Revisions

We had one more stop before our tour with David ended. He drove us out to VeraCruz to have lunch on the beach. VeraCruz is one of the beaches we used to go when I was a kid. Dad and I would draw letters in the sand with sticks because the tides are so crazy there. You can get up to an 18 foot tide change so you end up with a lot of real estate to play on at the right time of day. Just don't get caught when the tide comes in or you may have to swim. No swimming that day. Just fresh fish, fresh shrimp and cold Balboas! Me and Mom back in Da Day!  Dad and I drawing my name in the sand.  This is what it looks like now. Pretty much the same.  Papa Gar enjoying one last whole Corvina! He's Happier! The infamous (to us) Hibiscus photo. I was just smelling it for a photo and mom said "take your hand away," so I took a big sniff and voila! Hibiscus Nose! We attempted reenactment but it just didn't work out that well.  ...

This was the most surreal hour and a half of the whole trip. We made our way out to Howard Air Force Base (which is no longer an AFB) and found our old house. Just looking at the photos I get emotional all over again. Not that I broke down crying or anything but it was really weird standing in a place that holds so many memories.  Here is me freaking out that we found it!!! Our old Street! Coffey Avenue! Exploring the old digs!  This stairwell led up to the door in the kitchen. It was a little creepy so I just filmed from where I was.  :-/ I don't do creepy. Here we are in front of 60A Coffey Ave!    That "hill" behind my mom seemed so much bigger when we lived there. I remember my dog running down it and tripping, which led to a head over heels tumble that still makes me laugh when I think of it. And that fence used to be a favorite spot for three toed sloths to hang out.  ...

                           Our last day was really busy. We reverted back to our trip standard of seeing thee things a day and blew right past it to finish off our visit! Next stop was Ancon Hill or  Cerro Ancon . You take a narrow, windy road up 654 feet to the top of the hill and are rewarded with sweeping 360 degree views of the city. And believe me, mom needed a reward after that little car ride. I asked her if she was having flashbacks of the trip home from Panama where we drove through Central America and all I heard was a weak little grunt in response. Mama does not like windy, little mountain roads. But wow it was  beautiful.  The view up the Canal Views of Santa Ana and Casco Viejo Me, doing what I do!  The Bridge of the Americas The Panamanian Flag atop Cerro Ancon The views of Panama City A lot of the residences are being bought u...

The next stop on our last day was the produce market. Mom didn't remember coming here but David thought it would be a fun place to see.  I was in serious search of a mango since it seems we were too early for mango season, so the odds of me picking one off a tree like I did as a kid were slim to, oh wait not even slim. They were zero. But this was like winning the lottery. It was astonishing! I mean, I know a good farmers market, but I have to say this place puts Union Square's market to shame. Even in the summer. Now I get that a lot of it has to do with the customer being markets and not necessarily consumers but come on. Do you see the volume? I was blown away. I mean seriously, how darling is this guy! Loved the Panamanian People, and I did get two mangos from him.    This guy called us over and asked (in Spanish of course) if we wanted to try his pineapple. Uh, Of course! So he proceeded to expertly carve away the bottom an...

Best day of the whole trip. It started with our host David picking us up for a full day of revisiting places we used to go when we lived in Panama. Both of my parents have been telling me stories of the Mercado Pescado in Panama City. Dad used to go down to this Market on the weekends and pick up fresh fish. He told me stories of how he would take visitors with him but would take them through the meat market (think 1975 third world with no refrigeration and lots of carcasses) on the way to the fish market. Mom is a little sensitive to smell so it sounds like she would babysit and let dad do the shopping. While the fish does smell like the sea it's not the fishy smell you sometimes get when it's not just out of the water. Its briny and fresh and this stuff literally was swimming the night before and it was beautiful.    We walked around shooting and watching the fishermen taking the scales off the fish with speed and expertise. It was mes...