We are being spoiled to death by Michael's family who live here: his aunt Rocio and uncle Alonso and his cousin Gabriel and his wife Carla. (Many of you may remember meeting Alonso and Gabriel at our wedding.) Michael's parents arrived in Panama the same day Lynn and we arrived from Brasil. We'd expected to be lazing around all day, gradually transfusing nomadic bliss into re-entry anxiety. But the Fernandezes had a packed schedule awaiting us. In the first two weeks we attended the baptism of Gabriel and Carla's new baby boy Felipe; we visited a dormant volcano and its surrounding towns Chiriqui and Boquete, close to the border of Costa Rica, where the landscape turns to idyllic countryside and where coffee, banana and sugar cane plantations claim the densely green slopes. (This is also where we met a dog with a badly set leg, making her look like she was always pointing at something.)
We spent a weekend at the Fernandez' beach house in Portobelo on the Carribean side of Panama, a deliciously relaxing retreat where we divided our time poolside,
exploring nearby islands by boat, or lying in hammocks, reading and eating. We visited the Panama Canal twice, once dining at the restaurant right on the Miraflores Lock, an excellent view of the flurry of activity that passes through 24 hours a day. Next, Gabriel took us to Bocas del Toro,
a group of islands in the Carribean side. We stayed in a lovely Pousada built above the water, saw dolphins and raced our boat with a needlefish. The boys surfed and we all got eaten alive by invisible gnats. Between us, Michael and I have at least 100 bites on our bodies. We look like we're recovering from the chicken pox.
The last couple days we have been working our way along the coast on a surf trip. Gabriel is showing Michael all the good surf spots. As I write this, I am distracted and mesmerized by the activity around me. The groundskeepers going about their morning tasks of raking leaves, watering the various tropical plants and trees on the property, peeling bananas for the emus and other exotic birds that live here and roam freely at La Playita Resort. There are four wild macaws here, at the moment snacking on toast and fruit and floor crumbs. Being extremely territorial birds, they have remained here even though this lovely beach resort was erected in their home. Perhaps it's the free food or the frequently refilled birdbaths, or perhaps they do realize what an incredible place they have.
Three of the macaws are troublemakers, noisy hooligans flying the way 16 year olds drive, terrorizing light bulbs and chewing away at the palapa roofs.
The 4th macaw, as if apologetic for his three buddies, is calm and friendly - once flying up to within a foot of Gabriel and just gazing at him in his hammock. Other residents of La Playita resort include a couple of emus, peacocks, a turkey, some handsome looking chickens, a cat, 3 dogs and a handful of rowdy howler monkeys. There are only 4 rooms here, tastefully decorated cabanas that share this 15 acre lot (my acre estimation skills are crap, let's just say it's really big) with a massive house in the middle that belongs to the owner. Just steps away is a private stretch of beach with a gentle tide. There is no shortage of hammocks or places to hang out and enjoy the breeze. Around the point is where the boys have been surfing. The cook here is Cuban and has turned out some delicious fare. The fish is caught mere hours before it is served and the flavors are unmistakably Cuban, down to the lemon marinated grilled onions. Last night, we whiled away the hours on hammocks on the beach under a velvet sky luminous with constellations, the generous breeze giving our hammocks that extra push. We can't believe that in two days, we will be home in San Francisco.
We have received a tidal wave of hospitality here and can only hope to reciprocate when it is our turn to receive them or anyone else as guests in our own home. It has definitely eased the re-entry process to spend quality time with family right before diving nose first back into reality.
If anyone is still reading our blog at this point, thank you for traveling with us. Please check back one last time for a final wrap up after we get home.
For photos of Panama, go here: http://flickr.com/photos/31967627@N00/sets/72157594588847669/
