Panamá
I arrived safely in Panama City, or as the locals call it, "Panamá". My day started at 4 am, well 3 am if you count the hour I spent before getting out of bed wrestling with a kitten who thinks he can nurse on my face, way back in San Francisco. My flight to Houston was uneventful, though I was surprised they fed us breakfast because I was sure that all American airlines had done away with any free convenience. However, Continental still takes care of you, and I actually had pleasant flights all day.
Once in Houston, I settled down near what I thought was my gate for a little ipod and crossword zoning out. Turns out, first, it wasn’t my gate, and second, I am a little too good a zoning out when I’m trying to find a nine-letter word for “not paying attention” (oblivious). So had it not been for me picking up my phone to call my mom, by pure chance at 2:01 pm, and thinking “Hmm, I never heard the boarding call…” I’d still be in Houston. Turns out they changed my gate, and when I found this out my flight was scheduled to leave in 3 minutes. Crap. I found the gate. It turns out they were looking for me too (the PA system in Houston Int’l Airport sucks, apparently). I was the last one down the jetway and the last to get on the plane. Woops.
But I sat next to a lovely man from Grand Junction, Colorado who was delightful to talk to during the four hour flight. We were also in the emergency exit row, which always makes things more comfortable. He had diplomatic privileges in Panamá so when we arrived, he took me with him though the special diplomat lines for customs and immigration. It was great, I had someone else procure my visa for me and deal with my luggage though the whole process. I didn’t even have to think about standing in line, got a complementary glass of wine and a plush leather chair as we waited for our bags to be delivered then to top it off his driver dropped me off at my hotel in the city so I didn't have to wrangle with the local cab drivers about the special 200% price hikes they provide to blonde girls like me. He owns a bunch of property down here, and his property manager met us at the airport. She is delightful, se llama Sandra, and so funny. I have her number now, so if I need any help with anything while I am down here I can call her, and when I come back through Panama City in a month, she will let me stay at one of his rentals on the beach, if I feel like it. It is the kindness of strangers at its finest.
Now it is night time in Panamá and it’s raining like hell. I’m tired, and this is way more than I wanted to write in English. I was gonna try to keep my English notes to a minimum and attempt to switch my brain fully over to Spanish. Oh well, I will start that tomorrow. Goede nacht…oh wait, that’s not Spanish either…
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