The Start

Another adventure, another blog. I love hearing that so many people follow along with me on my trips, I'll do my best to give you good details.

I've been asked, "why Panama", some love it, some are not so fond of it. Of course, there is always a story as to what draws me to my destinations. This time, it starts with a simple nature walk, or a "Full Moon Walk" as they are titled, with the South Suburban Parks and Recreation center in my county. I was looking around on their website, whilst signing up for my summer dance classes, and found a list of nature walks, hosted by the Carson Nature Center (CNC) at SSPR. Once a month, on the night of the full moon, there is a guided tour along the paths at the CNC, and the one that sounded intriguing to me was named "Insect Orchestra". It was a night full of singing nighttime bugs, along with description and education about these little singers. I love these kinds of things, but as I drove to the center, I was talking to myself, asking why I was doing this alone, I found this summer to be filled with an enormous amount of shared time with friends, but also many lonely moments wishing my friends were joining me. I share this only because there is an "Ah-ha" moment coming. So alone I went and joined a group of about 10 people and learned about the bugs that perform for each of us, every night of the summer. At the end of this walk, our guide Skot, announced some additional programs sponsored by SSPR and also added "If any of you like international travel, we are going to Panama in January, I can give you some additional information about it, just see me after our walk is done". WHAT!?!?!? (insert Ah ha moment, it was obvious now, I was there for a reason) How exciting, I was immediately interested and followed Skot back to the office to get the details on the trip.

Side note; at about 3:30am, the morning of this walk, I was awake and fretting about how I was disappointed by how many people were giving me their feedback on how it was probably not a good idea to travel in the middle east alone as an American woman (at the time I was still planning my trip to Abu Dhabi). I was also discouraged by friends telling me that all the places I wanted to go on my way to Abu Dhabi would be cold and uneventful at the time of year I was going. Wishing I had friends to go with or a group to travel with had crossed my mind and I guess I said a prayer about it, because at 3:30am, I had a voice tell me, "then don't go anywhere but Abu Dhabi, you'll be just fine". I stopped fretting, stopped tossing and turning and went to sleep, it was like I flipped a switch, and it didn't matter anymore. That very night, I was given the "golden ticket" with the opportunity to travel with a group, on an amazing trip to a place that was going to be magnificent. Sure it's not Cairo or the Dead Sea, or Croatia, but it's a place that will definitely fill up my traveling heart and will give me a chance to take a whole bunch of pictures.

I barley hesitated at signing up for the trip, it was a bit more then I would normally spend, especially since it is less then 60-days after another big trip, but I didn't care. I felt it was a gift that I was given, based on what I was asking for, a group trip to a foreign country; ask and you shall receive. If you do ask, you best be willing to go with what you are given; timing is not for me to decide. SO, I'm off in 12 days!!! The trip is a 10-day journey with about 15 people that I don't know, yet, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them all.

I will do my best to post each day, with pictures, if possible. I hope you enjoy reading about this journey and I look forward to hearing from you, with questions or comments about my trip.