January 5, 2011

I am sitting here writing this blog because I can’t go outside right now. We are experiencing one of the hardest and fastest downpours of rain that we have ever had in Panama since we have been here. Did I mention that we are in the midst of the “dry” season with little to no rain expected for four months or more? Oh my, someone who opens the faucets up in the sky apparently lost track of their calendar. They are blaming it on La Nina or something like that.
Aw, but what a day. This morning we decided to hit the beach. And this time we were going to the Caribbean side to see what it was like. So we got to see two oceans in one day, the Pacific and the Atlantic, all within less than 75 minutes. And really, they are so many differences with the biggest being that the Atlantic has a very small tide change. As you can see from the pictures, it is absolutely breathtaking. And the drive over was no less than breathtaking. At one point, Wayne passed a Diablo Rojo (the crazy busses that Panama has) on a narrow, mostly two lane road. I think the bus driver was somewhat annoyed that we had passed him, so he started tailgating Wayne. We scurried off as fast as we could, but it felt like we were in a “chase” scene from a movie. Finally got to a hill and left the bus in the dust. But, we passed our intended destination, because this country apparently doesn’t believe in signs. So we had to turn around and stop at the first human being that we saw that “might” know where the beach we were looking for was at. I practiced my phrase for directions to the beach (like Wayne, a typical male, would ever ask for directions). Wow, the person I asked actually understood my horrible Spanish and started his explanation. Needless to say, I understood nothing and we resorted to a game of charades again. I figured out he said “five minutes at the bottom of a hill”. So, after driving five minutes and getting to the bottom of a hill, we turned into a driveway that had no sign and we were THERE! Amazing. Anyway, we had a great day with bright sunshine and tropical breezes. I met a couple of kids in the ocean that spoke no English and I no Spanish, but we communicated with each other for a period of time. So much fun. Had to play charades again at a little beach bar, where I walked to get Wayne some cold beers at 65 cents each. Gotta love that one!
Anyway, a GREAT day of challenges. Life is just so interesting here in Panama. Scary, crazy and interesting.