Panama

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6.11.11

Bocas Del Toro, Panama: Rained all morning and finally plucked up the courage at lunchtime and cycled over centre of island to the other side. It was very hilly and took ages as we only had a cruiser style bike with one gear! Went for quick snorkel, lots of fish near shore, then had a beer and got boat to starfish beach. Snorkelled around looking at starfish, there were loads! Rich found a dollar in the sea, then decided to get a boat home with the bikes in, as couldn’t face the cycle. Cooked dinner and ate with Dave, Suze, James and Stacey. It is a real nice place to stay, the rooms are very homely and there is a great deck with hammocks, it’s called Panama’s Paradise.

7.11.11

Rained again in the morning and then decided to get a boat to the other island. There were lots of people with boats wanting us to go with them and they ended up arguing with each other! Finally chose the most non aggressive person to go with and went to Red Frog Beach, Rich body surfed with the lads, Linz went looking for red frogs but didn’t really find any, just a boy who gets his dog to sniff them out and then charges people to take a photo of them. Suze and Linz refused and then guarded the one that got away so the boy couldn’t pick it up again. Suze told him that what he was doing was bad for the frogs but he just gave a blank look. We then went and snorkelled at coral lagoon, lots of corals and sea cucumbers and Linz saw a sharptail eel which is grey with white spots and looks like a snake. Then went to dolphin bay saw dolphins jump and play then back home. Group cook up, drink,s then at midnight we decided to go to town for drinks, went to Iguana Bar. Had $1 tequila shots then went to last bar open at 1am and went swimming (in our underwear!) in lit sea pool with the wreck of a ship in the bottom, it was a cool bar shut at 3am then cycled home, funny night, Rich cut hand on barnacles, Linz kicked the wreck and cut her foot!

8.11.11

Bocas: Cycled to Playa Bluff, swam in big shore break, ate peanut butter sandwiches for lunch (again) Rich’s chain snapped 8km away from home and Linz abandoned him and cycled off with Dave and Suze, Rich had to walk back!!! Packed our stuffand got boat to main land to catch night bus to Panama city. On which Linz got sick and puked in the toilet, serves her right!

9.11.11

Arrived 5am panama city, checked into Hotel Latino went there as it was recommended by taxi driver and we could not be arsed to trek around the city in the dark feeling groggy. Hotel seemed a bit dodgy with alcoholics hanging around reception and two women with shopping bags asleep on the sofa! Slept in until 11, got up walked to a shopping mall not much going on there but we did have a KFC and then felt sick from the grease afterwards! Walked to have a look at this interesting building, Rich tried to walk up to the top but it wasn’t even open yet! We then got a taxi to the old part of town called Casco Viejo, the girls tried on panama hats and looked at textiles to buy. Parts of the old town is nice but it still needs lots of investment to renovate the falling down buidings, the other part looks like East Street in Bedminster which is pretty shabby. The best bit was that Linz bought an ice cream for 50 cents and it was massive and lush! Went for v expensive curry near to the hotel but it was nice. Bought beers to drink on the roof top of the hotel by the pool looking at city scape.

10.11.11 Found out our boat to Colombia (The Darien Gapster) was going to be delayed by two days until 14^th, doh! Went to Miraflores centre which is the main lock on the southern part of the Panama Canal. It was great to watch a massive ship go through and also to look in the museum and learn all the history. A lot of people died making the canal because of yellow fever and malaria. We then went to the old town (Casco Viejo) again for a wander. Looked at the great view across the water to the skyscrapers. Surf was up, Rich was gutted as he had no board! Chilled again that night in the prestigious Hotel Latino! The boys got chatted up by a few prostitutes on the way to the shops to get beer!

11.11.11

Faffed about all morning in Panama City trying to post a parcel home. It only took 3 hours in total after trying to find the correct post office, boxes, photo copying passports etc and filling out paperwork! We then got a cab with Dave and Suze (James and Stacey went earlier on the bus) to Portobelo for only $50 between 4 people 2hrs away… very cheap! Went to the only hostel in town Captain Jacks, bit pricey $10 a night each for a dorm! Not really any others there though so not too bad.

12.11.11

Portobello: Raining! Portobelo harbour just looks like a mud bath, not very pretty at all! Did a supermarket run on a booming Latino chicken bus to Sabinitas? (3 hr round trip), some dive of a town, to stock up on cash and booze for gapster, mission getting out money but managed to get nearly enogh for the gapster. After food that evening at Captain Jacks went to locals party at bottom of the hill, the lady whose birthday it was had a large black cock piñata! Rich, Dave and Suze got caught nickin beers from Captain Jack’s bar at 4am. Lady went a bit crazy but she was hammered.

13.11.11

Crazy bar lady didn’t say anything about the beers, nice one! The weather was finally ok so we wandered around the ruins of the Spanish forts. Lots and lots of gold used to go through Portobelo! Loads of people turned up at the hostel to get boats to Colombia via the San Blas. Had a few drinks and sorted out our bags for the boat journey as our main bags would be in the hold and not coming out for the duration of the trip. Dorm beds full, Linz not keen!

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Photos

In the sea pool at the wreck bar
In our underwear after afew drinks. Linz's bra is flesh coloured she is not naked!