Southern Hemisphere tour 2010

*this one I started back when we first were in Panama, that’s as far as my blogging went :)*

Ok, its hard to keep the blog updated, I must say, so sorry to all of you who I know are just waiting with held breath to read about my journeys.

But we’re doing great and we’re in Panama

So the Ranch didn’t exactly pan out the way we originally planned.  We thought we would be there for 4 weeks, and we ended up leaving 2 weeks early.  Long story but I’ll just say there were too many bruises, unfair procedures, and non-truths for us to stay.  So we made the decision to leave, which was unfortunate, but we knew as soon as we did that we had made the right choice.

Since then we’ve been biding our time in an awesome little town called Santa Barbara, staying with our new and dear friend Richard, who let us crash at his place and showed us around the area.  We loved it so much we stayed for like a week and a half (or something like that, days are irrelevant to me now) and came down to Panama a couple days ago.  The bus ride took about 11 hours total, and we got to experience our first border crossing.  They were going to look through our bags, but apparently we didn’t seem too threatening, so they let us pass after a brief comment about how I look prettier now than in my passport photo, and barely opening the top of my pack.  Good thing, too, because I’ve gotten packing everything into my bag down to a fine science, and it might have been hard to try to explain in spanish the bag of cocaine stashed amonst my underwear (just kidding Mom and Dad :))

Anyway, Panama so far is awesome.  The differences are subtle but noticable, for one thing the guys down here are much more horn-honking and whistle happy, walking down the street is like a cat wandering through a dog pound.  Its really disheartening, actually, and it makes everyday activities like going to the park a cringing, jaw clinching experience.  We try our best to ignore it, but when men come right up to us while passing and “PSSSSSSSST” or “hey baby I love you” right in our ears, its really hard.  What we see as disrespectful and unwelcome, they see as harmless flattery or a funny pasttime.

*now I will try my best to give the abridged version of the rest of our trip, and get up to date with where I am now*

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