Day Two - The Panama Canal and A Run In with the "Policia"

Day two was the day that I was looking forward to the most of this trip... why's that? Day two, after all, was the day that we were going to be visiting...

The Panama Canal!

I mean, can you imagine?? Being able to see something in person that has played such a significant role in US history... lkdsjfls! Oh, I couldn't WAIT. Seriously, I just KNEW it was going to be the BEST THING EVER. Aside from the Canal, well, we didn't really have much of a plan for the day, so it was going to be interesting to see how we were going to be able to occupy our time...

No need to worry about that just yet though! We had the Panama Canal to explore! Bright and early on Thursday, we got ready and headed off for our first "touristy" excursion of the trip. I was so excited, I could barely sit still on the 45 minute cab ride. As we headed out of the hotel, we figured we would just do what we did yesterday and loiter around, waiting for a cab to arrive (surprisingly, cabs were pretty easy to come by in our location). We didn't even have to wait five minutes before a cab showed up... and that's where we were introduced to Eddie, who remained in our lives for the duration of the trip.

Okay, so upon initial impression, Eddie was just this adorable little Panamanian cab driver- so eager to share his pearls of wisdom with the Spanish speakers of our group. Although we had initially agreed to have him drop us off and pick us up at the Panama Canal, we ended up keeping him all day long. Yes, he was just that adorable (or so we thought).

Things were looking good for the day- we had our personal chauffeur all ready and set... and we were off to the Panama Canal!! What more could we want?!?!

Here we go!

After we made it through security and the "main building" (which houses a museum), we finally made it to one of the greater marvels of our time...




Okay. So let's take a step back here... THIS. WAS IT?

There had to be more... maybe the pictures would paint a more telling picture than what I was actually seeing?


Yeah, no. I can safely say that the Panama Canal is ONE. GIANT. BUZZKILL. There is absolutely no need for people to go out of their way to see this thing... it was not only boring, but UGLY! I mean, have we ever heard of crystal blue water or ANYTHING of the sort? Come ON, people!

Sigh. Talk about devastation. Thankfully, I'm a big museum person, so I figured I'd at least get to absorb some of the history of the Panama Canal in the little museum that's housed right next to the Canal...





So much for paying attention. We got a little distracted, what can we say? In any event, the museum turned out to be just fine and dandy... again, nothing to really write home about, but it was at least better than the Canal itself (doesn't take much, really). How fun is this picture?



Well, after that total buzzkill of an experience, our boy Eddie was ready and waiting to take us back to the hotel. However, after hearing how disappointed we were with the Panama Canal, he recommended that we try to hit up Metropolitan Park- just to enjoy some more pretty views and nature-y delightfulness. Sure, it was a little warm (read: HOT) since it was late morning, but what can we say? We had no plan, so why turn down this opportunity?

On our way to the park, Eddie drove us down the "Causeway", which is this super scenic highway that people can ride bikes and go for walks along.




Ah, dear Eddie- ready and waiting...



After several stops along the causeway to take some pictures (this is what happens when you travel with three photographers), we finally ended up heading over to Metropolitan Park.

So, note to self- if ever you are planning to do an impromptu hike, come prepared with at least SOME of the basics... because hiking in dresses and flip flops certainly proved to be... shall we say, interesting?

The park turned out to be GOR-GEOUS though! Hiking is my absolute favorite outdoor activity so I was in such a happy place.Sweaty, sure, but happy all the same.



By the end of the hike (aka: when we were coming downhill), flip flops began to take its toll on dear Rahima. The girl who ironically has the greatest balance out of all of us skidded twice- considering she has a bad ankle as it is, we were NOT going to be taking any chances. Human crutches, it is...



Teamwork and all that, if you will.

After such an eventful morning/early afternoon, we ended up heading back to the hotel area to decompress, grab some lunch and... get ready for our evening. We'd been recommended to have dinner at Alberto's- a nice little Italian restaurant right along the Causeway, with some pretty legit white sangria. Twist our arms, really.

After resting up for just a bit, we started getting ready for our night out... so this is wherein my fatal flaw lies. If you know me at all, you know that I could not care less about hair, makeup, "getting ready" to go out, etc... I don't know- something was lost on me at birth, I guess. But, well, when you're with three other girls, who actually enjoy getting all dolled up (they clean up very nicely, I have to say!)... well, when in Rome and all that. I'd actually brought a couple of dresses along so I was able to pick out what I was going to wear pretty quickly. But it was as these other girls started whipping out their makeup that I just kind of looked around blankly.

I never wear makeup (except for like some powder). I just never understand the point and quite frankly, the effort that it takes to put this stuff on... the thought just exhausts me. So when Rahima (who does her eyes every single day... I know, RIGHT?!) asked if she could "do my eyes", I figured, yet again... when in Rome and all that.

And I have to say- holy mother. It's amazing what a little makeup can do to people! At the risk of sounding completely narcissistic... I loved my eyes! I couldn't stop staring at them! I couldn't believe how quickly Rahima was able to "transform" my FACE, by doing my eyes!

But I digress (can you tell how excited I was about this revelation though??). Soon enough, we were all ready to head out to Alberto's.


Unfortunately, Eddie wasn't ready and waiting when we were ready to leave the hotel so we ended up going with the first cab driver we found... sure he looked like he was about 12 years old, but whatever- a cab driver's a cab driver's a cab driver, right?

WRONG. I guess some cab drivers need to learn how to abide by the law... turns out our 12 year old cab driver actually didn't have a taxi license and was quickly found out/pulled over during a random police traffic check...

Well, that was a fun little half hour diversion from our originally planned activities... oh well, once we had snagged another cab, we were able to enjoy our evening...
 


You know, the usual.

And, when all was said and done, we were still in bed by like midnight. So much for going out (which we really were originally intending to do!)...

Day One: The Reunion

Day One involved actually getting to Panama and actually finding the people that were flying in from New York. Trust me, given how little planning had been involved with this trip (all we really had booked at this point was our hotel), these two activities were going to be feats in and of themselves.

Purvi and I were flying together since we both live in Chicago and were able to get on the same direct flight to Panama City. Amogh and Rahima were flying down together from New York. We were just going to meet them at our hotel, since our flights were only a couple of hours off from each other.

As Purvi and I were trying to figure out carpooling situations to the airport, we quickly started realizing just how different our travel styles are. Although our flight was only at 9 AM, I wanted to make sure we allowed ample time for traffic, security lines, etc. So, I proposed we leave our apartments at 6:00 AM... well, just in CASE! We were flying international after all- who knows what we could expect? Purvi, however, was all set to just head to the airport around 7:30 AM or so... when she shared THAT with me, I just stared blankly at her and was like "Okay, well I guess I can just meet you at the airport then."

I mean, 7:30?!?! It was 4th of July! How can anyone be sure that we weren't going to hit traffic or encounter some unexpected lines at the airport, given the holiday?

In any event, we ended up leaving around 6:30 AM... and got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Thank goodness- I'm a freak about being on time for things... early is more preferable. After hitting no traffic and no security lines (well, what?! Better safe than sorry!), we ended up being ready and set for our flight with a couple of hours to spare before boarding began.

So I overestimated the amount of time all of this would take. Sue me. No fret though- thanks to Purvi's status, we were able to make ourselves nice and at home in the airport lounge!

You better believe we stocked up! We had a couple of hours to spare!

Finally, though, the time came to board our flight... although there were a few fairly disheveled characters sitting around us, it turned out to be a fairly uneventful flight overall. Once we landed in Panama (!), we grabbed a cab from the airport cab stand and began our trip to Panama City... the reunion was imminent!!

Upon our arrival at the Toscana Inn (seriously one of the nicest little hotels ever), we headed up to our hotel room and were IMMEDIATELY accosted by... Rahima and Amogh!!! It has been quite some time since the four of us have been together (when we used to work together everyday) so you can only imagine the hug attacks, squeals, giggles and CHATTER that the Toscana Inn was immediately subject to.

It was seriously one of the happiest of reunions. The next couple of hours just involved some SERIOUS catching up (we couldn't stop talking and laughing... and sharing way too much information!) in our hotel room...

Before we finally decided we might as well begin exploring the city a bit. Keep in mind, we had no plan and/or idea of what to expect from Panama City. Good luck us, I guess.

Thankfully, the receptionists at the Toscana Inn are the most accommodating things ever (we became total BFFs by the end of the trip), and had some suggestions of things to do for our first night. So... off we went to Casco Antigua (aka "Old Town"). It was absolutely beautiful there... we quickly found out that the colors of Panama are so vibrant and the city has such a unique "character" to it... we had so much fun just wandering the streets...

 Stumbling upon a market...

Doing some shopping...

After going a little crazy at the hat stand (can you tell?), we ended up finding this restaurant that came recommended by one of our cab drivers - Diabolicos.

Here... well, we ended up just sitting around and catching up for another couple of hours. Can you tell this was going to be a general theme of this trip?

After dinner, we decided to head to this rooftop bar that came recommended to us by... well, by this random Panamanian guy that we'd run into on the street just prior to dinner. (It's not as shady as it sounds- trust me.) I mean, sure he works there, so he was all about selling it to us but... well, what can we say? He was nice and clearly a good salesperson. For four girls with no real plan... we were sold!

And we had absolutely NO regrets. This place was le-git. It was pretty posh when you enter the first floor restaurant, but you take that elevator up to the 4th floor rooftop bar and... you are in for a TREAT. It had the most spectacular views of the Panama City skyline- such an impressive start to our first night in Panama City. And let's be honest, the drinks at this place were DI-VINE. I couldn't believe how tasty and delicious they were! Mojitos all around!

All in all, I can safely say that Day One of our trip was one sweet success... we ended up heading back to the hotel and being in bed by like 11 PM (this is my kinda vacation!), but in all fairness, we HAD agreed we'd go out the next night... I mean, our trip was just beginning!

Atticus Finch

Just a couple of weeks ago, one of my managers and I were having a nice little conversation about my idea of the "perfect guy". (This all stemmed from a conversation we were having where she was quickly coming to the conclusion that I'm a bit picky about guys, which is I can safely say is completely untrue, because to be perfectly fair, I'm not picky about anything.) Anyway, that conversation quickly halted because, in my mind, there isn't such a thing as a perfect guy. Nobody can (nor should they) be perfect.

This weekend, I was proven wrong.

I was just relaxing at home (it was too hot in Chicago to do much of anything BUT relax in my highly comfortably air-conditioned apartment), catching up on my DVR when I realized that, rather than watch my five billionth DVR'ed Cosby Show in a row, I might as well catch up on some of the movies I'd been DVR'ing as of late... if you know me at all, you know I'm not the biggest movie person, so committing to a movie took a fair amount of effort on my part.

Up first? To Kill a Mockingbird.

To be fair, I've seen this movie more than a few times (and I make it a point to read the book at least once a year... it's the least I can do since it is, after all, my favorite book of all time), so I knew I would totally be into it. I haven't seen it in a while though and I can't believe some of the details I'd forgotten over time.

The main one being that God did create one perfect man in the world... and his name is Atticus Finch.

I'm assuming most of you have at least read To Kill a Mockingbird, but for those who haven't, here's a brief synopsis c/o Amazon:  

"Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up."

You can't help BUT fall in love with all the characters of this book... Jem and Scout just epitomize childhood innocence. But what struck me as I was watching this movie just yesterday was Atticus. 

God, he is just spectacular. He is truly, truly, truly the perfect guy, if ever there was one. And this is why:

1. Passion and conviction for making the world a better place - So first off, he's a lawyer in small-town Alabama, and agrees to take on a highly controversial trial where he's defending a black man (a pretty big deal, considering this was set in the 1930s). But this is what I love about him- he has his convictions, he knows what's right, and he sticks to his guns, no matter what others are thinking. His sheer passion and drive to do what's "right" in the world is just plain admirable.

2. Confidence - every word he says, every sentiment he makes... all is done in the most confident, articulate of manners. I feel like today, there are so many people who are so highly capable but, rather than delivering in a confident manner, their delivery is more of the arrogant variety. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's arrogance. (Okay, there's many things I can't stand, but arrogance is one of them.) No one, absolutely no one, has a right to be arrogant. But confident? That's a different story. And Atticus Finch is Confidence Personified. I just love how crisply and clearly he articulates every statement he says- whether he's reprimanding his children, giving his children advice, speaking with his neighbors, or standing his ground in one of the most controversial cases of his time. 

 3. Respect - okay, this is the ABSOLUTE kicker. While Atticus Finch respects everyone, the amount of respect that he treats his children is just plain admirable. He reprimands them when necessary (what child doesn't need to be reprimanded?) but he truly LISTENS to them... where other parents may brush off their children's antics and simply punish them for misbehaving, Atticus Finch actually takes the time to probe the deeper issues out of Jem and Scout... and GOD, there's this scene in To Kill a Mockingbird where I was literally in tears. It was when Scout had returned from her first day of school and had had the worst first day of school and didn't want to go back. Rather than assuming the teacher was right for "disciplining" Scout, Atticus took the time to listen to Scout's point of view of her first day and simply talked her through how they could make it "all better". Honestly, do people like that even EXIST in the world anymore?

4. Devotion - so I lied when I said that respect was the "ABSOLUTE kicker". THIS has got to be the absolute kicker. Atticus' devotion to everything in life (from his job to his children) is nothing short of commendable. Normally, I could care less how "devoted" people are to their jobs (I mean, a job's great, but it doesn't compare to having a fulfilling life, in my opinion), but this is an exception to that rule... primarily because of what Atticus' job is. He's a lawyer, and his genuine devotion to upholding the law, in order to make the world a better place for his children is clearly apparent throughout the story. But more than his devotion to his job is his devotion to his children. The love he harbors for his children is so pure and tangible, it makes me want to cry. There is one scene in To Kill a Mockingbird where I was literally just outright crying (rather than merely just tearing up)- it's near the end, where Jem and Scout were attacked by crazy Bob Ewell. Boo Radley had already carried Jem home and Scout was just a few paces behind... Atticus, upon learning of the incident when Boo showed up at his door with Scout, immediately RAN out of the house in a frenzy and simply shouted "SCOUT!" as he began his search efforts (thankfully, she was just right around the corner, since she had just been a few paces behind). But seriously, the emotion that was evoked in the tone that he shouted her name... it really just said it all. Not only that, but at the very end, as Boo is about to leave the Finch home, Atticus goes up to him, shakes his hand and simply says "Thank you, Boo. Thank you for my children." Sigh. Every single time... EVERY single time, that one line sends chills up and down my spine. 


The grace and dignity with which Atticus Finch approaches the important things in life (i.e. his children, his meaningful career) is something that individuals in today's day and age should really aspire to do/be. I'm not saying that it just doesn't exist in today's world, but I feel like I can safely say that it's more the anomaly than the norm. I don't even think that's just the case today... I think that was likely the case "back in the day" as well, which is exactly the reason why a character like Atticus Finch stands out in so many ways. In any event, next time anyone in their right mind asks me to outline my idea of the "perfect guy", I will simply have two words:


Atticus Finch.