"Panama is a small county..."

From the day we arrived in Panama, we have heard Panamanians saying "Panama is a small country, but...".  There have been various endings to this sentence stem depending on the situation, but we have heard "Panama is a small country, but we are a diverse country/ it is full of strong-willed people/ we have the most variety of orchids in the world/ we have the most beautiful beaches/ we have the best coffee," etc.  Well, Panama, we have a few endings to that sentence, too:

Panama is a small country, but it is an amazing country.  A country full of caring, prideful people, as well as beautiful land and cityscapes.  It is a country where fried food is eaten three times a day...and that's okay! :) 

We came to Panama not knowing what to expect, and not really knowing much of anything about it other than what we knew about the Canal.  We came to Panama looking to experience something new, take on some great adventures, and meet new people.  While Genevieve and I took our last walk along the Cinta Costera this morning, I couldn't help but think about how our trip to Panama far exceeded our expectations in so many ways.  We are so fortunate to have been given this oportunity and to leave with such wonderful memories.  As for the friends we've made while we've been here, we hope you will come visit us in Arizona...you are always welcome! 

So now, all that is left to do is to finish packing up our apartment, enjoy one more pizza from Athens, and drink one more Baloba beer.  It is going to be a long day tomorrow, but something tells me it will feel good to sleep in our own bed again. 

Panama is a small country, but it has been our home for the past three months and we will truly miss it.  Hasta luego, Panama...hasta que nos volvamos a encontrar!

James heads out for his last day of work at KPMG Panama

San Blas Part Deux

 Friday evening, we were invited to Luis Laguerre's house for dinner and drinks.  He is the Partner at the KPMG Panama office and has a gorgeous home in an area just outside the city called Costa Del Este.  Genevieve wore her new Kuna-made dress to the occasion so that those who got her the dress could see how much she loved it!  And, she also wanted to show off how much her purple and pink dress matched her eye...

You may know this face as the "I am super excited about this song" face :)

Seeing how we were out pretty late on Friday night, we took turns watching Genevieve so that the other could "sleep in" a little bit.  We had a huge list of errands to do on Saturday to prepare for our departure on the 16th.  One of the places we stopped (for the 4th time for me) was the artisan market in Panama Viejo.  We decided we really wanted to get an Embera woven mask for our house.  We found one we liked...in the shape of a toucan... but saw the price was $35.  James decided to try to talk the guy down in price.  Here is how it went:  James:  "How about $30 for the mask instead of $35?"  Merchant:  "How about $25?"  James:  "Deal!"   Well, that definitely worked out in our favor, haha.  We spent the remainder of our Saturday packing up suitcases with as much as we could to get ready for our trip home on Thursday.

Sunday morning we set out on our last beach adventure in Panama, and what better beach to go to than on one of the San Blas Islands.  We picked up James' co-worker Eligio and his wife, Eliana from their apartment in Panama City and then picked up Javier and his wife Irma from their home in Brisas Del Golf.  Our SUV was loaded down with people, coolers, and beach stuff!  James, Genevieve, and I were the only ones of the group who had driven to San Blas before...which was kind of funny since we have only been in Panama for 3 months. :)  As Javier said, "James, you are my tour guide in my country!" Haha.

This is the part of the road to Carti where you have to pay the Kunas to continue on their land.

From Carti, we took a boat very similar to the one we took to the Embera village.  The last time we were at San Blas, the boat ride to Isla Iguana was a wet one...the water was rough in the morning and we were sprayed with a lot of ocean water.  THIS TIME, it was infinitely worse!  We were all drenched and could actually wring out our clothes!  We had paid to go to Isla Bonita, but when we got to it, it was a third of the size of Isla Iguana, had 2 small houses on it, and 2 pathetic excuses for trees on it (aka. ZERO shade).  We all took one look at it and said, please take us somewhere else!  Due to the fact that we were getting soaked on the boat ride, we decided to just stay at Isla Aguja (Needle Island), where they were dropping off a few other people.  This island was tiny bit bigger than Isla Iguana but it had A LOT more people on it.  There were quite a few Kuna on the island in addition to a restaurant, bathrooms, a dock, a hut where you paid to stay on the island for the day, and even a shop set up where you could buy Molas and jewelry.  It was very different from Isla Iguana, but we enjoyed seeing a different island.

Carti

Genevieve and Eliana

Isla Aguja

Beach to the left of the dock

G and her Daddy

Eligio and Eliana

Beach to the right of the dock

taking a walk on the beach

Eligio and Eliana (in the water), Javier and Irma (walking into the water), and of course, James and Genevieve :)

fishermen

Genevieve, James, Eliana, Eligio

The guys figured out that you could get a volley ball for free on this island, so while they waited to play volley ball, they used it as a soccer ball.

soccer with a baby in one hand and a beer in the other...

Javier joins in

Javier, G, James, and Eligio

The beach...you can see the other islands in the distance.  Isla Iguana is the second one out.

Javier goes for the serve...

guys playing volleyball

While the guys played volleyball, Eliana, Genevieve, and I went for a walk around the island.  So gorgeous!

From left to right:  Eliana, Eligio, Annie, Genevieve, James, Javier, Irma

James' favorite "bed sheet" sailboat!

The bathroom back in Carti...

After a long day at the beach, everyone came back over to our apartment (including Javier and Irma's two children) to eat pizza, watch the Grammys, and play dominoes.  We will definitely miss our friends here in Panama!  But I guess that just means we have to come back to visit!  We had a great final weekend in Panama...now to take on our final few days!  Happy Valentines Day to all of our friends and family!  We are so thankful for all of you!!

From left to right:  James, Javier (Jr), Melanie, and Javier playing Dominoes



The Final Countdown

Yes, it is the final countdown to our return to the US.  It is crazy to think that next Friday we will wake up in our own bed, in Phoenix!  While I realize that I have been counting down to our return since we got here, we have really loved our time here, and I even find myself starting to feel sad about leaving!  Genevieve and I went on our walk today and we saw a man who is always at the corner near our building sitting on his yellow motorcycle.  He is probably in his 40's, bald, has a Leno-esq gap in his teeth and no matter what time of day, he NEVER seems to be working!  He has always said hello to Genevieve and me and we've even had a few brief conversations (he speaks zero English).  After seeing him today and telling him we'd be leaving in 5 days, I realized, I am going to miss my and Genevieve's walks along the Cinta Costera, and even seeing our "friend" on his yellow motorcycle on the corner! But, enough of the sappiness...I will save that for our final blog posting before heading home!

Last night, James' co-workers arranged a dinner for James and to show their appreciation for coming to the Panama office.  The night before, James informed me that there was going to be karaoke at the restaurant/bar they were going to and that one of his co-workers said he was required to sing.  Now, if you know my husband, he hates karaoke!  He decided he would do "Born in the USA" if they had it.  It is times like these that I wish I knew his co-workers so I could make sure someone was video-taping this experience! 

The restaurant they went to is owned by Roberto Duran.  He is Panama’s real life Rocky, and was actually in Rocky II.  Roberto Duran is known by many as the best Latin boxer ever.  He grew up in Chorillo (that poor area by Casco Viejo).  After he beat Sugar Ray Leonard, his record was 72-1.  Duran is probably Panama’s most successful athlete.  Unfortunately, like most boxers he didn’t know when to stop and is now broke.  The Panamanian Government has helped him out a lot (i.e., saved his house from foreclosure and give him a pension).  He wasn’t there last night, but he often is. 
When it came time for karaoke, James and his friend Javier decided they would sing a song together that had a minimal amount of words.  Their choice:  "The Final Countdown."  Lucky for both of them (and everyone else in the place), the song wouldn't play!  In fact, none of the songs that were in English would play!  So, it appears James escaped having to participate in the singing festivities. 

His co-workers gave him a really nice card that they all signed and wrote messages in.  They also gave him (us) a bag of gifts...no, they gave us the perfect Panama souvenirs (see picture below).  James had a great time and I know he is really going to miss his co-workers from KPMG Panama! 

Tonight, the Partner of KPMG Panama has invited us and the managers to a dinner/get-together at his house.  It starts at 7pm, so we are going to bring Genevieve's pack n' play along with us so she can sleep while we socialize.  :)  Unfortunately, Genevieve will have to attend with a black eye due to an unfortunate run-in with the corner of the coffee table yesterday afternoon!  Despite her injury, she continues to walk all over the apartment and is actually walking around the living room in circles as I type!

Well, that is all for now!  Have a wonderful weekend!

James with his co-workers at dinner last night.

James' co-workers getting their sing on :)

Javier singing!



Robert Duran's shorts



More wall art...

James' office...realized we'd never taken a picture of his work!



James' card from his office mates



Inside where everyone signed.  Not sure why it keeps showing up sideways!

Gifts from James' co-workers!  A traditional Mola with a wooden frame, a change purse, a Panama Hat, and a traditional dress (for Genevieve) worn by children in one of the 7 indigenous tribes in Panama.

Genevieve with her extreme black eye :(