The Visa Application Process Part 4: The Completion of a Trip

Our journey in Panama officially comes to an end at 5:00am tomorrow when we get picked up by a driver and are taken to the airport. The last two weeks have gone by quicker than a New York Minute. We got to spend time with people who I look forward to seeing again soon, got our passports returned, and found a potential place to rent.

Although you cannot see her (or any of us for that matter) in the picture, Robert and I met a friend from Canada who spends about half of her time between both countries. The three of us took a walk along the beach close by.

During our walk we chose to go the opposite way of our running route. Look what we found: tide pools! Anyone that knows me knows how crazy I can get when I see tide pools. For me, seeing tide pools is like taking a child to Disneyland for the first time and seeing their favorite Disney character; it is mesmerizing to me and I probably get too excited. I enjoy seeing the diversity in each tide pool. These tide pools seemed to be a nursery for crabs and other small algae eaters.

Robert and I also did some promo work for the company we will be working for. The company just started renting and selling sand buggies. This new addition required somebody to take pictures for promotional purposes. The beach enthusiast in me was unsure about this. Here we are tearing up the beach with these buggies. The "need for speed" enthusiast also had something else to comment and allowed me to enjoy being able to boss people around so I could try to get some decent pictures of the buggies. I think the day was an overall success.

Robert and I ventured into the city today in order to get our passports. We drove over what is known as "The Bridge of the Americas." This bridge connects North and South America. This is a different bridge than what was in the previous post. This bridge is one two bridges you can take to get into the city from where we are staying. Which one you take depends on traffic and where you are hoping to go into the city. You can see the ships waiting to pass through the canal. 

We thought we would head to Albrook Mall and explore a bit before our appointment with our lawyer. Guess what I found?

Which Wich is the best sandwich shop I've been to. They were not open during the time of the picture, otherwise this would have been lunch. 

If you need to use the bathroom you have to pay $0.25 in order to get into the bathroom at this mall. I have heard this is fairly common here and have heard several reasons why this is done, including the fact that it detours people from stealing the toilet paper, which is not completely unheard of in Panama. I have also heard that it helps keep up with the cost of maintaining the bathrooms. The bathroom itself was not worth blogging about, except the fact that I know have a mental note to carry $0.25 with me in public places. 

Robert and I decided to take a cab from the mall to get into the city where our lawyer's office is located. Drivers in the city, particularly the district we were going to, are very defensive. Driving is not for the faint of heart and the sounds of horns honking which signify different meanings does not seem to end. We got a taxi cab driver who did not seem to have a full understanding of where we needed to go. It probably did not help that we did not speak very good Spanish to clarify exactly where we needed to go other than requesting he drop us off at the Casino Royal by the Marriott Hotel and showed him a map. 

After over an hour of dealing with bad traffic and the uncertainty that we would not be dropped off at our desired location, Robert and I were close enough to our final destination that we exited the cab and walked the 1km (0.6 miles). We thought we could walk faster than driving. Sure enough, we got to where we needed to go within 5 minutes of walking. Our cab ride back to our car was going the opposite way of traffic and it took a lot less time to get back to the mall than it did driving away from it. 

Driving back I was able to take a picture of one of the larger cargo ships going through the Canal. If I remember correctly, this looks like it was a cargo ship for cars. If memory also serves correctly, this ship (the white one on the right) also costs about $400,000 to pass through. 

I have been trying to get a decent picture of this for the last week and was finally able to. These figurines are filled with straw and firecrackers. They are supposed to represent things that people would like to leave behind for the upcoming new year including people (not uncommonly a political figure) and illness. I have been told these figurines are lit at midnight on New Years Eve. Not all Panamanians do this as I have been told these figurines are regional.

We also got news that we should be able to rent a nice two bedroom, two bathroom house about 20 minutes west of where we are currently staying. The house location will mean a small commute, but not anything which Robert and I are not accustomed. It is close to the beach and is in a small town that seems to be more locals than expats. The location will force us to integrate with the locals which is something that we hope to take advantage of. 

Robert and I both feel like we had a very productive two weeks. Panama has already began to feel like home within the short time that we spent here. I am already missing Panama and feel like the only things that could make Panama more prefect are our animals and being able to stay connected to family and friends.

We have worked hard and were able to play hard. While we had down time with our immigration process, Robert and I always seemed to be doing something toward moving here: working on marketing and networking for the business, and exploring close by towns in which to help gain a further understanding of where we may possibly want to live. I am looking forward to a hastily return back to Panama.

In the mean time we will be going to Oregon for the next few days to spend time with some family for Christmas before flying back down to Arizona. These visits are also something I am looking forward to. I will have to say goodbye to walking barefoot on the beach and  hello to having a wonderful excuse to snuggle up under the blankets with a hoodie at night. Hasta mañana Panama and hello Oregon!