We arrived in Panama City on a Sunday evening, hearing reports there was going to be country wide protests starting the next day. After a quick dinner at the hotel dining room we went to bed. The alarm clock had gone off at 3 AM in Calgary so it had been a very long day.
Our appointment at immigration was not until Tuesday morning. That gave us a full day to relax and recover. Our plan was quite simple, relax at the pool.
Shortly after breakfast we could hear noises outside…and we were on the 12th floor. A peaceful protest was taking place on the street below us. There seems to be a lot of unhappy people in this country right now!
We did get to spend a lovely day at the pool and pretty much nothing else.
And of course always time for food. This lovely little restaurant was just a block or so from the hotel.
Our first seafood meal. Maybe not the first libation!
We actually got to watch a protest and roadblock a hundred or so meters down the street. Thankfully peaceful with singing and dancing.
The next day our appointment at immigration was at 10:30 AM. By 9 o’clock we received an email from our lawyer saying due to potential road closures either go early or try another day. We are already in town so may as well just go. The Uber went straight there. By 10:30 we were already finished and walked out the proud owners of Panamanian Permanent Residency cards. As we were out and about we thought we may as well get our drivers license renewed. Again the Uber took us there without any issues and the licensing process went smoothly. However, on our way back to the hotel every main road was closed with protestors. After taking several side streets, and coming across only one street with burning tires, we made it.
We wanted to go to Pedasi the next day, Wednesday, and needed to make arrangements. There were no flights into Pedasi so we tried to book with a private shuttle that we had used last year. Unfortunately, due to the protests the shuttle was cancelled. Luckily we were able to book the last two seats on a flight into Chitre (just over an hour from Pedasi). And with a little help from a friend were able to book a driver to bring us the rest of the way.
A quick Uber trip to the mall for SIM cards and road snacks, and our city tasks were completed.
At 6:30 the next morning the roads to Allbrook Airport were open and clear. Our little 24 seater plane was ready and waiting.
A cloudy day to be leaving Panama City. Also a pretty good view of the canal.
We arrived in Chitre to a fabulous day. Our driver was waiting for us and by 1030 we were in Pedasi. No problems whatsoever.
I hear we were very lucky. Our driver got stuck in a road block on his way back to Chitre.
Now let’s hope there is a peaceful quick resolution to the issues at hand.
Cheers
Ruth
ruthkennedysretirementblog 
Wow! Never without an adventure, Ruth! And as always, you rake it in stride!
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Love your blogs.
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We are in a world of issues. Have fun. Hugs 🤗
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