Panama Experience

Today was quite the day. We started very early at 7:30 am to travel out to see the aguas thermales. It was quite the drive, kind of sad to see the trash on the way out there but the scenery was beautiful. The aguas thermales was deffinately a hit among the locals. We had a chance to experience something in the way the Panamanians do. It was a beautiful place with many awesome flowers and the mountains behind were astonishing. After that we traveled to do a quick zip-line through the jungle, where we saw a sloth eating!! Which isn't a common sight. The lunch was probably the best part of the day. I finally got some rice and plantains. I was really happy to see the market where we were able bargain and shop for some cool souveniers. Then we had the surprise opportunity to visit a black sand beach off of this resort on the pacific coast.
I was really impressed by the intricacies of the crafts we saw toaday, especially ones like the molas from the Kuna Yala. The people were very nice and helpful no matter what. It was awesome to interact with the people finally on a semi-personal level being able to practice some spanish and have my mnd jogged of a few words I had forgotten. The lunch was well worth the wait. Food is a direct line to the heart and especially when learning about a culture. I feel like its opening a door way of sorts to learning more about the panamanian culture. The beach was just an invigorating experience. Being on a different coast is a liberating feeling that I felt was shared by all, especially because some had never been there. I have always had an affinity with water and beaches, so seeing one where there was black sand, something I had never seen before today was quite awesome.
I am very excited for tomorrow and the opportunities we are presented with. Being able to come here and participate in such activities is very rewarding.