Luna's Castle Hostel is Rocking my World!

View from Luna's Castle balcony

So we have almost been in Panama for two months, and the time is really flying by. In the past month we have seen some of our favorite people from home come and go, we opened the hostel, we celebrated Carnaval and Dain’s birthday, we’ve spent time at the beach and we have explored the city…all in all it has been a good month! So let me break it down for you…

So first things first…we have officially opened! It has been very exciting meeting people from all over the world and hearing how much they love our place. We have had many friends, new and old, from home and abroad, that have been a tremendous help in this process and I want to take a quick second to thank all of them!! Our artist Corrina has been amazing, and has turned our white walls in our common area into a funky, fun place to kick it. Our friend Strom from Costa Rica (originally from Oregon – representing!!) was amazing in his motivation to build us our massive dining room table, front desk, computer desks and the beginning of our stadium seating in our theater. Peter and Brandon picked up where Storm left off and added their own touch to our three story stadium seating (including blood and sweat!), and other projects around the house. Adam has become a semi-permanent member of the Luna family and I have to say it wouldn’t be the same without him, his crazy personality, great attitude and Panamanian work ethic have been of irreplaceable assistance. Harmony and Nate joined us for a brief period of time and brought a little of home to Panama for us. Kelsy teased us with a couple weeks of her presence in Panama, and her absence has been felt ever since…I have never felt too much at home if she wasn’t around, I guess that is what best friends are for…you are truly missed! Heather came for an action packed vacation of Carnavales all around, Kuna beads and beaches…her spunky fun brightened our days. Elke rolled through and completed the package of Oregon craziness…and then she was off for more south of the border fun…que le vaya bien! And now with most of them off on their own adventures once again, the Luna team has daily made new friends yet we can’t hope that the rest of you fools will come keep us company.

We have now had time with each of the owners, and it has been exciting and fun getting to know each one on an individual basis. I have a new found love for all of them, each in their own special way. I love Bean like a big brother, we always seemed to be on the same wavelength, like we had known each other for years. Sme is Sme and there isn’t much more you can say…his crazy style, his love of Jack Daniels and his expertise in the kitchen made him a shoe-in for my list of favorite people. Dan is new in our lives but I can already tell que nos callemos bien. I love it when he plays guitar and sings for us, his rational, organized way of thinking is so in line with my own and he never fails to provide for good conversation. I love you guys and am so happy to be a part of the family!

Dain has been enjoying himself more and more, learning more Spanish, playing basketball with Adam and the local kids, working his butt off and making me happy everyday. It has been amazing having so many people from home here, to make it seem less like we are so far away. We are expecting some friends of his soon, a change from all our Oregon girls, which will be a nice taste of home for him.

Meredith has been rocking it as my trusty partner in crime…aka. Ms. Luna Moonbeam, and seems to be thoroughly enjoying her time in Panama. I stand by my original statement of what an amazing team we all make. I feel blessed.

So Carnaval was a whole new experience filled with confetti, reggaetone, crowds, beers, rain and an amazing amount of fun. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

I got brief beach time with Kelsy and Heather, and a recent trip to Bocas fulfilled my need for sunshine and warm ocean waters. We got to work a little at Mondo which was fun and different, and just being out of the city was a nice change. I hope that we can make this a frequent escape/work exchange.

All in all, life in the big city is amazing and I have loved every exciting minute of it. I have realized that Oregonians travel more than anyone else…so I hope you can all help support that theory. I have also realized that although Canadians might sound like us…they are not American and would prefer that you didn’t confuse that. Sorry guys…at least I now know about the Pig War…we are all learning! Hope all is well at home and never forget to stay in touch!

This is the James Bond movie set here in Casco Viejo...they changed the Casa Cultural into this hotel...so keep you eyes peeled in the movie!~