Panama . . . ?

Imagine this: The kids are on summer break, we have friends in Panama and we need a border run.  No brainer, right?  Road trip to Panama!

"Thanks for coming. . . now, leave."

I think my chin must have hit the floor when we arrived to the border of Costa Rica and Panama and our entry was refused because we didn´t have plane tickets to the USA.  We turned around, in total shock, and thought, "I guess we´ll head to Nicaragua."

In all truth, before we started discussing a solution to the odd reality we were confronted with, we muttered and cursed Panama out for awhile.

The long drive and hours of silence invited me to question my life here as it is not the path of least resistance.  There were some okay moments on our trip as we tried to make the best of it, but really, we were all confused and pissed off.

We returned home to mold all over everything (I never knew weather like this before) and a total ghost town as Nosara pretty much closes up in September and October.

I am reminding myself that experiences are just that: Experiences.  Experiences are neither good nor bad but more about how we choose to respond or relate to the experience.

So when I reflect on our Panama trip, I will remember all of it but especially I´d like to remember how much fun we had while we ate delicious desserts at that cafe in San Jose and how stunning the mountain views were in San Isidro del General.