Starting the Adventure

To start a big adventure like living in Colombia for 2 months, you start with a laborious travel day.

Living in Northern New Mexico has many advantages, until you want to go somewhere else. We live 2 hours from the International airport in Albuquerque and our flight was leaving at 5:10am so we had to leave the day before and spend the night in a hotel. Then we had to get up at 3:00am in order to park the car and check in. THEN we flew to Dallas...and Miami...and finally Panama City at 8:30pm. It was ridiculous.

That being said, we all managed to stay in good spirits and even lucked into an "International Flyers Welcome" at Miami airport with Perrier Jouet Champagne and French macaroons. You had me at hello Miami, you had me at hello. When we finally arrived at the hotel in Panama City, we were on sensory overload and the party atmosphere of Friday night surrounding us was a bit overwhelming. We hunkered down in our spacious, modern hotel room and gazed out the floor to ceiling windows at the magnificent architecture of down town. Just as we said goodbye to the heightened travelers energy and started to climb into bed, we heard a series of loud bangs. Of course having been indoctrinated as Americans to fear all other countries, we looked at each other in shock and all wondered if it was gun shots. Cautiously peaking out the curtains revealed an amazing fireworks display! We glued ourselves to the air conditioned glass of the windows and enjoyed front row seats to a fantastic show. It was a perfect welcome to the city.

Waking up in Panama City, our 1st day on our adventure, was leisurely and pleasant, like the warm air that bathed us as we meandered the twisting streets. Striking, beautiful sculpture like buildings rose up around us, while the street level entertained us with high-end dress shops, cafes and restaurants. The tropical trees gave spotted shade and the sidewalks offered a gauntlet of ways to trip and kill yourself. This city has an International feel, filled with beauty and yet also tinged with the signs of despair. Some buildings are dirty and in need of repair, while small casinos shine bright on every corner. It is the strangest mismash of cities I've seen. It is like Rome, Vegas and Bangkok had a baby.

Needless to say, the adventure has definitely begun!

OH and I almost forgot the most important part, there is wine here! I worried that it would be like when we went to Belize and I couldn't "Belize" it (I can't help that dorky joke), but they had no wine. Wait, no they had some wine...horrible crap I would never pay the $3 they ask for at home that in Belize was $28. But I digress, they have wine in all the little corner markets and not outrageously priced for decent stuff! It is a very fun discovery indeed.

-Cheers from the Vivác Winery Family!
www.VivacWinery.com