Miami

Party in the city where the heat is on... Yes, the heat is definitely on! It was 33,33 degrees today. However, before I start rambling on about Miami I should probably say a few words about our previous stop; Panama. (Yes, I did see Bjorn og Tiger)

The first city we explored in Panama was Boquete. This beautiful town situated 900 meters above sea levels was really good. The temperature was similar to a hot Norwegian summer’s day. In other words it was quite cold, and we loved that! The reason why we went to this town is because it is well known for producing some of the best coffee in the world. We went on a coffee tour, and boy, the coffee really did live up to our expectations!

After Boquete we took a short 8 hour bus ride to Panama City. Somehow I had in my mind that this city would be beautiful, quite developed and very interesting. It was interesting. We went to see the Panama Canal and the locks. It is always great to see the places where history was/is made.


The city centre itself did not impress us much though. Obviously the beautiful buildings in the old town was stunning, however, it doesn't really have the same appeal when you know that there are slums and poor people for as far as the eye can see behind this little area in town. We got the impression that there are some people in Panama City with vast amounts of money. They stay in beautiful condos in really tall skyscrapers where they have their own gyms and restaurants. The largest majority of people never get to see that kind of living standards. The contrasts are so big. Obviously we are also guilty of living a contrasting life to all the poor people we encounter. Taking 7 months off to go traveling is unheard of for many. I does make me feel guilty thinking about how lucky we are to be able to not work, but still have food and a place to stay every day. We really should appreciate the opportunities we have in the west.

Gosh, I made myself feel really guilty again.

Back to Miami. Yes, it is beautiful and the people here shine even more than their city does. I have never seen so many people who looked like they could be on the cover of magazines. We saw some men working out in the street without shirts. It was really funny!

We did an art deco walking tour today (on our own). The buildings are so great! Many of them have 80’s colors. You should check out our photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattgreenham/

Tomorrow we will just hang out on the beach for half a day. Then we’re going to walk around some more and reveal hidden treasures. We are saving money by making our own food here. It is great! We fly to Quito in Ecuador on the 31st of July. I can’t believe that summer has come and gone already …

Matt & Betta