Panama City =

Pictures are worth a thousand words, and I wish I could write it all out to tell you about these pictures.... but, I'll keep it short! To put it simply, I LOVED Panama City. I don't know why exactly, but I just loved it!! I would recommend it to any travelers, for many reasons: the people are nice, the city is clean, the bus system is organized, the shopping is great!, it's cheap, there's a lot to do, a lot to see, it's safe, and traveler friendly, and the people like North Americans (for the most part). I could probably go on, but it was really really great.
We hit up the canal, which is amazing in itself. We got to see a few ships go through, and that was fun and stuff. After we went to a botanical zoo/garden, not much to see, except the sweet bamboo! The next day we walked through a place called Casco Viejo. It is where the president lives, and where the old city used to be. Ashley had an eye for the most amazing door there! So we took a pic with it. The city skyline is pretty impressive, and the city itself is right on the coast. Panama was HOT!! Super muggy, and sticky, but the hot weather sure was nice! No beaches to hit up to cool down, but we kept refreshed, and a room with A/C was a blessing! We also went to Panama Viejo, which WAS the old old city, until Pirates over took it, and burned it to ruins! True story,a nd really neat to see the ruins. They built a road right through them, which is really funny. And the last highlight is when Ash and I got to sit on Santa's lap and tell him our Christmas plans in Spanish! There were lots of Latin Santa's, but funny enough here Santa doesn't stop? Wierd.

So just a recap, Panama City is amazing, and I will go back if I get the chance!
One reason why it might have been super great is because it was a lot Americanized, more so than Costa Rica, and it was like a breath of fresh air I think. Felt a little like home, and it was very refreshing!