parents in panama

Panama has a bunch of national holidays sprinkled throughout November, and we took full advantage of the time school was out. At the beginning of the month, my parents came for a visit. We rented a larger car and drove for the first time into the capital. I was nervous about driving there, but Earl was a pro! One great thing about Panama is that it's pretty easy to navigate. Except when you accidentally choose the toll road with booths that only allow prepaid passes! Luckily, an attendant stepped out from somewhere and helped us.

We headed to the Canal, a first for all of us. We lucked out on timing, arriving as one ship was exiting and the last one of the day was entering the locks. The second ship was huge! It was in the closer side of the canal and filled its width completely. Among other things, there were dozens of Chiquita (the bananas) containers. You really get caught up in the process of the water levels changing and the ship being raised and maneuvered through the locks. We were all impressed by the engineering.

Our next stop was Casco Viejo for gelato, a walk, and views of the modern skyline. I really love this colonial part of Panama City. It's both old and new. I'm excited that we're staying there during our next trip into the city.

We headed back home in time for the second day of patriotic festivities. Before the parade downtown, each school holds its own national anthem ceremony, with band performances and other acts. We went to the one at my school and then caught the end of the one at C's. We found a shady spot to watch the parade and watched for our schools' bands. It surprised me that the parade was full of such young kids. They definitely have stamina! We were just watching and didn't make it to the end of the parade.

Because we returned the large rental car when we got back to Santiago, my dad opted to ride around town in the trunk of our SUV. Just before my parents left, our car started acting up, so we took it to a mechanic. It took forever to hail two taxis, but we finally made it home. In some ways, I was glad my parents got to experience the transportation challenge we withstood our first month here. I don't take our car for granted!

We were able to squeeze in a visit to San Francisco (yes, again!) and a night out without kids for Earl and me. The girls have such special relationships with their grandparents, and it was fun to see N really come out of her shell with Pop G. It was such a nice time, and we can't wait for them to come back!