This was one of the more spontaneous trips I’ve ever embarked on. About a month ago I flew from SJC to KUL via LAX. My layover in Los Angeles was long enough to meet up with a good friend for dinner. While at dinner she told me of her plans to visit Guatemala. It just so happened that her flight out of LAX was the same day that I had planned to return to the US. In fact, my return flight arrived about 2 hours before hers departed. So we thought that maybe, just maybe, I could join her on the trip to Central America. She pulled up her flight details on her smartphone while I launched the Kayak iPhone app on mine. I plugged in the dates and times and sure enough, there were still available seats. As fate would have it, I had just began a frequent flyer match program with Delta (the airline she was flying with) and I needed the miles, so without hesitation I booked the flight right there at the dinner table from my phone. My how I love technology! Fast forward to a month later. I arrived into LAX from Malaysia with a very small window of opportunity to catch my flight to Guatemala. Fortunately since both my arriving and departing flights were both international, I was able to save some time by not having to transfer to a different terminal. Unfortunately I still had to wade through the customs process AND the horrid security screening at LAX. But luck was on my side that day. Due to my Gold status with Delta I had priority access and was able to breeze through security. With only a few minutes to spare I was at my departing gate AND Delta had upgraded me and my companions ticket to business class! That’s just how I roll.
Manuel Antonio Park is the definitive reason why people flock to Costa Rica. From a Top 10 beache to marvelous bio-diversity. It’s got all of the ingredients for a relaxing vacation destination. And where else can you spot real live toucans in their natural habitat!?
We stayed in the old town of Panama City, which is a mix between old run-down buildings, and newly renovated buildings in the same style of the old. It seems as if it’s been a slow process, but over time this place is going to be a MAJOR tourist destination. Our apartment rental was literally a stones throw from the presidents palace (no we didn’t throw a stone at his house) so safety and security wasn’t an issue at all. You can tell from the skyline of the new downtown area that there are some major bucks coming in thanks to the canal that was recently turned over to the Panamanians. Mark my words, this place is about to explode! Let’s hope it doesn’t lose it’s charm in the process.
