Panama City Adventures

A girl walks into an airport and is looking for a bathing suit....sounds like the beginning of a joke, right? If it is, then this joke was a reality for me. We had to go into Panama City twice this week. We also got to go surfing! Friday was also Labor Day, which meant that most people had the day off and stores were crowded. We ended Friday night with having a goodbye dinner for a friend who spends half her time here, and the other half of her time in her native country. This week went by fast and I think helped me get out of the funk I was in last week.

We went to the city on Monday in order to begin the process for our drivers license. I am still working on completing the process, so once I complete it, I may post a blog on that separately. This trip was primarily for business and immigration purposes. Along the way we got to see a beautiful sunrise. As you may know, the sun rises in the Pacific Ocean for parts of Panama. The picture of the sun rising over the Canal as we go over one of the bridges in the city.

The next stop was Albrook Mall. The mall is a large mall and could easily take a day to browse. The mall even has its own hotel. I know it is not the largest mall, but I have read that it has over 700 stores.

This mall also has my favorite sandwich shop from back in the US. Which Wich has the best sandwiches and has house chips that are simple but oh so good! Albrook Mall just might be my favorite because of this. There is only one Which Wich in Panama. 

We left the mall and ventured into a store called Pricemart. Pricemart is owned by the same company as Costco in the United States. We saw a moving sidewalk that was large enough for the big carts that got you from the parking garage to the store entrance. It was enjoyable to ride. It was a first to ride on a slanted moving sidewalk that was not officially an escalator with steps.

Thursday came and we drove back to the city; we had to pick up documents as part of the process for the drivers license. We were hoping to get our drivers license the same day we got our official documents. That did not happen as we arrived to the center mid afternoon and it was packed. Fortunately, I can go to another location on Monday (Friday was a holiday in which most workers had off).

Because I wipe out often, I find myself showing more of myself than I care to-even with a rash guard and with wearing running shorts. I did some research and found that Calvera Swimwear might be the solution to my problem. There are two international retailers outside of the United States and one happens to be in Panama. Awesome! The catch? It was at an airport. I joked around with friends trying to figure out how I was going to explain this to TSA.

"Excuse me officer, I do not have a plane ticket, but there is a store behind these barriers that I want to shop."

Fortunately, that did not happen. The airport is not the main airport in Panama City that you are likely to fly into (unless you are Canadian). This airport has a total of two non-food stores that are close to the entrance. Luckily I did not have to go through TSA. I was happy to find a swimsuit.

Robert and I went to Albrook Mall again, this time in search for surf boards! Robert and I acknowledge our skill level, which means we know we need a longer surfboard that can float rather than a small, sleek board. We went to the one store that carries surfboards. We found two that may work, but Robert wanted a slightly longer board and I was not ready to commit either. We drove to another mall with the same store. Neither had what we were ready to get at the time.

It was closing in at 4:00 which explained the traffic; people were getting off work and others were heading for the beaches as Friday was Labor Day and many people had the day off. We returned home without surfboards which meant we would rent them our next time out.

What amazed me about driving out of Panama City were all the vendors in the middle of the road. People were offering sunglasses, along with food and drinks. Many of them would have their ice chest filled with drinks on an old baby stroller, while food was raised in one hand. Food included churros, plantains, and cashews. We bought two packets of churros for $1. It was a perfect treat to hold us over until we got home.

Last night we had dinner with a friend. She eats primarily vegetarian, which makes cooking fun. Last night's dinner was filled with sharing memories of our pets and camping. Many of the memories Robert and I have revolved around camping with friends back in college before we started dating. An evening filled with laughter is okay by me. 

We went surfing today. The swells have been having a lot of people talking-some saying this is the best swell of the year. Robert went out to the bigger waves, while I enjoyed some of the white water waves (this is when the wave turns white when it gets close to shore). I was there right along the 12 year old kid who also seemed to be learning. I eventually paddled out with Robert, but mostly to practice paddling. Robert was in the water for three hours. 

Today was a perfect day. This week will be another busy one with plenty of things to do. At the end of the day, I go to bed happy and at peace. Life is good and there is no other place I would like to live.