RawketScience: Panama

So, I think the story started like this ... One night, about 5 years ago 2 girls (women) were driving home from work - I was driving my friend Elena home after a long day - and we talked about keeping on driving and driving & driving down to the tip of South America. Elena is from Uruguay - her family still lives there.. we knew we couldn't really go right then - she has a son (who's in grade 6 now) and I had 3 in school also - who are all in high school now.

We decided that although we couldn't go right then that one day we were going to go. The big obstacle that we thought of at the time was getting through Panama. We were really caught up in a whole story of our own - I am not sure what Panama is really like.
It was a fun dream.. and every once in awhile we mention that one day we are going to drive down to the tip of South America.

Well, guess what? I now have a friend who works in Panama, sometimes, and I have a place to stay there and my own personal tour guide to show me around - the canal, the rainforest , etc
I am so excited. I have booked a trip there!
I'm going from June 14th to the 22nd. Yay!!

& I've been working at getting in shape, in case (hopefully) we get to the beach. I am just getting in from the gym I joined, which is right here in my building complex. It's great, it has all new Life Fitness machines and an amazing steam room - (one of my fav things to do at the gym) - it's smaller than Premier (the gym I used to go to) but the machines are awesome!! (& so far usually available) The hours are shorter here tho, usually close by 10, so I've been rushing home after work lately to get a work-out in. It's amazing how quickly muscles come back after a period of not working out!! The body is such an amazing thing!

My friend was telling me its one of the few (if not only) countries in which you can have breakfast on the Pacific and drive and have lunch on the Atlantic - only a couple hours away.

It will be interesting to see how it is staying raw there. I'll have to think about what to bring with me.

Panama is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on an isthmus, some categorize it as a transcontinental nation connecting the north and south part of America. It borders Costa Rica to the north-west, Columbia to the south-east, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. (wikipedia)