We hadn't ever taken a vacation here in Central America--all of our traveling has been for mission trips. So, we decided to celebrate Stephen's 65th birthday by visiting Panama City, Panama. We booked the trip through Travelocity, got great prices on the flights and one free night for booking the hotel at the same time.
We left the house at 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning. (Those early morning flights sound like such a good idea until you realize what time you have to be at the airport.) We landed in Panama about 10:00 a.m., though, and had almost the whole day ahead of us. We had arranged for transporation from the airport to the hotel and they were waiting for us as we exited--might be the first time that someone was holding a sign with our names on it.
We couldn't check in to the hotel (Trump Ocean Club) at 11:00 a.m., but they watched our luggage while we went off to explore. There is a vast difference between Panama City and the other Central American capitols that we've visited. It is extremely modern, very safe, very wealthy and full of foreigners. We were told that the skyline is reminiscent of Miami. (We've never been to Miami, so we can't confirm.)
We made our way to MultiPlaza mall for lunch and weren't disappointed. The first thing we saw was the Swarovski Christmas tree. It was amazingly beautiful--later we heard that the value of all of the crystal ornaments is over one million dollars.
We also found a wood-fire pizza restaurant--just what we needed for lunch.
After lunch we went back to the hotel to check in. The room and the view (29th floor) were awesome.
It's not easy to get used to the luxury! There was even a piano in the lobby that Stephen was able to play. Before dinner we checked out the five pools, two of them are infinite pools. I took this picture on my phone and looking at it now I can hardly believe it is real. You can see where the pool ends and the ocean starts--it's actually quite a drop.
We finished the night at P. F. Changs--it was within walking distance--and we already knew we would like the food.
It was off to Costa de Sol with the Juntos Together team on Friday. We left the house at 8:15 a.m. to meet the team at the hotel and ride the bus to the beach. The trip was about and hour and a half and it was HOT!
We arrived at the resort about 11:15 and had time to play in the ocean before lunch. The buffet lunch was delicious. After lunch the kids spent time in the pool, played water volleyball, got back in the ocean and just enjoyed each other's company.
Later in the afternoon, there were boat rides around the lagoon and more pool time.
We left about 5:00 p.m. and drove the hour plus to the pupusaria in Los Planes. Pupusas for 90 people, please. Thankfully, Guillermo had pre-ordered and they were ready when we arrived. Francisco was celebrating his birthday, so he got the giant birthday pupusa.
When the evening was over, it was good-bye until next year and/or let's connect on Facebook! It was a great week thanks to Vladimir Vasquez, our youth pastor at Vida Nueva, and the rest of the IBVN team!
Just before ten o'clock last night El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua were shaken by a 7.4 earthquake which occurred out in the ocean off the coast of El Salvador/Honduras/Nicaragua. It was more than 164 kilometers (100 miles) from San Salvador, but felt very strong and lasted almost 30 seconds.
I was outside walking at the time and began to hear the windows rattling, but didn't give it much notice. After about 5-10 seconds the sound increased and everyone started coming out of their houses. I turned around and headed back to our house to find Stephen outside, as well.
There has been one reported death in the country and some damaged property/homes in San Miguel, about 3 hours from where we live (much closer to the epicenter.) There have been some landslides and a tsunami warning was issued along the coast of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
