Finally a tourista...

As if the weekend wasnt exhausting enough! We werent finished! A bunch of youth from El Salvador had come for Escuela de Verano and were hoping to visit with friends and hit some tourist spots before they left on Tuesday. This only meant that I got to join in on the fun. And boy did I enjoy myself!
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Our morning began by running some errands, but once we were done, my host sister and I made our way to the city to meet up with the girls. We enjoyed our morning by the pool. Did some shopping, and found ourselves meeting up with the rest of the gang at the Canal! Yay! Tourist Check Point #1: Miraflores

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At the Panama Canal, they have built a visitor center that literally sits on the point in the Canal where the ships pass through international waters to change hands where they are declared "NUETRAL." The captain literally hands over the wheel, and in the hour it takes to pass through the canal, its "No man's land." Its really awesome because the look outs have been built, about 5 in total, starting from water level, up to a look out above the Miraflores building.

Miraflores: Panama Canal

 You watch these HUGE ships come in from one side, you watch the waters change, and the ships pass through. Its all a very time consuming process but its really amazing. Talk about foreign affairs!
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Inside the visitor center, they have 4 floors of museum exhibits about the history and artifacts from the Canal. Each floor has a theme. The first floor consists of the history about the construction of the Canal. The second floor has models and information about all the ships that pass through the canal, the third an actual mock control deck. Basically what it would look like if you were guiding the ship through the canal. The fourth is dedicated to the wild life and nature environment surrounding the canal. And if your lucky, when you make your way up to the 5th and final observation deck, you might just catch your self in the midst of a recording of "Survivor"!

Hah! Random I know, but I guess its one of the spots they have to "survive" in? I never understood the show so please forgive me and my absent mindedness.
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After the canal, we made our way to Tourist Checkpoint #2: Casco Viejo. I fell in LOVE. End of story!

 Ok so I wont leave you hanging. Just because I want to try my best to describe to you this beautiful area. So Casco Viejo is basically the origins/ remnants of the original city of Panama. It looks like a romantic blend between Cuba and Italy. The architecture is absolutely breathtaking. And its an incredibly popular tourist spot. With three of its sides surrounded by water, who wouldnt wanna get lost in the streets during the day, exploring shops, resturaunts, coffee shops, wine and dine bars.

 Ofcourse, like most places in Panama, its best to stay away after dark. But during the day, it seems harmless. If I ever come back to Panama as a REAL tourist. I will most likely get lost in this area for days! Its an adventure all on its own!
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To wrap up our touristy day, we made our way to Tourist Checkpoint #3: The Temple for a special visit. I say special because the Temple closes to visitors after 5PM, but lucky us, we have the hook ups. My host sister called and explained to the care takers our situation. "We basically have a bunch of youth visiting and they leave tomorrow, can you leave the gates open?" "Sure thing!" Ummm sweet! I must admit, at night, the Temple is even more stunning than it is by day. It lights up the night sky and you just wanna pray the night way.

We spent about 2 hours at the Temple, and called it a night. Great day! Exhausting! But great!