Gifts of Holy Week

Last Wednesday, when my cell phone rang, it appeared on the screen number preceded by +33 6. “Bonjour!” answer by identifying the code as Paris.

“We are flying to Panama on Monday and would like your cooperation in putting together a 10-day itinerary. We are interested visit Canal, Bocas, San Blas and Coiba. We would also like to hire yacht services to sail the Gulf of Panama.”

Surprised by the urgency of the trip, I recommended that they postpone it for at least a week, since their arrival was just at the beginning of Holy Week where it would be very difficult to plan their stay due to holidays and trips to the province. Oh yeah a significant number of visitors the day before.

They contacted me on Friday. “It is not possible to change the reservation. Air France’s penalty is very severe. QMeet us on Tuesday at 10:30 at the Sofitel hotel for coffee.”

Without a doubt, the weekend worked out interesting compilation of an itinerary with several options, realizing that they were a VIP couple, including a visit to the highlands, which was their first foray into the Isthmian.

Our extended meeting at the hotel resulted in rI refuse all the options offered. Faced with a scenario like this, anyone says goodbye and goes about their business. But this is a couple who traveled from afar, who do not know the language, customs and who honored us by choosing a destination.

“Qu’est qu’on peut faire? (What are we doing?), they asked. “Follow me,” I answered firmly. Then, We headed towards the parking lot, getting into my car. Scratching their heads, ask yourself: what is the first thing a person does when traveling to an unknown destination?

By the way, please wait a few minutes for your reply, making them think.

After a quiet silence, not wanting to be rude, I replied: “visit the supermarket, check what’s there and what’s not.” These very busy visitors must have probably assumed at that moment, “how did I not think of that before!”

With hellish traffic in Helmet, I guess Nito was getting ready to go to an important meeting Who knows why, we witnessed a herd of cruise ship passengers hanging around the property. Already at Cinta Costera on the way to the Costa del Este, I stopped visiting the shop, due to the sudden interest of my guests in the canal, then I turned towards Miraflores, where the column of tourists resembled a tiresome rosary of children in search of a visa Front page Embassy of the United States in Caracas.

As interested as they were, they didn’t want to wait. And the authorities don’t realize that Miraflores has remained small, unskilled, a national shame, especially on days when cruise ships anchor in Amador. I suggested a midday boat crossing via Miraflores and Pedro Miguel, which they readily accepted as a more cost-effective option. From there we went to lunch in Amador, with the obligatory photo shoot in front of the wagon in front Convention center and the sign Panama in flamenco.