Once we left Montezuma, Costa Rica we embarked on a 17 hour travel day to get to David, Panama. We stayed the night in a hotel and got up at 7am the next morning to get to Panama City. My dad really missed my mom and the fact that we were both exhausted from all of our traveling aided our decision to get a flight home 3 days early and surprise our family on Christmas day. (My Montezuma post is on my other blog in case you didn't see it -- I wanted to get a feel for writing on that blog)
We rode a double decker bus 6 hours from David -- Panama City. We got to sit in the front so our view was awesome the whole way. However, after all our traveling the last 7 weeks we were pretty exhausted and ready to get to a hotel and sleep. We arrived in Panama City on Friday (dec 23). Since we knew we wanted to go home early we made it our goal to see all of Panama City on Saturday.
 |
| Mark Santos and Megar Sayder |
 |
| Our view in the double decker |
Our morning started with a trip to the Panama Canal where we saw a ship passing through. The whole process is really neat and we saw the water raise and lower to meet the necessary level to move it along through the canal. Luck was in our favor because we ended up meeting a taxi driver who offered to take us to the 3 must see places in Panama City.
- Ancon Hill - 360 degree view that overlooks all of Panama city
- Amador Causeway - a beautiful area that is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Panama Bay.
- San Felipe- also referred to as Casco Viejo - it's rich in history and regarded as a national treasure
 |
| Panal Canal with a ship passing through |
 |
| water lowering on one side, rising on the other |
Ancon Hill-
Amador Causeway -
 |
| Our taxi driver |
Our own exploring of Panama City -
 |
| My dads favorite building. (The pointy one in the middle) |
 |
| There were Christmas displays like this everywhere |
This is a common dish eaten in Panama-
 |
| Chicken with ketchup and potatoes that are suppose to be like fries |
All of the chicken buses in Panama are decorated crazily and it honestly is crazy to me how they even see out the front window.
 |
| A tiny little window to see out. |
 |
| View from inside the bus |
We were so impressed by all we were able to see of Panama in one day that the idea of coming home early was not even a question. We went to the airport Christmas morning at 7:30am and paid extra to get a flight home that day. We didn't mind spending extra to get home because we would of spent the same amount on hotels and food for our last 3 days. We arrived in Dallas, Texas at 1 and waited 3 hours for our next flight. The airport was packed with a lot of marines who had just ended their tour. It was cool to see all the crowds gathered/excited outside the gate for their return.
Also something I should add is how hard it was to not tell anyone that we were coming home! Thankfully we did it day of so I only had to keep the secret for 12 hours.. (I am not the best at keeping in a surprise because I just want to tell the person!) When we arrived in SF we took bart home and then a taxi. My dad was very set on not having anyone know.
The surprise was well worth it and shocked everyone! I should also add my mom does not like surprises one bit and it took her about 2 days until she fully grasped the fact that we had come home early. She was extremely excited -- as were we! It was so fun surprising our family on Christmas day.
A recap of our trip along with the transportation we used --
Started Nov 7 in El Salvador --bus-- Guatemala --flew-- Belize --bus,ferry,taxi,flight-- Honduras --flight, bus-- Nicaragua --taxi, bus -- Costa Rica --bus, ferry, bus -- Panama came home Dec 25. A total of 7 countries in 7 weeks of traveling.
My top 3 favorite places during the trip (I highly suggest others to visit)
- Antigua, Guatemala
- Roatan, Honduras
- Montezuma, Costa Rica
Our whole adventure exceeded my expectations! We definitely had 2 of the best months of our lives. My dad and I are closer then ever after spending so much time traveling together. We are a great duo together and I would definitely do another trip with my dad. The memories we made on this trip will always hold a special place in my heart and I am so grateful for this opportunity. I am sad to know our adventure is done but will relive the memories in my mind often.
I am now 17 countries down to reaching my goal of 25 countries by the time I'm 25. My 24th birthday is coming up and I will have 8 countries left to hit this coming year. I think traveling is the best way anyone can spend their money. I've gained so much knowledge and understanding of other cultures on this trip. It really makes me appreciate all that we have here in America and how often I take things for granted. Along with what I have gained I have also met some of the coolest individuals that will remain in my life forever.
Thank you for following our journey through Central America. This blog has been so much fun to update and share our adventure on! It is such a good feeling to know people have followed it. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions if you have any :)
