San Francisco Weekend

Friday, January 12-Sunday, January 14:
Limo, Klimt + Rodin, Beach Blanket Babylon, Sunday's a Drag
Mr. E and I bid on a San Francisco weekend package at the Feast for WEAVE in November, which included 2 nights hotel plus limo transportation to and from SF. We decided to take advantage of the MLK holiday long weekend to make the trip, and the timing was also quite lovely to celebrate our 15-year wedding anniversary (1/11/03).

Our limo picked us up at 2:30pm on Friday afternoon, and we hit very little traffic during the drive, so we arrived at the St. Francis Westin on Union Square before 4:15pm. We checked in and had a slight disappointment when discovering that the Stay Fit at Westin program (providing New Balance workout clothes and shoes) didn't have my shoe size in stock. Luckily, I had packed all of my usual workout gear just in case, but I had been eager to try this service to see if it would be something I could plan on for future SPG hotel stays.

Mr. E had done some research on nearby restaurants, so we walked across the street to Farallon for the oyster happy hour special. Yum! With our cocktails and oysters, we also ordered a cheese plate (for me) and a burger (for Mr. E). We sat at the bar to enjoy our drinks and snacks and ended up having a nice conversation with a friendly young woman who was waiting for her girlfriend to meet up for dinner. After this auspicious start to the evening, we went back to the hotel to try out the Clock Bar for a few more cocktails and then had dinner just a block away at Sears Fine Foods. Mr. E ordered the pork chop, and I had the vegetarian special. We finished up the evening with some wine in our room.

On Saturday morning, the Starbucks at the nearby Sir Francis Drake hotel was our breakfast spot of choice, and we then took a taxi to the Legion of Honor for our 11:30am entry into the Klimt & Rodin: An Artistic Encounter exhibit. The exhibition will close at the end of this month, so we had already been planning to make at least an SF day trip to see the show even before we won the SF weekend package at the fundraiser. Per usual, we ate lunch at the Legion of Honor cafe. We've always been very pleased with the quality of the food at the cafe as well as impressed by how the fare changes to tie in with whatever current exhibition is on display. This time around, we didn't order any of the special items but instead enjoyed a yummy black bean and veggie soup with fresh bread.

We walked down the hill to catch the 38 bus back to Union Square and returned to the St. Francis. Mr. E worked out while I read for a bit, and then we headed off on foot to Club Fugazi, about a mile away, for the 6pm performance of Beach Blanket Babylon. This amazing and famous musical review provided fabulous entertainment, singing, and costumes. We've know about it for years but somehow never managed to fit it into our plans when visiting SF, so it was great to finally get to see what others have been raving about! The show was over by 7:30pm, and we stopped for dinner at a tavern a few blocks from the hotel. I ended my day with wine and yoga in the room, and Mr. E spent some more time at the Clock Bar.

Originally, we had scheduled our limo pick-up for 1pm on Sunday and hadn't made any specific plans for the morning. However, Mr. E stumbled upon the opportunity to go to the Starlight Room on the 21st floor of the Sir Francis Drake for the Sunday's a Drag brunch show. We were able to change our limo pick-up time to 2pm, extend our checkout, and purchase tickets to the 11:30am showtime. I started off the morning with a run down Market Street and along the Embarcadero to greet the sea lions at Pier 39, and then we walked over to the Sir Francis Drake around 10:30am, when the doors opened for the show and the brunch began. The food was quite delicious and included a made-to-order omelet station, which Mr. E and I both utilized. The coffee, however, was dismal! So before the show began, Mr. E popped back downstairs to Starbucks to bring back our daily dose of caffeine (and we weren't the only guests with coffee from elsewhere). The show was quite fun, although I was a little surprised that most of the drag queens lip-synced rather than singing their own tunes. I've seen some drag shows in Las Vegas, which were top-notch caliber, but this production was still entertaining and was Mr. E's first drag show experience!

Our limo drive back to Sac was quite smooth, again with minimal traffic. We finished up our weekend with drinks and dinner at home and snuggles with the kitties. A great SF experience and a fun way to celebrate our 15 years!!!

Panama Trip (Day 9 - End of Trip!)

Wednesday, January 3: PTY > LAX > SMF
I was up at 4am to do a short workout prior to our 5am airport shuttle departure. Ten other Caravan guests joined us on the early shuttle, and thanks to Mr. E's 1K status with United, our check-in at Copa was very easy, although we weren't able to change our seats to be next to each other during the flight.

Oddly, we weren't able to find any Duty Free shops in the airport, so I could procure any Seco Herrarano to bring home. We did finally manage to locate the Star Alliance Lounge, where we relaxed for about 30 minutes and picked up coffee and snacks prior to the flight. We also got breakfast and a hot snack on the plane during the 6.5 hour journey.

When we landed at LAX, we moved through passport control efficiently thanks to the Mobile Passport App. We retrieved and rechecked our bags through to Sac and then walked quite a long way towards our gate and the United Club. Since we were traveling on an international itinerary, access to the Club was free, and we definitely appreciated the comfortable surroundings as well as the snacks and beverages during our 3-hour layover.

The short flight to Sac was uneventful, and our bags even arrived relatively quickly. The biggest delay was hitting some traffic on I-5 and in downtown Sac during the drive home. Regardless, we made it through the door to reunite with the kitties by about 5:30pm. They definitely scolded us for our absence, despite being very well cared for by their aunts S and N. We unpacked, worked out, went through mail, and got ready to return to work tomorrow.

¡Un buen viaje, y nos disfrutamos muchos en Panama!

Panama Trip (Day 8)

Tuesday, January 2: Kuna Artisan Market + Biomuseo
We had a nice late start today with bags at 9am and departure at 11am. I did Zumba and yoga in the living room area, and we decided to try the restaurant on the lower level near the pool for our final buffet breakfast at the Westin.

Our morning group stop was at the Kuna Artisan Market, where we finally found something to add to our Christmas ornaments collection -- two multi-colored beaded hummingbirds. We also saw a whole pack (at least 12) of agouti scampering around the nearby lawn area. I know they're members of the rodent family, but they're still extremely cute!

Lunch was at our final hotel, the Intercontinental Miramar, which is right in the middle of Balboa Avenue in downtown Panama City. We spent the afternoon at the Biomuseo on the Amador Causeway, and arrived just in time to miss the daily rainstorm. The Museum visit was fascinating as we learned about various aspects of biodiversity and how the emergence of the Panama isthmus joined the north and south American continents, which had significant impacts on both animal and human evolution as well as on climate change. We received audio guides for part of the tour, and I listened to mine in French. :-)

Unfortunately, the rain hadn't stopped completely by the time we got back to the hotel later in the afternoon, so no pool time for us. Mr. E went to work out in the Fitness Center, and I focused on getting us checked in for our Copa flight home.

The evening entertainment prior to dinner was a wonderful performance by a troupe of folklorico dancers with live musical accompaniment. All of the dancers were very skilled, and we also learned about the meaning and value/cost of the pollera costumes, especially all of the clothing and ornamentation worn by the women.

Our final dinner included a free glass of wine and a drink voucher for the bar, which I had redeemed for a Seco Sour to bring to the dance performance. After dinner, we set off on a stroll along the Cinta Costera overlooking the Bay and visited the colorful Panama sign. Then we made sure we were packed up and ready for the early early start tomorrow.

Panama Trip (Day 7)

Monday, January 1: Resort Recreation
Today was our leisure day at the Westin resort, with no planned group activities. I got up at 7am to swim laps and a few perimeters of the adult pool section while Mr. E caught up on some sleep. I headed to breakfast on my own and joined another Caravan couple for the meal. Then I found a quiet spot on the covered terrace area overlooking the pool to read and write in the travel journal until Mr. E came and found me. I had second coffee as he ate breakfast, and afterwards we spent time reading, catching up on email, and doing some hand washing.

We went for lunch around 1pm and then sat out on the terrace to watch the thunderstorm that rolled in from 2-3pm. Seems to be a daily afternoon occurrence, despite what Gerardo kept telling us about this being the dry season in Panama! I had planned to attend the 3pm Zumba class by the pool, but it never happened. Darn! Instead, I walked on the beach and picked up more shells and sea glass and then did my daily yoga practice in the room. Mr. E worked on research for our future Maui trip, and eventually we both headed back down to the pool for a swim and cocktail (Seco Mojito for me this time).

At dinner, we started off on our own but eventually had two other Caravan couples seated at tables on either side of us, so we had some nice group conversation. Mr. E and I finished the evening with wine and cards at the lobby bar, and we were back in the room by 10pm for an earlier night, knowing that we'd have time in the morning to finish up packing for the 9am bag call.

Panama Trip (Day 6)

Sunday, December 31: Embera Village + Frogs, Butterflies, Orchids + NYE at Playa Bonita
We had a later start time today of 8am for bags and 9:30am departure, so there was plenty of time for a morning Zumba workout, breakfast, and buying magnets in the gift shop. Our morning excursion began back at the public boat dock to board the small motorboats that took us about 10 minutes away to Hatuma, the village home of a small group of indigenous Embera Indians. This tribe is slowly losing much of it traditional heritage and culture, and tourist visits are helpful economic support. We learned about the history of the tribe, its interaction with US military personnel who came to Gamboa for jungle training, the meaning of their traditional clothes, and the various types of artisan crafts produced by both women and men. The info session ended with some traditional music and dances.

After the presentation, we had about 30 minutes of free time to walk around the village a bit and peruse the items for sale by various members of the tribe. Mr. E and I didn't make any purchases, but I did get a temporary tattoo of a hummingbird and flower from one of the young women. They use the juice of the jagua fruit, which produces a natural black dye, as body paint that lasts for about 10 days or so. The substance also acts as a sun-block and mosquito repellent.

Once we left the village and returned to Gamboa, we had lunch at Los Lagartos overlooking the Chagres River. I'm pretty sure that Mom and I had a meal here during our previous Elderhostel trip! Mr. E and I took a short stroll with some other Caravan folks after lunch and then watched a crocodile and some turtles go after bread and rolls that other restaurant patrons were tossing into the water. Our post-lunch activity was a tour of the nature center area, where we visited green & black poison dart frogs and caught a glimpse of the elusive red frogs, strolled through the butterfly enclosure, and viewed the orchid and bromeliad gardens.

Then we got back on the bus for the drive to the Westin Playa Bonita, right on the Pacific Coast across the bay from Panama City. The route took us over the Centennial Bridge, as we had to cross the Canal to get to the hotel. Thanks to the Caravan seat rotation process, we were at the front of the bus and could quickly get our resort bracelets and info and then head to our room. We were initially on the fourth floor facing away from the beach, as Caravan guests get all-inclusive resort access in exchange for not having oceanfront views.

We unpacked a bit and walked around to get oriented to the property, although finding the Fitness Center was oddly challenging. Mr. E worked out, I did some yoga and some hand washing, and then we both hit the pool just in time for cocktails at the pool bar. The water was a bit chilly, and the "hot tub" was just bubbly, not hot! We took a short walk on the beach and picked up some shells before the nasty little chitra biting flies chased us away. I didn't notice until later the warning sign by the towel kiosk that described these nasty little creatures...

On our way back to the room, Mr. E asked at the Front Desk about benefits related to his Gold Status with SPG, and we ended up getting transferred to an upgraded room, which was a wonderful Junior "Revival" Suite on the 15th floor with two separate rooms and even an extra 1/2 bath! Once we moved all of our stuff, we headed to dinner and enjoyed the meal and interesting discussions with B & Y about languages, history, politics, and travel. Mr. E and I then went to the lobby bar for wine, where we were eventually joined by C and later B and A.

I excused myself just after 10pm, but Mr. E stayed with the group to ring in the New Year. When the fireworks began just after midnight, the noise woke me up so I was able to step out onto the lanai to watch the display launched from the hotel beachfront. I also got a great view of numerous other fireworks from the surrounding areas. Mr. E returned to the room around 12:30am so he could see the tail end of these other displays as well. He told me that he and some of the other Caravan crew had "crashed" the NYE dance party downstairs!!!

Happy 2018! Feliz Nuevo Ano!

Panama Trip (Day 5)

Saturday, December 30: Partial Canal Transit + Thunderstorm + "Safari" + Badgers
We had an early departure time of 6:50am since our partial Canal transit was starting from the marina at the end of the Amador Causeway back in Panama City. I did 40 minutes on the treadmill plus some yoga and grabbed a bit of breakfast to go from the buffet.

Our "party boat" included passengers from other groups and tours. There were just under 150 total passengers plus the crew and a local guide, Juan Carlos aka J.C., who provided commentary during the tour. We claimed seats on the top deck under the roof cover for protection from the drizzle and potential future sun. The boat left at 8:15am to begin our partial transit through the Canal.

We got some great views of the city skyline and Biomuseum as we entered the mouth of the canal and passed under the Bridge of the Americas.

We arrived at Miraflores Locks and piggy-backed with a large container ship that was our lead for the transit journey. Another tourist boat joined in as well, and the other lock chamber was filled with a huge Princess Cruise lines boat, which became our companion through both the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks.

Being on a smaller boat provided an awesome close-up view of the lock chamber walls and doors. I remembered this experience from the Elderhostel trip that Mom and I completed about 8 years ago, and it was just as impressive the second time around!  We also got a good view of the new locks during our approach, which was an interesting perspective after seeing the Agua Clara locks from up above yesterday.

Our Caravan group was supported by a young woman steward, S, who brought beverages around throughout the tour, let us know when meals were ready, and just generally provided very friendly hospitality. The local guide was quite entertaining, and I enjoyed listening to his commentaries in both English and Spanish, since they were often a bit different. We finished the lock journey at the level of Lake Gatun, traveled through the Culebre Cut, passed under the Centennial Bridge (looks sort of like the Zakim Bridge in Boston), and ended near the dredging station port in Gamboa, which was a very short ride back to our hotel.

We were back in our room by 1:30pm and had decided to head to the pool when suddenly a hard rainstorm broke through the clouds and pounded down. Mr. E figured we could still go swim, so we put some stuff in a plastic bag to stay dry and ran off to the pool area. Just as we got in, we heard thunder crashes, so we quickly got out and waited to see if the thunderstorm would pass by. We managed to get back in for some laps before the thunder returned, this time with lightning strikes, so that was the end of our pool time for today!

After getting dry, we went up to the lobby to check out the gift shop and had drinks at the Monkey Bar while playing cards. Mr. E had a not-so-great food experience with a tardy and lukewarm order of french fries, but he did win the card game. We then found a spot in the lobby seating area for me to read and Mr. E to work on the travel journal as we waited for the next Caravan tour group to arrive. Mr. E had left the camera battery and charger in our hotel room at the Marriott in Panama City, so Gerardo was able to contact the tour director of the next group to claim the item from lost & found and transport it to us in Gamboa. Very convenient to have tours beginning daily at this time of year, not to mention staying in each location for two nights so that missing things have a chance to find their way back to the rightful owner.

I enjoyed my bottle of Seco with cranberry back in the room before dinner, and we saw two agouti frolicking by the pool area. So cute! We joined some other Caravan guests for dinner and then went on a 30-minute "safari" around the grounds of the hotel to look for nocturnal wildlife. Our guide had a spotlight to shine on the surround rainforest, and we managed to spot an agouti paca (nocturnal with white spots vs. the typical diurnal non-spotted agouti), a capybara, some white birds, and a supposed crocodile.

(NOTE: Photos below are representative of the agouti, agouti paca, and capybara but aren't photos that we actually were able to capture. More agouti photos from our camera are posted with a later blog entry.)

When we got back to the hotel, we tried to access Xfinity to watch the Badgers in the Orange Bowl and discovered that those streaming services only work in the US. Luckily, the TV in the Monkey Bar was broadcasting the game, so Mr. E headed back there to watch while I stayed in the room to read my Spanish Agatha Christie book and keep tabs on the game score via the NCAA web site. Although the situation looked a bit rough after the first quarter, the Badgers took the lead before halftime and won the game. Go Bucky!

Panama Trip (Day 4)

Friday, December 29: Colon City + Agua Clara Locks + Monkey Island
I repeated my swim workout this morning and tossed my gear into my backpack to bring on board the bus since our other bags were loaded prior to breakfast. Mr. E procured our Starbucks this morning, and then a very kind and friendly server at the hotel made us special coffee drinks con leche and other flavorings (cranberry, mint). Not the greatest for our palate, but much better than the standard hotel coffee! We were still glad to have our Starbucks Americanos, though.

Our morning drive was across almost the entire isthmus from Panama City on the Pacific side to Colon on the Atlantic (aka Mediterranean) side. We entered into some heavy rainfall along that way, which continued for much of the morning and eventually lightened up around lunchtime. At our supermarket pit-stop, we bought some snacks and a single serve bottle of Seco with cranberry for me to try out later.

Traffic was too dense for us to try to do a short tour around Colon City, so we just went directly to the Agua Clara Visitor Center to see the new locks. The semi-covered viewing platform gave a great view of the sliding gates mechanism and the ginormous container ships traveling through the locks. I again attended a documentary in Spanish, and Mr. E joined the rest of the group for the English version.

With such a rainy day, getting a good photo that shows the fulls scope of the locks was tricky, so the lower two photos below are from other stock images to show how the sliding gates move as well as the full aerial perspective of the site:

Lunch was at the restaurant overlooking the canal, with more dancing as a post-meal entertainment. I skipped the show in favor of taking a stroll along the nature trail nearby. As I finished the walk, I noticed a long-tailed furry critter on the grass near the restaurant. The animal eventually got a handout from one of the kitchen staff and then scurried back into the underbrush clutching its lunchtime dinner roll. I learned later from Gerardo that the animal was a coatimundi, which looks like this:

 

From Agua Clara, we turned south back toward Gamboa, where we split into two groups for our small motorboat tour on the Chagres River into the Panama Canal and around Monkey Island. The ride was a bit choppy (and damp when light rain started up again), but eventually we slowed down as we approached the islands in order to search for wildlife. We first saw black howler monkeys way up in some trees and then got up close and personal with a clan of white-faced capucin monkeys who came up to the boats to eat the grapes that the crew were throwing. One of the monkeys took a grape right out of my hand, as did several others with another member of our group!

Our hotel, the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, was only about 5 minutes from the boat dock, and we were welcomed with fruity beverages and warm cloths and an incredible view out over the pool area and the Chagres River.

We got settled into our room and then explored the pool, which was actually a bit chilly after the rain. Once we got washed up afterwards, it was time for dinner and then post-meal drinks at the lobby Monkey Bar. I returned to the room to read and relax and get ready for the early morning tomorrow while Mr. E hung out in the bar and chatted with some of the other Caravan guests.

Panama Trip (Day 3)

Thursday 12/28: Panama Viejo + Miraflores Locks
We didn't have to leave for the day until 9am, so I was able to swim many mini-laps in the pool before getting morning coffee at Starbucks and joining Mr. E for breakfast at the hotel. Our morning excursion with the group was a short walking tour through Panama Viejo. During our free time, we climbed the remains of the cathedral tower to get a panoramic view towards the city skyline and then explored the new museum that presents the history of Panama and the various cultures that have influenced the country over the past five centuries.

Lunch was back at the hotel, which gave us a chance to freshen up in our room before heading off to the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center for the afternoon. We got there just in time to see a big cruise ship finish its transit through the lock chambers, and we had a section of the 2nd floor viewing terrace reserved for our group, so we had lots of space to watch several other ships travel through the locks as well.

I attended the documentary showing in Spanish, and Mr. E watched it a bit later in English. We procured our first set of souvenirs at the shop and then returned to the hotel. Very...very... very... slowly. Yikes! So much traffic! It took us almost two hours to get from Miraflores back to the Marriott!

Once we arrived, we gathered in a meeting room on the second floor to watch a performance by six dancers, who demonstrated the rumba, salsa, and other traditional Latin American dances. Our dinner buffet was in the same room, but we went out for a brief trip to the mall before eating so that I could buy a book for the return trip home. Then we packed up to get ready for the 7am bag drop and 8:30am group departure tomorrow.