The Executive Hotel Panama City

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... complete with a soundtrack including Celine Dion AND New Kids on the Block). The first thing we all noticed was the difference in temperature- Panama City is about 4 million degrees hotter than Boquete. No joke. We were not prepared. But at least we got to sweat out all those toxins from the night before!

Our hostel was in Casco Viejo, the old city, which was founded back in 1637 (or something) by Capt. Henry Morgan. It's a combination of the ...

... was so good to have a familiar person, especially as our spanish was non existent! He also provided a few headaches, but mostly laughs! Geez that kid made me laugh and definitely made the first two months of the trip some of the best times so far!

A few people I have meet on the trip are tossing up about coming back over around December/January, plus I know a few mates from back home are also flirting with the idea as well. Hopefully a few of them manage to make it ...

... It was a very interesting conversation.  As he let me off at the airport, I´m pretty sure that he gave me a blessing involving something like "Be fruitful and multiply," a very Jewish thing to say.
The only Panamanian souvenir shop at the airport was closed, so I wasn´t able to get anything, but hopefully it will be open on my way back.
I flew to Lima and met with Jen at the airport.  We got to our hostel and went to sleep pretty quickly.

Next: Lima

... and is becoming a bit trendy. It's definitely a lot quieter and prettier than the rest of Panama City and the hostel, Luna's Castle, has a cinema and lots of books to keep me occupied during my illness. I'm currently reading The Reader, which seems pretty good. So that brings us up to date. As for what I'm doing next... I have about 5 days to kill somewhere before I begin a stint volunteering back in Boquete at the animal rescue place with the baby anteater. I'm not sure ...

Hvor mange er det som saa Janosch sin bjoernen og tigeren paa barne TV da de var smaa? De to gode vennene dro paa en ferd til Panama, landet de droemte om, landet med alle bananene.. Vel, de to kom aldri saa langt, men her er vi! Og her var det varmt ja!!! Vi har jo ...

... types of bars in town...the gringo bar Amigos and Panamanean bars. I have heard the only women who go in the Panamanean bars are those looking not to go home alone. My accomodations in Boquete left a lot to be desired. It seems to me that they must salvage leftover building materials and furniture and use whatever they can find in many of the homes and hostels. Of course, an American style hotel would be much nicer and pricier. My bathroom had black ...

... been incredibly nice and helpful. I asked a guy for directions and he talked to us for several minutes, making sure we understood where to go and wanting to know where we´re from. We saw Noriega´s palace that was bombed and Palacio Bolívar. We bought a giant coconut for $1 and felt it was a good way to quench our thirst. On the way back to our hostel we got kind of lost and a guy who spoke decent English offered to take us back since he ...

what wonderful week with my mother. we spent three days in tortugerro with baby turtles, crocodiles, and monkeys then off to the pacific ocean on the national geographic sea voyager. the trip was wonderful. the staff on the boat were so nice and the guests were good spirited as well. everyone loved my mom´s enthusiasm and excitement and real appreciation for the opportunity to be there. we went hiking to beautiful waterfalls, birding ...

... when at dinner we met Brydie and Alice, two fellow travelers who we have been bumping into again and again ever since Santa Ana in El Salvador. They were planning on doing a snorkling and beaching trip so we were able to go with them. Things went from better to even better when, about 20 minutes into the trip, we ran into a group of humpback whales and followed them across the swells of the pacific in our little motorised canoe for a couple of hours while they fed. We saw their ...