When I woke up I had the same feeling of bewilderment and unreality that Alice must have had at the mad tea party. I am now looking out this morning at the most amazing view with the unfading wonderment of a growing child. The first thing I did when I got up was toss my down jacket to one side and found my sandals at the bottom of my pack. I resisted the temptation to press my nose against the window of Panama Sara’s apartment to look out. What an incredible city! I grinned from ear to ear as I know there are howler monkeys close by. The jungle is on one side and the ocean on the other, with a mix of historic buildings and skyscrapers. It is classy,elegant and wild. There is a beautiful tropical breeze with birds outside the many windows.Numerous small cars are honking and quickly passing each other. There are a variety of scenarios to watch out the front window. I see a massive blue butterfly painted on a roof, 3 teenage boys slowly jogging in a schoolyard as if in detention, and palm trees gently swaying in the breeze. Glenn and I are having our coffee on the comfortable couch and gazing out the window. It was very grounding to do yoga and make my greens shake at 5am our time(8 am Panama time),with the blender provided in this well equipped kitchen.
Sarah Booth’s driver Diego picked us up at the airport. He was holding a sign with our names on it, just as promised. He had to wait for close to an hour as our plane was late pulling in.The entire trip went very smoothly. We flew with American Airlines from Vancouver to Dallas which was three and a half hours. It was late so we rushed to our connecting flight.From Dallas to Panama City it was 4 hours. We were very happy with how comfortable and smooth the flight was. Cheerful, helpful, conversational and informative, Diego then gave us an impressive tour of the city.We cruised through Casco Viejo and Puente Marino(marine bridge) also called Corridor Sur. He then drove us to Super 99 where I shopped while Glenn and Diego had an animated conversation about soccer and a variety of subjects. I gathered groceries and ingredients for a fish dinner.I was astounded at how low the prices were! I bought a massive papaya for 1.60 USD.A big bag of coffee was 3.00, and a rich broad shouldered red Malbec 6.00, and a huge piece of white fish was 3.00.I bought a substantial amount of groceries for under 50.00. The Panamanian staff looked at me in amusement at my attempts at Spanish and sign language. I could not help but notice how high the security was with many policemen at the door. A staff member cheerfully carried the groceries out to Diego’s car. Diego then took us to the apartment and gave us an orientation with details. A cell phone was given to us as well as instructions for Wi Fi which works extremely well.We were extremely happy with Diego’s courteous service!
Panama Sarah’s apartment has more than everything we need.It has a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms,excellent views, is safe and secure, and in to walking distance of the historic part of the city.
So for now till my next post “Hasta la proxima mis amigos” Until next time my friends! Kim
