Courtyard Panama City

... on the rocks for me and a rum and coke for my friend, free of charge. Next was the warm meal, nothing fancy, but it filled me up and didn't taste bad. We both remarked at how embarresing it was that on our 3 hour flights we can offer a coke or burnt coffee, nothign else. Its a shame how American air travel has come to lag so far behind the rest of the world, even though we were the ones that started it all back in 1903.
By far my favorite ...

... to drive? ME. If I had a choice I would have said "no way in hell"...but we were desperate, so I climbed into the driver's seat and tried to push the worst case scenario out of my head and concentrate on the task at hand. (3 guys up against a Suburban stuck in the middle of a rising river- I mean, really?! )They were pushing from the front and I put the car in reverse and slammed on the gas (I think I closed my eyes for a few seconds too!). After ...

... are and your in the ghetto. It doesnt make sense. Its also amazing how generous and kind the people are. Some of these people have nothing and at times have given me food, drinks, lifts in cars, etc, all of them refused to take any money. People are also patient and helpful with explaining directions and giving you help, especially if you try to talk a little in Spanish. It amazes me that people with so little are so happy, and having lived out of a bag for 5 months, I too ...

... Lavazza signs.  (After I was inside, I noticed the music was a Spanish-English mix, featuring a lot of U2.)  However, it was starting to pour, so I went in.
I ended up getting a soupy corn and cheese appetizer (cooked, of course) that was very, very good.  It was called Mazorca Desgranada.  I also got a veggie burger, which wasn´t super impressive, but was edible (once I removed the lettuce and tomato).  I know germs jump instantly from one food ot ...

... year (about $360,000). Leaving the Miraflores we passed some Panama Canal Railway locomotives. Containers are also moved across the isthmus by rail, sometimes so that ships can meet the draft requirements. There is apparently also a passenger service....could be a fun way to see the Canal. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Casco Viejo, an old part of the city with beautiful plazas, cathedrals, and Spanish colonial homes ...

... a green fruit called Jagua into a paste then squeeze the liquid out of it. Using a narrow strip of bamboo they paint the juice on your skin in traditional patterns. The juice creates a chemical reaction with your skin and it turns black in about 24hrs and lasts 1-2 weeks. I think the sunscreen I was wearing made the jagua juice smear a little bit but it's still very cool looking. The Embera are an amazing people and I recommend that you ...

... in fact) nothing threatening ever happened to me, but within an hour of setting foot in Panama City someone tries it on; likewise Ecuador. We spent 2 weeks in Taganga - longest we´ve ever spent anywhere I think - and were really sad to leave. Sorry to say farewell to Cartagena too, but at least I´m on the road again and will procede with due dilligence for my safety and that of my goods and chattels.

... Museum was packed with people watching us coming through. We even saw our patient walk off the ship and into an ambulance. The view now is filled with dockyard ships and Panama City in the background. We sailed under the Bridge of Americas, past the four Island causeway and out into the holding area. We received clearance to anchor near Fuerte Amador early, so we hopped on the first tender to the port. The port was filled with some very nice restaurants, several yachts, few ...

... stop was Bocas del Toro, an archipeligo of islands on the Caribbean just a short hop over the border (which was technically a long walk over a rickety old railway bridge from one customs to the other) from Costa Rica. The main town is incredibly touristy but had happy hour G&Ts for one dollar (!!), amazing sunsets and cute little places to eat and drink on stitlts over the water. Afer a couple of days there we headed to Isla Bastimentos, just ten minutes by boat across the ...