Travel Bunnies

We love to travel… love, love, love it! We always try and look for something new and exciting.

Our Honeymoon – Panama, 10 days

This trip we went to Panama and stayed in the most amazing and memorable venues. The photos speak for themself. We recommend for everyone to go once in their lives. It is much like Costa Rica without all the tourists and hype. This is an undiscovered treasure that we have Brenda and Jim Diederichs to thank for… THANK YOU!

For all photos – check out the complete library. Honeymoon Slideshow

DAY 1 – 5

Bristol Buenaventura http://www.thebristol.com/buenaventura/

Our first destination was a 5-star hotel which was exactly what we needed. No one was there and we had the entire place to ourselves… pretty unreal! The food was top notch, we enjoyed everything from fresh fish to thai to sushi.

Katie spent everyday nuzzled in a book and drinking a glass of wine, while Tim was busy swimming in the ocean.

We went horseback riding on the beach, and Katie had a very ambitious horse that would always want to run full tilt. Tim got to enjoy his first time horseback riding and got a little too friendly with a horse and got a big bite/love kiss from him. Tim was fine although a little traumatized.

We also went to a small village to see how the locals live. Fresh markets, lots of biking and living in the middle of the forest. It definitely makes you rethink life in the big city.

We spent a half a day in Panama City before jetting off to the next hotel. The city is quite metropolis; full of old world heritage and modern skyscrapers. Although not a place we would stay for longer than a day, we were thrilled to adventure through the old town and explore the architecture.

 

We couldn’t go to Panama without checking out the Canal! It was much like you would imagine – very interesting to read about and learn how they built such an amazing wonder so long ago… although not so exciting in person.

DAY 5 – 10

Punta Caracol Aqua Lodge – http://puntacaracol.com/

After being lazy, catching up on sleep and enjoying life poolside, we went on a small plane ride to an amazing eco aqua lodge. There were individual huts built over top of a coral reef, allowing us to go snorkling every morning, noon and night. We are not sure how eco-friendly it is to build a hotel on top of a coral reef, but it was still really cool.

There were also kayaks at the hotel, allowing us to go for jungle adventures… so much so, that we got stuck in the middle of the jungle and turned a kayak into a full on hike to civilization. The best part was, when all the trees moved to the side we swam right into the middle of a dolphin school. They were jumping right in front of us – priceless!

The town that was close was very small and sweet. As you can imagine Tim became the major of town in no time. He was loved by all, and recognized by many…. there was not a dull moment.

The food at this hotel was wonderful – every morning the staff would catch fresh fish and we would eat it at night. We at like kings and queens.Our favorite Panamanian food was pantacones – fried plantains that are flattened to look like little patties. They were addictive!

Our most memorable moment was going to star fish beach – where Tim went diving for star fish. The colors, warm water and gorgeous views were amazing. Something everyone has to see for themselves.

We had no shortage of animal sightings in addition to the star fish and dolphins, we went to bird island and saw some of the most rare birds in the world, saw sloths up close and personal as well as encountered one of the most deadly frogs on the planet the red frog.

While Tim horseback rode for the first time, Katie also had a first – she tried paddle surfing. It was quite a workout and not the easiest thing. Poor Tim had an ill-fitting board and enjoyed more time in the water than on the board.

We were so grateful for such a wonderful trip and hope you are inspired to visit Panama as well!

 

 

 

 

 

STAY TUNED FOR OUR NEXT TRIPS in 2012

February – Germany & Paris

April – Toronto & Boston

May – Hawaii

July – Vancouver & Boston

August – Toronto

October – Mexico & Maine