The school year is coming to close

I spent two nights inside the crater of an inactive volcano. The picture in your head is wrong. This is a volcano with a crater several miles long and wide and covered in lush green. It was amazing beautiful. Two hours west of Panama City is the small town of El Valle inside the volcano. Again other than the fact your surrounded by a rim of mountains you have no idea your in a volcano. On a smaller scale its kind of like your standing in Yellowstone National Park - also a volcano, just an active one. The rain season has started in full force in Panama, but that didn't stop me and the five people I traveled with for a couple days from exploring the mountains, get a mud facial at a the hot springs, and swim in a mountain stream. Not only that, but we cooked up some epic meal dance parties in one of the most hilarious/greatest hostels I've stayed at.

Casa del Juan is actually Juan's house. When we got there he gave us a tour. He loves his place and loves showing it off. It has a summer cottage feel. A summer cottage minus the yearly spring cleaning. When we arrived we were not even sure we were in the right place because as you walk into the car portish area there are four stationary bikes from the 80's and a weight bench seemingly way out of place. He had the most interesting art everywhere. On one of his bulletin boards he had a 8X11 of four native women with their tops off. He had chickens and roosters cock-a-doodle-doing and pooing all over the place. He was also surrounded by mango trees, had a cinnamon tree (with which we made fresh cinnamon tea by boiling the leaves and bark - the bomb), lemon grass, horses, and even two crazy cute puppies. The puppies had free range of the compound, including our room and they took those opportunities to pee and poo and chew on all our stuff. It was OK though because they were so damn cute. One black (blanco) and one tan (blacky). The mother was a cute skinny typical Central American mutt. The father was the most hilarious "hot dog" I'd ever seen. He was huge - looked like a mix between a rottweiler and a dachschund. I would have liked to see that conception. We didn't watch TV - we just danced, ate amazing home cooked food (after unknowing ordering pig intestines for lunch the first day - grossest thing I've eaten on the whole trip), and breathed in the mountain fresh air. It was fantastic.

Two of the people with us were Lacy and Layla from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They were both covered in tattoos and piercings. Layla had a mohawk, Lacy just short pink and blond hair. They were hilarious, sexy, and extremely fun company. Don't judge the book by its cover kids. These girls rocked and I'm so glad I'm not too much of a bitch to talk to people that look like that.

I'd love to get some you some pictures of Casa del Juan and our Canadian Rocker Girls, but the hard drive here in David, Panama is locked up...so you'll just have to wait on that one. I left all my new buddies from El Valle and took two buses to get me 7 hours to David, Panama. Say it like a Latino now...Da-veed. I arrived tired and thirsty - I had to pee in my half full water bottle en route - or would have exploded, but as always - I made it safe and sound.

As I near the end of my trip I thought I'd take the opportunity to list some things I will miss about my travels, some things I won't miss about my travels, and some things I'm missing from back in the good ol' US of A.

1. I miss flushing toilet paper. Although you do always get a nice look at your poo this way.
2. I miss free delicious Niantic tap water.
3. I won't miss wearing the same two damn shirts and the two damn pairs of underpants.
4. On that note, I miss sneakers, blue jeans, and cotton t-shirts. All of which I have not worn in five months.
5. I miss watching sports. I love you Red Sox. GO BRUINS!
6. I miss my language - being spoken all the time - everywhere.
7. I'm kinda of sick of three hour buses that stop to pick you up despite having no available seats.
8. I miss the USA woods. The ease of hiking without worrying some bastard might rob you.
9. I miss Heinz ketchup. Seriously, the ketchup down here is TERRIBLE.
10. I will miss the fresh fruits and vegetables and the chicken that tastes like chicken and the eggs that taste like eggs.
11. I will miss the attitude of the people. The life style down here, the friendliness, the lack of stress. People look out for each other down here, we're too concerned with ourselves up there.
12. I miss having my own kitchen, with sharp knives, and proper cookware.
13. I will miss the Coca-Cola, with real sugar in a glass bottle. Trust me. There is a difference.
14. I miss fast internet...any internet.
15. As cute as they are I will not miss kids asking me for a peso, dollar, cordoba, limpira, or quetzal. If a gave my money to everyone. I would have had to go home in February.
16. I miss my bed. Fuck dorms with lumpy mattresses and lumpy pillows.
17. I don't really miss my cell phone, but after 5 months without it, maybe I'll respect it's convenience a little more.
18. Yes mom, I miss you too and your cats.

That's all for now folks. I have four days left. The end of the greatest experience of my life is near, but my exploration will never be over...

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."
T. S. Eliot