Kimberly Hanson’s two-in-one adventure in Panama and Colombia
TRAVELLING NOT to escape life, but to embrace it, island girl Kimberly Hanson took the opportunity of a lifetime to study in England on the prestigious Chevening Scholarship. What started out as a sojourn soon took flights years after and she would treat herself to a different country to celebrate special occasions. Today, she shares the adventures of her two-in-one birthday trip to Colombia and Panama.
“I’m obsessed with Spanishspeaking countries. I’ve been to the Dominican Republic, Spain and Mexico for every other birthday. So this year, I wanted to continue the trend and go to Colombia,” she told Saturday Living.
During her research, she discovered that Copa Airlines offers a stopover programme, allowing passengers to spend time in Panama City before continuing to their final destination, all on one ticket. So Hanson was able to get the best of both countries, spending time in her desired destination of Cartagena, Colombia and spicing things up by staying in Panama for a week.
Taking advantage of the stop, she jumped at the chance to experience shopping at its best. “The plan was to stay for two or three days. But when I got there and immersed myself into the Spanish culture, and unravelled some of the nice gems, [like the food], I didn’t want to leave.”
Colombia is known for its coffee, rum, beautiful beaches, and the historic walled city of Cartagena.
“I went in search of a rum or coffee-tasting class [but] found a rum and chocolate one (class). We got to pair the rum with savoury food as well as sweet chocolate. It was absolutely amazing, a truly unforgettable experience,” she said.
The explorer visited the Época Café in Colombia, one of the best cafés in the country. “It was unbelievable! The coffee nice man!” Walking the walled city to go to the Café, she was fascinated by the vendors on the side who had paintings and street food.
The historic centre stands as the country’s main attraction. There, according to Hanson, you will find several restaurants and stores. “You can’t walk it in a day. You will get lost; it’s like a maze. Each time we entered that walled city, we found something new and different to do.
The walled city and Getsemaní, known for its colourful airborne umbrellas, was a highlight of her excursions.
What surprised her the most about the Panama leg of the trip was the language barrier. But, thanks to Google translate, she was able to bridge the gap.
For travel essentials, she suggests having the country’s currency beforehand. When she needed to exchange money, she used Cambio shops in the area rather than those at the airport.
Walking around with her passport was also a must in her book as it provided a primary form of identification for cambios and shopping discounts. Phone apps like Uber can help to possibly curtail taxi scams, “I also downloaded Holafly for e-sim services like unlimited data [which] proved to be more versatile and cost effective than roaming,” she suggested.
When she arrived at the airport to make her flight back to Jamaica, she was told by the airline that the flight was overbooked and the team was seeking volunteers to spend an extra night. For the trouble, the airline provided food, hotel stay and a travel voucher. Hanson was more than pleased to have one more night in the beautiful country.
“Travelling is mental therapy for me. I love culture so experiencing how different people live and drawing similarities to my culture is very fruitful for me,” she added.
With plans to go to Asia in the future, she wants to visit places like Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and the Maldives. She would also love to go Kenya and South Africa.
Her advice for those who want to travel is to start where you are, as Jamaica has some truly stunning hidden gems. From there, she suggests exploring visa-free countries that welcome Jamaicans before branching out to globetrotting adventures.