Buena Suerte!

So after finishing a great project in Costa Rica, getting a great update from our first project in Guatemala, traveling through some of the most beautiful country on our trip as we made our way down to Panama, another good project with a great Peace Corps volunteer in an awesome community, we decided we are going to write about of course….. Gambling! Panama City 2009! WHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

News on our other adventures is soon to come but unfortunately it takes thought. What doesn’t is a quick recap of a fun night. As Brooke and I were returning to our hostel after a tasty little veggie dinner in our newest location, Panama City, we decided to take a look inside a building named Fiesta. Surprised to find a casino inside we thought to ourselves, this is weird, let’s take a walk around. Even weirder was when we found a bowl full of quarters (a whole $4.25) sitting abandoned by a slot machine. After pulling off the nonchalant look around, sure that we were being set up for a developing countries first “Caught on tape” reality show, we played one quarter in the slot machine and headed for the roulette table. Too small of an amount to bet on red or black we laid down our money on a few different numbers and wouldn’t you know it, red 16 hit.

Were in the Money! Were in the Money! Well Ok, $12 is not so much of a retirement fund, but it did allow us to sit on the black jack tables for a good hour or so, slurp down a few free drinks (including one of the most delicious blended drinks, complete with an umbrella, I have ever had), and pretend just for a moment we are not living off of a combined $10 a day. But unfortunately, even in developing countries the house still has the odds and we were sad to see our money begin to leave just a fast as it came. So down to our last $3 we laid it on the black jack table and got ourselves ready to call it a night when an ace and a ten came calling us back in. We took our big win and decided to let it ride on the roulette table on red. After some confusion we actually put it on black and hit again. Whoooo Hhoooooo!

Amazing how excited two people can get over 14 dollars. And really, we don’t care that our big winnings will pretty much pay for a trip to the local grocery for a carton of free range eggs and small square of cheese back in the States, because tonight luck is with us and life is good. Hope everyone is having as lucky of a holiday season as we are. We love and miss you all