Yup, so that's where I spent my last days of the year 2010. Walking through tropical dense ever green forest with howler monkeys and the rain, was possibly the best way I could have thanked the year 2010. We (Me and Divya) pretty much forgot about this trip until 20th Dec, a week before the departure when we realized that traveling to a country where English is not the first language is going to be challenging. But the excitement of meeting Maya, Cata and Samraat after 10 years overthrew the concern in the back ground. So, 28th Dec we took off from two sides of the continent to meet way south in the Isthmus - Panama.
Unlike Div who took the more interesting path from Airport to Gamboa by herself in bus, taxi and bi-pedal, I just took a cab to Super 99. Cata and Div picked me up from Albrook as my flight came in at mid-night.
"Donde esta puedo Taxi Albrook?"
- was my first and last Spanish line read from my Panama guide book! First for obvious reasons. Last because I left it in the cab itself! Thanks to my excitement of speaking Spanish by myself :)
Cata, I met for the first time, Samraat - it was reunion after a decade, and Div - after a year. The next 7 days just disappeared some where. Its only on the return flight to Atlanata, I was reminded of my blog, the snow and work at 8 AM :) the next day. It was a wonderful trip packed with diversity of experiences from Nature to People. A brief summary of my trip follows next, as seen through my eyes:
The Forest - the invaders and the residents!
"Old Panama City - Cathedral Plaza and The Rain"
"The People - Embera and the Kuuna Indians displaying their art to a Native Indian" :)
"The History"
And its ruins....
