yesterday was tough. lost the camera, the guidebook, and rain. the one promising hope was flying to bocas del toro where the weather report called for sun. well, that hope was crushed when the cab driver told us if we were going anywhere to not go to bocas del toro. it was flooded due to an overflowing river. now, i just had to laugh.

the sun was shining when we woke up. good sign. but today was not without a lesson. it came as soon as we stepped out of the hotel asking a taxi driver about a place to stay. a guy overheard the conversation and befriended us by speaking english and saying he knew a good hotel where we could stay. despite john quietly urging me to go to the tourist office instead of following him around, i said sure, show us the hotel. well, he showed some places but they were too expensive and as we were parting ways, here comes the story about his kids and he wants to buy them a happy meal which are two dollars. i knew the lesson to not trust people who befriend so quickly, but i had let it slip since i was tired of struggling with this country. in addition, it was an investment. if we saw the guy again, he would help us instead of hate us. oh well, five dollars less. small price to pay for the lesson.

the journey to the tourist place was a small adventure in itself. the lonely planet said to check out the IPAT (acronym for panama and tourism in spanish) for help on locating places to stay, flights, etc. so, we asked to be taken to the IPAT. we eventually found the place but it was like a government office without any travel agents. however, the cab driver mentioned before leaving us at the IPAT that there was a travel agency around the corner, which we visited after discovering the lack of help from the IPAT.

thank you, thank you. finally, a place that could help us find a hotel, things to do, etc. and the helpful woman spoke english. after two hours of discussing and planning, we booked a city tour for today, a canal tour tomorrow, a flight to san blas islands on the caribbean coast along with a place to stay, and a hotel in the city. she worked her connections and got us a great deal at a residence inn kind of place. the room was huge. it had a full service kitchen, three beds, hbo and cinemax.

we extinguished the hunger with a quick burger from mcdonalds, which taste the same as the states, before the city tour. the city tour was actually a private city tour of a driver and an english speaking panamanian woman. we started out at the miraflores locks of the panama canal. pretty damn impressive. the ships were barely making it through and they were massive. the little trains beside the cargo ships insured the ship would not hit the sides. we stayed there for a while as we watched one ship be lowered and set out into the pacific side and another chinese cargo ship prepare to be lowered. tomorrow, we will tour the canal by actually riding on a boat that will go through the locks.

next stop was the causeway, which we had already experienced the day before. our stop was at the same building where i lost the guide book last night. i checked again if the book was there by the computers, and it wasn’t.

the building also has a duty free shop that sold cameras among the other usual things you find in airports. they had my camera. well, almost. this one was the model above it which would make it an upgrade. i quickly bought it. luckily, it was the last one and i already had a memory card to use. they offered a 4GB chip for $50 bucks! i bought a 16GB for 20 online a while back. i had second thoughts about the camera’s price, but said f*&k it. i want a camera.

as soon as i turned it on and started snapping away, i felt loads better. i guess the big stupid smile on my face gave away to my happiness cause john had to ask if the world seemed brighter. the camera was worth the money, and i can finally post pics.

after the causeway, we went to casco antiguo or casco viejo. this area was the second version of panama city before it moved to its present place. immediately, john and i recognized a huge similarity between new orleans and casco viejo due to the narrow streets, the wrap around porches, and the colonial architecture. we had some great views of the skyline and the cargo ships waiting for passage from the tip of the pennisula. the area was undergoing a remodelling and there were already some cool restaurants and bars amidst the crubbling buildings. john and i agreed we would be back before we left.

as we were on our way to see the modern part of the city, we were stuck in standstill traffic for a long time. the guides couldn’t afford to wait through the traffic, so the tour was cut short, which was fine since it was raining and the sun was setting.

the driver dropped us off at our new hotel called cristal suites. we dropped our stuff, took showers, and headed for the area where everyone goes, according to the guide. after a long walk down a busy street, we found calle uruguay that was graced with a hooters at the corner of the beginning of the street. i wanted to go eat there but john didn’t want anything to do with some skank serving him rice and beans. so, we settled for a place with terrace seating and national dishes. more like a diner, but the outdoor seating was nice. it was pouring rain the entire time we ate. i had the lasagna and it was decent for 5 dollars. no one was around. that’s an advantage of visiting in the rainy season. no lines, cheaper, and … we save our skin from winkles from being tan?

oh well, at least we have a plan and whatever happens, happens. regardless, john and i both want, crave some clear blue water and warm sun. hopefully san blas can deliver.