They’re also very distinct culturally, and also different from the rest of Panama. Bocas is largely inhabited by English speaking people of West Indian origin. Kuna Yala, inhabited almost entirely by the Kuna Indians, is a world of its own.
I haven’t asked anyone else about it. It’s like wine, I think. If you’re really into coffee it might be worth getting it. I like good coffee, but the hype for Geisha may be due to its rarity and expense as much as its flavor.
Strictly going by the state of affairs these days, I’d say you’re better off spending your money stocking up on beans, rice and MRE’s.
Just saying.
Come September 28-29, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I know you didn’t mention it, but have you considered Nicaragua? A friend and her husband just got back from a 10 day trip there, and have been raving about. Tourism there is just starting to pick up, and it’s supposed to be as popular as Costa Rica in a couple of years. It might be a nice place to go before millions of others “discover” it. Just a thought.
Colibrí, yes, it was* La Angosta/Langosta*. The tourism booklet was hawking María Chiquita, but when we asked locals, they sent us there. Drawback: The restaurant there was soso. Maybe it would’ve been better had my companion tried something other than *langostinos *, crawfish. We didn’t go all the way to San Lorenzo, since we had a schedule, but we went to the forts in and near Portobelo.
And yes, we know both Bocas and Kuna Yala are opposites in many ways. For another trip(s), then. You meant East Indian or West Indian origin?
Also in Boquete, you will find a variety of good coffee, not just Geisha. We drank a lot of coffee while going to and staying in Boquete, for which I am happy.
It did cross my mind, but both my co-worker and Tom Scud are feeling iffy about it.
Huh? What are you talking about?
Spanish didn’t have much to do with it. Being known did, I think.
The places I didn’t feel safe in Panama:
Panama City has these VERY colorful buses. Our guide took us on one for 2 stops, just for the experience. She told us that there were a lot of pickpockets, especially for tourists, so watch our wallets. Also, we only rode for 2 stops to minimize the risk.
Old town Panama: Before we started our walk around old town, the guide talked to someone (and probably paid them off). She said they were local gang members. The pay off was to prevent any trouble.
A local outdoor market: Lots of people were looking at us in what (I thought) was a predatory way.
I didn’t see anything like this in Costa Rica. However, we spent little time in San Jose and mostly went out into the country.
J.
Actually, the only remotely unsafe place in Costa Rica is the area in San Jose right around the city center. It’s generally only unsafe late at night, when it’s mostly deserted, and even then, only on certain run-down streets. The rest of the country is ridiculously safe. Granted, there are a lot of pickpockets on the buses, and small, unattended items will sometimes be stolen, but that’s it. I certainly have never felt unsafe in ANY way there, except for the bad part of San Jose, and even then, only very late at night.
Both are great countries but I vote Costa Rica especially if you fly into Liberia and travel the Pacific Coast (stay out of San Jose in general however; it isn’t terrible but it is a big city and not an especially nice or interesting one). I went there last May and had a spectacular time. However, you will probably need a car (4 wheel drive preferably) and the roads are beyond terrible in some of the most beautiful areas south of Liberia (you may have to just drive straight into and across rivers if there has been a lot of rain for example and it is perfectly possible to end up on unpassable routes; GPS with updated Costa Rica maps is mandatory).
You don’t need to know Spanish much or even at all. Everyone in the hospitality industry speaks English and most locals try to the best they can. Americans and other English speaking tourists are everywhere. Costa Rica isn’t truly dangerous in the least. There is some petty theft but you aren’t going to get assaulted or killed. My hotel shuttle never showed at the (impossibly tiny and primitive) Nosara airport so I just took a local up on an offer for a ride in the back of his old beater for $15 without any hesitation. Ticos are really nice people in general.
A car isn’t strictly madatory. There are other ways to get around the country if you are willing to pay for them or they are included in a package fee. Tourism shuttles are common and relatively inexpensive but my new favorite way to get around is Nature Air. It is a shuttle airline that flies tiny little planes in a loop around Costa Rica and drops and picks people up at really small airstrips along the way. It is like a throwback airline from the 1950’s combined with a scenic air tour combined into one. I love them.
Nosara is a tiny little unspoiled Pacific Coast beach town full of American expats that isn’t that easy to get to except through Nature Air or a 4 wheel drive vehicle but it is gorgeous. The Arenal volcano area in general (about a 3 hour drive) is also world-class. I can personally recommend the Harmony Hotel in Nosara and the Tabacon Resort and Spa at the base of the Arenal Volcano as world class destinations.
I asked a similar question before I went and got some good responses that helped me pick. I plan to go back in a few months to check out some of the others because that is one of my favorite places in the world if not my most favorite bar none.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=674724&highlight=costa+rica
Many West Indians immigrated to Bocas in the late 1800s from Jamaica, Barbados, etc, to work on banana plantations. They speak a dialect of Jamaican called Guari-guari which is a creole English mixed with Spanish and the local Indian language, Guaymi.
There are pickpockets in almost any place with tourists, so that’s good advice in general. I don’t ride the diablos rojos myself, since people are so packed in, but they’re not particularly dangerous.
If she told you that, she was bullshitting you. If you went in a group in any of the main tourist areas in the old town, you were perfectly safe. I walk around alone down there all the time, including after dark, and don’t worry about it. (In fact, I just got back from having dinner down there.) To be sure, there are some side streets I wouldn’t walk down alone at night, and there are some dangerous neighborhoods nearby, but your tour guide was just trying to give you a little thrill by making things sound more dangerous than they were.
However, there are former gang members who have organized tours of some of the sketchier areas to the south of the main tourist areas. I’ve been meaning to take one of the tours when I get the chance.
They weren’t (unless by “in a predatory way” you mean they were sizing you up to see if you might buy some phony designer watches). I have never experienced anything like that in 23 years here. Unless you were in some extraordinarily bad neighborhood, you were being paranoid.
I’m a middle aged gringo and walk around by myself in Panama City all the time, and often travel to very poor areas in the countryside. I’ve been mugged exactly once (some teenagers knocked me down when I was out jogging near a bad neighborhood and tried unsuccessfully to grab my wallet); I’ve been mugged twice in New York, once at gunpoint. I’ve had my car broken into once, about 20 years ago.
For public transit experience, though, the metro was much nicer. 
Thanks for clarifying that, or else I thought I was going crazy. Old Town Panama seemed as touristy safe as could be, and even when I turned into a side street which was clearly the frontier, it wasn’t anything worse than just walking back to the tourist part through the next street. And I still saw plenty of tourists walking in some of the main side streets.
And yea, as tourists in a roadtrip, we felt quite safe. I felt quite safe the day I was by myself, compared to where I currently live.
Thanks for the info - I will check it out later. We are not package tourists, however - we plan to do everything strictly independently. What do you mean by a “tourism shuttle”? Do you have the name of an operator so I can take a peek?
I’ve been to Costa Rica, it is a gorgeous country with ugly pockets of extreme poverty. The nature of my trip took me to many of the most run down slums you can imagine - acres and acres of barely standing plywood shanty homes with no plumbing or sanitation, populated mostly by dirt poor immigrants. We took common sense precautions (not displaying jewelery, no expensive cameras, basically nothing to entice), and I never experienced even a hint of danger from anyone. We also got to spend some time in the rainforest and beach regions, which were phenomenal. San Jose looks much like a typical American city of the same size. I have not been to Panama, but understand that it is largely the same overall.
Between the two, I don’t think you can go wrong. If I were choosing one for an upcoming trip the decision would probably boil down to whichever I could get the best deal on airfare and lodging.
I actually like the fact that in the Casco Viejo (Old Town) you can have beautiful restored buildings owned by very rich people (Reuben Blades lives in one of these) side by side with semi-derelict buildings lived in by very poor people. I knew a multi-billionaire who lived inthis building; on the next block people dry their clothes on the balcony.
Yup, although I was told Rubén Blades is no longer living in the neighborhood. Also, there is a lot of construction going on, many of the derelict buildings may not be so in a few years… I wish they could still incorporate the mixture instead of being all a rich-people neighborhood. Even in Old San Juan there are pockets of lower income (or title VIII) housing.
I think he still owns the apartment, at least.
As far as I can see, there are still enough derelict buildings it’s going to take a while.
So the trigger has been pulled - Panama it is, April 11 - 19. We figure stay the night in Panama City, then go for a few days to somewhere relaxing, low-key, and outdoorsy with water and animals, and then back to Panama City for the end after we have chilled out a bit. Any specific recs for the best location for the low-key, outdoorsy half? I miss my salt water…
Pick your coast first, Caribbean or Pacific. I did both, and liked them both now, in January, but I’m not sure one will be better later. OK, I did like Caribbean in terms of how it looked and surroundings. But the place I stayed in the Pacific was good, and the accomodations were nice enough for a couple of roadtrippers.
For the Caribbean, the Portobelo/Isla Grande area mentioned by KarlGrenze offers a combination of history, beaches, culture and snorkeling. Accommodation in the area ranges from funky to luxury. It’s maybe an hour and a half from Panama City. I’m not sure how it would be getting around without a car but your hotel might be able to facilitate taxi pick up and drop off.
Farther afield on the Pacific is the Pedasi/Punta Mala area. It’s about five hours by car, but you can also fly there. It much more low-key and far more charming than the major beach areas about one hour west of Panama City like Coronado. Isla Iguana is a major snorkeling site and frigatebird nesting island just off the coast. Your hotel can arrange transport once you’re there.
Let me know your preferences and can make specific recommendations.