Arcane Candy

Monday, July 31, 2017
Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

Huevos Rancheros at Restaurante Carolina in Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica.

Around 9:30 am, a shop that sells appliances like refrigerators, etc. downstairs from the hostel started blasting music really loud. Unfortunately, they kept it up all day–sometimes loud, sometimes a bit less so–until around 5:00 pm. I just laid in bed all day reading (with one brief trip outside for food) and praying the heat rash on my legs would clear up. Well, it did partially, but not completely, and I can’t figure out why. I got a heat rash in India back in 2012, and one or two days in an air con room completely cleared it up. I’ve been laying in air conditioning for 48 hours now, and I can’t figure out why it’s not working. It’s really ultra frustrating. I don’t know many more days I can lay in this hostel room. It’s seriously going to mess up my trip. So far, I’ll have to cancel at least one or two places I wanted to go. If I have to lay in this room for several more days, I may have to cancel a third place. I had planned to go on a jungle trek nearby, but my heat rash has to be completely gone for that to happen. So, around 7:30 pm, I asked a staff member if I could borrow a fan, then I got naked from the waist down, laid on my underwear on the bed, spread my legs and blasted the fan right on them with the air con also going full blast. If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what else will. Maybe I’ll just cancel my trip and fly home.

Words and photos ©2017 Arcane Candy.

Sunday, July 30, 2017
Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

A disintegrated house across the street from the Cabinas Minitigre in Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica.

Last night at the Oro Verde Hostel, I moved into a bunk bed dorm room with air conditioning to clear up my heat rash. I was stoked I had the whole room to myself again, but there were a few problems. Problem number one was all of the beds in there only had a piece of super squishy foam on top of wooden slats with no plywood. It felt like sleeping on the rib cage of a Brachiosaurus skeleton. It was so uncomfortable! (Later in the morning, I found some sheets of cardboard under the other mattresses and put several of them under mine, which helped a bit.)

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Saturday, July 29, 2017
David, Panama to Puerto Jimenez, Costa Rica

Leaving Panama, entering Paso Canoas, Costa Rica.

Part of the line to get my passport stamped out of Panama.

“Costa Rica is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Ecuador to the south of Cocos Island. It has a population of around 4.9 million in a land area of 51,058 square kilometers. In 2015, the capital city, San José, had a population of an estimated 333,980. Costa Rica has been known for its stable democracy in a region that has experienced some instability, and for its highly educated workforce, most of who speak English. The country’s economy, once heavily dependent on agriculture, has diversified to include sectors such as finance, corporate services for foreign companies, pharmaceuticals, and ecotourism.

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Friday, July 28, 2017
Gualaca, Panama

The stairs leading down to Los Cangilones de Gualaca, Panama.

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Thursday, July 27, 2017
Bocas del Toro to David, Panama

Taxi 25 heading from Bocas del Toro to Almirante, Panama.

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Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Bocas del Toro, Panama

Are these benches bright enough for ya? Do you need a pay phone? Bocas del Toro, Panama.

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Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Bocas del Toro, Panama

The pier at Coopeguitour in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

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Monday, July 24, 2017
Bocas del Toro, Panama

Welcome to Taxi 25 in Almirante, Panama.

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Sunday, July 23, 2017
Panama City to Almirante, Panama

A common area at Luna’s Castle in Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama.

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Saturday, July 22, 2017
Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal, Panama

Street art in Panama City, Panama.

“The Panama Canal is an artificial 48-mile long waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 85 feet above sea level, and then lower the ships at the other end. The original locks are 110 feet wide. A third, wider lane of locks was constructed between September 2007 and May 2016. The expanded canal began commercial operation on June 26, 2016. The new locks allow transit of larger, Post-Panamax ships, capable of handling more cargo.

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