Crystal Suites Hotel Panama City

270 Nautical miles southwest of Cartagena, Columbia lays the Panama Canal. Today is the earliest day (on the cruise) that we have had to get up.<br><br> <br><br>5:30AM comes early but we need to eat and get a spot on deck. First, the history;<br><br>The Americans may have built the canal, but the concept, at least publicly stated, can be traced to the early 16th century, when King Charles of Spain commissioned a survey for a shortcut ...

... Well we were there for about an hour going around and not a dolphin in sight. Finally as we were just about to leave one lonely little dolphin showed up. You see more off the jetty in Coffs Harbour! From there we went to Coral Cay and did some snorkelling, it was pretty good, under the boat ramp there are loads of fish and I finally persuaded Franchesca to swim in amongst them. There is really no coral though it is all pretty much dead.Then the dreaded jelly fish turned up and ...

... something out of Pirates of the Carribean! <br><br>We're staying out of the sun for the next few days as even though we were both wearing factor 30, we came away with pink bits! the sun can get really hot very quickly and at night it's so humid it feels like a sauna.<br><br>On Thursday it was Katie's 6th birthday and Cat &amp; I constructed a Princess Castle Cake!! It was beautiful....definitely on a ...

... the camera anywhere near them! Oh well, he threw down the challange, and old D-Rock is stepping up to the plate. Ill have to work out a cheeky way to get close up photos of people without them knowing, maybe its time to crack out the bigger lens that Ive been lugging around all trip!<br>I decided it was best to listen to the advice of the locals and headed back to the hostel to drop off the camera before going to the market to get some cheap eats.<br>Spent the rest of the ...

... Egypt and now Panama. Maybe we should contact Friday's about a commission for promoting their restaurant around the world. Hmmmmm I'll have to work on that idea.<br>We took a taxi back to the hotel and hooked up with Vince and Cindy. Tonight we are going to a tapas restaurant in the old section of Panama. We need to rest up before we get ready for the evening. I gotta' tell you this humidity is exhausting!

... this last MICE concert out of 13 (worldwide) total!! -- those MICE really worked hard this semester. There was recognition of exceptional students - in the Union was the opening ceremony, including a slide of the recognized students' names (by the way, Judy Burtner was on the list - she was nominated by both her teachers!) One of my students opened the events by doing a short Guaguanco dance piece (she's of Cuban descent) and by ...

... over there!!" - "NO!!! - THEY ARE KITES!!" "Oh, ehe.. I thought they were tents..." Litt pinlig.. Vi var begge stolte da vi kom til det stadiet hvor man maa; ha kontroll paa kiten i luften, passe seg for boelgene som slaar inn hele tiden, ta paa seg brettet med en ...

... at the locks, there is a fancy restaurant with a buffet for lunch or dinner. It has a great view of all the ships that pass through the canal. I felt a little under dressed in shorts and a t-shirt but apparently we were ok with the hostess. There was a ton of good food, it cost around $20 per person. Miraflores closes at 5pm. We grabbed a taxi and went back to the hotel and watched the sunset.

... gibt, haben wir uns v**fehlt und **st in Panama City wied** getroffen. D.h. die folgenden Zeilen gelten nur für mich, da Rafa nicht ganz mein** Meinung ist. Nachdem ich Rafa noch auf div**sen Inseln gesucht hatte, hat uns uns** Boot mehr od** we***** zufällig auf d** "Franklin Island" abgesetzt. Ich muss noch ein wenig grundsätzliches **zählen, damit auch die ganze Situation richtig rüb** kommt. : Das San Blas ...

... will forever be remembered and reflected upon. Shared through video and pics. And cherished through the years to come. But you know, I'm excited to get back to home. The world will not dissappoint if you give it a chance, and for those seeking peace or adventure, it's out there. But in the end, there really is no place like home. And no matter where you go, or for how long, somehow it always brings you back. That in itself is another trip.