How can I even begin to describe the excellent that I had! Two of my friends from the states who came to Panama with a volunteer group their the mission decided that it was time to visit the tropics again! Tom and Miles worked their magin among the children in Loma Cova when they came down to help with the construction of the new home and Sunday School building the church was building. Miles impressed the kids with his Rock and Roll music, and Tom was great with the kids who wanted him to endlessly push them on the swings! The kids also had an impact on Tom and Miles, who sponsers some of the kids scholarships to go to school. Tom wanted to meet the children he sponsers, and so a trip was arranged and I got to put my Tourist guide skills to use! It was only the best for Tom and Miles, (not that they demanded it) but that I wanted them to see the other side of Panama, the Panama outside of the mission and church world that they already knew. Heres a run of what we did!
Friday night we met up and went to dinner at the best Italian restaurant in the city, Pomodoros! It was excellent, I had my usually Gnocci a la Gorgonzola, and it was heaven. A few hours, some sangria glasses, and dinner and dessert later, we left for a little cruise on the Via Veneto, where one of the cities biggest casinos is located. After a little time out and about, we headed back to the hotel, which was a convienent three blocks from my house.
Saturday was a day full of adventure. Having already done some tourism within the city while they were here with the group, we decided to head out of the city and hit some "off the beaten path" tourist sites. We traveled about 2 hours outside of the city to my favorite relaxation destination, El Valle. If you haven't heard me endless rant about this place, I will spare you. Just take my word, one of the most beautiful places that I have ever visited. We visited the waterfall that is in this city located inside a volcano crater, ate lunch, did some shopping at the local farmer's and artisan's market, and just took in the fresh air that you never get in the city.
It was on the way to El Valle that we had our most memorable moment. Driving through the canal zone, one kind of just gets absorbed into the jungle, the tranquility and the serenity of it all. This happened to me, as I zoned out while Miles while driving: Miles was just simply going with the flow of traffic, yet our car was pulled over for speeding when a police man drove past. A little worried, we pulled over. I translated and we were "speeding". And hind sight being perfect, I realized that he wouldnt know exactly how fast we were going because he was driving in the opposite direction when he saw us (not the best conditions for estimating someone's speed). But he asked for the drivers lisence and the contract. In a moment of forgetfulness, Tom couldnt find the contract. We were to be taken inmeadiately to the police station. Our day was shot, I thought.
The policeman was to escort us to the station, and so we slowly drove after him. About 100 meters done the road, the cop pulled over again. Geez, what what were doing this time, ran through my head. He came to talk again, and basically asked us if we wanted to pay him instead. At first, I will admit, I was confused, and honestly dont think I understood his spanish (it was after all, the first experience in Spanish of being asked to pay a bribe), but when he started to tak about "DISCRETION", I figured it out really quick. He didnt want problems, he didnt want any recognition (he keep his name badge neatly out of site). In the prospect of spending the whole morning filling out papers or being able to continue our wonderful day, we opted to pay the fee to the cop, postively thinking that he wasnt corrupt, he just had a child's birthday party to pay for. And not that honesty is really able to describe a police officer who is corrupt enough to stop three gringos, rung them through the ringer and then take some money, at least he was paid off with the $50 we would have paid for the ticket. What a story!
So, Sunday we spent a little time together, went to lunch and made sure that Tom and MIles got off safely! It was so good to see them and to spend some time with them! I am glad that they got to see a part of Panama outside of the mission, a part of Panama that I really love and that I really feel has become my life! And how many people can say that they have paid off a Panamanian cop?
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