Bocas del Toro, Panama

Shopped till we dropped

We decided to splurge a bit in Panama City. We hit the streets and went crazy...

You can never have too much of a good thing...

We decided to entertain our hosts and held a fashion show. We tried on absolutely everything we have purchased on this trip. Needless to say, we are really good shoppers...

Panama City: The Most Beautiful Sidewalks in the World

You would not believe how much Panama City has to offer.  As described by our first couchsurfing host, "Panama City is AWESOME!"  When we asked him what he likes to do on a Friday night, he responded, "There is this street with this really nice sidewalk."  He couldn't have been more right on.  These sidewalks are phenomenal (as is the rest of this country).  

Our couchsurfing hosts, Lisa and Josue, have been giving us a wonderful tour of Panama City...live music,  great food, breathtaking bicycle rides into the sunset, and, of course, long walks on the sidewalk...

Just arrived in Panama City

From now on we are going to try to do a better job of posting more regularly even if we don´t have a really interesting story to share. We realize there are a few of you out there who really look forward to updates (Dad, this is for you). Also, if there are people out there besides our parents who check our blog . . . we would really love it if you would comment and let us know! Those of you who have commented (everyone knows who you are), we cherish every single word you type!



So we just arrived at a hostel in Panama City after 30 hours of traveling. We had a 21 hour bus ride from Cusco to Lima that we barely made because Tessa was waiting to pick up some handmade boots she had custom ordered while Alisa stalled the bus for 20 minutes by telling them that Tessa had terrible diarrhea. This was a bus company that´s reputation is based on their timeliness . . . let´s just say the staff did not love us . . . and we learned a few lessons. First, when the bus company tells you to be at the station at 1:30 for a bus that leaves at 2:00, you should probably be there at 1:2o, not at 2:20. Second, always put down the minimum down payment on custom made boots, not the maximum. We live and learn . . .



On our 21 bus ride, in which half the passengers seemed to be throwing up throughout, 6 movies were played at incredibly high volume. All 6 were American but 5 out of 6 were dubbed into Spanish. 3 of the movies were prison movies (two of which were incredibly violent and graphic, plus they played ¨Unfaithful¨ . . . unedited . . . with children on the bus) and 2 were Adam Sandler movies. One was both an Adam Sandler movie and a prison movie. What more could we have asked for?



P.S. If anyone has any ideas for what to do in Central America or any contacts, we have absolutely no plans and would love any help, especially with homestays!