hi everybody - quick check in. I am writing this from the lobby of a hotel in david panama - near the costa rica border (1.5 hours) kind of stuck here for a few hours as we thought we could take a early morning bus to costa rica but ...got up real early, off to the station to get the 8 am bus.....already sold out so here we sit waiting for the noon bus - takes about 9 hours to san jose which I hope includes the reputed two to three hours walking back and forth at the border.







 







yesterday we took a 7 hour local bus - not quite a chicken bus but.....from panama city to here...packed to the brim and only ONE stop........drinking less water today for sure!.... we saw nicer buses but don't know how they got them...oh well, the company was nice, the scenery was beautiful and all is good.







 







got here to this city last night around 7 pm - figured it would be easy to find a room cause it is quite a big place...pulled into the station and there were people everywhere...ahhhh...found out there is a huge coffee and flower festival on about 45 mins away in the mountains so the thousands and thousands of extras are here. we got the last (expensive) room in town after trying at a few places......now just enjoying the lobby cause it is hot hot.







 







sorry to y'all who are still in the deep freeze - I will take hot over cold any day.

back to the bus station.....







 







will post some pics soon. we (louise and I) are going to her friends place in hereidia. it is somewhere near san jose so I will post some pics from there.