Global Routes Costa Rica just got back from a weeklong mid-program break in western Panama. They visited the beach town of Santa Catalina and the island of Coiba just off-shore, which is a natural paradise for wildlife, both above and below the water. Here is an alphabetic narrative of their journey there:

A is for Aquamarine. We were blown away by the bright blue shade of the tropical water surrounding Isla Coiba.

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B is for the Banana Nutella Smoothies that we enjoyed on our first night back from the island. After two nights on the beach it was a cool and delicious treat.

C is for Croc Tracks – spotted on Playa Machete in the early morning!

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D is for Dolphins – we caught glimpses of several groups of dolphins. The last one on our way back to Santa Catalina put on a Sea World-like show, jumping high up out of the water!

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One dolphin that we did catch on camera.

 

E is for Enrique Iglesias – Bailando – a memorable song of the week.


F is for “feels like 115” – This really was a clip from the weather report on Friday. Panama was HOT!

G is for Granito de Oro – This little gem is one of many island cayes off of Coiba. This was our favorite snorkel spot!

"Granito de Oro" means Grain of Gold.
“Granito de Oro” means Grain of Gold.

H is for Harry Potter bus – The bus we rode on from Panama City towards the beach looked like it was straight from the movies!

I is for Isla de Coco – another great snorkel and lunch spot. Here we heard oyster-fishers calling from the trees!

We pulled our kayaks ashore at Isla de Coco for a snorkel.
We pulled our kayaks ashore at Isla de Coco for a snorkel.

J is for jellyfish – these little buggers were hard to avoid, but we managed to snorkel around them, for the most part.

Sarah navigating that jelly-water.
Sarah navigating that jelly-water.

K is for kayak – our preferred vehicle in Panama.

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L is for Loco for Coco – Jonah was hooked! He was set to crack open a coconut and drink its sweet milk. He managed to do so with his bare hands!

Coco in hand, ready to sip!
Coco in hand, ready to sip!

M is for Mariah’s birthday. Happy Birthday Mariah!

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N is for No WiFi. We were totally immersed in our experience!

O is for Ocean and how much we loved camping on its shore.

P is for Playa Machete. We had the pleasure of calling this beach home for two nights.

Mariah soaks up the evening light on Playa Machete.
Mariah soaks up the evening light on Playa Machete.

Q is for Que rica la comida. Our guide in Coiba, Liz, cooked up a storm! A big thank you to Liz for her fabulous cooking skills on the beach!

Enjoying lunch by Liz (far right) on the beach!
Enjoying lunch by Liz (far right) on the beach!

R is for Rising Sun. From the island we had the unique experience of watching the sunrise over the Pacific.

Jonah says hello to the sun.
Jonah says hello to the sun.

S is for Sea turtle. We got to swim with these glorious animals!

T is for Tony Lenta – Pa’lante. Another favorite song this week!


U is for United World College. We visited this school while we were traveling through San Jose to check out the campus and complete a workshop in Intercultural Communication.

The United World College Costa Rica campus is located in Santa Ana, San Jose.
The United World College Costa Rica campus is located in Santa Ana, San Jose.

V is for Vida, as in La Buena Vida. This was the name of our fabulous, mosaic-bedazzled home in Santa Catalina!

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W is for White-tipped reef shark. Another majestic creature on our snorkeling adventures!

X is for X-celente. On Easter Sunday, before we hopped on the bus to leave for San Jose, we grabbed lunch at Restaurante Excelente, our favorite Chinese restaurant in San Isidro.

Y is for Yoga. We enjoyed a relaxing yoga class with Michelle of La Buena Vida in Santa Catalina.

Getting in some good shoulder stretches after paddling!
Getting in some good shoulder stretches after paddling!

Z is for Zodiac Signs. Liz gave us a grand tour of the constellations from Playa Machete after dinner one night. We could see several of the Zodiac signs: Leo, Gemini, Taurus, and Sagittarius.

Overall, it was an awesome trip!

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Back to the land of the “Pura Vida”….!

Sarah, Jonah, Alison, and Mariah

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