Panama City

... and finally P City. Panama City is an amazing place. Luckily we had a driver that transported us around and didn't ever have to ride in a bus like the one below. The buses are all painted with crazy colors and some even have Christmas lights in designs all over. It was very hard to travel in the city because there is not a subway or trax system, just hundreds of taxi's and these buses.

This is a lady that Cody lived with while serving near the city. She made us a wonderful meal and had to have some pictures taken in front of her painting of the Christus that is on her patio so everyone that drives by can see it. She is a great member and is so excited for the temple to be complete.

You know your dads an engineer when...your favorite part of the city is the Panama Canal. I thought this was the greatest thing I had ever seen. Notice the water levels in the pictures below. I just cannot believe that this is the original locks (or gates) from the early 1900's.

Shortly after the water reaches this point the locks open and these little trains pull the boats through.

The Bridge of the Americas. The locals say that if it wasn't for the bridge South America would drift away.

We had a great time with Vielka and her daughter out to Tony Roma's. You would not believe the stores that are in the malls down there. It felt like we were in New York. I just had to keep telling Cody, "nope can't go in that one either" as we would walk by Chanel and Louis Vuitton. The city has very little middle class. You are either super wealthy or very poor.

I couldn't post about our trip to Panama without a picture of the Kuna women. They are the smallest, most decorative people I have ever seen. They make beautiful things and we were able to get a pretty cool oil painting from one. As we were walking through this park there were these three Kuna women on a bench and just enough room for me between them. Cody was begging me to sit down by them to take a picture but I wimped out.

and finally, the Panama Temple. It is easily the most beautiful building in the whole country. Our church knows what they are doing. Sadly, the gates were locked and this is as close as we got to it. We are so glad for those saints to have a temple so close. I felt bad telling them about all the temples that I could easily attend. Like many temples here it was placed perfectly on this beautiful hill just outside of the busy city.