I can�t believe we�ve been here for a week already. The days just go by so fast when we are not sailing and visiting new anchorages. I�ve been feeling normal again after the swelling I experienced in Costa Rica and in northern Panama. I started to get a little swelling in my ankles which was due to lack of exercise and heat. While in Golfito though it became worse, my legs and stomach were really swelling up and I would wake up in the morning with swelling in my face. But I wasn�t feeling sick, just low energy. While in northern Panama I started to get terrible stomach cramps so I took an antibiotic medicine that we bought in Mexico for when Stan and Johnathon had a stomach bug. The medicine worked immediately. No more swelling, I called it a swelling bug. But I did see a cardiologist here the other day (just a routine check for my defibrillator) and he thought I might have had a kidney infection.
Here�s a brief recap of our first week here in Panama city (in no particular order):
Visited all the major chandlry stores.
Ordered two new toilets for Impossible
Have eaten out at least once every day since arriving.
Visited a large mall, largest one I have been in a long time with a lot of American style stores. The abundance of materialism was a shock to our senses.
Went to Pirates of the Caribbean 3.
Had dinner with our British friends on �Cloud Nine�whom we last saw in El Salvador.
Went out for dim sum breakfast with a bunch of other cruisers.
Met a Yugoslavian couple living here and involved in real estate. Had dinner with them.
Went to a grocery store called Riba Smith, it has the best selection of north american brand foods I�ve seen since the US.
Take taxis everywhere, it�s cheap, only 2-4 dollars a trip. Learn a lot from the taxi drivers.
Trying to complete school work for the year.
Visited cardiologist, interesting to see how Panamian medical clinic operates.
Stan flew back to Victoria yesterday for a week.

So it�s just the kids and I for a week. It will be school work and visiting more touristy/cultural sites this week. Many of the cruisers we�ve met make it down here and without planning to they end up staying here for a very long time, some have even bought property here (there is a big real estate boom here). Panama city has some nice sections to it and with the strong presence here of foreigners and the remnants of all the American housing, military buildings and green space it is appealling.