Just to keep you up to date so far

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We arrived in San Jose at 11.30pm after about 26 hour travel, into the hotel at 11.30pm back out again at 8.00am for city look and to the ship, SanJose very Spanish, we went to the National Theatre built with the tax on coffee, then Museum for a bit f there culture, to Grecia to view the steel church, yep whole church prefabricated and shipped to be erected.

Next stop to the ship and at last somewhere to relax.

Steamed through the night to Golfo Dulce and next morning into the zodiacs to look around the mangrove and river entrance, after noon to the Animal Rescue centre where many animals now have refuge from being put into captivity many are released but many must remain there, very hot 24c and humid, also to the Orchid House but sadly no Orchid wrong timing, still looked around at all th different tropical plant.back to the ship.

Next morning we were anchored off Isla Coiba, could either climb up a hill to a look out but decided to snorkel instead, no coral but lots of fish in all sizes, good relax, back to the ship for lunch and sailed for Darien in Panama.

Across the Golfo de Panama to the coast of Darien where we were loaded onto dugout canoes and shipped up the river for 1 hour to theEmbera Mogue Indian community, a tribe living deep in the rain forest in tradition manner and dress, loin cloths and not much else, very interesting there culture, and houses, et about 2 metres in the air to stop any preditor getting to there house at night.

Many children walked with you holding your hand and chatig in their native tongue and Kenny had no idea.

Back o the ship again by unstable, leaky canoes. Next stop the Canal.

Today we crossed the Panama Canal, what a feat building that, and it is 100 years old today 9th Jan, the locks system was incredable with diesal trains guiding the ships through, some of these ship monsters wiith little clearance either side, construction is well in progress to add another canal to take the extra large cruise and container ships, so after 8 hours e are now in the Atlantic side in the Carribian, if spelling and wrong letters are used it is quite rough with a rolling swell, hard for 1 fnger typist to work.

That's about it for now,

Ken and Margaret

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