This place so vibrant it feels like I just mainlined speed. The traffic is crazy and fast. To say horns are honking just doesn't get it, maybe blaring is better but it still misses the effect. People are everywhere.
As I look up the street I see gambling casinos, whore houses, banks, more banks and even more banks, liquor stores, lingerie shops dedicated to defying gravity, and some of the most beautiful people in the world.
I can't take it any more and return to my room that is refrigerated...ah, just right. I think I will go back out in the evening when it is not quite so hot.
We left Boquete at 6 am to fly to PC and get a few bureaucratic things done. Not stuff you ever want to do but stuff you have to do. Yella returned on 4 pm flight back to Boquete and I'm staying until Friday afternoon to finish up.
We were supposed to meet our driver at the airport in PC at 9 am but he didn't show up so we started out winging it...not a good idea.
We met a guy who was hanging out at the airport waiting for his daughter to finish flight training. He offered to drive us around. This is the sort of thing that happens in Panama. People can be so helpful at times. Of course, we paid him. You really need someone to take you under their wing and lead you to the right places or all this would simply be impossible.
This is an intimidating place to get around.
First, we went to the US Embassy to get our US drivers licenses authenticated so we can eventually get a Panamanian drivers license. At security, we had to give up our cell phone, electronic car door opener, note book computer and food. I'm surprised they let us through at all.
After about 45 minutes we finished.
Second, we went to the Ministry of Exterior Relations in a mad house of a building to give them our authentication of the US licenses. We never would have found it without the help of our friendly driver. After about 20 minutes we then went to the bank to pay something, I don't know what. This was an adventure and took about 30 minutes.
Third, we went on a scavenger hunt for the importer of our goods from the US. We NEVER would have found it without our driver. He had to call them a couple of times to finally get there.
Now, this is interesting. We had called them, 3 times in the last 5 minutes. We ring the door bell in this warehouse and no one answers. It's not like they don't know we are coming, right. So we call again and pry them out of the back office to open the damn door! This place goes from helpful to plain impossible.
After 20 minutes we finish.
You'd think we are done but NOOOOOOOO!
I have to return to the Ministry of Exterior Relations to pick up what ever we left there and I have to return to the importer to get my passport back.
Then, I get to fly back to Boquete Friday afternoon.
Sometimes this is an intolerable paper chase.
Oh, by the way, all this drivers license stuff is not finished. We have to go to David (close to Boquete) and take hearing and vision tests AND get a blood test, then we get a Panamanian drivers license. And they wonder why so many people never get one.
The fun never stops.
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