The Visa Application Adventure Part 2

We are still in Panama for the application for the visa process. Things since the last post have been a lot less stressful and now it feels almost more like a vacation. With the exception of needing to go to the immigration office one more time, the rest of the process is just to wait. We have been able to do a lot of exploring of the country side and have gotten a chance to try to practice Spanish.

Yesterday we drove to a mall called Westland Mall for the second time. They have some familiar stores/names that may be familiar to those back in the United States including McDonalds, Carl's Jr, and Dominos in the food court.  Familiar retail stores included Levis, Puma, and GNC. While we were at the mall, Robert was able to get a SIM card for his phone while speaking Spanish. This was done in hopes that he could use his phone down here, at least for navigation purposes. We have a GPS in the car we are driving, but it is outdated and does not always understand where we are trying to go. We were also able to find stores with very inexpensive items, including a set of twin sheets for $4.99. 

While at the mall, we got some dessert for lunch. The dessert on the left is strawberry cheesecake while the dessert on the right is coconut cheesecake. As you may notice, this is not the cheesecake you and I in the United States may be familiar with which is made out of cream cheese. These desserts were literally cake with some kind of soft cheese (similar to a cream cheese or mascarpone cheese). I had the coconut cheese cake and it seemed to be soaked in something. I am not sure what that something was other than what I am calling a thinned out carmel. 

Ever wonder what happened to the school bus you used to ride twice a day to school? They come to Panama, get a new paint job, and turn into what are known as Diablo Rojos (red devils). Supposedly, they are called Diablo Rojos because of how they are driven. These buses will charge around $0.30, from what I have heard and read, and will take you into the city making them a primary mode of transportation for a lot of people. These buses are privately owned which allows for each bus to be intricately painted in its own unique way.

Robert and I have also been exploring the countryside. We both love how green Panama is and how thick the trees and shrubs can get. We found this lot of land for sale which had breath taking views of the countryside. This particular property that happens to be for sale was on too much of a slope for us to reasonably build anything.

Robert and I also found another property in which we both fell in love. The second property was in a quite town with nice dirt roads and was also close to the beach. Robert and I both enjoyed the property because it was a blank canvas and a beautiful view of the ocean. We got back to the computer to see how much it was. It turns out we have expensive taste as the property alone cost over $2million. Didn't realize it at the time, but they are developing a newer hub there. There is now a more recent international airport only minutes away (although it does not travel to the US, as of yet), and JW Marriott has a resort very nearby...

Thanks JW for jacking up the price of the property ;)

The road going to the property. 

Part of the property

On our way exploring we found a man on the side of the road selling sugar cane juice. The juice is green and pure bliss! Unlike refined sugar the sugar cane juice has a very sweet and grassy taste to it. This makes sense considering sugar cane is a type of grass. 

A sugar cane stand off the side of the road. 

Below the coolers you can see the
sugar cane before it is juiced

The remnants of the sugar cane after it is
juiced. This is used for a lot of things
including feeding live stock. 

The final product!

I have heard many people squeeze lime into it, which I believe would top this perfect drink to beyond perfection. The sweetness of the juice will help with satisfy any sugar craving while also being very hydrating.

We woke up early this morning and watched another beautiful sunrise. Today we will be going shopping for some fruits and vegetables at the grocery store with a friend we met in the building. She does not have a car so we will be giving her a ride. We've enjoyed meeting other expats  who seem to share similar views on the world. The more time Robert and I spend in Panama, the more we realize that this is the next chapter in our lives. We both know it is not always going to be a vacation. I greatly miss my family and friends and family, which technology will help with a lot. Despite this, we know this is where we are supposed to be for the time being.