Panama

Tuesday, July 10, 2007
1:07 PM

As always, the most interesting stuff first. Last night, after dinner, Haley and I went with the group to "La Bodeguita," a bar/nightclub/restaurant. We had decided that because it was our last night in Panama, we would go out clubbing with the group (not something we normally do). After sitting with the group for a while and having a few drinks (Coca Cola for Haley and I) things were starting to get boring. Then they started playing some decent music that got us shaking our heads. Haley and a couple of others in the group would have no part of it. As most of you reading this blog already know, Haley is very self-conscious of her dancing. I (as well as others) kept trying to get her to loosen up and dance a little. Finally she let some of her inhibitions go (after convincing her that we all look stupid when we dance anyway and that is partly why it is fun) and we got those hips shaking. Then they announced they were gonna start karaoke. If you will recall from last year, we ended up doing some karaoke in a bar in Costa Rica (Los Angeles), but neither Haley or I got a piece of the lime-light. With some convincing from those in the group who had a little extra alcohol in them, Haley decided to go up and sing a little "I Love Rock'n'Roll" with Chrystal and Myra. They did an awesome job. Chrystal let me record the thing on her camera and I plan on posting the video in it's entirety as soon as I get my hands on it. Later we learned that Myra had singed our group up for singing "Bohemian Rhapsody." Somehow, they managed to get me on the stage for that as well, though I am sorry to say I don't think there was any video taken.

It was definitely a weird experience for us, but a fun one. We are probably the last people you would think to get up on stage in the middle of central America surrounded by local people that don't speak English and start to sing. But yes, it did happen and we have proof (at least that Haley did it). It was a good last night of our vacation. As far as Haley goes…well, it is always the quiet ones.


I realize that I am writing this in reverse fashion, so bare with me. Before our Bodeguita adventure, we headed out to another new mall here in Panama to eat at the "Paladar." The atmosphere was nice and the food was good. However, the most entertaining part of the night came from a fellow group of diners. In an effort to keep this blog family friendly, I will just say that there was more silicone in the table next to us than on the Red Frog Beach we had just visited up in Bocas. Needless to say, they took up most of the conversation as more and more top heavy women rolled in. People in our group thought they were just some friends getting together, but the absurdity of the largeness of the artificial peaks on over a dozen 30 year old females screamed adult entertainment industry. It reminded me of an experience I had working out in a gym in Las Vegas (the same gym where many similarly modified women worked out). If you get a chance, ask me about that story. It is a good one.


Okay, now working my way back…we started our day with a tour of Panama city and the Canal. I quickly learned that the big changes here in Panama have not been confined to Boquete and Bocas Del Toro. My backyard on Albrook has been changed into one of the largest malls I have ever been to. After spending 3 hours there on Sunday, I don't mind if I never set foot into a mall again. Ft. Clayton, once the largest Army thinger outside the US, has been converted into the "City of Knowledge" which hosts all kinds of learning and stuff. The Miraflores Locks now have a giant visitor's center, complete with a theater and a large collection of Canal artifacts. Downtown Panama City has probably undergone the biggest change as they continue to put up one apartment high rise after another. Quite literally in every direction you look downtown, you will see a dozen new sky-scrapers being built. There is a new bridge, the Centenario, that goes over the Galliard cut and also a new highway that goes out to the airport, cutting travel time considerably. It was really nice to come back and visit the place, though I'm not really excited to come back any time soon. I think part of what made Panama such a good experience for me was all the great people that lived here. I don't think I know a single person here in the country anymore.


After the tour, we headed to the fish market and got a couple nice pictures off. After that, Mike wanted to walk downtown to get a couple pictures. Always game to go take pictures, I joined him. The only problem was that we started our walk in a really sketchy neighborhood and Mike kept on wanting to pull out his camera to take some pictures. I was definitely nervous as I pulled out my $1,200 camera to take pictures of the dilapidated boatyard and the dodgy looking bums passed out on the side of the road. Later we learned that the area of town we were in is notorious for violent theft. I guess Mike must have prayed that morning to keep us safe because we made it out unscathed. As we continued our walk, the presidential motorcade happened to pass by. I couldn't believe the lack of security as the president of Panama passed right by us. Later, we passed the first lady on the sidewalk outside her house (which you can walk right up to, by the way). The lack of security marks the stark contrast between the country of Panama and a country like America (note the use of the word America instead of the US--refer to earlier post).

Oh, and before closing I wanted to mention how poor the hotel accommodations were at our last stop here. They have been really nice up until now. I highly recommend avoiding hotel Marparaiso, unless you are going for the pee-stained, crack-house atmosphere. They did have AC, Cable, and free high speed internet, but these perks were not enough to detract from the moldy walls, cold showers, and threadbare sheets.