Pay a Visit to Panama.

My last visit to Panama was as a married and still child-free person, but I was there without my husband.

I did have plenty of company; a few hundred shipmates with me aboard my US Navy Fleet oiler, going through the Panama Canal and stopping for a port visit in the capital, Panama City.

LT Scarborough sails the Panama Canal, October 1991 (Scarborough photo)

I thought fondly of that trip as I read this San Francisco Chronicle article on the country’s lowlands (the Canal, wonderful rainforests and Panama City) and the highlands (the Volcan Baru National Park and coffee plantations.)

Now it’s obvious that I simply must travel to Panama with my whole family (and this time I won’t have to wear khaki or stand watch on the ship.)