Let me out!

So I made it out of Colombia! - finally. It really is a beautiful place and I wish I could write better things about my experience there, but it was just an exhausting couple days. I got to the airport Thursday morning 5 hours early and made it to my gate 10 minutes before heading out. They wouldn't let me leave! I literally had to buy a flight back to Cali to leave Cali - they say for Panama immigration reasons, but I had NO questions/problems in Panama. err. The important thing is I did finally make it out and was so happy to be reunited with Jen in Panama City!

Panama, on the other hand, has been great! No problems. Panama City looks like a big US city with huge sky scrapers and lots of US restaurants. We stayed on the other side of town though, Casco Viejo. It is more normal like other parts of Latin America. We got a hostel, took a nap (10 hours sleep in 3 days...I was exhausted!), and then got up to get some cookies and water from a local store. Then some guys from the hostel, Mark from Santa Barbara, CA and Valerio from Rome, Italy, came in our room to hang out for a while. It felt like a college dorm scene actually.

Friday we explored the city a bit - going through the pirated goods market and then to the Panama Canal causeway. We rented bikes, got delicious frozen lemonades, and walked around. It was lovely and fun, although we were VERY sweaty! We made it back to shower and relax before going to dinner and out on the town for the night. We went to a classy bar with a live salsa band on the waterfront. Jen and I went with Mark and Valerio and Valerio's Panamanian friend. One daiquiri was all I could afford, but it was still fun and great people watching!

Saturday we took a ferry boat off the canal to Isla Taboga. It was a nice little getaway from the city. We just stayed on the beach all day and walked around a bit to get DELICIOUS batidos..papaya. My favorite! When we got back to the mainland we got dinner...camarones al ajillo (garlic shrimp)! Then we got our stuff from a hostel, realized how bad we actually got burned ;), and left to the bus terminal. The bus wasn't until 10:45pm, however, so we first had to kill a little time at the mall next door seeing the movie Despicable Me....a cute, animated movie. It was a great way to pass the time though in the AC before getting on the bus to David. A double decker! And we were on the top level, front row...kind of scary at first, but then it was great for leg room and comfort. A smooth bus ride later, we made it to David and took a school bus here to Boquete.

Today we have just napped and hung out for most of the day - enjoying lots of band practice. Someone needs to teach these kids how to drum and play a trumpet! Tomorrow we are going to explore around here more and rent scooters! Should be fun.

2 days until Costa Rica.....aka MONKEYS!!!

Love you all!
Taylor