Panama 2025–Day 3!

Okay, peeps.

I’m still sort of stuck where I’m at for the time being, so even though it’s a bit harder and more time consuming to post on my phone instead of on a laptop, I’m working to upload the remaining days/pics/posts of our Panama trip before the memories get sucked into the chaos of our current life vibes!

So…to recap:

My hubby’s side of the family all journeyed to Panama over Christmas to finally see my father-in-law’s birth country. :)

His father was a journeyman electrician in New York when he was recruited in 1939 to serve as a police officer in the canal district of Panama, where they subsequently raised their family and stayed until 1970.

They lived in Margarita in the Colón district on the Atlantic side of Panama and we’ve heard the stories of my father-in-law’s childhood and beloved upbringing in Panama for the entire time I’ve known him, but had never been able to make a big, collective visit happen, before.

Until now. :)

Our third day of Panamanian adventures involved the true nostalgic reason for being there: to see firsthand the last of my father-in-law’s childhood homes—along with all of the other key places that featured in his memories.

I think the most striking part of being there was the juxtaposition of everything my father-in-law described from his memories versus the present day state of things. 

The way he described this district was so idyllic; that the U.S. government kept things so pristine and perfect at the time they lived there. But, obviously, Panama has a storied history, particularly related to the Canal Zone and operation (now operated solely by The Republic of Panama), so to imagine firsthand the origin of these key zones where U.S. citizens lived and worked and to see it all now, having fallen into a general state of disrepair that’s only beginning to regenerate was…fascinating.

It was wild to use our imaginations and a historic filter on so many of the sites, in order to envision them in their prime. And, also, there was a lot of joy in noticing some small and large pockets of restoration that’s happening within the district. Positive signs, indeed. But great room for improvement.

In particular, the brightest and most meaningful moment of the excursion was driving past my father-in-law’s old home and deciding to stop, get out and take some pictures.

In the midst of doing so, the incredibly kind current owner of the property (and at least one of her children and a couple of grandchildren who live there) came out, suspecting our group might have a historical connection to the property. It was such a priceless moment for past and present to combine. Very emotional, indeed, and so worth the journey.

After spending the morning in Colón, we returned to the resort, had a small bit of down time and then went on an aerial tram for a beautiful view of some higher elevation.

I was grateful to make it through without feeling too panicked about the heights, and it was actually really peaceful and lovely. Felt a bit like being in the calm, beautiful bit of Jurassic Park, ha.

In total, it was such a beautiful but draining day. I’m 100% an empath at my core and I get a bit quietly emotional when revisiting things of the past—apparently, even if they’re not my things of the past.

But, hands-down the crux of why we made the journey and I’m so grateful for reliving the memories live and in person—and then enjoying the wonderful sort of “cool down” mental activity of the aerial tram.

Okay, one more day/post to share. Hopefully, I’ll wrap it up, today. :)

Over and out.