Days eight - nine: Panama. Just do it.

(4/2) After finishing Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises and making fair progress on a selection of short stories, Kelly and I take off on a mid-morning quest to find coffee and last minute souvenirs in Casco Viejo. We soon find out that literally everything is closed. I manage to revisit some of the mola-selling Kuna women to purchase small gifts for my Mom and sisters (get excited, girls!) before we head out of the antiquated, charming neighborhood for the high-rises of El Congrejo, Panama's business district. Welcome to the Riande Continental Hotel, courtesy of COPA Airlines. Remember when our flight was overbooked? Well, Kelly and I spent our last full day in Panama enjoying the meals and facilities of the Riande thanks to our bit of bad luck gone good. However, I was actually in a state of shock for a while upon settling into the hotel. The beds felt so luxurious, the water so hot (that I took at least three showers in about 20 hours), the view from our windows so urban, and all in all the place felt at once surprising and familiar. I remembered that it is actually normal for me to have hot showers, a comfortable bed, a city's amenities. The hotel and it's niceties were a final contrast with much that I have encountered in Nicaragua, even though in Nicaragua I still have much more than I should ever need. The whole experience was a paradoxical reminder of how I very much so enjoy having life's extra comforts but also have so much more than what is really needed. I am a product of a culture of excess.

Thank you, COPA! Now, this is a vacation!

During the afternoon, Kelly and I visited the Causeway. The Causeway is a roadway leading to and connecting three islands. It was formed of the rock and earth that were excavated when digging the Panama Canal. Today you'll find people on the Causeway riding bikes, exercising, strolling with children and loved ones, shopping on the islands, or doing just what Kelly and I did - enjoying some ice cream! Perhaps the ice cream wasn't as tasty as that in Grancelment, but the views of boats sailing by and the Panama skyline at sunset were spectacular.

The Causeway

Panama City

(actually taken from a different location, but you get the idea)

Final conclusions from the trip? Panama is an absolute must-see. I recommend it as I would cities such as Paris, Barcelona, Munich, and Lisbon, some of my European favorites. There's history and culture to be explored and experienced, fine dining, great shopping, impressive skyscrapers, charming apartments, as well as myriad options for a great night out or a pleasant afternoon stroll by the waters. I couldn't have asked for more, which brings me to...

(4/3) Day nine and I'm off to Ma-na-wa-Ma-na-wa-Ma-na-wa!! Home sweet home once more. It's hot.

Yours truly,

Jan Margaret