On the route to Panama, via Capurgana

I made my way from Tolu to Turbo (one of the most run down port towns, unfortunately because maybe at one time it was nice but it's just been used and unappreciated in every way. It's dirty, smells, expensive, and the people are unfriendly.) Anyway, it was only one night there to wait for the boat over to Capurgana, the border village with Panama.

The boat ride over was just a couple hours, but overpriced and over booked, and if your luggage exceeded their limit they charged you more than the airlines for each extra kilo.

On the boat ride you could see why there aren't any roads through the Darian to Panama. It's a really thick jungle and small mountains, but really steep. Looks beautiful though.

I only expected to stay in Capurgana a couple nights so that I could be on my way to Panama, but I found a lot of things to do, or well maybe I'm just lazy and didn't explore everything in one day, it took 3.

First thing I got a "tour" (the guy wanted to give me a tour and when I said no he followed me and wouldn't stop talking) to a natural springs pool. Best part, the little green dart frogs all along the pathway. So cute!

The interesting thing about Capurgana is that it is completely run by the tourism, or at least the boat industry of going and coming from Panama, but the village doesn't seem to be affected negatively by it. The people aren't obsessed with ripping off the foreigners or getting their business. They seem like they don't care one way or the other if you buy from them, there is no place to go while you are there and either way you will spend money somewhere that will eventually come back around to them.

The next day I took a hike into the woods to some waterfalls. The waterfalls weren't much but the hike was fun and I and the couple of foreigners that I went with got a bit lost coming back.

Love the nature!

Next the the hostel I was staying at was the Casa de Las Molas. Molas are the patterned tile pieces that the Kuna women of the San Blas Islands wear.

The owner of the house is an artist and made these Molas but he and his wife are also very passionate about recycling. All of the art around their house was made from trash that they found on the beaches of Capurgana! They collect everything they find and find some kind of use for it. They make seats out of beer bottles and their cartons, drapes out of links of soda tabs and links of bottle tops, pathways from filled glass bottles turned upside down and dug into the earth. They also work together with the local schools to try to educate the kids about the trash. The are so dedicated to their cause. They charge a small small fee to come to their home and get a tour of what they do. What they have done is incredible and inspiring.I hope that their work touches all those kids that they work with and spreads. :)

The last day I hiked the hour and a half from Capurgana, Colombia to the next village Sapzurro, Panama. This is the only real land path from Colombia to Panama, haha or just to be able to say that you went by land, but you cannot go anywhere by land to or from Capurgana or Sapzurro.So I made it to Panama! They check your passport at the border but they don't stamp it :(.