Travel Day Back to Panama City

Linda and I both woke up around 7:30. She hopped in the shower first as I finalized my airfare for my next adventure . . . return to the blog in April to read about a girls trip to Turks & Caicos!

Our hotel stay included a free breakfast buffet. This one was not nearly as nice as the one Tom and I had in Panama City at the Megapolis Hotel, but I was still able to enjoy pancakes, pineapple, cheeses, and toast. We didn’t have to check out of the hotel until 1:00 so we went back to the room to relax a little bit before we got back on the road. Pete and Laurie were planning on hanging out a little longer at the hotel than we were, so I picked up the Panama guidebook to see if there was anything worth stopping at on the way back to Panama City. I found that Playa Blanca was just 10 minutes off of Route 1 and according to the book “Is one of Panama’s best Pacific beaches.” Well of course then we have to stop! As a bonus it was about at the half way point of the journey back, so it would be also a good opportunity to get out of the car and stretch and walk a bit.

The GPS took us to the beach area, but not directly to a public access point. We drove just a little ways when Linda said to just turn down a road and see where it takes us. Luckily for us, it took us to a place where others had parked their cars and could access the beach. I grabbed the beach treasure collecting bag just in case there were treasures to be found, and off we went.

The tide appeared to be out and we had a large expanse of beach to walk. The sand was nice and hard where the water had been, so it made for easy walking. At first we just saw a few sprinkling of shells, but before too long I spotted my first piece of sea glass. The walk going out was comfortable temperature wise, but when we turned around and came back it felt extra hot. We walked for a bit before Linda asked how far I had planned on walking. We saw some horses corralled on the beach and she said she was going to walk as far as the horses. I looked at my Google map and saw that just past the horses was a break in the beach divided by water, so I said I would walk until I got to the water. Since it was a just a little ways further she joined me. Just past the horses, we got to an area where a little more stuff was washed ashore and I had just found a nice piece of green sea glass when I said to Linda “I’m still waiting to find my first sea marble.” The words had just barely left my mouth and what did I spot? A sea marble!!! The timing couldn’t haven’t been more unreal. It was so unbelievable and I was so excited!! I was already in my happy place getting steps on a beach, but finding the marble really put this stop over the top! For the marble alone, I would concur with the book that this was one of Panama’s best Pacific beaches. We walked the beach for about an hour and fifteen minutes total and I’m so very happy that we made this stop.

Since we were now going to be driving back through an area we were familiar with from the first part of our trip, we had decided that we would go back to the Costa Verde Food Park to get the awesome Mexican food we had previously. I texted Pete and Laurie when we got to the beach and they replied that before they left the hotel this morning they had to change a flat tire. Luckily the spare in the car is a regular tire and not a donut. They were not planning on stopping at the beach, but were going to stop at the Costa Verde Food Park. We got to the food park about 30 minutes after they had. We joined them, but they were done eating before our food came out, so they got back on the road for the last 45 minutes back to the city. Linda and I shared the same nachos and taco we had the first time we were there. No massive chimichanga for me this time! The nachos were good, but not as good as we remembered from the first visit. The beef birria tacos were spot on!! So delicious.

Back in the car, we forged ahead for the last long haul of the journey. It kind of felt like coming home since I was familiar with the roads having traversed them multiple times a few weeks back. We found our next AirBnB in Panama City without any issues. We are staying in a high-rise apartment building on the 8th floor. Pete and Laurie met us at our car in the parking structure and led us to our apartment. The apartment is 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with a nice view of the city. The only thing this apartment doesn’t have is dryer (1st world problem).

Pete, Laurie, and I explored the pool area before we went down the street to a tiny corner supermarket to pick up some essentials . . . although we totally forgot to buy the water we had gone there for. We came back and played some games. Tonight it was 1 game of Sticks that Pete won, a game of Swoop that I won, a game of Five Crowns that I won, and a game of Garbage that Laurie won. I can’t believe I didn’t think about playing Garbage earlier in the trip. That’s another fun game that you don’t have to think real hard on.

We don’t have any solid plans for tomorrow or Wednesday while we’re in the city, but Linda would like to go the the Albrook Mall which is the largest mall in Latin America and just 3 miles from our apartment. I would like to hit up a couple of geocaches, and Pete and Laurie would like to relax by the pool. On Monday and Tuesday we are doing an overnight excursion to San Blas Islands. It’s hard to believe that we have less than a week left. It has gone by so fast!

Stats of the Day

Steps: 10,082
Pieces of Sea Glass/Pottery: 33 and 1 marble!!
Amount of Clothes Hanging All Over The Apartment to Dry: A lot