I woke to my pillow vibrating like mad at 6.30 am. It was my brother telling me about the US attacking Venezuela and kidnapping their President, and begging me to come home or at least leave the region. I scrambled to get on top of the situation and gather as much information as I could. I knew prior to leaving Australia that Venezuela was at risk of being attacked but like so many, didn’t believe the US would actually do it. I also felt I would be ok even if they did as I had Colombia as a buffer. Cold reality sinks in though as the world is plunged into even more uncertainty. Trump’s threats to take back the Panama Canal can no longer just be written off as bluster. I had to think fast and make some decisions.
But first I had a boat to catch to Chirique Grande. I hurriedly packed my stuff and checked out of my hostel. Walking to where the boat left from, I heard my name being called out. It was some of the students and one of the professors from the University of Wisconsin I had met a couple of days ago. We caught up with what we had each been doing and I took the opportunity to ask if they had received any advice from the University in light of the Venezuela attack. They said they hadn’t heard anything as yet and were pretty much in the same position as me – in the dark.
The boat ride to Chirique Grande took just under an hour and travelled through the south-eastern part of the archipelago. Unfortunately, my friend the rain decided to accompany us the majority of the way which meant the side covers were down on the boat. There were clear plastic panels to look through but it certainly wasn’t the same. What I could see was still simply beautiful.
At Chirique Grande I found a cafeteria near the boat terminal that had a TV. Over coffee and something to eat, I caught up with events unfolding in Venezuela. Locals were popping in and out to watch the news and I got a sense that most were happy that Maduro had been ousted, but uneasy for what it would mean for the region given the manner in which it happened. The news was fairly factually presented with little in the way of opinion offered during the time I was watching.
I decided to continue on with my journey which involved heading back down to David to be able to continue further east. The owner of the hostel I stayed at in David when I was there overnight the previous week seemed to have his finger on the pulse with geopolitical issues and I was hoping to have a chat to get his take on current developments. But first, I needed transport back to David. A kindly señor took me to where the local bus ran from Chirique Grande to the main road which runs from David to the northern coast. I recognised the transport hub and rest point of Rombala immediately as we had stopped there on the way to Almirante. From there I was able to pick up a bus running down to David.
We drove back through the beautiful mountain range and I enjoyed just as much the second time around. Back in David, Roger collected me from the bus station and we had long conversations about the Venezuela attack and what it meant for the entire region, including Panama. Roger was fairly confident Panama would be ok as the Panamanian government had capitulated to most of the US’s demands whilst still retaining overall ownership of the canal. US companies now control the ports due to a deal which saw the previous Hong Kong based entity selling their interest. Moreover, Panama had recently been facilitating US military to train on their soil; a move seen to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. Even though it is early days and anything could still happen, I felt more confident continuing my journey with constant monitoring of the situation as best I can.
Wild Woman Wandering 