscrapers.

But this. The upgraded old town is stunning and architecturally fascinating. Very enjoyable walking around the cobbled streets but still some streets have newly refurbished buildings but adjacent are squalid apartments with locals that haven’t been forced out yet.

Outside the French embassy, a park contains an obelisk to commemorate the French that started the Panama Canal engineering. A plaque on one side of the obelisk opens inwards to reveal metal rungs to climb inside, to the top of the obelisk. Forego the pleasure, purely on account of it being very hot and humid.

Many of the tourist tat stalls have indigenous women, called ‘guna’ dressed in brightly coloured clothes. One stall has a selection of foreign coins for sale. One is a British 20 pence piece. Ask how much. It’s one dollar. Laugh and say it’s not worth that. To which the reply is, “Very rare, come from a long way.”

Local guide (from Leeds, remember) needs his Panama hat servicing. Of course, everyone knows that the Panama hat is actually made in Ecuador, don’t they? Treated to a comical shop assistant showing us how to care for and roll up a Panama hat. They roll up easily and are transported in balsa wood travel boxes. The last time I played with balsa wood was about 1981 when we all used to make models out of balsa. Remember?? There’ll be men of a certain age nodding sagely now and going, “Ah yes…I remember.” See the two YouTube videos below for a demonstration.

Back at the hotel, tour leader explains that we’re on and adventure tour and we’ll be using public transport throughout.

Hmmm. Not sure I booked an adventure holiday using public transport. I’m more of a private bus with air-conditioning, comfort and space type of holiday.

Fortunately, one of my travelling companions is the same height and build as me and it becomes clear we’re not going to be fitting into any ‘chicken buses’ any time soon.

Tour leader realises and promises he will try and arrange private buses where he can.

But.

We will be doing an 8hr journey tomorrow by public bus.

Really can’t wait for that.