Panama Linda!!

Yesterday was one of those very long travel days.  Since I had to get up at 3:30 am of course I had trouble falling asleep, despite liberal applications Zorba’s beer.  After two hours I finally gave up the fight and went downstairs to read and blog.  The airport van service showed up a little early but I was ready and we headed out into the early morning rain that was supposed to turn over to snow after I left (YES!!!!!).

There were two other passengers to pick up including a young Korean guy who promptly fell to open mouth asleep and we were all treated to the pleasant odor of some early morning kimchee he must have had.  This was my first time using the direct flight to Panama from Boston which eliminated the need to change planes, a true blessing.  It was also interesting to travel on a non-American carrier where the rules are a little less stringently enforced.

My early morning reading session unfortunately robbed my kindle of battery life and I was desperately finishing a book before it died completely.  It was neck and neck but I finished the book just as it died (see below).  The guy across the aisle one seat in front of me was watching the 4 Days in October video chronicling the epic Red Sox win over the Yankees in 2004.  That was fun watching on sly over his shoulder, especially since I was traveling to that hotbed of Yankee fandom and home of Mariano Rivera – Panama.

I Swore I'd Take a Pciture of the First Palm Tree I Saw - At the Airport Parking Lot

Arriving in Panama around 2:30 it took nearly an hour to clear immigration because they have a new system where everyone gets fingerprinted and photoed.  To their credit the Panamanians had a pretty good system set up to move everyone through the process efficiently.

Driving Across the Bay of Panama into Panama City

My brother in law was waiting for me when I finally got out and into the welcome heat for a trip into Panama City.  I can only describe Panama as “bustling” with buildings springing up as if by sorcery.  Every time I return to Panama there seems to be a new crop of skyscrapers festooning the skyline.  After a quick stop to fully stock the car with cousins with headed west of the Interamerican Highway towards Chiriquí and a certain little Panamanian I’d been missing a whole lot.

Back Seat Stocked with Cousins

We crossed the canal making good time until we hit what should have been the fastest part of the trip where the highway turns into a four lane expressway.  Unfortunately the well known Panamanian hate for order asserted itself and the traffic ground to a halt.  We arrived at the minor fender bender to find cars flowing around using the shoulder and whatever flat surface they could access while the drivers involved in the accident discussed things in the middle of the highway.  We had to work through the jams for the next few hours which put us seriously behind schedule but we still had a lot of fun catching up and as I said in an earlier post – with my wife’s family – you end up laughing a lot.

Surprise Reunion

We finally broke free and pulled off in a random KFC for dinner and against all odds ran into my wife’s nephew who was also travelling to Chiriquí for the family reunion.  Of such coincidences is the enjoyment of life built around.

He Had A Full Back Seat As Well

The rest of the journey was kind of a blur as the sun set and the length of the travel day after a sleepless night caught up with me.  I put my Army training of grabbing sleep in really awkward positions to work.  I would awake randomly to answer questions my brother in law was asking someone else on the phone.

We arrived just after midnight and the day long trip’s cost was fully redeemed when I had that certain young lady in my arms at last.  Today – we party!  I just heard they got 8 inches of snow back home yesterday – SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tired  But Certainly Worth the Effort

The book I finished on the plane ahead of my kindle’s untimely death was The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly.  I’ve read everything Connelly has written and this was one with Mickey Haller character, made famous in the movie The Lincoln Lawyer.  This was set a few years after the events in that movie and amusingly even referred to the movie in the book.

Haller’s a great character that’s tough to love because he’s a defense lawyer but Connelly overcomes that by acknowledging the problems associated with the profession.  He has what he describes as a defense counsel’s ultimate dream – an innocent client, in this one.  He has to square of against Mexican drug cartels, corrupt DEA, and cops as well as the justice system.  There’s a satisfying conclusion but as always, casualties, both human and moral along the way.  I really enjoyed the read and catching up with the lives of the people populating the Haller – Harry Bosch universe.