Panama

My camera took a spill in Panama.  Well, I did too.  I wish I could say it happened doing something cool, like surfing, hiking, running from wild animals.  But since my mom reads this (she might be the only one), and I wouldn’t want her to think that traveling is any more dangerous than my normal life, I’ll tell the true story.  I fell down the stairs.This should be no surprise to anyone who knows me, as I fall down often (I fell down my sister’s stairs two days before we left).  But this time it really hurt.  Think rainstorm, flip flops, tile stairs, huge travel backpack.  Not a good combo.  The fall left bruises all down my left shin and foot and the right side of my butt.  But the worst part was when I opened up my backpack, pulled the lens cap off my camera and saw shattered glass.  ACK!  Thankfully I had a lens filter, which shattered into fifty little pieces and made a mess.  But that $30 UV filter saved my $1,300 lens.  Note to all photographers out there: ALWAYS get the lens filter.  Always.Fortunately my camera still functioned after that, but I was a bit more shy about taking it out on some of the more adventurous trips – such as to the more remote beaches that required a boat and pickup truck to access.  So one of the beach images were taken with John’s point and shoot, and many places weren’t captured at all.  Such is life.Other than falling down the stairs in Panama, I also enjoyed fantastically pristine beaches (one with tons of starfish), friendly people, and the cool laid-back vibe of Bocas del Toro, an island off the Caribbean side of Panama (where most of these photos were taken.)  I also tried surfing for the first time, resulting in a wicked sunburn down the back of my legs that still lingers today. The last few photos are from Panama City.  The skyline shot shows how crazy the construction is here – it reminds me of shots you see of Dubai.  Click the image to see it larger and count the cranes.  There’s a shot of me and John at the beach, too, just for good measure.  Try not to make fun of our beach hair :)