The Ewald Family: January 2011

Believe it or not, I've been working very hard on trying to get this post done...only to discover that it's going to take several posts. The sheer amount of pictures and information is just a little overwhelming when I try to sit down and deal with things in one big chunk. So, here is the first installment of what will likely be several posts.

I hadn't given much thought to Panama before our trip. At one time in my life, I would have done some research on culture and history before we left. This time, I was so busy packing things, making lists, and double checking all our arrangements that I didn't do any reading at all.

As a result, I had a lot of misconceptions. I had vague images of a third world country filled with ramshackle tenements that was mainly famous for a large ditch.

Well, I was pleasantly surprised to be almost totally wrong. As we came down into the city, we saw a virtual Armada of ships waiting to traverse the Canal. I don't think I've ever seen so many huge ships in my life. It was impressive. That was my first clue that things might be slightly different than I expected.

Let me take a minute here to note that Adelaide is a great little traveler. She's had plenty of experience on airplanes in her short life. She honestly visited more places as a fetus than I did in my first 18 years of life. And she behaved like a veteran traveler. We got a ton of compliments on her good behavior. Still, we were totally worn out. Our trip was as follows: we drove up to the Twin Cities from Rochester, flew from MSP to Atlanta, and then from Atlanta to Panama City. It was a very long day.

We headed out the next day to explore Panama City. Here we are, setting out to discover what we will...

We had a really wonderful guide named Carlos. Carlos is actually Venezuelan, but he has lived in Panama for years and is a student of the country. He was very informative and great company. Carlos took us on a short driving tour of the City and we got a good feel for the place.

Here is Carlos with Tim and Ads

This is the skyline of Panama City. Not a tenement in sight. As you can see, there are a lot of big buildings, and there are more going up all the time. It turns out that PC is essentially the hub of Central America. And there is a LOT of money there and a lot of growth. The American depression hasn't really made a dent in Panama, because the Chinese have been happy to step in and spend like crazy.

Here's another view of the city from a slightly different angle.

We kept trying to get a family picture in front of these buildings, but Addie was having none of it. There were seagulls hovering overhead and she was entranced.

A beautiful flowering arbor. We met two old guys playing guitars while we walked through this arch and they played a song called "Welcome to Panama" for us.

OK, now there are definitely some seedier/poorer areas of Panama City. While there is definitely a building boom, there was a long period of slow decline before that happened. Here's a view of the Old City, which is undergoing extensive renovations...though those haven't yet reached these buildings.

We also headed out to the Panama Canal. We watched a cruise ship going through the locks and visited the Canal Museum. Now, once again, my previous imaginings were WAY off. I honestly thought that the Panama Canal would be a cement sided ditch for the ~80 some miles that it encompasses. Like one of those collection ponds you see in strip malls. As it turns out, it really just looks like a big river. And the locks that lower and raise the ships were not that exciting (to me). I'm glad that I saw the Panama Canal, but I think it was a little bit wasted on me. I'm not one of those people that marvels at engineering, so I was kind of like "OK, this is cool, let's get back to the awesome buildings".

Here is a ship entering the locks. This cruise ship is being lowered from the Pacific to the Atlantic. They are raised when heading the other way.

Late that afternoon we boarded a death trap a small plane bound for the area of Panama called Bocas del Toro where Mary and Steve are living. This plane...if only we had video of my face. It was a small prop plane that sat about 16 people, max. There was no room to stand upright, and the only thing separating us from our pilots was a threadbare curtain. The plane had to be circa 1961 if the faux wood paneling and extreme dilapidation was any guide...but hey, we survived. I might have cried, I might have cursed, I might have nearly broken Tim's hand....but we made it out to Bocas in one piece.

And once there, we met up with Steve and Mary and Bonnie and Sylvia and got a quick tour of Red Frog Resort, where Mary and Steve are living and working and (very occasionally) playing. It was incredibly impressive and so beautiful. I have a lot more to say about Red Frog, but I'll save that for Part Two.

For now, a series of photos detailing Addie's first beach day in Panama.

Red Frog Beach

Our view

Addie sitting down on the sand for the first time. A little unsure of what to think...

She quickly decides that she likes this whole "sand" thing.

Hanging out with Mimi (Mary, Tim's mother)

Sylvia, Mimi, Addie. Definitely note the trees in the background. There is actually a small freshwater stream that you have to cross to reach Red Frog Beach. The trees are growing over that. It's so so pretty!

Remember how I said she liked sand? This one is worth clicking on to enlarge. Check out how much sand is on her face. Priceless.

I honestly thought that Addie would be afraid to go into the waves. Yet another mistaken belief on my part. She charged right in, full speed ahead! Sylvia is helping her into the waves and Bonnie is encouraging her. Mary is snapping pictures right and left (as am I, obviously).