Day Six!!

The morning dawned as every morning during our trip here in Panama; me stumbling to turn off the alarm and nearly falling of the bed while my roommate politely refrains from smothering me with a pillow after enduring the past six hours of my cacophonous snoring. However, his justified morning rage was subdued after a quick peek at our itinerary and realizing that today was another day of volunteering at the FANLYC center for children battling cancer. 

Upon arrival at the center, I reflected again on how well kept the center was.  The facility was more than adequate to temporarily house the children. The staff and events for the children were exceptionally organized. As the Christmas holiday comes up, our task for today was to organize the donated toys based on gender and subject for the children to choose from.  As I entered through the doorway of the toy room, I felt as if though the gates of childhood heaven swung open to welcome me. Almost every inch of the room was covered in toys. Everything was there from the latest ‘Transformers’ action figure to cartoon-themed board games such as SpongeBob monopoly, comically translated to “Bob Esponja”.  Our service was brief but very helpful according to one of the directors of the center, who kindly thanked us for our help as parted with the kids and the center.

After we departed from FANLYC, we began our perilous journey to the Panama Viejo Ruins.  Our skilled driver weaved in and out of traffic at NASCAR speeds to get us to our destination in one piece. Though he successfully brought us to the ruins, my psyche was surely not maintained in one piece, but rather shattered into thousands of shards of newfound phobias, mostly regarding entering vehicles. As I cautiously crawled out of the bus, my phobias were quickly overcome by the breathtaking view of the ruins. Hundreds of years of rich history lay before me with emerald green grass encompassing the entire area, scattered with walls of rock and mortar from the 16^th century.  It was amazing to think that these withering structures were once the foundation of a bustling city, housing some of the first settlers of Panama.  After the destruction of the town, the city was rebuilt in what is now Casco Viejo, yet the majority of the destroyed foundations were intact. The scenery was absolutely stunning and was difficult to leave, but our tour continued to Panama Causeway.

We again traveled the winding roads of Panama towards the Causeway to have lunch on the seaside. However, this time our perilous journey was accompanied by a Grammy worthy score of karaoke by my roommate and I.  As we bellowed incorrect lyrics to Usher tracks, the gorgeous landscape of Panama passed us by so quickly, much like our trip. It hit me then that we were nearing the end of Panama adventure, with only a few short days left.  My high spirits turned to sadness, which then turned to nausea, however the nausea was most likely due to the drive over. When we arrived at the Ranchitos restaurant, the smell of fresh grilled fish and ripe lime quickly changed my disposition.  I was overcome with happiness when my grilled corvina was served which really hit the spot. Following the meal was 2 enormous scoops of the sweetest ice cream I had ever eaten from a local shop along the beach. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

-Jerry