Days Four and Five: The Adventure Wraps Up...

Day four started off with a trip back to that travel agency where we'd originally booked our Sanblas adventures. After that awful experience with Sharkie, we felt that it was necessary for the travel agency to hear about it. It was such a sad thing too, since we had absolutely fallen in love with the guy who had sold us on the trip. He was just the most jovial man ever and was SO EXCITED for our adventures... so to have to break this kind of news to him was just a total buzzkill to end all buzzkills. After hearing our perspective and empathizing with our situation (he seriously looked like he was on the verge of tears), the travel agency ended up refunding us our money for the trip to Gamboa that we'd booked for Day four.

Gamboa was supposed to be this area of rainforest-y goodness. So, instead of going through the travel agency, we ended up just taking another cab out to Gamboa for the day. Again, we had no idea what to expect.

After the forty-five minute drive, we ended up at this super luxury hotel, where we were apparently supposed to book our excursions. We ended up opting for a boat expedition that would allow us to see animals in the rain forest and crocs/alligators in the waters... how cool would that be, right?!

Well... it sounded a lot cooler than it actually was. I mean, at least the boat ride was relaxing, because the sights to be seen were not the most exciting.

Oh well. At least we are easily entertained, right? Right.

The rest of day four was actually relatively tame. We ended up just wandering around the city center area (right by our hotel) and partaking in some last minute shenanigans...

For some reason, we were exhausted after those tame adventures, so we came back to the hotel room, where Purvi (the "mom" of the group) read to us and we passed out. Don't we sound like we are really embracing our 20s? Sigh. Oh well.

For our last night out though, we had made reservations at this highly-recommended traditional Panamanian restaurant, complete with traditional Panamanian dancing and everything. How FUN, right?!?!

Welllll. It was fine enough, but again, not the most exciting thing ever. In fact, we got kind of annoyed when the traditional dancing started because the music was so loud and, quite frankly, very disruptive to... well, our chit chat! Sure, we'd had the entire TRIP to chit chat away, but we STILL had a LOT to say and quite frankly, darn traditional music during dinner was just getting in the way.


To be fair, we gave the traditional dancing a good half hour. It was at that point that Rahima and I just looked at Purvi and Amogh and were like "So... how much longer do you guys want to stay?" to which Purvi responds with "To be honest, we can leave anytime" to which Rahima and I just look at each other and look at Purvi and Amogh and immediately say "Now?".

Needless to say, it took just a few short minutes of staggered departures (we didn't want to seem RUDE after all) to peace the heck on outta there... and head, where else? Back to our hotel room. It was our last night in Panama- why bother going out, really? Haha.

After yet another earlier than usual (for 20-somethings on vacation) night, we awoke on Sunday with the heavy realization that it was our last day together. Sad day. It had been such a fun trip and it was already over! Amogh and Rahima's flight was first, so sad farewell hugs were given all around before they headed out.

Purvi and I had another few hours before we had to head to the airport, so we just wandered around the city center a bit more before coming back to our hotel to finish packing and head to the airport (five hours early, but whatever- airports are so FUN for people-watching, etc., right?! Right.). It was only as we headed down to our hotel lobby (to do some last-minute Internet checking before heading to the airport) that we noticed our dear pal, Eddie (remember? the cab driver from our trip to the Panama Canal?) just loitering right outside the hotel entrance. This would all be seemingly coincidental and relatively harmless except for the fact that, since that Panama Canal day, dear Eddie had CONSTANTLY been texting/calling Rahima (who had grabbed his number that first day to coordinate rides to/from the Canal) asking about when we needed to be picked up/where we needed to go/etc. Let's just say it had become a little creepy (and/or comical, but whatever)... but we'd already arranged a cab ride to the airport- we didn't want to have to deal with breaking the news to Eddie! So... Purvi and I did what any two self-respecting individuals in this same situation would do... we hid. As best we could. In the hotel lobby.

Seriously, it was like out of one of those creepy stalker movies. What a way to end the trip, right? Right.

All in all, I can safely say that this trip was SO MUCH FUN!!! While the sights were great and it was so interesting to see such a different country, the best part was, of course, the reunion itself! Till the next one...