Las Olas, Playa La Barqueta

Throughout our stay in Panama, we got the opportunity to go on some amazing weekend get-a-ways. My favorite of the whole trip, by far, would have to be Las Olas, Playa La Barqueta. We had only been staying at the compound and working at our clinical sites a few days, but those few days without the luxuries of home, made going to the beautiful, lavish Las Olas that much better. The resort was located right on the Pacific Ocean, and was equipped with a pool, huge tennis courts, a restaurant, bar, and spa where you could enjoy being pampered. During the day, we were able to order delicious food (other than chicken, rice, and beans), swim in the pool and Pacific Ocean, go on a kayaking adventure, battle the monstrous waves of the Pacific, and take a surfing lesson if we so chose. The surfing lesson was my most memorable memory of the trip. I’ve always wanted to try surfing, so I thought there was no better time than to do it in Panama! We started off with a few warm up exercises and then proceeded to practice how to get up on the board on the land. This was the easiest part I would soon come to realize. Once the instructors took us into the water, I then had to fight through the waves with my board; easier said than done. Throughout the lesson, my instructor helped me find the perfect waves and I must have tried to stand up on my board at least twenty times…. I only succeeded once. But I had a blast doing it! I can’t wait to try it again!