Whew! It took a full week to get back into the swing of things but I'm finally able to share a little update about our recent vacation to Panama. In short, it was an absolutely amazing trip. Perfect weather, fabulous itinerary, great company. I really wouldn't have done anything differently (well, maybe I would have skipped the 4-hour ride through the canal with two crazy kids...) but otherwise perfect!
The best way to share our vacation is with a few photos so take a look and enjoy!
Our first 3 days were spent in Gamboa right next to the canal. We took a boat ride through the rainforest and saw tons of wildlife including monkeys, birds, turtles and bats.
We took a fairly perilous ride in motorized piragua (dugout canoes) to go visit the Embera tribe. These people live in primitive conditions in a small village along the banks of Chagres River. It was insanely humbling and truly an amazing experience.
Paige and some of the Embera tribe members
Dan hanging with the village elder
M&P showing off some of the goodies they bought at the local market
A little side trip to downtown Panama City. It's undergoing a huge rebirth right now so still a little rough in places but very cool. Tons of artwork, beautiful architecture, great Panamanian food.
We spent quite a bit of time at the canal. We had lunch one day at a restaurant overlooking the Miraflores Lock and then took a boat ride through the canal. Next year is the 100th anniversary of the canal so it was really cool to be there during such a milestone. Truly a once in a lifetime experience.
After a few days in the jungle and on the canal we headed to Santa Clara for a little beach time. We stayed at an absolutely ridiculous villa at the JW Marriott Panama. There were at least 10 pools on the property and since it's the "rainy season" (which means it sprinkles for like 10 minutes each day) we basically had the resort to ourselves. Paradise!
Total water rats
All in all another wonderful family vacation. Such a good reminder for us that Thanksgiving is about so much more than turkey - it's really about the people who sit with you at the table. Thank you again to my parents for making this whole things possible. Next year...Uganda? Columbia?
