Panama Border Abuse

Before we reached the border, it was unclear what we needed. I knew we needed $20, but I had read online that you needed to have proof of your income. When I asked everyone, they said "No" you usually don't need that." "It's okay don't worry about it." Perhaps I should have been worrying about it. I had no credit card because I left in the machine and all I had was cash. When I checked my online amount through my Venezuelan buddy's phone, everything was there and the card was not used. There was no way to save that page on his phone as he was using it. 


When we got to the dirty, dark border at 10pm, we had to take our suit cases out for inspection, fill out our forms, and get in line. At that moment I thought, I would much rather just take a plane. We stood in line and I couldn't see what was happening. When I got to the front with a female officer, she looks at my passport and looks at me.


"Where's your credit card?" Customs
" Well it went missing in Costa Rica just this morning." Pris


"Oh I see."


She is talking to the unconcerned, blank faced officers behind her saying she is missing a card.
She looks at me, "It looks like you are not going to Panama young lady."


"What? Isn't there something else I can do?
"No. Next."


I walk up to the next window and ask the guy sitting at the desk if I can show him a proof by bank statement.


This took five minutes because I was being completely ignored with no recognition of my presence. I asked the guy at the desk-no response, the man to the left-no response, the man standing in front of me finally responded.


"Go print it out and come back with it."


Thankfully, there is a wifi café and I go to log on to the website. Citibank is security enabled where it only lets you log on from foreign locations with proper security information.  I had pulled it up and I asked her if I could print it.


Another unhelpful girl said, "Yes, it's ready to print."


I printed it, logged out, and walked toward the front.


"No, it didn't come through the system go print it again."


This was not going to happen because I could not log on again to a foreign computer without my card number.  This was tragic as this was my only hope...so I thought. I asked everyone where there was wifi so I could pull it up on my phone. "No wifi." "No wifi."


I walk back by the bus and at this point I am really upset. I am borderline panic attack and my Venezuelan friends are calming me down and trying to figure out a solution. 


Out of nowhere comes this truck driver who says,
"Come on I'm going to help you. Come with me."
He is completely comforting and telling me to not worry because we will find a solution. I am still crying thinking about having to stay there overnight and the bus leaving without me with just $20 in my pocket.(This was end of trip the dollars were all gone).


He keeps telling me to calm down, it will be okay. He said, " I know there is another internet café that has wifi." He knows this after I asked ten people who could not tell me this. We go upstairs and the guy lets me use the Wifi, I pull it up, and I am breathing again. He is still comforting me and being beyond nice.  God sends angels.


Feeling confident and relieved, I walk up to the front to show the guy the paper. Again, they are not listening and ignoring me. I said, "Please I'm just in transit to Panama to go back home." I had the itinerary showing my flight and they knew this already.  The man from the desk is looking at me and "shaking his head." The other guy is sitting and laughing. This does not look good to me.
Were they going to let me through or what?
They wanted $750 in my account and I had over $1000. There was no problem at all with the money.  The problem was just with them and their complete discriminatory behavior towards me. When it came to all the locals going in, they were perfectly nice to them.


If I had given them attitude or done something wrong, I would definitely understand this behavior. This just made no sense.


Finally, the guy in front of me looks at it for a few minutes.
"No, you're not coming into this country."
"But I have the money that you want and I did what you told me to do."
"Did you hear what I said "No."
"But the balance is fine. It's right here."
 
They go back and sit down and completely ignore me. At this point, I'm tearing up and shaking my head. I've got to stay at this border and then catch another bus to Panama with $20? There is no way that is going to happen.  There is no Western Union here to get money.  I had planned to get money right when we crossed the border or even at a stop. 


I ask them kindly, "Is there something else I can try and do for you? My bus is leaving soon and I'm going to miss it."


They are laughing, "You can miss it because you are staying here."


The bus drivers are standing there with their hands on their hips and their hands up in the air.
"What's going on?" They were not friendly and I'm sure they were hoping I missed the bus I paid $65 dollars for.  So, what does a girl do to get what she wants with a man? She cries.


There I am crying and saying, "Please I just want to go home. I'm not going to stay in your country."


They are ignoring me AGAIN and I keep saying the same thing until the guy comes over. He looks again and says, "How do I know this statement is real?"


"This is my name, Priscilla Raj, and the statement and date is right there and that is the balance."
"Oh I see the balance. I was looking in the wrong place."


I had pointed it out five times. 


Finally, he sits down and starts doing paperwork. 

He looks up and says, "Just let her go."


And that is what they finally did.


This thin kid who had attitude and treated me horribly was being nice and stamped it. "Have a good trip."


Everyone I made friends with was asking me if I was okay and I said, "I'm fine." I gave them my backpack to put under and I got back on the bus to sit in silence. I did not want to talk with anyone as I was too upset and needed peace after that psychological abuse they just put me through.
I always say the worst kind of abuse is psychological. I would rather be hit than have someone taunt and tease me cruelly.

Again, my heart goes out to those kids who are bullied in such psychologically torturing ways.
God bless them and please protect them.

Comfort Meets Attitude

With this Tica Bus, I had mentioned it went from Granada to San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City. The one night stop over was in San Jose and then we went back on the bus Sunday at 10am.  I had previously had an extensive, fun filled trip through Costa Rica and just wanted to continue with my plan to go to Panama. 


My hostel choice was located about 5 minutes from the bus station and it was Hostel Colon. As I had read in reviews, you would never ever consider this a hostel. It was beautiful, peaceful with great food, nice tourists on their Ipads, and watching movies.  They had a great living room with a huge flat screen, nice furniture, high ceilings, great art work. It kind of reminded me of a small museum or gallery. It was just classy, sophisticated, and tastefully decorated.



I shared the dorm with two other girls in these enormous, super clean, comfy beds. One of them, a Chinese girl from Las Vegas, invited me out, but I was not in a socialization mood especially when I was in full social mood on the bus. I just felt like buying some black beans, tortillas(best tortillas I have ever had), and some green pepper/onion. Perhaps a yogurt if I could find one and an apple-done. That's exactly what I did and I stopped into the frozen yogurt shop, some fancy salad shop, and Subway. The prices were outrageous and I wondered how these people afforded this, but these were the rich Costa Ricans. The rich, arrogant Costa Ricans.


Sitting on the terrace eating my food, I was thinking about how this city is not the real Costa Rica. The people at Tica Bus in Costa Rica were completely rude. When I was asking locals about how to get somewhere, they would keep walking. It was some serious disrespect towards a tourist and I had no desire to stay another day. When I personally asked a guy why they have so much attitude he said, "Tourists made us this way." All I could think my head was Wow. 
"The locals don't like Americans because they come in and act superior to us. There are too many Americans visiting this country. "
Alright, so I got my answer there just asking him directly. It was clear that he was one of those people and I just let it go.


When I woke up in the morning to have some fresh pancakes and fresh orange juice-yum. I decided to take a long walk up towards the national landmarks. This didn't exactly happen because I seemed to misplace my Iphone charger instead of waiting I had to find a new one. I had to write while I was on the bus ride and I had to have a charge crossing the border in case I needed something in my phone. I went to a local shop and he had the original lightening cable. They didn't accept cards so I went upstairs in the mall to get cash. It's the great machine where stick your card in and then they don't give it back to you until the end of the transaction. 


Well, I just walked away not taking it back.  Someone told me they actually do this on purpose to take your card- a lot of crime in San Jose. 
I went to pay for my charger, not realizing the card, and I ask a few questions on it.  Oh boy, those questions got me in trouble. The owner happens to be there and says, "What you don't think it's good?" "It doesn't meet your American standards?" I am fighting for my rights as a customer saying I am just asking standard questions. I am continuously being cut off by him over and over. He is getting angry and he grabs the charger out of my hand. "Get out of here, I'm not selling." I had walked over to another shop and their cheap one did not work. I need this charger so I have to use my charm and be super nice and apologetic. "I'm sorry I really shouldn't doubt your product. I just bought a charger in Belize and it didn't work so I just want to make sure."
Not to mention this charger was $30??
He puts it back down and sells it to me. It's not over for him as he says, "I don't want to see you back here again."


With this waste of time, I have some time to walk around the market and the main streets. It's full of amazing fruit, pastries, full cafes selling coffee and all kind of muffins and cookies. I grabbed a coffee(can't leave Costa Rica without one) and some powdered sugar cookies.  The coffee was great before I spilled most of it running back to my hostel. Grabbed my bags and walked to the bus station for the next bus ride to Panama City. 


 

Lip to Lip

My apologies for those who thought this post was about something romantic and sappy. It's definitely neither of the two.

When it comes to "Lip to Lip," this expression I have coined for someone to close their mouth.  This girl had her mouth running with no respect for anyone. The two guys she was with did not even say a word. 

She did not want my advice so I sat in the front and said nothing to her.  Of course I used my sarcasm talking to the guys saying, "I'm so sorry that you guys have to stay up so late because people are unprepared." She didn't say much because she knew she was in the wrong.  The drivers are suppose to drop you off at one location not run around looking for a place all night.  They are actually doing you a huge favor driving around and wasting gas looking for a place for you.

The icing on the cake was that she didn't want to spend money so she had to stay at a $6 budget and she wanted breakfast too...Wow.   
No consideration or caring to the fact that it's now 1145 and people need their sleep.
After five places, she finds one that suites her needs. It's a complete dump and looks like they would have bed bugs. I wouldn't stay there if someone paid me.  Clearly, the guys had no say and they were just following her lead(her poor boyfriend). 

Clearly it was not time to connect with the cute Argentinian after all this drama.  "Bye, nice meeting you..." There goes another cute Argentinian guy yikes!

I purposely made myself the last stop. Could you imagine if I had to stay with her in the same place?
She would never spend $20 a night so that wouldn't happen.

At this point, we had another parking guy in the car who was helping to find places. Apparently, the drivers don't know there way around Leon.  This old man is a complete angel and I was so appreciative to him.  He was just helping from his heart(not for money), but I gave him $5. You have to reward those who do good in a humble, kind manner. Why?
Because you want them to keep on doing it...

Moral to this adventure:

Be good to people and they will be good to you. 

Bus Love Diaries

Well, besides the whole money thing with Orville, we were having some fun on the bus with the conductor, Macias.  He was 20 years old and looked like Pauly D from the Jersey Shore(i.e.  looked like an Italian guido with muscles and chains around his neck and a spiked up hairstyle).  He wore a Qatar Airways futbol jersey and a backwards hat with some pimped out leather shoes.

As I mentioned previously, it was pouring rain outside and I just wanted some peace, but it was not happening on this bus ride. After the food incident, Orville and I broke the silence and started making jokes about the conductor.  There he goes up and down the aisle shouting some Honduran Spanish, which sounded like Mexican-fast and hard to follow. He was definitely trying to get some attention walking up and down the aisles.


Orville began talking to him in Spanish(Orville's Spanish is extremely clear and slow). He is asking him where he grew up and then he introduces me and says I'm from America and her name is Priscilla.  When he looks at me it is more like staring. I can tell where this is going as he gives me the "Honduran bedroom eyes." Whatever those must look like-I clearly just found out. 

He had a brand new phone and we asked him where he got it and he said, "His girlfriend bought it for him." He says  that she is not special rather she just buys him gifts.  We are laughing and cracking up that he has a sugar mama. 

Priscilla, "Well clearly you are not available because you have a girlfriend."
Macias, "Everyone has one, two, three girlfriends, this is normal."
Priscilla, "That is universally normal. " lol
Macias, "I want to be with you."
Priscilla, "Que?"
Macias, "I love you."
Priscilla, "You just met me."

Since we are speaking two different kinds of Spanish, he may be hearing something different. I turn into a shy, 10 year old and try to hide out behind my seat.  I have such a great seat that I can feel the engine right underneath my butt with the stop and go-stop and go.  It's just wonderful.  While the bus is driving slower, the love cries are growing stronger. 

 He keeps staring at me as he walks up and down the aisles turning lights on and off asking ten times where people are going or just being obnoxious with his loud Spanish.
He asks me to close my window and I have no idea what he is saying so I say,"No entiendo." His Spanish seriously sounds like a whole new language.

As Orville is talking with him, Macias has no problem understanding him and Orville's Spanish is very clear like mine. When the lights go out, it is the scariest time as he comes back and just stands there staring at me in the dark.

Since we cannot communicate, he is pulling Orville into the conversation and using him as a translator basically asking where I live and if he could come back with me.  out and he is confessing his love for me to Orville and Orville is translating.   And then Orville is telling me each detail of his words.
"He loves you."
" He really love you."
"He wants you to take him with you to Nicaragua" 
"Each place you go, he will follow you." 
"He can keep you safe when traveling." 

With each response Macias was shouting out loud like an Italian."I love you, I love you, take me take me!"

He does not know any English, but all of a sudden he knows I love you and take me with you.  While he is shouting, the tourist in the middle of the bus is turning around laughing. I am so embarrassed and tell him to please lower his voice.  He walks away and then he comes back and takes my hand, "I love you."
Priscilla, "I have a boyfriend I love and care about."
There he goes walking towards the front of the bus and back again
Macias, " I love you Ricilla. I love you."
Priscilla," I'm getting married and we are going to have children when I arrive home."
Macias looks very sad and he finally gets busy with his actual job. 

What an action packed bus ride. Can we say exhausted as loud as Macias can shout, "I love you."

It was quite the entertainment. It was nice for me to take a break and someone else do the entertaining for a night