FRIENDS COME TO VISIT US IN PANAMA!

Ray and I had our very first visitors come to see us in Panama this past week.  My friend and co-worker of seven years, Robin, and her husband, John, came to visit us and explore Panama.  Oh, it was John's birthday week and also a great time to escape the cold temperatures (which in Stafford, Virginia was everyday, but Wednesday), rain and ice (Sunday) and six plus inches of snow (yesterday).  All we can hope for is that while we think we showed them quite a bit in the past five days, we also hope they had a week of relaxation and rest.  While John is now retired, Robin works five full days of hygiene and has done so for over thirty years.  She deserves this break and the warmth of Panama!  Today, while Virginia is digging out of the Winter Storm Thor snowfall, we enjoyed one last day at the beach and pool.  First though, we ate empanadas and pizza at Carlito's, after Driver Ray took us west to show them a little bit more of Panama's beaches.  There were also souvenirs to buy and more pictures to snap.  Once lotioned up and at the pool, we left John lounging in the shade while Ray, Robin and I walked the beach and floated in the pool. What an end to the week!

But before today, let's go back to Sunday where we enjoyed the day (after relaxing Saturday night in house) in El Valle.  We walked through the popular market, ate lunch at Bruschetta's, walked over the suspension bridges (Ray likes to jump on them) to the waterfall and the natural pool, and had a quick visit with our friend, Tonette and her kitten (always will be a kitten to me), Tito.  We stopped by the grocery store and picked up some groceries for dinner.  Not being one to really eat hamburgers, I decided to go with the team and sink my teeth into a grilled burger.  It wasn't quite cooked to medium well for me, so after I nuked it in the microwave for twenty seconds, I took a big Whopper kind of a forkful into my mouth (sans the bun).  I then proceeded to gargle, turn purple and choke.  Having had to re-certify in CPR every two years, I knew then I wasn't choking per se.  I wasn't blue, I could still make a sound, and I had a little bit of air passing through my nose and down my throat (I think.  It all happened so fast.  Okay, I think I was choking after I review my notes.).  And then I panicked a little.  I thought about where I was living and how things might not be so easy for Ray if I didn't dislodge this hamburger quickly.  Ray jumped up when I motioned for him to help me.  Robin also jumped up to help, but she saw Ray take action (Ray did call her name to make sure she was right there to assist him as needed), and as soon as I shoved Ray's fists just a bit harder into my abdomen, there she blows!  All was right with the world.  I finished that burger hesistantly, but I doubt I will ever eat a whole one again.  Onto a new day thankfully haha

The next day was a long, but full day.  Happy birthday to John!  He turned thirty again!  We gave them a tour of Panama north of the city.  This was much the same that we had done with Greg and Thea about a month ago except for seeing Portobelo.  And we didn't stay overnight in Colon.  I still get goosebumps seeing ships go through the Gatun Locks.  We ate lunch at the marina, and this is where I was told (I asked) the reason there is still a guard at the gate to "Fort Sherman" (it is no longer a US Army base or the Jungle Operations Training Center), now known as Shelter Bay Marina.  It is because the now empty and looted barracks and buildings along the water were a haven for drug smugglers.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI16MPR_uFM
We did the drive through of Colon and finished our day practicing Spanish at Delizz restaurant along the InterAmerican highway.  We were saying the right words really, but the understanding of our dialect didn't seem to be there.  Once home, Robin and John caught up with their three children on face time, and they had the opportunity to give their dad happy birthday greetings.

Fort San Lorenzo Chagres River 

Robin and John at the Locks

Here she comes!

Notice the man in orange looking over the edge.

On Tuesday, Robin finally saw the beach and put her toes in the sand!  We walked the beach at Punta Barco, while Ray and John sat under the umbrella.  Robin and I sat in our chairs along the waters edge with high tide creeping up on us.  We watched surfers take to the waves, and we decided anything they were doing was 150% better than what we could possibly be doing out there on the waves.  We enjoyed dinner at Gourmet Pizza with Greg.  We had to check up on him to make sure he was keeping Coronado squared away.  Happy hour occurred at Casa Cuarenta after dinner.  We usually tried to set John up with sports on TV, while the three of us would catch up on emails, read, or play frustrating games on our tablets.

Before we knew it, it was Wednesday which meant a day back in the city touring Panama City itself.  At the end of the day, it was decided we probably wouldn't include Miraflores Locks in our tour package with any upcoming guests unless it is high on their list.  Reasons being listed below:

Gatun Locks:  Pros

*close parking lot/ease of parking

*$5/person (vacationer)

*ships extremely close/more personal

*tour guide lady extremely friendly/personal

*less crowds

*informational movie

*once in this area, can tour "Northern" Panama

*gift shop

Cons

*distance from our house

*no 3D movie or museum (some may think this con)

*all outdoors

*no restaurant/only vending machines

Miraflores Locks:  Pros

*large, beautiful air conditioned building

*can watch ships passing inside or outside

*more seating to watch the ships (larger facility)

*location close to the city and our house

*restaurant

*3D movie/museum

*gift shop

*vending machines

Cons

*$15/person (vacationer) complete ticket

*crowded

*can be hot sitting outside on bleachers

*not personal with tour guide or as close to ships

At least, those are the reasons Ray, my friends, and I came up with for the list while eating breakfast on their last vacation day today.  

Here she comes at Miraflores.

But back to Wednesday's activities, it was  another long, but action packed (I am being dramatic here), day.  The day had us walking around the old stone ruins at Panama Viejo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panamá_Viejo, eating lunch at Pomodoro in El Cangrejo, Ray winning money on penny slots, while my friends and I lost a few dollars at both slots and blackjack in the Venato Casino, watching the 3D movie and a ship pass by at Miraflores Lock (side note here is that the vending machine with water was broken and our waters were, of course, in the car getting warm, and the souvenir magnets that have a picture of the canal on them don't have "Panama" written on them), walking the old city of Casco Viejo, and finally stopping at Westland Mall for a bust of a dinner (Ray had a successful meal while the three of us attempted to find a place in the food court that had anything listed on the menu) and shopping.  Driver Ray delivered us, again, safe and sound to Chame where we had our first police checkpoint in months.  And then happy hour at Casa Cuarenta along with catching up on face time with my daughter were the final events of the day.

Ending the day, almost, in Casco Viejo

Yesterday was a lazy, restful day all the way around for the four of us.  It was an early day for Ray and I, since we had our Spanish lesson at eight am.  The hour flew by as we shared stories of the past two weeks with our teacher and re-learned a few more things we "used to know".  The rest of our day was spent reading on the back porch (two in the group-guess who), napping (two in the group--another guess here), and floating in our pool.  There we met two ladies from Kentucky that have owned a home for the past five years in our development.  They shared stories about the development, we told them up and coming news about what was happening around them on the roadways, and we talked about our current and past jobs.  Our day ended with an as usual excellent dinner of pork chops (!), steak, and corvina at Bluwater Bistro and having the full moon as a backdrop.  In Virginia, my former office was closed for the day (which is where Robin still works), our daughter's school was closed (all county schools were closed), and in DC, the Federal Government was shut down due to the six to eight inches of snow that fell throughout the day.  Fortunately for our friends, they will arrive to "normal" temperatures of fifty degrees when they return home and back to reality.  Unfortunately, they have to return to Virginia and their vacation has to end.  We are ending the day today with another trip to Gourmet Pizza, because it was hailed a favorite, and possibly an early night.  Tomorrow morning will come too soon.  Ray and I will say so long to our friends in hopes that they return again (in their winter season most likely) to relax with us in this thing we are still calling retirement.

Great way to wind down the week at Bluwater Bistro for dinner.