Our last day in Panamá was brief. Our flight back to Baltimore departed at 9 am, so we left Casco Antiguo at dawn. While we waited for our flight, Lydie and Cassie checked their AP scores, which had just been released that morning, and were happy with their results. It was good news, but it was also a reminder that our hectic lives would be waiting for us when we returned. The flight passed quickly, and 4.5 hours after we took off from Panamá City, we landed at BWI. We were soon home.

We had taken this trip in large part to celebrate Cassie’s and Lydie’s graduation from high school and to mark the end of their time living at home. We had hoped to have a special adventure. Panamá had delivered better than we could have hoped. It’s an exciting country of mountains, jungles, and beaches that is filled with Spanish history, native culture, and modern vitality. Yet somehow, the country hasn’t been homogenized by globalization or overwhelmed by American tourists. If any small part of you has any interest in going to Panamá, listen to it. Centuries ago, the Spanish used Panamá to extract gold from the Americas. Team Hubbard used it to make some memories that, to us, are just as precious.

-Will