Castlevania (or - Per Doncha Hopni Skipni Tru Da Vudz*...a cautionary tale)

Deep in the jungle of Panama is an old, old concrete castle with an interesting history, most of which has to do with ambition meets bankruptcy or so I'm told. Started in the 1930s, materials had to be hauled through jungle trails on oxcarts, but the owner, who wanted a secluded paradise in the woods, finally ran out of money and the project was abandoned until the 1970s when his son installed a few windows and ran out of money himself. At which point the whole thing was dropped. Later, the Panamanian government stepped in and reclaimed the property as a wildlife preserve, albeit one with a really spooky focal point. 

Did I mention spooky? 

As in really...

...really...

...really spooky?

Nevertheless, Lana and I, joined by my friend Bill who happened to wander over to Panama from his digs in Costa Rica, decided to explore. No fear in us and nothing to fear at all. 

And to prove it we let Bill go first. 

As we approached, the door swung slowly open, as if beckoning us from the nether regions of a world which few visit and from which none return. 

(Yes, I made that part up. I'm sure the door has been standing wide open since 1936 and is open to this day - unless it finally rusted through and fell off - but didn't that part sound really cool?)

And we stepped inside. 

Not the first...obviously. 

Probably not even the second. 

But, we were the only ones there that day and that was good enough for us in that deserted house deep in the remote jungle. 

I did mention remote, didn't I? 

But finally it was time to leave. We said our farewells...

...and we could practically hear the spirits wishing us a fond 

"get the hell out of here and don't come back" 

as we departed...

...and made our way back through the fence that was designed (poorly, I might add) to keep folks like us out. 

Yeah, you can keep your guided tours. This is sightseeing the way it was intended to be: a felony. 

Until next time....

*If you are one of the three or four people in the whole world who happen to get the title reference, by all means let me know in the comments section.