Costa Rica and Panama City by zanyzan
zanyzan's Gallery zanyzan's Gallery

Costa Rica and Panama City

  • Apr 11, 2016
  • 82 Views
  • 21 Photos
  1. zanyzan's Gallery
  2. zanyzan's Photoblog
  3. Costa Rica and Panama CityCosta Rica and Panama City
SlickPic.com
Costa Rica and Panama City

The February trip to Costa Rica with G Adventures was fantastic and highly recommended. We had a crazy group of people and a guide who was very knowledgeable about his country as well as the flora and fauna. And there was a lot of it; Iguanas, monkeys, lizards, turtles,  snakes, sloths, not to mention all the different types of birds and insects, all to be found in various forests and mangroves we visited. There is no point including my wildlife shots as Sharif’s are far superior (as is his blog), so I included some ‘fun’ pictures instead.  Photos of some of the animals we saw can be found in the link below and I would urge you to take a look at a few.http://alphawhiskey.slickpic.com/photoblogThere are a couple of activities that warrant a mention.  Firstly we participated in dolphin watching from a catamaran in Manuela Antonio. Well sort of.  I should have guessed what was on the agenda when I saw that our $80 fee included free drinks. Always be aware of FREE DRINKS!  In this case, 8 alcoholic drinks to be consumed on a boat in the heat by 100 lobster colored Americans/Canadians within 4 hours.  The photos will speak for themselves and even though my brother gave up hope of seeing any wild life (apart from those ON the boat), once the loud music had started blaring, we did manage to spot some dolphins as the sun was setting.The other highlight of the trip for me was zip lining over the canopy in Monte Verde.  Definitely one of the scariest yet memorable moments of my life and I did not enjoy the Tarzan swing at the end -which was more like a bungee jump.  I was screaming like a baby. However I can’t wait to go again at our local place!As we were in the vicinity we did a couple of days in PanamaCity.  It is an interesting  sight having the old town against the backdrop of skyscrapers and Trump tower.  The people I found weren’t  as friendly as the Costa Ricans and we were constantly wary of being ripped off,  specially by cabs.  This meant walking everywhere in the 34C heat which was great for my tan and for burning off all that ice cream. Note that even though Panama is very Americanized , you will need some basic Spanish.  For a small population, the city has an unbelievable number of malls. I am sure shopping is a national pastime or maybe people just need sanctuary from the heat. Panama City is somewhere that only requires 24 hours as there’s not much to do/see (unless you what to hide your cash!) and it is a little expensive (UK prices) but I am really glad that I learnt a lot about the famous Canal (the nerd that I am)and see it in action.  This was a very different trip from my last G adventure tour (Brazil/Arg/Uruguay) -it's more about wildlife than natural beauty but it was just as good and again the people on our tour made the trip so much fun!

Apr 11, 2016
Back

Costa Rica and Panama City

This post has 21 photos Apr 11, 2016Comments (0)82 views

The February trip to Costa Rica with G Adventures was fantastic and highly recommended. We had a crazy group of people and a guide who was very knowledgeable about his country as well as the flora and fauna. And there was a lot of it; Iguanas, monkeys, lizards, turtles,  snakes, sloths, not to mention all the different types of birds and insects, all to be found in various forests and mangroves we visited.

There is no point including my wildlife shots as Sharif’s are far superior (as is his blog), so I included some ‘fun’ pictures instead.  Photos of some of the animals we saw can be found in the link below and I would urge you to take a look at a few.

http://alphawhiskey.slickpic.com/photoblog

There are a couple of activities that warrant a mention.  Firstly we participated in dolphin watching from a catamaran in Manuela Antonio. Well sort of.  I should have guessed what was on the agenda when I saw that our $80 fee included free drinks. Always be aware of FREE DRINKS!  In this case, 8 alcoholic drinks to be consumed on a boat in the heat by 100 lobster colored Americans/Canadians within 4 hours.  The photos will speak for themselves and even though my brother gave up hope of seeing any wild life (apart from those ON the boat), once the loud music had started blaring, we did manage to spot some dolphins as the sun was setting.

The other highlight of the trip for me was zip lining over the canopy in Monte Verde.  Definitely one of the scariest yet memorable moments of my life and I did not enjoy the Tarzan swing at the end -which was more like a bungee jump.  I was screaming like a baby. However I can’t wait to go again at our local place!

As we were in the vicinity we did a couple of days in PanamaCity.  It is an interesting  sight having the old town against the backdrop of skyscrapers and Trump tower.  The people I found weren’t  as friendly as the Costa Ricans and we were constantly wary of being ripped off,  specially by cabs.  This meant walking everywhere in the 34C heat which was great for my tan and for burning off all that ice cream. Note that even though Panama is very Americanized , you will need some basic Spanish.  For a small population, the city has an unbelievable number of malls. I am sure shopping is a national pastime or maybe people just need sanctuary from the heat. 

Panama City is somewhere that only requires 24 hours as there’s not much to do/see (unless you what to hide your cash!) and it is a little expensive (UK prices) but I am really glad that I learnt a lot about the famous Canal (the nerd that I am)and see it in action. 


This was a very different trip from my last G adventure tour (Brazil/Arg/Uruguay) -it's more about wildlife than natural beauty but it was just as good and again the people on our tour made the trip so much fun!

iguanas

Iguanas in a tree

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
iguanas Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:57 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Iguanas in a tree
more iguanas

These things are everywhere - these two were photographed near one of our coach stops

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
more iguanas Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:57 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

These things are everywhere - these two were photographed near one of our coach stops
crocs under the bridge

Alligators -a view from the bridge. It was so windy, Sharif managed to lose his sunglasses to the gators. Luckily there was a stall nearby selling more...how convenient.

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
crocs under the bridge Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:59 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Alligators -a view from the bridge. It was so windy, Sharif managed to lose his sunglasses to the gators. Luckily there was a stall nearby selling more...how convenient.

drinks on the boat

Drinks on the boat - I could only manage ONE free boozy drink although CR measures are clearly a lot larger than ours!

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
drinks on the boat Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:58 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Drinks on the boat - I could only manage ONE free boozy drink although CR measures are clearly a lot larger than ours!
costa rican sunset from the boat

Sunset from the boat

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
costa rican sunset from the boat Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:58 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Sunset from the boat
evening at the harbour CR

The habour at dusk, near Quepos, CR

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
evening at the harbour CR Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:58 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

The habour at dusk, near Quepos, CR
canadians on the boat

Gail, Joe and Anne Marie on the boat at dusk

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
canadians on the boat Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:59 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Gail, Joe and Anne Marie on the boat at dusk
boat party

'Ladies' on the boat..what more can I say?! And these were the beautiful ones

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
boat party Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:59 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

'Ladies' on the boat..what more can I say?! And these were the beautiful ones
ladies from Quebec

Les Petasses- These lovely ladies were from Quebec -I think the mother is on the left and daughter in the middle. They spent a lot of time striking a lot of poses!

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
ladies from Quebec Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:57 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Les Petasses- These lovely ladies were from Quebec -I think the mother is on the left and daughter in the middle. They spent a lot of time striking a lot of poses!
monkeys at the beach Antonio Manuel CR

Monkeys on the beach (Manuel Antonio National Park)

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
monkeys at the beach Antonio Manuel CR Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:00 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Monkeys on the beach (Manuel Antonio National Park)
casado

National dish of Casado -rice, beans, meat, veg. Food is excellent in CR but not much variety.

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
casado Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:00 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

National dish of Casado -rice, beans, meat, veg. Food is excellent in CR but not much variety.
making tortilla

Tortilla lesson at this woman's house. The food was amazing.

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
making tortilla Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:00 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Tortilla lesson at this woman's house. The food was amazing.
The_old_town_Panama_City

The old town  of Panama City -Casco Viejo. Very colonial looking.

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
The_old_town_Panama_City Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:30 PM
Show Photo Info

Close

The old town  of Panama City -Casco Viejo. Very colonial looking.

Drinks

Me and my dirty monkey cocktail in Quepos, CR - they have some strange flavours over there

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
Drinks Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:07 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Me and my dirty monkey cocktail in Quepos, CR - they have some strange flavours over there
IMG_1720

The Jade Museum in San Jose, CR.  Old specimens....There is not much to do in San Jose but I did enjoy the museum -it's really about the history of Costa Rica.

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
IMG_1720 Capture Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:06 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

The Jade Museum in San Jose, CR.  Old specimens....

There is not much to do in San Jose but I did enjoy the museum -it's really about the history of Costa Rica.

last meal at peruvian resto San Jose with Guide Daniel and Matt

Zanna with Daniel (left) our Guide and Matt at our end of tour dinner at a Peruvian restaurant- it was the worst service I've ever experienced.  Poor Sharif got his starter as he was tucking into his main....

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
last meal at peruvian resto San Jose with Guide Daniel and Matt Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:00 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Zanna with Daniel (left) our Guide and Matt at our end of tour dinner at a Peruvian restaurant- it was the worst service I've ever experienced.  Poor Sharif got his starter as he was tucking into his main....

G Adventures Group

The G adventures group: Daniel, Matt, Marj, Jay, Mark, Rita, Anne Marie, Joe,Gail,Linda, Zanna, Marilyn, Arlan, Owen, Nyssa (my memory is very good!)

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
G Adventures Group Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:00 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

The G adventures group: Daniel, Matt, Marj, Jay, Mark, Rita, Anne Marie, Joe,Gail,Linda, Zanna, Marilyn, Arlan, Owen, Nyssa (my memory is very good!)

Panama canal in use

Boat passing through the Panama Canal.

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
Panama canal in use Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:05 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Boat passing through the Panama Canal.
Coffee plantation

Sharif crushing sugar cane on the coffee plantation, CR, with Nyssa watching

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
Coffee plantation Capture Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:08 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

Sharif crushing sugar cane on the coffee plantation, CR, with Nyssa watching
Tower  panama city

A strange looking tower in Panama City

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
Tower panama city Capture Date: Mar 24, 2016 04:08 AM
Show Photo Info

Close

A strange looking tower in Panama City

View_of_Panama_City_from_the_old_town

Panama City- view from the old town onto the new town

Apr 11, 2016
SlickPic.com
View_of_Panama_City_from_the_old_town Upload Date: Mar 24, 2016 03:30 PM
Show Photo Info

Close

Panama City- view from the old town onto the new town
Back
No comments yet.
Comments

All fields are required.

Comment successfully added.

Prev Next
Scroll To Top

Audio Mute
Prev
Play
Next
Shuffle
Include
Privacy and cookie policy
This site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalized content, and analyze traffic. By continuing to use this site you agree to use of cookies and stewardship of your data.