A MOTHER-DAUGHTER VISIT TO PANAMA

Three of Monica's friends and their mothers (who are my friends as well) came to Panama for a visit, and our group of 8 enjoyed 5 fun-filled days together.  The group included Rachael and Phoebe Stein, Carrie and Hayden Randolph, and Kim and Emi Thomas.  Their visit felt extra special to us since they were our our very first friends (non-family members) to come visit us in Panama.

Our time started out with two nights and one jam-packed day of sightseeing in Panama City in which we strolled through the various plazas of Casco Viejo (Panama City's beautifully restored colonial area), walked the area of Plaza Santa Ana (busy with locals buying and selling everyday foods and household goods), visited Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri (one of Panama City's local food markets), visited the Mercado de Maricscos and sampled some of the interesting ceviches, did a quick tour of the Museo del Canal Interociánico, went to the Miraflores Locks to learn more about the Panama Canal and see one of the giants ships pass through the locks, did some shopping for Panamanian textiles and souvenirs, and of course, enjoyed sampling some of the delicious food in the many restaurants in Casco Viejo.  Panama City has so much to offer, and it is tough to decide how to fill your precious time when you only have one full day to explore.  It was a busy and fun-filled day, that is for sure!

After our quick visit to Panama City, we all took a short 45-minute plane ride from Panama City to David, then drove another 45 minutes to Boquete.  The mothers and daughters stayed in Boquete for 3 days, and it was so fun and such a pleasure to show them our lives here and this town and area that we have really come to love.  Our time in Boquete included zip lining, walking through downtown Boquete with visits to local stores and fruit and vegetable vendors, a day-long white water rafting trip down the Chiriqui Viejo River, a visit to the Tuesday "Gringo Market", and a hike on one of our favorite trails "Las Cascadas Perdidas" (The Lost Waterfalls).  Of course, the our time together also included a quick stop to see Monica and Matt's school, a visit to our home in Volcancito, and many lunches and dinners together, sampling some of the local Panamanian food of Boquete.

Monica and I are so grateful and appreciative that these friends took the time to come to Panama to visit us, and it turned out to be a very special trip and experience for us all.  Thank you Rachael and Phoebe, Carrie and Hayden, and Kim and Emi for making it happen!

Phoebe, Hayden, Monica and Emi enjoy their first night out in Panama City - Plaza Bolívar in Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo (also known as San Felipe or "Casco Antiguo") has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997 and is Panama City's beautiful and artsy historic quarter.  Many of Casco Viejos's old buildings have been renovated, and have fortunately retained their architectural charm.  Our group rented two of the upstairs apartments in this beautifully restored colonial building in Casco Viejo, and the location was perfect.  It was such a treat to stay in one of these architectural gems!

Casco Viejo has a mix of colonial buildings, and some have been restored while others have not. This building (yet to be refurbished) sits among some of Casco Viejo's most beautiful structures.  We loved walking the streets and plazas of Casco Viejo, taking it all in!

Both mornings I woke up early and walked the streets of Casco Viejo.  This is the beautiful view at sunrise from one of the apartments we rented in Casco Viejo.  A perfect way to start the day!

Walking through Casco Viejo

The area around Plaza Santa Ana is bustling with locals and street venders

These women (Kuna Yala) from Panama's Archipélago de San Blas were seen in the Plaza Santa Ana area selling their goods.

Some Kuna Yala leave the San Blas Islands and come to Panama City to sell their goods.  The women's traditional clothing is colorful and vibrant, and they are always seen wearing strands of beads wrapped around their arms and legs.  

Fruit and vegetable market at Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri

Meat market at Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri

The meat market at Mercado Publico San Felipe Neri is busiest in the early morning, and taking a quick walk through is quite an experience, as one passes (or inadvertently steps on) pieces of unused meat and plenty of blood splatterings.  As you can imagine, the sights, smells, and sounds can be be a little overwhelming.  Meat vendors such as this one are proud to cut up their meat right in front of you, utilizing giant tree stumps as chopping blocks.  

A trip to Panama City's Casco Viejo area is not complete without a visit to the well-known Mercado de Mariscos.

Any and all types of fresh seafood (some still live and moving) are offered at the Mercado de Mariscos.

Mercado de Mariscos

Several different ceviches are sold at the Mercado de Mariscos, and it is always so fun to sample the different varieties - delicioso!

Panama City

Panama City

The moms (Carrie, Rachael, Kim & Christina) with Panama City's historical quarter,  Casco Viejo, in the background

The daughters (Phoebe, Monica, Hayden & Emi) enjoy a nice city walk as we head back to Casco Viejo after a busy morning visiting several local markets.

Making a stop to buy hats along the way!

Panama City is famous for its Canal, and this year Panama City celebrated the Canal's 100th year.  It was fascinating to learn more about this incredible and important transportation system bridging the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and we all enjoyed seeing it all in action at the Miraflores Locks.

Watching a ship pass through the Panama Canal

This is one GIANT ship passing through the Panama Canal.  Panamanians are proud to announce that after much work and many negotiations, this 100-year-old canal is being expanded and will soon be able to accommodate more and even larger ships.

Hayden, Monica, Emi & Phoebe enjoy delicious homemade ice cream at Granclement.

Hayden, Monica, Phoebe & Emi at the Panama City airport, waiting to board our plane to David.

Flying into David with a beautiful view of the Pacific coastline.

The coastline along Panama's Chiriqui province is stunning.

Welcome to Boquete, a small town in a beautiful lush and green valley!

Purchasing coconut oil and homemade salsa from Benjamin, one of our favorite fruit and vegetable vendors in Boquete 

Phoebe, Hayden, Matt, Monica & Emi get ready to go zip lining in Boquete.  Unfortunately, the weather conditions were not optimal, and there was a bit of rain and a fair amount of wind that day.  Nonetheless, everyone had a great attitude, and it was a fun time!

Monica having fun on the zip line

Matt gets a nice ride.

A view of the Boquete valley below on our rainy day of zip lining.

Christina on the zip line as the rain is coming down!

Our mother-daughter group of 8 at our house in Boquete, Panama

Rachael & Phoebe Stein, Kim & Emi Thomas
Carrie & Hayden Randolph, Christina & Monica Stoney

We enjoyed an incredible day of river rafting down the Chiriqui Viejo River, close to the Costa Rican border.  It was Monica and Matt's first time river rafting, and they loved it!

We took our group on one of our favorite Boquete hikes, The Lost Waterfalls Trail (Las Cascadas Perdidas).  The weather was great, and we all enjoyed the beautiful scenery and fantastic views.

Monica, Phoebe, Hayden and Emi

Beautiful scenery and views on The Lost Waterfalls Trail

Hiking up to The Lost Waterfalls Trail

Waterfall #1 on The Lost Waterfalls Trail

The Stoney Family at waterfall #1 on The Lost Waterfalls Trail

Waterfall #2 on The Lost Waterfalls Trail

Hayden, Emi, Phoebe and Monica at waterfall #2

Our group enjoys one final almuerzo, sampling local Panamanian food at El Sabrosón in Boquete 

Phoebe and Monica at the David Airport as Phoebe gets ready to return to the USA.  Monica and Phoebe have been good friends since kindergarten, and what a special treat it was for Phoebe to visit us during our stay in Panama!

Phoebe, Monica, Emi and Hayden in the David airport.  Our mother-daughter trip was so much fun, and the memories and experiences we all had together will be treasured forever.