2RetireesInPanama: IS IT STILL FRIDAY?

One of the things I have continued to joke about when it comes to our friends Greg and Thea, is that our adventures with them start out simple enough, and then more often than not, the adventures turn into longer than the three hour tour. Hence the nicknames Thurston Howell IV and Lovey. A few examples here, the wine event in the city was only the beginning of our extended days with them. Okay, the wine event was supposed to be four hours that evening, but we extended the day with lunch, an overnight stay, and shopping the entire next day at PriceSmart, Discovery Center and, not one but, two different malls. The next thing we know, the four hour wine event turned into twenty four hours. Next our vacation time to Boquete doubled, their trip to the "Ikea WannaBe store" into the city turned into a road trip with us to include Happy Hour at Picasso and, let's not forget, last weekend our lake adventure turned into an all day lake, pool and beach day.

So why should yesterday have been any different for us with them? Last Sunday we contemplated seeing a movie while in the City. Greg and Thea haven't had the pleasure of enjoying a movie in the comfy theaters here in Panama with a big bucket of Caramel and Buttered Popcorn all for about eleven dollars. But instead of seeing a movie that day, we opted for the comforts of "home" by dining for lunch at PF Changs! But then we were told what a great movie "Interstellar" is with love of my life second to Ray, Matthew McConaughey, and the next thing Ray and I know, yesterday we are accompanying Greg and Thea to Westland Mall to the Cinepolis movie theater. The movie time, according to our Phone App Cartelera (similar to Fandango in the States, sort of) was 12:45. We arrived when the gates to the theater were still down. The security guard told us the theater would open in fifteen minutes. We saw the influx of children nearby, so we hurried back to try and scoot ahead of the large crowd (if they were in fact headed to the theater). The guard allowed us entrance, and this is when we saw the times to movie were different. Of course. The movie would start at 5:50 pm. The cashier was putting "Closed" signs on all of the registers. Ray asked her to please address with him the time of the movie. He did just as he had done when we were with Clyde and Terry not too long ago. She pulled the Cinepolis website up online (lesson learned here not to use the app Cartelera), and she told Ray the movie was playing at 3:15 at Multiplaza Mall in the City. First we enjoyed a bucket of caramel popcorn while figuring out our next move, then lunch, where we found three different places to please the four of us in the food court. Next, we did a little shopping, and then off we drove to the next mall. But it was raining. It was pouring. Thank goodness for those new windshield wipers that Greg had just bought in Capira. The cars came to a complete standstill on the highway. We crawled. Waze indicated "standstill ahead". And then everyone made the whirly twirly hand signal from their cars that they were going to turn around, and we should do the same. On the highway. Right in front of us. Which is what we did, too.

Driving the wrong way on our side of the road.

Back to Westland Mall, because what else was there to do. We were already there, and if it was three pm and raining, why not wait until six pm for the movie? While waiting for the movie, we shopped and ate a little more. We bought candy for the movie, and we enjoyed some pastries from this bakery called "Honey" while also eating frozen yogurt from The Yogurt Factory (again, something to satisfy everyone). And then once the fantastic movie ended three hours later, I was wondering if it was still Friday. The day/going to a movie at the mall had started almost twelve hours prior to the time we were dropped off at our car. So, true to fashion, we had another full day with the Howells!

With retirement, I just never know what the day will bring unless we have a scheduled appointment in the City. Because today started out with "sleep in Saturday", which turned into lunch with friends, which then turned into two hours at Finca La Maya with the children decorating Christmas cards, which then turned into hunting for shells and sea glass at Punta Barco beach, and now it's just about dinner time! And yes, while I think I know what I am doing for dinner, I just never know, because we haven't a clue if the restaurant is even open tonight. This is Panama. And this retirement life gets more spontaneous by the day. And I am enjoying and loving every bit of it.