Blogs from Panamá, Panama, Central America Caribbean - page 55

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

The journey from Santo Domingo to Panama City was long-winded (I had 7 fun-packed hours at Miami International airport) but pretty straightforward. Having been picked up from the guesthouse at 4.30am, I eventually arrived at Tocumen airport at 8pm so I was very glad to find that it was as easy to get a taxi into the city as all the guidebooks said it would be. Tocumen is about 20 minutes East of Panama City and the contrast with Santo Domingo was apparent from the get-go. Gone was the relaxed, caribbean vibe and attitude to driving, replaced with what seemed to me a more ´western´ approach. For a start, the taxi was in one piece and for seconds, the driver managed the entire journey without once honking his horn or cutting somebody up. The Hotel Marparaiso ... read more

Hello!! This time I'm writing from Panama City! I came down here to meet up with Libi, a friend who's sailing through the carribean, and then to Galapagos. On an italian sailingboat. Sorry, yacht. It was perfect to meet up in Panama, and I had the chance to come with for the crossing of the Panama canal!!! This was an amazing experience, just see my pictures and you understand. I can't believe I'm here... I have also added some pictures from the island in the previous entry. Enjoy!! About coming back to Sweden, everyone is asking so I should answer something... I don't know when!! Right now I'm having a great time and will probably extend my ticket (surprise..). My plan is no plan, and I'm looking for other volunteering and work possibilites. And no, I ... read more

I have arrived in Panama to be a research assistant for a woman studying bats here on Barro Colorado Island. I arrived yesterday in Panama City, got a taxi ride to Gamboa, took the ferry to the island this morning, and here I am! It is fantastic here! Very thick lush forest, nice and hot and humid (perhaps everything is damp all the time, but at least its comfortable!! I hate cold!), and there's absolutely amazing animal life. Pictures to follow! ... read more