Back to Panama

We flew back to Panama and stayed at the Casa Luna hosted. This was a really cool hostel in the old part of Panama San Feilpe. This area was burned down by the English Pirate Henry Morgan in the 1800’s.
I loved the colonial architecture here along with the jumble of clotheslines strung on just about every balcony. This area has a Caribbean Cuban flair and I loved the noise and color so present. The cobblestone narrow streets were lined with colorful wooden doors topped by decorative filigree iron work.
The hostel was great with large wooden doors, hardwood floors and rooms with small balconies that over looked the Panama canal and Church square. There activities for backpackers, poker, ping pong and even a small private movie theater. The girls loved meeting all the backpackers from all over the world. I think they may have the travel bug too someday. I was thrust backward into a pleasant memory of myself backpacking over 20 years ago…oh man I feel old.
A lot of the travelers were headed to South America, Chili and Peru which seem to be the hot spots for backpackers these days.

We bus back and taxi back to the boarder, a little worried about crossing back into Costa Rica given our last experience. The only trouble we have is getting hassled by a boarder crossing official who is apparently directing traffic by blowing a whistle and waving a baton around. No one is paying much attention to him. So here is this guy standing in the middle of traffic at a boarder that seems to have no entry and exit gates that are typical in the US Canada boarders, there are cars, busses and taxis all driving around him as he blows constantly into his whistle and waves his baton in random directions.
When he sees us, he hones right in on Chantal, runs towards us and babbles away at her as he leads us to the Costa Rican customs building. Chantal is visibly annoyed, she tells me she is sick of these guys always hitting on her.
Upon closer observation I begin to question if this guy is actually a border official. His uniform is dirty, his hat is all faded and the baton is a builders level. Locals walk by him and say Que Passo Rambo….apparently he is a local fixture around here a little crazy and they let him play in the traffic.
While we check in Chantal is hit on again by 20 something buff guy who arranges a taxi ride to Gulfito for us at a reasonable price the upside getting hit on does have some advantages, I suppose.