Panama did not disappoint. Although it was perhaps the most unique location we have gone on a sales incentive trip - it was one of my favorites.
A few things surprised me. The beach was not beautiful. It was rugged. The tide makes the beach vary vastly. At some times of the day the beach by our hotel was huge, rocky and covered with shells. At other times the tide came up so high there was only a small section in which we could walk. People did not hang at the beach. Instead the hotel had many pools around which people congregated.
The airport was awesome. It was as organized and easy to pass through as one in America.
Panama felt safe. It felt much more modern and more stable economically than many of the places we have traveled.
The local currency is the American dollar.
Spanish is the most common language. It is spoken more slowly in Panama than in other places I have traveled. I could nearly understand it!
There is a very international feel in Panama. The people are very diverse ethnically. Because of the canal being built, the Panamanian people are all sorts of combinations of Indigenous, Spanish, Chinese, American, and African roots. In Panama, like America, citizens come in a variety of colors. But unlike Americans, there seemed to be a more central culture. (I am not sure this is totally correct. It was Carnival. Panama City, where we stayed, was nearly empty. Most Panamanians leave the city to celebrate Carnival in a countryside village, so we did not get a great feel of every day Panama.)
It was HOT and humid - 90*. I loved it!
I took a ton of photos. . . I will start with a few snaps of the hotel.
We stayed at the Westin Playa Bonita on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Panama.
This is a picture of the hotel taken from the beach during low tide. In Panama resorts seemed less vast and more hotel-like than other places we have traveled.
The hotel lobby bar.
It was a nice hotel - but NOISY! The music blared until late at night. It was not a great place for cozy conversation. . . or any conversation for that matter!
This was our room. It was very open! As you can see, a bamboo shade was all that separated the bathroom from the bedroom. It had a small tub and a separate shower. It was not the fanciest room we have stayed in on an incentive trip, but it was certainly clean and comfortable!
We were on the 14th floor. This shot is a view of the pools taken early in the morning.
And here you can see the Pacific. The water was grey, not the sparkling turquoise of the Caribbean. But no matter the color, the sound of the crashing tide woke me in the morning and lulled me to sleep at night. I adore that sound.
We are walking way out into the ocean during low tide in this photo. You can see the hotel in the background.
This is a fairly good representation of how the tides change. At certain points in the day this little gazebo was at water level. At other times it stood completely out of the water. When I stood next to it, it towered high above me.
Chad was a great sport. I love to walk and climb and explore. He typically prefers to read a magazine. This trip he tolerated (and maybe even enjoyed) my adventuring. He walked with me through the beach and onto the rocks as far as the tide allowed.
We spent our first day in Panama in meetings, exploring the beach, napping, and at a banquet.
Rest, sunshine, and heat are healing. Especially after months of rush, and dark, and cold.
