Vacation!

I can't believe it; I'm going to get to see the Darien! How cool is that? I'm thrilled! I'm so excited. I can't believe that this is actually happening! Amazing!

Here I've been, sitting, reading, thinking, dreaming about how much I'd like to visit the Darien. Promising myself that I'd get there "some day". Figuring that "some day" won't come along for another three or four years, at least. But that's okay, I tell myself, as long as I get there. I don't mind waiting. Well... come to think of it, I do but, what can you do? I didn't think it would be possible to get there any sooner so, I had to be content with waiting. But now...

Now, my parents are saying that we're all gonna go. Together.

Words can't even express how happy I am! "Ecstatic" doesn't even begin to cover it.

I mean, I was willing to go by myself. Just me and my backpack ambling around the jungle. But, of course, how much better will this trip be if I can share it with people who'll really appreciate the area? Fantastic!

I can see us now... Trekking through the jungle. Taking pictures. Identifying wildlife. Camping out. What a trip! I can't wait!

So, here's the scoop:
Looks like we're gonna be heading to Playa de Muerto. (I wrote about it once before here.) Tiny, little, isolated, Embera village on the Pacific coast of the Darien. The town consists of 225 Embera with the occasional group of tourists stopping through on a cruise. You've got the beach in front and the Sapo (Toad) mountains behind. There's a camp ground where you can rent a hammock for $3/night. Or, if you'd like something a little more plush, you can get a bed at the local hotel for $8/night ($12 if you want lobster for dinner). There's a restaurant in town that serves two meals a day at $2/plate. Most of the locals do crafts of some sort which they sell to tourists whenever they happen by. There's a little, one-room schoolhouse where all the kids learn Spanish, among other things of course! Most folks in town speak Spanish (quite fluently from what I understand) but it's their second language. As of 2005/2006, the town has running water and indoor plumbing (at the school). There are no roads. You get there either by foot or by boat.

I know some folks would be turned off by this description. But, to me, (and to my parents too, thankfully) it sounds absolutely wonderful!

I love the fact that it's out of the way, off the beaten track. There are no roads, no phones, no computers, no Internet. Cell phone signals are unheard of. There is a police station and the officers do carry satellite phones, in case of emergency, but that's it! The nearest payphone is a two-day hike to the next town along an old cattle trail.

I can't believe that we're actually going to do this! We're going to Playa de Muerto! And, better yet, we're hiking!

I was taken with the idea of hiking the trail from Garachine to Playa de Muerto when I first read about it but, I though that maybe I was being impractical again. I mean, it'd be great to do and maybe I would if I was going on my own but, I didn't think I should ask my parents to make the trek.
I should've known better! Of course they're up for it! They spent three days riding through the Blue Mountains, with rain and leeches and all manner of things, and they had a ball! Of course a little hike isn't going to scare them off!
I think I'm looking forward to that walk as much as I am the whole rest of the vacation! What an amazing experience that'll be!

I hope I can get a chance to see Raul too. I mean, to come that far and be that close and not see him, well, it would seem a crime. So, I'll do my best. Even if he meets us at the airport or something and we just chat for an hour or so before we move on to the next leg of our journey. I'd like that.

This semester can't pass fast enough! Just another four and a half months and I'll be in Panama again! (I just have to make sure I actually pass.) I don't care if I get stellar marks. I just need to get through. I mean, of course I want to do well but I think that part of my previous problem was that I tried too hard, focused too much on the details, and then couldn't do everything to the standard I wanted so, fell behind. Once I fell behind I was lost. I got overwhelmed, didn't know where to start picking up the pieces again so, I just gave up, ran away. I know better now though. I'll do better this time. For the sake of my dream vacation, I'll do better.