Finally HERE!

I'd like you to move your eyes slightly above this post and get excited!!  My Panama countdown has just about expired!  In less than 24 hours, I will be on my way to Panama.  This has been in the works for months and I am more than ready for the day to be here!  I'm anticipating a very fun blog post with lots of pictures after the trip is all said and done.

I am almost all the way packed, which is quite a feat for me.  I'm always such a procrastinator when it comes to packing.  But I have gathered various items around my backpack all week now.  It's great that the biggest item that I have to pack are my trail-running shoes.  Everything else rolls up quite tightly!  Swim suits, beach dresses, shorts, tanktops.....  This is going to be a glorious 5 days.  My camera is fully charged and has a blank 2GB memory card ready to be filled.  And you know I'll fill it!


Itinerary:

• Leave Dulles airport at 6:37AM tomorrow.  
• Arrive in Panama City at 10:37AM local time.  
• Explore city for several hours.
  
• Take taxi to other Panama City airport.
• Hop on a domestic flight at 3:30PM.
• Arrive in Bocas Del Toro at 4:30PM.
• Call Gregario to meet us (our personal boat chauffeur).
• Buy groceries.
• Get in boat with luggage and groceries and have Gregario take us to our little house on our secluded beach.
• Do whatever we feel like for 5 days; lounge on the beach, read a book in a hammock, go hiking, kayaking, swimming, sleep, eat, repeat.
• Make return trip back to reality next Wednesday.  :(
• Arrive at Dulles airport at about 1AM Thursday morning

I'm expecting this trip to be full of adventure, relaxation, fun and awe, with lots of animal sightings - red dart frogs, sloths, alligators, monkeys, macaws, etc.  There is a national park that we can hike to from the back of our house.  We will have no access to our cell phones or the internet, and while it will be really weird not being 'connected', I'm actually looking forward to leaving everything about reality behind.  No more technology!  The house is run on solar power, so no blow dryer for me.  Also, the running water is actually rain water collected and filtered.  Very cool.  

I can hardly contain my excitement!  Here is a little video so you can accurately imagine where I will be.  ENJOY and bon voyage!!