Yesterday I left Cartagena in a cab that the hotel called for me. I did not like my hotel so it wouldn’t astonish you to know that my cab driver was completely unprofessional. He kept telling me how pretty I was and asked if I would take him to America. I assume he thought I am loaded since I was traveling alone. I told him he could take himself there and he said he had no money, despite the fact that he had braces on his teeth which I assume are a “luxury” in some parts of the world. When he dropped me off at the airport, he asked for a kiss. I can’t make this stuff up. And before you even ask, I said “NO!”
I always have pleasant interactions with the immigration officers checking my passport and I breezed through with no issues. I’m only in Panama City, Panama for 3 days. Oh yes, you read that right…another country! That will make my 30th country overall and my 20th one this year! A few more to go and then I’m home for the immediate future (with tentative travel plans for Cuba 2019…Mom? Dad? Can you watch Lola again?). My Uber driver from the airport made me little uncomfortable because he kept asking the question I get a lot: “no novio? No esposo?” [translated, “no boyfriend? No husband?”]. I’m actually getting really tired of that question because I can’t explain why in English and there’s no way in hell I could do it in Spanish. But they persist. It’s only flattery until they push the limit (Uber driver asked me if I wanted kids) and then I shut down. I stop talking. I remain polite but I’m secretly begging for the ride to end, pronto.
My hotel in Panama City is part hotel and part hostel. I’m in the hotel part but can use the hostel part to mingle with other travelers. I wish more places had this model because it’s a really nice set up. The best part about Panama is that they use American dollars. So there’s no conversions I need to do when buying things. And right next door to my hotel is a craft brewery with really delicious food.
This morning I walked around a bit to get my bearings and the city is really small. Well, the old part where I’m staying is. I found a woman who will do my laundry and this is my last pay-for-laundry since I’ll be home in 19 days. I can’t really figure out Panama. Last night, I think there was an outside religious sermon happening on the streets because the man was preaching with fire and vigor. And today, it’s quiet. It’s a national holiday so maybe that’s why it’s calm. And there are a lot of buildings that look as if they have been bombed out and I can’t figure out why. There was no walking tour available so I don’t know much history about the city. Here are some scenes from walking around:
This afternoon, at 4pm, I’m meeting a tour guide for a different kind of tour. A blogger will lead you around showing you his version of Panama for about 5 hours. This tour cost me money but it’s my 30th country and I thought I should celebrate it somehow. There’s also food and drink on this tour so I’m happy to get to try some Panamanian street food. But nothing uncooked…I’ve successfully avoided stomach issues in South America and I would like to continue that trend in Central America.
There She Goes... 