Jan 9, 2026
Morning in Balboa: Settling Into Panama
It’s 7:00 a.m. in Balboa, Panama, and I’m sitting on the porch at Marti Smith’s house on Empire Street, surrounded by the sounds of the jungle waking up. Birds chatter in the trees while others sweep across the sky, and every so often a regional plane glides overhead on final approach to Albrook. It’s peaceful, humid, alive — the perfect contrast to the whirlwind day that brought us here.
Yesterday started before dawn, with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up to make a 7:00 a.m. Copa flight. After dropping Rebecca at Terminal C and parking in the north employee lot, I barely made it in time — the check-in desk was closing as I walked up. Somehow, the travel gods cooperated. We boarded and ended up in the exit row after Rebecca handed the ops agents a couple of goodie bags.
One of the flight attendants gave us a memorable moment during the safety briefing. In broken English, he explained what to do “when the signal repeats twice,” saying, “I have a question, I have a question.” It took us a second to realize he meant “evacuation,” not that he had a question. It was one of those charming travel moments you know you’ll laugh about later.
I slept most of the flight, but not before finishing Rebecca’s breakfast. Meanwhile, her excitement only grew as Panama drew closer. Stepping off the jetway, she was home — and you could feel it.
We rented from Budget, and after tracking down the letter from USAA declining collision damage coverage, we were upgraded to a RAV4, a little bigger than planned but perfect for what we need. Then it was off to Marti’s house, where we were welcomed by the beautiful details and warmth of her place.
Dinner, of course, meant one place: Napolis. Rebecca slipped right back into life here, surrounded by familiar faces cycling through like a revolving door of Canal Zone history. Afterward, we stopped at El Rey to stock up for the next few days. For now, we’ll stay close to the Canal Zone, but the weekend will take us to the beach.
For the first morning here, it feels exactly right — calm, full of life, and already rich with stories.
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| With John Hearn….Napoli’s |
