"I Feel Like....."

Before I begin this random post on my feelings from a paper write in Panama, I have to tell you how much of a visual person I am.  Do you ever find yourself needing to download your pics first before writing your posts?  I do.  Except for the pieces that were written by hand previously.......This next post was written on a notepad under a mosquito net. June 27th, 2011.

Me on Coibitas Island, Panama

"On our trip, all of us used the phrase, "I feel like" so much that it became a running joke.  Here are some reflections about Panama using our popular start to a sentence, "I feel like.......".

At the museum of the Panama Canal, Miraflores Locks

I feel like we ran into a larger variety of tourists on this trip.  On each of our excursions, there were the older and much more quiet yet sophisticated birders.  There were the dirty and younger backpackers.  We also ran into the surfing community on a lean budget. There were also the general tourists(or as I'd like to call them...the "Vegas crowd") who stayed in the air conditioned hotels within the confines of Panama City.  Finally, there were also the sports fishermen and their girlfriends.

Taken in Gamboa, Panama at the Gamboa Rain Forest Resort

I feel like most of Panama is a haven for birders.....which it is.  Almost everyone, professionals and your everyday Jose, knew a lot about birds.  If you aren't a birder, you'll become one quickly after this trip.

One of the old train cars in Boquete

I feel like too many people speak English in this country.  So while it's frustrating for a Spanish teacher to hear English, it's comforting for many tourists who don't speak the language.  Plus it's a bonus that the American dollar is used for their currency....although they'll use the word balboa instead of dollar on occassion.  No currency exchange here!

Jail time on Coibas Island

Finally I feel like if you plan well, your trip will succeed beyond your dreams here. If you don't plan, this country will just be "meh".  I suppose that this is true about a lot of places but more so with Panama. After seeing primary forest for the first time, I wished people hadn't messed around with Mother Nature so much in the earlier days of our human development.  The good news is that people are catching on and "fixing" our ancestors mistakes...for the most part. Preservation is now on the forefront of Panama's developing future.  The country is in the process of restoring many things.  It's also growing fast with a lot of international development.  Donald Trump is building his skyscraper in downtown Panama City.  The Panama Canal is adding on more locks which will be completed in 2014, but the park systems are also growing and getting stronger as tourism is picking up in this country.  And this is how I feel."  More tomorrow....

Wildlife Refuge outside of Boquete