Panama City

We hopped on a bus at 6:30 in the morning & bid the wonderful town of Boquete goodbye. A short ride to David while watching a beautiful sunrise was the start to this long day. Once in David we had to get a bus that would take us all the way to Panama City (7 hrs). We had been talking about how we hoped we wouldn't have to ride that whole way there crammed on a chicken bus with the windows open, stopping every couple kilometers to cram on more people. Well, we didn't have to worry, because we bought tickets for what turned out to be the biggest bus Jonathan or I had ever been on!  It was a new Mercedes double decker model. Jonathan asked if there was any way he could get a seat with a bit more leg room, and she put us in seats 1 & 2 on the upper level. There was a lot more leg room and we were almost out over the front of the bus, farther forward than the driver would sit, since we were on the second level. It was a crazy feeling, being so high, right up against the windshield of this huge behemoth, barreling down the Pan American Hwy. We got there in pretty much 7 hours exactly. 

On the bus, Jonathan struck up a conversation (as he always does) with a really nice young guy who spoke good English. Kristopher was from Boquete but was going to school in Panama City and had made this journey many times before. He offered to help us once we got off at the bus terminal in the city. This was much appreciated, since we'd heard from everyone that Americans get really over charged by the taxis and that the city buses are a bit hard to use if you don't know exactly where you're going. 

Once we got there Kristopher's brother was there to pick him up, and we started chatting about the best way for us to get to the hostel we had reserved - a hostel no one had heard of in a neighborhood no one seemed to recognize. After Kristopher's brother looked at our little map for a bit, he said, "You can't take a taxi, it's too expensive & too far. You will drive with us." And just like that they led us to their car, crammed all our luggage in and set off across the city at rush hour. They were so sweet and pointed out all the buildings and neighborhoods as we passed and answered our endless questions. 

Panama City is huge and very modern.  After being in small towns since we started traveling, the sky scrapers, smog and constant noise was a bit overwhelming. We finally found our hostel, the adorable Villa Michelle, and thanked our new friends profusely. This place has two kitchens we can use, so we walked to the local "mini super" (small grocery store/convenience store) and got stuff for the next couple days. 

Today we explored Casco Viejo (the old city) and the canal. We both had been really looking forward to seeing the canal. Before we left, we each read a book on the history and construction of the canal. (Thank you Bruce & Ellen!!)  It is such an overwhelming feat of engineering. 

We went to the Miraflores locks, which are the closest to the Pacific an to the city.  35-40 huge vessels pass through the canal every day, which runs 24 hrs a day, 365 days a year. The average cost to go through the canal is a little over $100,000!  They charge based on weight and carrying capacity of the ships. We got to watch 2 ships go through the locks.  They were coming from the Atlantic, going into the Pacific, so we watched them get lowered back to sea level. It's absolutely amazing. They have a good museum and an educational film there. 

After the canal, we were starving and looked up a place to eat on my gps. We found what sounded like a good place, so we hailed a cab and set off back across this crazy city. When the cab finally pulled into the restaurant, we both started laughing. It was a super fancy place, not what we had expected. There were men in tuxedos opening the front doors for us, and they all started looking at us, then looking at each other nervously. They finally pointed to our feet and tried to very gently let us know that sandals were not allowed in their restaurant. I'm sure that was the first in a long line of things about us that were not allowed, so we went off to find another option!

Tomorrow we fly to Quito, Ecuador, and I can't wait! A day and a half in a big city is more than enough for me. We'll be staying with friends in Quito, and I am so excited to begin this second leg of our trip. Adios Central America!