We have a lot of hope. For cities that may be falling into a downtrodden path, for countries ripped apart by wars and dictatorships, and for our planet as it continues an uphill battle against climate change. It’s hard not to have hope when you see a neighborhood like Comuna 13. Less than 25 years ago, this sprawling hillside barrio…

Continue ReadingFrom Bullets to Beauty in Medellin’s Comuna 13, Colombia

After a 16-hour red eye with two layovers from Vegas (hey, it was free!), it seemed fitting that on our three-year nomadaversary we were welcoming a new country…what would be our home for the next three months (although as Americans, we do get six months on arrival). Heading due south from Miami, one of most unfamiliar things about flying into…

Continue ReadingTwo Days in Panama City, Panama

For us, 10 days in Boquete (Bo-ket-tay) felt about right and it was a good place to switch out our flip flops for our hiking shoes. This highly livable town of around 25,000 is tucked into the highlands along the mountainous spine of Panama and is known for a cool, fresh climate, rich soil, remarkable coffee, buckets of natural surroundings,…

Continue ReadingDiscovering Beautiful Boquete, Panama

We knew if we wanted to catch a glimpse of the sparkling aquamarine Caribbean in Panama, we’d have to head to the north coast. We chose Bocas del Toro. And yes, the Caribbean is on the north, not the east side of Panama. This is a stark and slightly trippy realization we only laughingly really processed when we got to…

Continue ReadingThe Beauty of Bocas del Toro, Panama

Santa Fe, founded by the Spanish in 1557, is definitely off the beaten path for most foreign travelers and according to the guidebook, is “like Boquete 20 years ago” (before the white people invasion?) We really enjoyed Santa Fe. For us, it felt like a little slice of the interior of Hawaii… mountainous, exuding lushness, deliciously pure and cool air,…

Continue ReadingSanta Fe, Panama: Into the Mountains

After nine weeks of luxury in a comfy orthopedic bed, stocked kitchen and hot shower, we figured we were due a little roughing it. So, from Bucaro, we had the hosts from our housesit drop us off an hour away at the Isla Cañas dock to head out to a very long ocean spit for a chance to see sea…

Continue ReadingSimplicity and Sea Turtles in Isla Cañas, Panama

Thanks to our nine week housesit near Bucaro, Panama and the fact that it came furnished with a rough and tumble Toyota Helix, we had the opportunity to explore the Azuero Peninsula to our heart's delight. The Azuero Peninsula is located in the center, Pacific side of the country, which is bizarrely the south of the country as the country…

Continue ReadingExploring the Azuero Peninsula, Panama

Welcome to the jungle! Aka…our home for nine weeks in the Los Santos province of western Panama. When we took this housesitting opportunity, we knew it was going to be extraordinary, thanks to the sweeping Pacific views, the howler and capuchin monkeys that swing and hoot through the surrounding canopy, and the chance to watch four (regular) cats while communing…

Continue ReadingOur Jungle Book: Raising a Wildcat in Panama