Traveling to Panama

In this essay of my extended inquiry project, Ill be exploring my dream of one day
making my way back to my roots, traveling to Panama somewhere I have never been before. I
will also be connecting this future experience with the journey Christopher McCandless already
took to Alaska in the late 1990s. I got my inspiration to write about traveling to Panama because
Christopher was determined to make his way to Alaska (insert comma) somewhere he has always
wanted to experience firsthand. Going to Panama is a dream I have had for some time now and
where my family is originally from. Along with wanting to go somewhere where your family
came from, Panama is also a beautiful topical country full of new things to experience, new
places to explore, and culture to learn about.
With gathering information for my topic, I had to think about what I wanted to include
when writing about traveling to Panama. Of course the basic things have to be included like
background information, maybe some personal background knowledge, and also specific
information pertaining to the topic at hand. More specifically how can I connect traveling to
Panama with Christopher McCandlesss story and how to make it make sense? I plan to paint a
vivid picture of my journey to getting to Panama and comparing it with Christophers journey to
making it to Alaska. Some details of our voyage will be drastically different, while some maybe
extremely similar. I am going to try to create a mutual parallel in the two journeys, my future
journey with his already experienced journey.
In preparation to make my way to Panama I must first obtain an US passport. Whenever
you want to leave the country you must have a passport. To me a passport is like an international
permission slip to enter another country. If you are applying for a US passport for this first time
you have to meet in person at a passport agency. Before you submit your US application in

person you must fill out form DS-11 and turn it in. Then submit evidence of US citizenship,
along with present identification. Proceeding that step you have to submit a photocopy of the
identification document. There is also a passport fee that can range from 30-140 dollars
depending on what you are applying for. The last step is to provide one passport photo and wait
till your passport arrives. This can take between 4-6 weeks to receive (Apply for a New
Passport). Along with obtaining a passport to travel outside the country, the US Department of
State advice travelers to be aware of any travel alerts and warnings for your destination and also
to obtain any required vaccinations for some countries (Apply for a New Passport).
Most people in Panama are mestizo, Amerindian, white, and West Indian. Many
Panamanians are bilingual, speaking Spanish and English. The countrys religious affiliation is
split majority between Roman Catholic and Protestant. As far as preparing to travel and getting
required vaccinations, the only major infectious diseases in Panama is bacterial diarrhea which is
spread through food or water (The World Factbook). Temperatures are typically high across the
whole country throughout the year. The rainy season lasts from May to November, but doesnt
last all day so the best time to visit is anytime. When packing for Panama it is recommended to
bring lightweight cottons and linens along with rainwear (Panama History, Language and
Culture). When going hiking and camping warmer clothes are advised because it gets chilly in
the highlands. Panama connects North and South American and borders Colombia and Costa
Rica. The country has mountains, lowlands, and wide areas of savannah covered plains and hills.
Only a quarter of the country is inhabited. The majority of the population live either around the
canal and main cities of Panama City and Colon (Panama History, Language and Culture).
The tropical country of Panama has so much sites to see and experience. According to
touropia there are ten must see sites (Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Panama). On being Playa Las

Lajas which is a beautiful beach that extends along the Gulf of Chiriqui on the Pacific Coast.
This beach is an ideal place to go swimming and body surfing, and is kind of off radar because
not a lot of large hotel chains know about it. For those who are more adventurous Sendero Los
Quetzales is the place to explore. Near the small town Cerro Punto, Sendero stretches from the
forest of Parque Nacional Volcan Baru and ends in the mountains (Top 10 Tourist Attractions in
Panama). The hike from beginning to end takes between four to seven hours and is
recommended to take with a guide or with an organized tour. The Coiba National Marine Park is
a place where you can enjoy snorkeling and scuba diving on the Pacific Coast. There is more
than 800 species of marine life in the area. Another spot in Panama that is big on marine life is
Bocas Del Toro. The waters near are shallow, which is great for beginners and has a coral reef
full of varieties of tropical fish (Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Panama).
While someone nowadays would take the conventional way to travel somewhere,
Christopher McCandless did not. Chris hitchhike the majority of his way to Alaska. He burns his
car supply along with identification documents. He rejects his old conventional life behind, and
the people in it. Along the way he goes through many different states including California, South
Dakota, Georgia, and finally Alaska. He meets many people along the way and saw and
experienced many things. Once he finally reached Alaska, he resides in an old bus left behind, he
is completely alone. His main purpose of taking the journey all the way to Alaska was to leave
behind modern society and find the true meaning of life and what it means to be happy and he
ends up finding out that true happiness can only be found when shared with others. Similar to his
journey traveling is something Ive always wanted to do, more specifically to Panama. I would
love to meet people along the way in and to Panama like Chris did on his way to Alaska. But in
contrast, his state of mind and way he felt about help on his journey is different from mine. My

experience would be more enjoyable and less dangerous than Chriss because I would not be
rejecting society. Chris was trying to find happiness in isolation and I would like the company of
people and new things to make my experience memorable. Regardless there is one common
factor, enjoyment of experiencing new things and places.