Melting in Panama City

I always forget how exhausting traveling is.

I got so lucky with my flights. My first flight I sat next to two old gentlemen from Chile. We talked in Spanish and it always amazes me how quickly the language comes back even after not practicing for six months.

My second flight I sat next to two older ladies, one that gave me countless tips and advice on navigating the city, and the other I helped fill out her immigration forms because she didn't have her glasses. The dear souls.

I arrived in Panama City around 1:00 pm. It looks quite a lot like Chicago with its skyscrapers and strange buildings.

The streets are incredibly dirty though, and it's the only place I've actually seen rats running around in broad daylight.

I had originally decided to take the bus from the airport to the hostel and save $29.75 that the taxi would cost, but after wandering around for awhile and staring at the mazes of roads and bridges and bus stops, I opted for convenience over money.

 

My taxi drove me quickly through the city- similar to places I've been, and the high level of excitement that usually comes with being in a new place wasn't quite as present knowing I had been on this soil before.

I got settled in the hostel and went walking a bit, observing, and thinking about how nice it would be to have someone to travel with.

So far, most of the people I've met have been more interested in being on their phones and watching tv than hanging out. Every trip has one or two hostels like that, but usually not right off the bat. Big cities generally are much more laid back because backpackers use them as a solid rest point, or just a point of transit between destinations, whereas the small towns or adventure cities have high energy and adventurous travelers...

So I headed out alone, smiling and saying hi to locals, and immediately being reminded that I am a blonde female, thanks to the old men who only know how to say "hello beautiful, I love you."

And the food...I missed the food. Rice, beans, meat, salad, and a pineapple smoothie for just a few dollars. It never gets old.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day after lunch was spent in bed with a headache and feeling the need to throw up. I drank a huge bottle of water and I'm pretty sure I sweated it out right away. This heat is killer. 91 degrees and 100% humidity. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to adjust. 

This morning I woke up after a good 11 hours of much needed sleep. Thankfully at night they turned air con on in the dorms so it was tolerable. I started talking to some dorm mates, and they invited me to breakfast with them. "Cato" from Guatemala made the absolute best pancakes I've ever tasted, which doesn't surprise me considering Guatemala still holds the award for the best food of any country I've been to...

After breakfast, Cato, Mauro, Don, and Ivanna and I headed out around the city, experiencing the metro, local food, smelly, dirty markets, old Colombian style Casco Viejo, etc etc...

We walked down the main market street, where vendors walked around selling food, trinkets, and the ever loved coconut water for 50 cents. :)

One of the most notable things about this city is the huge diversity - there are blacks, Latinos, (almost) whites, Indians, and every fashion from modernly dressed business people to women wearing the traditional dress of colorful scarfs, skirts, and leg wraps. 

Besides the traditional dress, almost all of the women here wear long, tight pants and many wear long sleeve shirts. I don't know how they can handle that with this heat.

My friends and I stopped in a park for awhile where Cato played his bongo drum (...which he played all the time. Constantly. Singing at the top of his lungs. No shame. We made a lot of friends thanks to that thing...) and talked to an old Hindu man who said Don was a bad person and blessed Ivanna with the highest blessing. (We disagreed with his ideas about Don. He's actually pretty cool.) 

The best was walking along the edge of the golf, looking at all the local indian's arts. I talked to one lady who was hand stitching something, and she said it can take two to four months to make some of her pieces. And the they sell them for just a couple dollars. It's crazy...So much work for so little money.

Ivanna and I headed back to the golf for sunset, talking about life and love and happiness and saying hi to everyone we walked by. She is such a free, beautiful soul.

Random facts, there are a ton of taxis, and cars like to park on the sidewalk. And it's perfectly acceptable to do so.

Sixteen languages are spoken in Panama, which is a country slightly smaller than the size of North Carolina. 

The whole country has roughly 3.19 million people, with the average making only around $700 a month. 

Apart from that, I am (of course) loving being in a new place, meeting new people, and having no plan. The people are wonderful, the food is wonderful, and one way tickets are wonderful. :)