Blogs from Panama City, Panamá, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 41

One of the most popular resorts here in panama and in Columbia is DeCameron. As a suprise Vielka took me to the one here in panama! they have an open buffet and unlimited drinks!! When we got there we went exploring and then it was off to the buffett.. oh yes! it was great.. fresh fruit, fresh fish, all you could ever want. plus we got to go eat out on the beach and people served us all day. then at night there was a show of dancing and it was all pretty fun. most of the people there were from columbia and ready to party! the next morning we woke up early and were off to the beach. i must say that it was amazing. the sand and the waves are full of seashells and ... read more

We decided to stay a couple nights in the rain forest in a former US Air Force Radar Tower, which was once used to track planes coming from Columbia carrying "valuable cargo". The tower was converted into a 7-room eco-hotel by Raul Arias de Para, a former banker and activist in Panamanian government. The tower has been rated one of the top ten places in the world to see birds. The canopy tower is perched on top of a mountain in the center of a rainforest with 360 views above the canopy which allows you to see for miles in all directions as well as down into the Panama Canal. Within minutes of arriving, we were treated to the sight of a three-toed sloth that was at the same level as the windows on the fourth ... read more

Having difficulty sleeping on the night bus to Panama City, my head swam with thoughts of recent travels. My journeys through Central America are coming to a close and I'm about to embark on a new chapter. The past four months have been an amazing experience, and I'm sure South America will be no less. The amount of time I plan to spend and the areas I will cover are still unknown. All I can say for certain is that there is more that I wish to see before I return (sorry Trey). I surely do miss you all, but I must take this rare opportunity to see and learn as much as possible. Over the past few months I have been in contact with old friends that I haven't seen or talked to in the ... read more

Well, the last days are here...we are busy arranging travel back to Seattle and on to LaConner...and seeing the sights in Panama City... The Canal was amazing....! We arrived around noon as a tanker was heading northwest (or to the Atlantic...directions are confusing here since Panama mostly runs east-west and the canal north-south) through the locks. Two small sailboats then came through in to opposite direction. And then they announced there would be no more boats til 3:30 pm! We visited the exhibits (two days of Canal info is a lot!), ate lunch overlooking the locks and then got to see four really big cargo ships come through. We found out that the biggest ships can only transit during daylight, and that boats from the Pacific cross in the am. Thus sometimes there is time with ... read more

The Lake Between Seas (Gatun Lake & The Panama Canal) quickly became the torment of the Panama Canal Authority on Sailboat owners. Actually, it is perfect...I did NOT actually end up paying the $800 penalty charge for having my motor stall for ten minutes and delaying other boaters, and I did not actually cause any other expensive sailing yachts tied to my side to spin in a 360 out of control accident into the channel walls in Lock #1 because of massive prop wash and heavy currents. I am actually a professional captain, and of course, it went very smooth. I was able to smile in the face of anxiety, and even did not feel captive by the mandatory pilot who is supposedly in charge of the entire affair. Of course, the main ubsurdity is that ... read more