As the rainy season gathers momentum at the onset of October, the dramatic green lushness of the land threatens to overtake anyone who pauses too long in admiration. Most tourists avoid this time of year, preferring to travel during the holidays and the dry season, from late December through March. They come from northern lands, where rain is associated with the cold, gray mists that saturate to the bone. Here, a warm gush of afternoon rain bursts through the suppressive heat of the day, leaving the air cool, crisp, fresh and so alive you can almost taste the chlorophyll. The thunderous, white-noise aguaceros provide some of the most tranquil moments living in this tropical wonderland. Humid, sunny mornings are followed by afternoons meant for swinging in a hammock under cover from the rain, reading and drinking tea. To me, this is the best time of year.
During the verano, literally translated to 'summer', but more accurately described as the dry season, the country fills with backpack-laden tourists, filing along a 'Lonely Planet'-designated route like leaf-cutter ants along a path: from the beaches of Bocas del Toro, down and up again to the coffee town of Boquete (that recently has taken on the look of a vintage Aspen village without the snow), straight over to Panama City, with perhaps a pause to surf the swells in Santa Catalina, shop for local art in El Valle de Anton, or "gitem somma dat culture" in the San Blas islands. These places are simply lovely, but when I can't help but wonder what impression the tourists have of Panama after bus-hopping (or even worse, driving) across the country from one 'destination' to another. When they go back to their homelands, how will they describe Panama?
Aside from jetting out to some rural village and living with the locals for two years, I feel there are ways to get to know the character of a place in greater depth than the guide books describe. Absorbing how the people and their culture fill the beautiful spaces you're moving through in that refreshingly (or freezing) air-conditioned bus.
1. Be okay with being uncomfortable. The desire for constant comfort is the death of any real experience for a traveler. Panama is a tropical country: it's either very hot or raining. This doesn't mean running around and splashing in the puddles (although not at all discouraged), but take a hint from the locals and wait out the rain at a covered street corning, watching the world go by. When the rain lets up a little, walk around, instead of taking a cab. Getting lost is not always bad, but it can be fun!*
2. Take a hint from the locals. You can be almost positive that the woman getting off the local bus isn't heading to the nearest internet café to write about the old smelly dude that tried to sell you superglu and a sketchy-looking magazine at the restaurant down the street. Without being creepy, follow her or the flow of human traffic into the shopping district of the city. Visit the booming almacenes, their cheap plastic wares vibrating off the crumbling shelves from the decibel level of the reggaeton music (actually meant to attract customers, imaginate). Weave your way through streets packed with $1 rubber sandals and cell phone accesories, and you may end up at a local produce stand, bursting with fresh tropical fruits, greens and root vegetables of all varieties. Duck into a local restuarant for some cheap, satisfying chicken and rice and chicha de piña.
3. Get metido in the campo. If you immerse yourself in a gran cantidad of friendly Panamañians, you may be lucky enough to find yourself an amateur local tour guide, just dying to show you around his home or the local sights. If you're not traveling alone, take him up on the offer*. Just be prepared to go out of your way, and do a lot of the 'nod and smile' as the family pegs you with questions and fattens you up with a mountain of rice.
Since becoming a hybrid of tourist-local after a year and a half in this country, I've learned a little about how I want to travel in the future. Stepping out of the comfort zone of always having a plan is one. The more people you meet along the way, and the farther you go off the beaten path, the better. Expect to be overwhelmed by the lovliness of novelty, and refreshed by a sudden, unexpected rainstorm.
*Be smart, safe and use your best insticts.
