The game

Soccer here is popular... hugely popular.  And what is perhaps comparable to the Superbowl for the U.S., the World Cup for Latin America is to be taken very seriously.  So, when Costa Rica came to Panama to play in an early round World Cup qualifying match, people (my friends) went nuts, as usual.

Here, there is no pre-game announcement directing the crowds of spectators to be respectful and show sportsmanship... oh no, there's none of that.  People boo after the opposing team's national anthem, people throw things (cups, fist fulls of ice, paper, beer) at fans of the other team, people here take insulting someone to another level (which involves their mother, how much she weighs, what she looks like and what she does for extracurricular activities).  Fans are for the most part separated for these reasons.

The number one thing that I learned from being at this game: when Panama scores a goal, you toss your beer.  You will get soaked, so do not bring anything electronic or valuable.  Just, do it... throw your beer.  And considering that you can buy a "Cooler Pack" of 40 beers at once for a cool 20 bucks, it's not wasteful to do so.  By the time I got home after the game, I was sticky, my hair was crunchy and we all smelled to high heaven from the beer showers.

It was amazing though, Panama tied Costa Rica 2-2 and it was incredibly exciting.  We're planning to attend the next game in March against Honduras and maybe this time I'll pack an umbrella.

^This is the section of crazy super fans... they coordinate their signs, it's impressive.

Here's the highlight video from the news. NOTICE: the aforementioned flying beer.

A day trip to Colon!

Andrea and I decided to take a day trip to Colon, the city where the Canal begins on the Atlantic side.

Just forty-five minutes north on a newly built private highway, Colon is a more Caribbean influenced city best known for the Free Trade Zone.  Goods shipped through the Canal are sold within the 'Zona Libre" tax free, which makes is popular among tourists and large companies.

The first thing that I noticed was the difference in the water color from Panama City.  Here, the Atlantic and a little further out the Caribbean is much more vibrant and turquoise.  It felt nice to see this side of the country, but as far as turism goes, Colon is pretty dull.  The only cool thing to see is the locks of the Canal, of course, which you can DRIVE OVER.

Here's a video that I took:

The only bummer of the trip was that because we went on a Sunday, we weren't able to visit the newly built observatory where you can get a great view of the Canal and the Canal expansion.  But I'm not too worried, I'm sure that we'll go back!

The second weekend trip: Boquete!

Two weeks after the trip to Decameron (if you missed it, read here: my-first-weekend-in-panama) we went to the far away mountain town of Boquete in the province of Chiriqui.  It was a six hour drive ONE WAY with four girls in one car!

The city of Boquete is known for its coffee, its fruit, the flowers, the mountains and the river running through the center of town.  It reminded me of home because the climate is much cooler; there's a strong breeze and the sound of the river running made me feel like I was back in Maine.

Here are photos from the annual flower show:

This is where we stayed:

And here's a picture of the gang!

(Ilda, Me, Lica, Andrea)

And a few of us cheesin' around

(Sidenote: our fourth crew member took all of these photos, so she's not in them. Shout out to Lica!)

On our way back to Panama we took a detour to Volcan which is as its name suggests where a volcano is and where the ''best strawberries in Panama are grown" ...mhm.

Then it was back to Panama after we had our fill of strawberries and scenery in Volcan and Boquete.  Six hours back, and keep in mind these roads are not highways, they are two lane streets with nothing but farms and livestock on either side.  If you want to pass the car ahead of you, you will be taking your life into your hands.  Somehow we made it back in one piece... surely by the grace of God himself.

My first weekend in Panama: Decameron

The first weekend that I spent in Panama was at the beach.  January is the beginning of the summer season so it is common to find families from the city spending the weekends at beach resorts along the Pacific coast.  Our resort was called the Royal Decameron Beach Resort.  It is an hour outside of Panama City if you don't hit any traffic.  Decameron is an all-inclusive Resort which means that it is very popular among locals and travelers alike.  Not only are the pools and lounges great, but the beach is beautiful beyond words.  This is what really began my love affair with the "other" ocean.

Royal Decameron Website

Andrea's cousins were in town on vacation from Costa Rica which meant that we were a party of seven.  We were staying in a beautiful villa on the golf course, away from the hotel part of the resort.  The great thing about Decameron having a HUGE campus is that there is a bus to get you where you want to go... even after you've had a few drinks.

We all spent most of our time by the pool, and admittedly under an umbrella because the sun is so strong.  This made me feel a bit defeated since from the moment I arrived, the number one comment that I've received is that I'm white... really white.

A view of the cafeteria from the beach:

The beach:

The trip was overall just a relaxing getaway without anything major to report.  Although I will be honest and admit that I did have too much tequila on the first night we were there.  Lesson learned: avoid bartenders who take a liking too you and therefore feel the need to get you hammered.  Here is why:

That's right, these are flaming shots that said bartender (pictured here but headless) peer pressured us into having.  It was hilarious trying to logistically execute this, and also so painful.

Welcome!

Here I am, finally creating a blog in order to share my adventures with you!

Currently, I'm six weeks into my life in Panama so I'll be posting about things that I've already done as well as what's happening now.

I will do my best to explain things and add pictures, but please bare with me as I am new to this.

Thank you for your love and support and... happy reading!