Good Morning Panama

I just completed my first night in Panama.

Originally, my plan was to leave for Panama two days ago, but the combination of both a lack of sleep and a desire to watch the U.S. Soccer team kept me in Costa Rica for one extra day.

The bus ride was relatively painless, although it was a bit dicey at times. My best guess is that the driver had us on the wrong side of the road for approximately 10% of the trip.

We made excellent time, reaching the Panamanian border in just under four hours.

And that´s where the fun began.

I had read--and I had been told by others--that to enter Panama, it was necessary to show proof of either a return ticket to Costa Rica, or of onward travel. On the bus, I met four girls--two from Texas and two from Wales--who had been told the same and had purchased a roundtrip ticket when they first boarded to avoid any problems.

I, on the other hand, had not purchased a return ticket. But, I had also read that the particular border crossing we would be traversing was fairly lax, so I decided to try my luck with a printout of my CheapTickets return flight confirmation from Bogota, Colombia.

One by one, the immigrations officer stamped the passports of the people ahead of me in the queue.

Then it was my turn.

(In Spanish)

"Passport please."

I handed the dude my passport.

"Ticket please."

I handed him the printout. "I leave from Bogota, Colombia," I said.

He didn´t waste any time. "This says that you leave from Bogota, Colombia, but it does show that you will leave Panama."

I had a feeling he might say something like that. In fact, I was prepared for that exact reponse.

I decided to push my luck.

"Well, now that I´m technically IN Panama, it is physically impossible for me to leave from Bogota, Colombia without first LEAVING Panama.

The immigrations officer gave the gears in his head a moment to churn.

Then he stamped my passport, gave me an army-style salute, and sent me on my way.

And off I bounced, down through Banana Country, my impenetrable logic having saved me twelve bucks at the Panamanian border.