For all of you who have been asking me from the very beginning of this process, "When are you going?", I can finally say, after months, weeks, days and minute by minute handling of excruciating details, "The time is NOW!" Yes, I am flying out of Fresno tomorrow, on a flight with two layovers (LA and Houston) that is headed for Panama City. A friend is driving me to the airport with a breakfast stop first. Airport food is awful, and the trip will be a long one, much of it waiting for connecting flights. Leaving Fresno at 2:28 pm Sunday, I won't arrive until 1:55 pm on Monday.
I decided upon Panama for a number of reasons, including the fact that it is central to Central and South America, being located in the very middle of the two continents. Also, they are friendly to Americans (at least as far as I know). Panama is also cash rich because of the Panama Canal. An investment advisor I met recently told me that the big tankers pay one million American dolares for each 80 mile crossing. And when you consider how many crossings there are daily (tons and tons), that's some kind of income! There is still not much of a middle class, unfortunately, and plenty of poor people, but I will fill you in more on that when I get there. I am staying at the Hostal Urraca for 3 days in a nice area of Panama City, just a few blocks from the water.
Hostal Urraca, Panama City
Nothing fancy, but it is full of character (see more pictures at Expedia.com). Then I received an email from one of the hostel's staff advising me (in Spanish!) that I can be picked up at the airport for a nominal charge. This is great, because I know I will be exhausted and will want to crash immediately, without looking all over creation for the hostel. I've learned that addresses in Central America do not usually follow any particular rhyme or reason; that often someone gives directions saying, "such and such is by so and so down near the river. That won't do after a 24 hour trip!
Today I sold my car. What is amazing is that I have never before felt so extraordinarily lucky. So many events during the planning of this trip have been completely serendipitous, and I have never before experienced almost constant occurrences of synchronicity, especially during this last month. As an example, the woman who bought my car is from Peru, and she made me a list of contacts there. Another woman who owns a favorite Visalian Restaurant, spied the for sale sign, called about it, and when she learned I was selling the car because of my move, was thrilled to hear I would be visiting Costa Rica. Turns out she had lived there for a year and would return tomorrow if she could. She didn't buy the car (too small for her son's young family), but she had tons of information she very generously shared with me. Overall, I have sold every last thing I needed to, and the things I kept fit snugly into the 10' by 5' indoor storage space I am renting. And getting back to the car, how lucky that I had transportation almost to the hour of my departure! These occurrences have boggled my mind, and trust me, these are only a few that I am sharing with you here, out of many!
Sold!
Well, that's it for tonight, since I have a huge day tomorrow. Hard to believe that it is actually here and that I am leaving a home that I have known and loved for about a third of my life. Good night to all!
I decided upon Panama for a number of reasons, including the fact that it is central to Central and South America, being located in the very middle of the two continents. Also, they are friendly to Americans (at least as far as I know). Panama is also cash rich because of the Panama Canal. An investment advisor I met recently told me that the big tankers pay one million American dolares for each 80 mile crossing. And when you consider how many crossings there are daily (tons and tons), that's some kind of income! There is still not much of a middle class, unfortunately, and plenty of poor people, but I will fill you in more on that when I get there. I am staying at the Hostal Urraca for 3 days in a nice area of Panama City, just a few blocks from the water.
Hostal Urraca, Panama City
Nothing fancy, but it is full of character (see more pictures at Expedia.com). Then I received an email from one of the hostel's staff advising me (in Spanish!) that I can be picked up at the airport for a nominal charge. This is great, because I know I will be exhausted and will want to crash immediately, without looking all over creation for the hostel. I've learned that addresses in Central America do not usually follow any particular rhyme or reason; that often someone gives directions saying, "such and such is by so and so down near the river. That won't do after a 24 hour trip!
Today I sold my car. What is amazing is that I have never before felt so extraordinarily lucky. So many events during the planning of this trip have been completely serendipitous, and I have never before experienced almost constant occurrences of synchronicity, especially during this last month. As an example, the woman who bought my car is from Peru, and she made me a list of contacts there. Another woman who owns a favorite Visalian Restaurant, spied the for sale sign, called about it, and when she learned I was selling the car because of my move, was thrilled to hear I would be visiting Costa Rica. Turns out she had lived there for a year and would return tomorrow if she could. She didn't buy the car (too small for her son's young family), but she had tons of information she very generously shared with me. Overall, I have sold every last thing I needed to, and the things I kept fit snugly into the 10' by 5' indoor storage space I am renting. And getting back to the car, how lucky that I had transportation almost to the hour of my departure! These occurrences have boggled my mind, and trust me, these are only a few that I am sharing with you here, out of many!
Well, that's it for tonight, since I have a huge day tomorrow. Hard to believe that it is actually here and that I am leaving a home that I have known and loved for about a third of my life. Good night to all!
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