Sunday, November 15, 2009

Day 2 Panama City

We woke to a slightly overcast day (May - Dec is the rainy season in Panama and we understand that November is the worst month!) Last time we were here in May so it is good to experience a different climate. We brought umbrellas and rain jackets with us and we'll see how often we have to use those.

Breakfast is available from 7 - 10am which is great for people who don't want to get up too early! Bill brought me coffee in bed around 8:15am which I enjoyed while reading my book - I felt very spoiled! After getting cleaned up - water not hot enough but that will be fixed - we had a continental breakfast - cereal and muffin - in the tiny kitchen area. There is a full sized fridge and stove and you can bring in food and cook here if you wish. This is typical of B&B's in Panama.

Bill then went on a recce of the area to check out where he could get a disc for the Nuvi 255W Garmin that he purchased in the US. His research showed that this is the only GPS that will work in both the US and Panama and that Panafoto sold the disc for $29. Unfortunately, the only disc they had was in an open box and no one could get it to work. The next stop was a $2 taxi ride away to Multimax where they tried to sell him the disc for $109!! Looks like we need to check out some other places tomorrow!

On Bill's walking tour he tried to find our Attorney's office which is only a few blocks from here but, after getting lost amongst the confusing streets and no street signs, he caught a taxi back home. Tomorrow we plan to take a taxi for our 9:30am meeting with our Attorney!

When Bill returned, it was lunchtime and we decided to stop off at a nearby Sports Bar/Restaurant and enjoy lunch on the patio. We saw lots of people coming and going so Bill decided to check inside and found that you could place bets there on anything from football to horses. We were watching the Detroit Lions/Viking game and decided the Lions were not a good bet!

So, we came all the way for the States to watch an NFL game - which we never do at home!
From Panama Blog

We decided to go with the waiter's suggestions of shrimp and yellow rice and a fried whole fish - head, tail and all - called Corvina, served with plantains. Both were delicious and together with 4 beers came to a grand total of $20.75!

Check out their website at http://www.superbookpanama.com

After our late, and very large lunch, we decided to relax in the evening and get ready for our meeting with the Attorneys.

Flying in to Panama yesterday reminds you of just how much of the country is covered in lush "jungle" type vegetation and also how mountainous it is. On the Caribbean side of the country we saw very little in the way of houses or towns. We then flew over the volcanic mountains and as we approached Panama City, the landscape changed and suddenly there were houses, towns, and we could see cows on cleared land. On the approach to the Airport, the area becomes dense with houses of all shapes, sizes and condition! Lots of red roofs, brightly painted walls, surrounded by banana plants, palms and colorful tropical plants. We are looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful country in the coming days.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love that you are there, blogging (even if nobody but you cares, which is not the case, but it is a great mindset) and doing what it takes. We love you guys, have a great trip and keep writing, this is wonderful. Love the pictures. Donna

Anonymous said...

took me some time to fiqure out how to comment. How was the beer, most importantly. Make sure you find a place that will take 4 screaming boys. Find a good hamburger place for me. I dont think i could eat the fish thing on your plate.

Patrick