THE FIRST MOMENTS:
What do you call it when 100 or so fast moving cars rush away from the airport to cram into 4 toll booth lines? I call it close encounters of the vehicular kind! Cars were off the road; cars were three wide in a single lane; cars were literally inches apart as drivers strained ahead toward the toll booth line. There was a cacophany of honking horns. There were unkind gestures at close range and seasoned taxi drivers swerved and darted around like it was no big deal. All of this to insert 65 cents into the toll booth machine! Our first impression of driving in Panama is that the bravest, perhaps the craziest, driver wins! Traffic signals seem to be optional as throngs of vehicles turn two lane roads into three lanes of one-way traffic and cars drive on the wrong side of the road to dart around traffic jams before returning to the correct side! This experience left my colleague, Mrs. Browne, feeling quite nauseous and myself thinking, "How exciting! I've experienced this before in Naples, Italy!"
DINNER:
It was 5:00 PM and we hadn't eaten since breakfast in Houston. We walked into a lovely seafood restaurant that was totally empty asked to be seated. The host replied that it was Valentine's Day and that they were totally booked for the night. We did not realize Valentine's Day was celebrated in Panama. We asked if we could eat quickly before the crowds arrived. After several minutes of "I can't possibly seat you," the host finally gave in. Two hours later we were still the only two in the restaurant! Our seafood meal was fabulous and we enjoyed a tres leche cake for desert. Yum!