Two Hokies and a Poodle

Monday, September 15, 2008

Panama!?

Panama was a good experience for me. I really felt for the rest of the “Big T” who just got back from a 7 month deployment, but it gave me a good taste of sea life without being away from Angela too long. We are not opposed to long absences from each other, it was just difficult to leave her when we are not even settled yet, forcing her to take care of a lot of issues I usually deal with. But I got to visit Panama and make friends from other countries. We had a few days of liberty in Panama City, which I used to go out into the Rainforests of Central America. Who knows when I will get a chance to go horseback riding and zip-lining in the canopy of a rainforest again? We were in Central America to take part in a 20 country military exercise, and being the largest ship participating we had dozens of VIPs and other visitors. I got a chance to work with foreign participants and get a working knowledge of how my job fits into the bigger picture. Other than the exercise, there wasn’t much excitement in the voyage, other than the obvious fact that cool Pacific waters keep San Diego much cooler than it ought to be. Coming into San Diego bay is rather impressive, as you pass Point Loma and Coronado on your right, with Mexico visible a few miles south. The city’s skyline is growing, and passing under the blue bridge is rather neat. Angela had a great view of it when she went sailing.

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