Wearing The Tread Off Our Sneakers

Panamarina, where we are currently tied, is in the middle of a national park. We've taken advantage of the pretty surrounding countryside to get in some nice hikes and walks. Some by choice. Others to catch an early bus. On Sunday, we took a long hike over hills and dales, and ended up near the water on the other side of a major hill. It was a beautiful butterfly walk. Lots and lots of varieties of different colorful butterflies were evident. We also saw some beautiful sights where the land is cleared for what looks like future home sites (yes, it seems you can build homes in the national park).

On the way back - we turned a corner only to see a herd of cows, bulls and calves coming at us on the road. The first few were large horned and not exactly friendly looking. There were a few cowboys on horseback with the herd and we headed up the bank on the side of the road and watched them pass. They were probably as afraid of us! It was quite a sight. You never know what you'll run into on a Sunday walk in the woods.

On Tuesday morning, we went into Colon to officially clear out. This meant a good few mile walk to the road to the bus stop. We wanted to catch the 7:30 bus, so we left the boat at 6:20 to make it on time. It was a good way to start the morning. The bus came, and we actually got seats for the entire ride and it was relatively speaking, comfortable. The seats actually had a bit of padding on them and the bus wasn't that crowded until the last half hour or so. As we went met the agent to clear out, he asked for our passports. This after telling us he had everything he needed and we didn't need to bring anything. So we wouldn't be clearing out on Tuesday. We did meet some old friends while doing some last minute shopping. We saw Jack of "Whoosh" from St. Petersburg. He and his wife Patricia will be heading through the canal and made a quick run from Florida to Panama. We also saw Jack from Anthem, Waldy from Talagoa and others. It's amazing who you see at the big grocery store.

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