PANAMA Day 1

DAY 1
WOW!!!!!!! Is all I have to say after our trip to Panama. It took this Cali girl and put her in a world she had never seen before. It is so different from the US in so many ways. It was nice not to go on a typical vacation. I have been to Hawaii and places like that and to be honest it is just like going to somewhere nice in CA. Panama was a true adventure and eye opener for me. My sweet Hubby planned EVERYTHING from A to Z. He really showed this girl a wonderful time. So here are some pictures from our trip. The whole time Cade kept asking me what I thought and most of the time I was speechless because I was trying to process things and take the country in. So finally here are my thoughts sweetie!
















The entire trip we were going going going to as many places as we could. No rest! :) So we got off the plane checked into our hotel and went directly to the Panama canal. It is an amazing place. From what Cade tells me it looks a lot different now that Panama owns it.

The huge tanker ships wait their turn to enter the canal. They have to pay at least 3 days in advance to enter the canal. One of my favorite things was to see all of the ships waiting. It is amazing how huge these ships are.

The dirt road in the distance is where they are building another canal so that larger ships can go through. I think they said that by going through the canal instead of going all the way around South America it saves 2 weeks and $100,000 (I think).

So on one side the water is high. If you look to the back of the picture it is a HUGE ship, but you can't see it because they have lowered the water lever on that side.

A tanker going through.

I took this close up because you can see the little trains guiding the ship through. I think those special made trains cost like 2 million dollars each or something crazy like that.

They also had a really nice restaurant at the canal. This is our view from lunch.

Panama Viejo ruins

You climb some stairs to the top of the tower pictured below and this is the view. It is of Panama city. I think they have at least 15 new sky scrapers being built.

A Panama market.

Panama Lesson #1

Bring your own T.P.!

If you don't you will be left high and well I was going to say dry, but that doesn't work...you know what I mean! If you don't will have to ask some and that is just embarassing!

This is called Agua de Pipa. It is a coconut. To serve it up they take a machete and wack off the end of it. Then they take some kind of kitchen tool and make a hole into the middle, stick a straw in it and give it to you. It was really good. This was Cade's favorite thing to drink when he was serving his mission. Funny thing though. At home Cade doesn't like fruit or fish. In Panama he LOVES fruit and fish. Sounds kinds fishy to me!!

I think the coconut was almost as big as my head.

On the was back from the ruins we stoped by the temple. We were going to go through a session later that day, but they were closed, so we took a rain check for the following Saturday. What a beautiful temple it is. It is literally set in the jungle! I think it is amazing that Cade helped there be a need for this beautiful temple by serving and baptising the people of Panama. I seriously don't know how he did it. It is sooooo HOT ALL of the time.

The temple grounds. It was so amazing.

Panama Lesson#2

You will not DIE in a taxi. It just seems that way.

We took taxi's on this day. HOLY CRAP! They drive like crazy people. I know they have traffic laws, but NOBODY obeys them.

Panama Lesson #3

Taxi drivers are CRAZY and they honk constantly.

You think people honk a lot in LA? Not even close to how much people honk in Panama.

Panama Lesson #4

Nobody in America should EVER EVER whine about what they don't have or how hard their life is in any respect.

Even after one day in Panama the poverty was shocking. I can't even describe it to you. Count your blessings and be grateful for every single thing you have because I can guarante you the people of Panama have 10 times less that you do.

Day number two to come....