Although Panama was a mind cleansing expiernce I would say it was body damaging. We did eat home cooked food every now and again but for the most part we ate out a lot since we were always on the go. I mean litterally always going somewhere! I have to say that they freaking FRY EVERYTHING!!! i wanted to die the first time I realized but I sucked it up and became one with the situation. I kept my promise to myself and didn't eat any friend chicken or french fries but I did slip and has a bite of a friend emapnada from Pio Pio which is their fast food chain. I did not eat that nasty gross MacDonalds though. Serving Pollo Mc crispy. That made me laugh.
The price points were so odd. For the most part everything was very inexpensive compared to here. They use American Dollars so it made it very easy but things costed so much less. It really had me sitting back and thinking like these people are so happy and enjoying their lives so much with the small wages they are given and they make it work and here certiain things are more then double in Price. Yes we make much more money so we can afford for things to be hell of more expensive but damn!
examples:
- American Shampoo by Loreal a regualr bottle was alomst 5 bucks!! we pay 2.49 at target for
- Internet cafes only charge .50 a half hour and a dollar an hour ( nyc its like 5 bucks almost)
- Cigarettes are 1.50 a pack for Malboror and one the back they have big huge scarey pictures of what can happen if you smoke) but in NYC they are 8 bucks a pack
- At carnival where here in the USA food at special events is normally like $7-$8 a plate plus 2$ bottle of water. There for $2 you got a chicken sandwhich with chesse and a soda. They even had full plates of arroz con pollo for $2.50!!!
- Taxi rides are in old 1989 toyotas with 221,000 miles on them and its a dollar or 2 bucks if your speaking english to get around the town. They can how ever refuse you like Nah i just don't want to go there.
- We ate dinner at a sit down with 50 ppl for only like $200.00
- They don't Tip at most places like its just not something they do so when I did tip them they seemed confused but eager to serve me again
- A bottle of Seco which is the Panamanian drink of choice sells for $4.50 a bottle for $5.5o you get a carton of juice on the side. Beers cost less then soda at .60 each and you get a case for 8$ then take it back for recycling.
We did so much while we were there but Carnival in Las Tablas was the highlight. We partied Friday night till 5 am at Momma Gume's 72nd surprise bday party then at 5 am 5 taxis came to pick up 20 of us ( this ride i thought i was going to die i spent the half hour eyes closed praying ) ( cab drivers think they are nascar drivers blowing the few red lights that are in the city a honk of the horn is the only signal they use for get outta my way) the 20 of us trooped it to the bus stop where we payed $7 then .10 cents to get on a bus for a 4 hour ride to the country! I slept the whole way except while we passed the canal i really had wanted to visit but there wasn't time! When we arrived at Las Tablas we stayed in a bright green 1 floor house with no hot water( in fact little to no water at on epoint i was in the shower soaped up and no water was comming out i waited for a few drips to come through to rinse out my soapy hair!!!) and a few lights. No fans no ac sleeping on the floor on air beds and others on blankets. ( i shared my little twin bed since some people brought nothing) When we arrived we changed quickly and hit it to the fiesta. They all had water guns and trucks filled with water ready to spray you down! It was about a bizillion outside the sun was shinning with it was haning out on top of just us and there didn't seem to be enough water. plenty of Seco and beer but no water. After a few hours we went to the house napped for an hour and then got dressed to go back. The night time was a club. Dressed in flats and a tank top with shorts the 20 of us headed back. Drinking 9 bottles of seco that day we again partied till 5 am!!! This time it was just the youngins no parents around. We watched over the younger kids. Ian came hes 15 he partied like he knew what he was doing and even though he got sick the last hour he kept partying. I can't describe how much fun it was and how enjoyable it was that it was the whole "family". I really love them as though they are my own! We danced we jumped we fell it was great. Just under the stars a big stage and everything in spanish ( like a small dream to me) They played that silly over the rainbow song and I thought i was going to fly into the night sky ( i wanted to )
They loved Angies boyfriend Errol the RASTA man with dreads! Peace and Love were spreading everywhere as we were all just ready to drink and get wet for three days straight. At night my spanish was the bomb fearless in my drunken state i learned more then i did in the day time. I chatted away in the language ( now im not the greatest but much better then i was) OOOO que borechatta ( ooo whose drunk) was the theme song i of course lost my voice on the 3rd and final day for 2 days after yelling the line for 3 days staright! The music was a mix of reggea in both english and spanish, reggaton and spanish tipico salasa bachatta. something for everyone! I loved that whole being in the country no cell phone no internet way more then i would have imagined!!! just a little bit of water and the sun and i was fine. After 3 days we took a 6 hour bus ride back since the bus kept stopping and i think breaking down i was happy to get home lay down and sleep!!!! I missed 2 nights of going out cause I passed out but i needed it after Las Tablas I had no voice I was swalloen ankles and a rash on my foot. It was rough But i can't wait to do it again!
Ill update more later about the wedding and the mountians. Im so pumped about my trip Im rambling more so then usual!!!
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