Panamá Interrupted

As we sit here at Tocumen International Airport in Panamá City, Panamá, about to board a flight to Houston, Texas, USA, I can’t help but be sad. Not only am I going to miss this beautiful, diverse, amazing—and remarkably frustrating—country. I’m sad because of the things we didn’t get to do.

Because of government reactions to coronavirus and the full quarantine we had to endure for over two months, we missed significant parts of our planned trip throughout Panamá’s “interior,” that is, anything that is outside of Panamá City. We didn’t get to see Harpy Eagles, the national bird of Panamá, on an eco tour in the Darien. We didn’t get to climb Volcan Barú, the highest point in the country or see the resplendent quetzals that live in the area. We didn’t get to visit the rainforests of Boquete or see the orchid festival. We didn’t get to sea kayak along the Sunset Coast of the Azuero Peninsula or hike in the wild Cerro Hoya National Park or take surf lessons. We didn’t get to scuba dive at the national marine park at Coiba Island (that was because of a protest that closed down the road to the town, though, not the quarantine). We didn’t get to celebrate the wedding of our friends Mariame and Alex.

Still, reflecting on these seven months in Panamá, what wonderful adventures we have had!

We met Alex (http://heathers6wadventures.com/mi-amigo-alex/), Mariame, Simon and Heidi, Gudren and Bent, Penny and Paul, and other life-long amigos and kindred spirits who, like us, are out to explore the world and all it has to offer. We danced on a rooftop hotel at midnight and stood under trees that rained flowers. We visited the world’s great engineering marvel, the Panamá Canal, from multiple perspectives—a set of old locks, a set of new locks, and aboard a boat (http://heathers6wadventures.com/coolest-place-en-el-mundo/). We drove on two of the worst roads we’ve ever experienced but also a brand new road across Santa Fe National Park that is one of the prettiest drives we’ve seen—and we’ve been on a lot of bad roads and pretty drives in our lives! We learned some Spanish, took in a lot of history, watched waterfalls, hiked beautiful mountains, strolled along lovely rivers, looked into outrageously tall trees, and observed abundant wildlife.

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We found a wonderful church full of caring people who welcomed us like family, Panama International Church (http://paintchurch.com/). The diversity of the congregation, from more than a dozen countries, never ceased to amaze us. Their love for Jesus and their “hands and feet of Jesus” actions, like providing backpacks full of school supplies to indigenous kids or Christmas to children in a poor neighborhood, are so real. It was a joy to be a part of such a family, as was our online church experience under quarantine with our kids’ former youth pastor, Ben Partin, at First Christian Church in Altus, Oklahoma (https://www.fccaltus.com/). How nice that the internet made the world small enough to do that.

We lived for three months in a terrific apartment overlooking the Pacific entrance/exit to the Panama Canal. Every day we could see the huge ships transporting goods and products and people. We made friends with good-hearted folks who worked in the building and always had a ready smile and wave. At the same time, we had the beautiful Cinta Costera nearby where we walked each day, watching birds, meeting other folks with their pets and getting in their exercise before the heat of the day. We had a wonderful park where Tiki could meet other dogs and be loved on by every teenage girl she met. We are not city people, but we did have such a wonderful time, enjoying the experiences of big city life, including navigating the excellent mass transit system. My heart skips a beat whenever I see a photo or video of the Panamá City skyline. No, I do not want to live there necessarily, but a piece of mi corazon will always be in the city because it gave us so much.

We ate terrific food and had so many restaurant choices – traditional Panamanian, Lebanese, Chinese, Spanish, Italian—and that was all within just a few blocks of the apartment. And oh, the fruits and vegetables. I’m not sure anything can replace my favorite morning ritual of fresh coconut with excellent Central American coffee, followed by a breakfast that includes fresh pineapple or mango or sandia. The memories of fresh-squeezed orange juice we made in Santa Fe and the fresh-squeezed limes in just about everything make my taste buds tingle and my mouth smile. We received free mangos and avocados from neighbors in Las Lajas and had fresh shrimp delivered right to our door while we were in quarantine. How I managed to lose more than 15 pounds in these seven months is something of a mystery!

Every day we watched beautiful sunrises, beautiful sunsets, beautiful rainstorms, or beautiful butterflies—sometimes all in one day. The scenery of the jungles, the mountains, the oceans, the beaches is simply magnificent, and it’s all so compact on this skinny isthmus. Oh, and baby sloths. Enough said.

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While we didn’t get to visit with my friend Fernando and his son to show them around—they were set to arrive the day before the airport closed to international travel!—we had such a special visit with our friend Kim around New Year’s, and it was great seeing friends from Los Alamos, Karla and Joe, and introducing them to ceviche when they came to see the Panama Canal.

Our adventure with Simon and Heidi to picture postcard perfect San Blas (http://heathers6wadventures.com/having-a-blast-in-san-blas/) will always be etched in my memory. The turquoise waters and spectacular snorkeling really seemed like something out of a beach fantasy. And the lobster dinner on our last night, oh, that! My mouth waters just thinking about it. We laughed so much and enjoyed the incredible beauty of God’s creation along with great friendship. What fun!

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Also, after five years of wanting to see it, we did make it to the Azuero Peninsula. What a beautiful place (http://heathers6wadventures.com/where-to-spend-the-apocalypse-sunset-coast-of-the-azuero-peninsula/). It’s more isolated than any place we would choose to live, but if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the world and see some incredible sights, we highly recommend the Sunset Coast. Our two favorite places are El Sol, (https://www.facebook.com/hotelecoelsol/) and the Morrillo Beach Eco Resort (https://www.morrillobeachresort.com/). Stay at either one but plan to eat meals at both. In the area, monkeys and birds and beautiful beaches abound. We look forward to visiting again when the world reopens.

The bird watching throughout our time in Panama can only be described as spectacular. From the visits to Parque Metropoliano Natural (http://heathers6wadventures.com/muchos-aves-muy-bien/) and toucan-studded Cerro Ancon (http://heathers6wadventures.com/nature-and-history-in-the-city-cerro-ancon-y-mi-pueblito/) to our New Year’s Day adventure in the rain (http://heathers6wadventures.com/its-all-about-the-birds/) to our locked behind the gate quarantine on the finca (http://heathers6wadventures.com/feathered-families-on-the-finca/), we were privileged to see birds of all colors, shapes, sizes, and species. We even saw a Peregrine Falcon outside our apartment window in the city. Panamá is home or migration territory to more than 900 bird species, and they are confined to a narrow corridor, squeezing them together and providing a wide variety of species within small spaces. So ,even though we didn’t get to see quetzals on this trip or a Harpy Eagle, we saw so many—trogons and cuckoos and toucans and parrots galore—that I can’t and won’t complain. Besides, coming back to see the ones we missed gives us one more excuse to return!

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We are about to board the plane. My heart aches and yet it is so full. We will travel again—we are already working on our plans for the fall. However, even if we never leave the confines of the United States, to paraphrase Humphry Bogart, we will always have Panamá.