I wouldn’t mind being in Panama right now. There’s a place in the Chiriqui area called Boquete, and just like Vilcabamba in Ecuador, life is unspoiled, people are kind; they don’t rush, and there’s so much beauty in the surrounding mountains. Once you’ve stayed a bit, and experienced the way life is there, you never forget it. The days are sunny, humid in Panama City, lovely in Boquete. People walk in the rainstorms in Boquete, rainstorms that leave you completely soaked. Those rainstorms-they start quickly and stop quickly.
From Nice, France, I arrived in Panama City. The trip was a long one and I hadn’t made hotel reservations before leaving Nice. I started thinking about this in Miami after boarding the last leg of the flight. That night there were few passengers on the Miami to Panama flight so it was easy to talk with the flight attendants. They were a happy crew and when I asked one attendant about hotels, he said I shouldn’t have a problem. I learned not to be anxious, okay, not to be too anxious, because when traveling casually and solo you get used to asking yourself what’s the worst thing that could happen if . . .
There were only a handful of employees at Tocumen Airport at about 4:00 am, and after following the usual arrival steps, I walked over to the only employee I saw in the area, and inquired about hotels. He asked me to follow him to an office where we could talk. He asked a few questions and suggested that he call his girlfriend’s father who is a taxi driver. He then made another phone call to a friend inquiring about hotels. I had a taxi driver and a reservation at a “good” hotel within a short time. It was interesting that the people he called were awake at that hour. He was young, mature, and handsome. He was confident, had a nice smile and a generous spirit. We talked until his girlfriend’s father arrived twenty minutes later. He said he enjoyed speaking English. I couldn’t have done better had I made the plans myself. The next day it occurred to me that I didn’t know his name. So, this is to you, wherever you are. Thank you very much.
Giving to others selflessly and anonymously
radiating light throughout the world
and illuminating your own darkness,
your virtue becomes a sanctuary for yourself
and all beings.
-Lao-Tzu