Gymnastics Trip to Panama

****Disclosure**** This was probably the most difficult trip that I have ever been on. We are back home, we’re safe, and I can smile about the difficulties now.

Overall, we had a great experience on our trip to Panama. There are 11 girls on the team and there were 15 other family members that were on the trip. The girls enjoyed the opportunity to compete in an event with teams from Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. We enjoyed a true “immersion” experience with more than 40 hours of travel time from Costa Rica to Panama and back to Costa Rica. This same trip could have been accomplished with 45 minute flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City. Oh, how we missed our normal travel benefits.

Day 1 (Tuesday night)

We left the school at 8:45 PM. The “micro-bus” seats 27 people and is nice. We arrived at the Costa Rica / Panama border at 3:30AM. The border was closed until 6:00 AM. We waited in line for 2 ½ hours. When we arrived, there were less than 10 people in front of us. By the time we passed through immigration, there were more than 40 people that had already gone.

The bus broke down on the side of the road after about 2 hours of driving in Panama. Large trucks were driving by the bus at high speeds. There was not a shoulder on the road large enough for the bus. The bus was parked in the shoulder and partially in one of the two lanes of the road. Next to the road, there was a steep drop of about 25-30 feet. There were a couple close calls on the road. We had another issue with the bus 45 minutes outside of Panama City.

We arrived at the Panama hotel 19 hours, 15 minutes after beginning the trip the previous night. We had been told the trip would be 14-16 hours. Check-in took at the hotel took more than 3 hours for our room. The team missed their first practice which was scheduled for 1 hour before the bus arrived. We had a quick dinner at a diner across the street.

Day 3 (Thursday)

The team practiced in the morning. While they were practicing, I went with a few others to the Albrook Mall. It was very impressive. Generally, the prices in Panama are very cheap, but not at this mall. The prices were similar or more expensive than prices in the U.S. I spent the morning planning a team event for the afternoon at the bowling center in the mall. The bowling center had only been open for 1 month. I have to admit that I had a little bit of facility envy. After practice finished, everyone piled into taxis and took off for the mall. This was the first bowling experience for all but two of the people. We had pizzas and Coca Colas for the whole group. It was the most excited group I have ever seen in a bowling center. They cheered for each other every time they knocked any pins down.

After we finished bowling, everyone loaded into the bus and took off for the shopping center at Los Pueblos. The entire group was very excited about the shopping opportunities. They had been saving for the shopping trip in Panama for the entire year. We returned to the hotel, had dinner at the diner and went to bed.

Day 3 (Friday)

Three of the girls were scheduled to compete on Friday morning. After they finished, we all went to the mall for lunch. The girls ate at McDonald’s and then everyone went shopping. The girls that did not compete in the morning were scheduled for practice late in the afternoon. Once again, we had dinner at the diner and went to bed.

Day 4 (Saturday)

It was competition day for Chandler, RandiKate and 6 other girls. I left the hotel early to get the video camera set up and reserve the seats for the rest of our group. It was really enjoyable during the meet. It is really different than meets in the states. The groups were cheering, singing, and blowing horns throughout the event. It was much louder than a typical meet in which the girls have competed. Chandler and RandiKate were the only ones to compete in their group. All of the other girls had finished. The other girls spent the entire time cheering for Chandler and RandiKate. It was really fun for them and for dad, too. Chandler placed first on the beam and 4^th overall.

We went back to the hotel to pack our bags and clean up. The girls all went swimming. The pool was located on the 12^th floor at the top of the hotel. It had a great view of the city and the ocean. We were told that we needed to be at the hotel at 7:30 ready to pack the bus and get on the road. We went to the mall with Sofia and her mother, Ins. Ins and her husband have 3 schools for learning Spanish in Costa Rica and Panama. Oscar, the coach of the team, also joined us. We were in search of a Taco Bell. We never found it, but ate at a new Mexican restaurant. Then we shared a Dippin Dots experience with our Costa Rican friends.

We were in the lobby at 7:15. Actually, it was a few more hours until we left. We loaded the bus at about 8:45 and then waited for another two hours (I have no idea why we were waiting). We drove through most of the night. We went a little out of the way to the school owned by Ins and her husband. It was a good break for us. It was in the mountains of Panama near a Volcano. It was very chilly in the morning. We ate breakfast and had coffee on our stop. Ins and Sofia stayed at the school and the bus took off for the border.

When we arrived at the border, we went through the immigration line and they told us that our (me, Chandler, and RandiKate) passports had not been stamped properly. They said that we could not go back into Costa Rica and we could not go into Panama. I was really confused, hot (more than 85 degrees) and tired. In the end, it all worked out, our passports are stamped properly and I have $40 less than I had before we went through the border.

On Sunday night, we arrived at the bus station in Turrialba more than 23 hours after we left the hotel in Panama City. A taxi was waiting for us and 25 minutes later, we were home in Tuis.