Weekend in Panama!

We're looking forward to a Friday tomorrow. Even though we had Monday off from school, we still feel very tired and ready for a weekend. Considering that we were in Panama last weekend, I guess we are in need of some rest.

How was our trip?! Well, we drove 4 out of 5 days. But, despite weary bottoms, we had a great time. We enjoyed seeing a new country. Although it is right next to Costa Rica, Panama is very different. One difference was that the roads were much better in Panama than they are here. Once we got across the border we had a nice four lane highway - which happened to be the Pan-American highway. (From San Jose to the border we were on the Pan-American Highway as well...although with all the pot holes and the narrow, windy road one would never guess they were on such a famous highway!)

We left after classes on Thursday afternoon. Our border crossing was quite an experience. The border actually closes at 10 o'clock at night and we got there at 9:30 pm. Only by God's grace did we get through! Then it was smooth sailing on to David, Panama, where we spent the night. The next morning we were up and on our way to Panama City. It was a pretty uneventful drive. We stopped off at a beach along the way. It was a pleasant experience - actually ended up on a beach that was not a tourist stop. People were simply living out their lives there - most were fishermen, I believe. They lived in wooden houses on stilts, slept in hammocks, never wore shoes! Those people are my kind of people!

We got to Panama City after dark. Crossed the Panama Canal on the Bridge of the Americas, which connects Central and South America. We were surprised to see a beautiful city skyline with city lights reflecting off the bay. Beautiful. Breathtaking, actually.

Our driver (a Costa Rican) didn't know where our hotel was so we just stopped (in the middle of a busy highway with lots of traffic, of course) and picked up a fellow that just happened to "know" where Hotel Andino was. Well, actually, he didn't know at all where it was but we finally found our hotel, after several wrong turns! It was good to fall into bed after another long day of driving.



The next morning we met our Panamanian tour guide and he did a fantastic job of showing us the city. First we saw the Old City - where the streets are very narrow and the buildings have a colonial look to them. It was very pretty. A lot like one might picture a city in Europe. We went to a museum there and learned about the history and making of the Panama Canal.







After that we went on to the Miraflores Locks where we saw two large ships pass through the locks. It was fascinating. The Panama Canal really exists! Funny how you hear about something all your life and never really believe that it is real.








These pictures of the Panama Canal don't really do it justice. There is just something about the experience - watching these giant ships silently slip through the locks (engines are off and they are pulled by the little locomotives that you see). We are watching hundred year old technology at work!












We then took a drive through the modern city - where sky scrapers touch the sky. From there we went on to the ruins of the originial Panama City. When Captian Drake came over in the 1600's he destroyed everything with cannon fire and ransacked the city. The ruins of that city still stand. Children were playing a game of soccer right in the middle of all this!



We loved all the painted up city buses - they had everything you could imagine. From The Hulk, to Spiderman, to the Tansmanian devil!

We drove back to David on Sunday, stopping at the beach one more time. From David we drove on home to San Jose on Monday. It was long trip home but we made it - after only one breakdown! Praise the Lord, for an unforgetable experience!