Blogs from Panama City, Panamá, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 8

3/5/11 (Barb) We left Santiago this morning around 9 am after having our usual breakfast and then taking a pic of our cute waiter. Off we head for Panama City...praying that the car makes this one last trip!!! Uneventful ride except the other side of highway is packed...heading OUT of Panama City...our side..not so bad. We begin to hope the city has emptied and we will have it easy thru the city. Not to be! Not to be! Ms. Garmin had an idea where to go BUT we'll seestreets are blocked off for Carnivalle parade (we guessed) and after going thru the same packed streets....packed with people and cars....3 times....we headed back OUT of the city planning on trying another way on our own...Ms. Garmin just wanted us to keep making circles....guess she was thinking we ... read more

Sunday morning 3/06/11 (Skip)Please note: When I refer to Europcar rental it is with the understanding the agent that I am dealing with in Tocumen Airport is Auto mobile car rental ie: www.automobilecarrental.com Further note: when attempting to access this web site this afternoon a notice was posted on top of the web page as to the following: NOTICE: This domain name expired on 02/09/2011 and is pending renewal or deletion . Go figure? Who am I really dealing with?? Today is the day that I always knew was just around the corner; this is the day I must face the dragon, Europcar Rental. In days of old, one would dress in battle armor and pick up your old trusty sword or spear and proceed into the unknown. So what's so different today? No sword ... read more

Cartagena, Colombia. Vi har klumset oss nedover fra Panama til Colombia. Ha det bra, Sentral Amerika. Her er vi, Sór Amerika. Tjohoo! Jeg skal skrive litt mer om Costa Rica og Panama senere enn det jeg skal skrive om ná. Har hatt saa liten tid til á skrive her inne. Ikke rart med den reisefarten vi har. Ikke minst: Ting tar tid i Sentral Amerika. Bare det á handle pá et supermercado tar en eeeevighet for kun en flaske vann. Alt pakkes inn i tynne plastposer. Og det er ekspeditóren som pakker alt inn for alle kundene. Det kan det jo ikke bli effektivitet av? Av og til har ekspeditóren hjelpere. Da gaar det smidigere, seru. Ekspeditóren gjór som alle andre i Sentral Amerika. Kommer det noen bort til kassa og spór om noe mens han ... read more

Panama City It wasn't much of an experience. Well actually, it depends on which way you look at it. I guess it was a very memorable experience, yes indeed it was. One that I won't forget any time soon and I guess it therefore makes my Panamanian experience all the more memorable. I was rather sick during my 4 day stay in the city of Panama. I had food poisoning, I'm guessing from a very suspect kebab I so keenly devoured on my last night in Bocas. Unfortunate really, because for the 5 nights prior to this very unfortunate evening I had indulged in at least 3 kebabs a night (now, now, don't judge!) So on the morning following the night that I so keenly devoured the very suspect kebab it was so unbelievably unfair that ... read more

Panama City. After the Hurricane Tomas incident, the only time we were to have in Panama was a nine-hour layover between Costa Rica and Ecuador. In 540 minutes, Sandra and I managed to take exactly 560 pictures. Enjoy. ... read more

Cerro Ancon (Ancon Hill) is a 654-foot hill with a view to Panama City. It was under U.S. jurisdiction as a part of the Panama Canal Zone for much of the 20th century. When in 1671 the pirate Henry Morgan came to Panama City, first he climbed to Ancon Hill to see the local defenses. Nowadays you will get a wonderful view from Ancon Hill to the new city, constructed after Morgan's destruction of the old one (Panama Viejo). Also you will get a view to Panama Canal and Las Americas bridge. A Panamanian flag proudly flutters on the top of Cerro Ancon. There are a lot of birds flying over the Ancon hill. We met a group of people, doing some ecology project. They come to Ancon Hill EVERY DAY and make photos ... read more

So im relaxing in a hammock which thanks to jonny has been broken and re-tied dangerously high after a home cooked tomato and saussage pasta shared with the boys. apparently the panama canal is world famous so this morning we decided to see what the fuss is all about. Up early we decided to take the cultural 'chicken buses'to the canal. We were told they are called this because on market day athe locals put their chickens on the roof, but the way we were crammed suggest that the name represents the treatment you get- but for 25cents who can complain?. Anyway we all loved it! especially cause nobody spoke a word of enlish! within two minutes jonny had given $1 to who we thought was the bus conducter to pay for the 4 of us. ... read more