Panama: Leaving paradise and Our Panama Bird List

Saturday and Sunday, April 6 & 7: It was nice this morning to afford ourselves a leisurely rising and time around the pool chatting with Pat and drinking (her) coffee. We ate the bananas and breads we had bought the night before and then completed our packing to go to the airport and bid Panama good-bye. We were annoyed to find that we had $1.10 left on our toll road card and, though the toll was $1.15, they wouldn't allow us to pay the 5 cents extra; we had to put $5.00 more on the card and use it to pay the nickel. GOTCHA!! :-( After turning in the car, checking our bags and going through immigration we still had plenty of time to sit around. Before boarding we had to go through yet another full security check and then we were on our way. It was another uneventful flight (the best kind!) and they fed us a lunch and we watched "Parental Development" and some TV shows which made the time pass quickly. In Houston we encountered our first major frustrations of the trip. It took a very long time to go through Immigration and then we went outside and called for the Hyatt Courtesy Van. Kris had gotten the reservation because, if we had flown straight through, it would have been $300 more per ticket. Instead we had rooms for about $75.00 per couple. Kris was told it would take 30 minutes to arrive so we went inside and drank a cup of coffee away from the many smokers outside. We went back outside and, after 45 minutes, called to see where the van was. Kris was told that the driver had come and waited 15 minutes (that was impossible) and left without us. They also said he wouldn't be back for an hour. We were all beside ourselves with frustration and rage, not helped because it was 7:00, we hadn't had dinner and we were really tired by then. Kris ranted a bit at the woman and checked to see about going someplace else. But it was going to be much more expensive and the Hyatt was non-refundable because he got it as an online deal. Luckily the van returned a little less than an hour later and took us to the Hyatt, where we checked in. At that point we found out that their Courtesy Van doesn't run 24 hours a day so we wouldn't be able to take it back the next morning. A taxi ride was going to add to the cost of our cheap rooms. But since Kris had apologized for ranting at her and because the deal indicated we would have the van, she gave us two slips for free appetizers. After putting our things in the really beautiful rooms (this was probably the nicest motel we've ever stayed in) we went down to the lobby bar and grill and had dinner while we watched U/M beat Syracuse to go to the Final game of the NCAA tournament. I was too exhausted to last the whole time so I went up, took a shower, and saw the very end of it before going to sleep about 11:00. The 3:30 wake-up call was really hard to take, but we were told to be at the airport 2 hours before our 6:00AM flight. We weren't however told that United doesn't open their check-in until 4:30  and the only one there to explain anything to the small crowd that was gathering was a real grouch who would only repeat "We don't open until 4:30" as she turned her back on the asker and walked away. Once we were in we had breakfast and everything went as it was supposed to. We flew to Chicago and then on to Lansing where Kris and Heidi's son, Aaron met us with his son, Levi, and car keys to replace the ones Kris couldn't find. Both cars started right up and we bid our friends good-bye after one of the best and most adventurous Spring Breaks yet. 

OUR PANAMA BIRDS LIST

At Cabana Potosi:

Blue-gray tanager

Crimson-backed tanager

White winged tanager

Two injured Blue-headed Parrots

Red-lored Amazon Parrot--Cone has been with the family since he was a baby. 28 years old and will live to be 70s

Warbler

Red-legged Honeycreeper (found dead & kept in freezer for burial)

Salt Tater (brown with face patches) sparrow-like

Orange billed sparrow

Green violet-ear hummingbird

Two Keel-billed toucans

Pair of Gray-necked Wood-Rail

Blue-crowned Motmot

Clay-colored robin

At San Blas Islands:

Long tailed grackel

White ibis

Black ibis

Snowy Egret

Black hawk

Swallows

Bare-throated Tiger-heron

Little Blue Heron

Plover

Caracara

Dove

Lineated Woodpecker (looked like our pileated)

Great Kingfisher

At Embera Quera

Great Kiskadee

Slate tailed Trogon

Anhinga

Great Kingfisher

Hummingbird

Golden hooded Tanager

Common Moorhen

Osprey

Masked Tytira

Jacinta

Yellow Warbler

Black Vulture

Snowy Egret