Travel Update

It’s hard to find the time to write when life is so busy. Also, for the past week, every place I’ve been has internet, so I spend my time talking to Caitlin about my day rather than writing it here, since she and my mom are the most faithful readers of this (and my mom is now here with me).

Alas, now I’m in Panama, sweating it out. I’m sitting out on the porch in a rocking chair next to Waldy, who is reading a Reader’s Digest. The tree 100 feet away has tiny monkeys running around, and there’s a dirt slope down the driveway to my right that’s home to about a hundred wild tarantulas.

Today, Ken and I went downtown to look for hats and shoes, both of which Ken purchased, and I left empty handed. I suppose it’s for the best, since my current hat is fine, and I seem to look a little silly in a wide brimmed hat, the style of the country. After much walking and looking, a lot of which in an air conditioned mall, we headed back on the bus here.

There’s a large lizard that just crossed my path.

A funny tidbit about Central America: the city buses here are old US schoolbuses. Here in Panama, they repaint them entirely, and usually decorate them with crazy art that’s usually reserved for t-shirts at tacky tropical tourist shops. Sometimes they even affix shark fins or other strange objects to the roof. In short, when the US deems a schoolbus unsafe for children, they ship it here, make it look ridiculous, and let the citizens pay money to ride in them.

It’s very sticky right now. After I got up from my nap, I gave myself a spongebath, but the effects of that have long worn off. It seems that a shower is only good for as long as it takes to dry. I’m missing the Costa Rica climate.

For lunch today, Ken and I walked down the road to the home of an older couple who has the unfortunate luck of losing their children. So far, I think 6 have passed away and one has been mostly paralyzed for the past 13 years. We got to visit with them, I believe a daughter, and also their paralyzed son. It was a pretty quiet and somber visit. Lunch, however, was delicious. It was some sort of bird parts cooked with mysteriously delicious seasonings (primarily salt, but some sort of red spice as well), over rice. The meat portion was extremely small, but it was the perfect amount. Also served was a bowl of beans and some fresh lemonade.

That’s pretty much today. As for the past week, well, maybe another time.