Travel day is finally here. This is my first international trip with Alisa since 2000 (Ecuador). At that time she declared her independence and the right to travel from them on internationally without a parent. Spain in 2002 with her doesn’t count because she was the host in the country where she was spending her high-school junior year abroad. Since then, we’ve both been doing some traveling (she more than I) but in much different directions.
I couldn’t believe my eyes/ears when she asked if I wanted to join her as she started her current adventure. Well, of course, I do! But, I thought I better give her a chance to reconsider in case she really hadn’t meant to invite her mom. After waiting a measured interval, she again extended the invitation. I swooped it up and accepted without hesitation. This Japanese-American sansei didn’t demurely wait until the requisite third invitation was proffered before saying, Yes!
Sí, se puede! Now, we´re off, ready or not. For me, I’m just packed for a two-week trek. Alisa is packed for her two-month trek from Panama to Chile and then setting up a new home in Patagonia. Now, I’m a relatively light packer but she even more so. But, there’s no way I’ll be caught toting more luggage than she.
I´m so excited to be going to Panama. Ever since reading David McCullough´s Path Between the Seas book about the building of the Panama Canal, I´ve wanted to go. The flight was uneventful and even flying out of Newark wasn´t too awful. The flight was full but seemed more so with a couple of cranky babies.
But, we arrived and shared a ride into town and finally found our way to a hotel with a room and a pool. We were tired but excited to start on our journey.
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