comming at you live from David in northwest panama....my first time in a city so far this trip......been in the deep country sleeping in a hammock each night....first few days stayed with some rasta´s who live in a tent city near a great little point break....real ratsa too, crazy shit....no meat, moring prayers, constant ganja, drinking and bathing with coconut milk, a soccer field they had build in a small clearance with little wooden goals and flat old ball.....oh man what a perfect first intro to panama....next onto more surfspots.....ended up staying in a palm leaf hut behind this family of fishermen, tons of kids and good vibes....really mellow folk....up early, take the boat out to the horizon, diving spear fishing, then at night mom makes us all beans, rice, fish, and fried plantanes.......rode a horse to one surf spot....then road in up the mountains....first time on a beast......scared a bit on the mountain trail, thought I was gonna get booted.....but I made it alive.....this is just plain the greatest trip possible.....Panama is RAW DOG style....tourism is a real abstract idea, so people se you and they just want to take you in or drive you where you need to go......I can´t explain this place except to say it is relatively untouched by gringos....Panama city itself is really American, we owned it for 80 years...but once out in the country, man, Indian looking people and clothes...and oddly tons of chinese people who own the stores.....well, I´m really speechless about this trip right now, need time to digest.....first night in a bed with a shower in 12 days tonight......off to coasta rica in the morning......only a couple of days as from the sound of it Costa Rica is nothing like panama as far as culture goes, but I be the judge...peace