Going back to Minnesota is nice because I get to see my family that I really don't see that often but it is also draining and I almost always come back feeling more tired before I have to go back to work. So this year I decided to take my first solo travel adventure to focus on me so I can recharge and tackle the rest of the school year with some good old fashioned sun and vitamin sea. After a 6.5 hr flight and a short stay at a hotel in Panama City I boarded the ferry to take me to Saboga, one of the Pearl Islands off the pacific coast of Panama. I had my own beach front patio and am 26 steps away from what is practically my own private beach. Could not be happier. I have come to love SCUBA diving and it is easily one of my favorite things to do when I’m travelling so I was excited when I woke up this morning knowing I was going to get to dive! Unfortunately, the air compressor broke so there was no way to fill the tanks but I still got an amazing snorkel trip and island cruise on a beautiful day. C'est la vie! And I certainly can’t complain when I got to see so much amazing sea life on the reefs and we even saw a small pod of dolphins on the way over! I got caught up in the moment and didn’t think to pull my phone out in time so I just caught one tail but there were 5 or 6 🐬 Another beautiful day on the island! The next day, my host gave me a tour of the island! We went to the lookout, saw the town, and visited Iglesia de Saboga, one of the oldest churches still in use in the Americas. I got to eat lunch at the restaurant (one of the only ones on the island!) while reading my book, calmed by the gentle crashing of waves, and enjoyed a quiet sunset by myself! I said goodbye to my little island paradise and headed back to Panama City for one last night before I left. I wanted to eat at the restaurant above the Canal museum that overlooks the locks but it was closed because it’s Sunday. So instead, Francisco brought me to his favorite seafood place and I had some amazing ceviche. He has been making me practice my Spanish, which has been fun! I’m going to miss mi amigo when I go back. It was a short trip but it was exaclty what I needed!!
