Marbella Panama City

... a car from Panama to Colombia drop us a line and we'll help you as much as we can. It is time consuming and you need to have a lot of patience but it defiantly went a lot smoother for us then for others we have read about online. There are horror stories but things can go smoothly as well. I think we just need to understand that the system down here doesn't work as well as the system at home. Things aren't set and you need to be flexible.

... us *ll how to pl*y h*ndb*ll, turns out I w*s h*lf decent *t it, I think Mick w*nted to sign me up for Irel*nd!

Exit Westme*th, enter Dingle.

Home of the berries, (kidding). This w*s * nice little fishing town p*cked full of qu*int little pubs *nd g*elic spe*king loc*ls, you know, the kind you could im*gine but never thought existed?
Here bek *nd I were put up by Louise´ sis Denise *nd her boyfriend Russell. We st*yed in * pimped out p*d right by the w ...

This was a fairly boring days riding a 5 hour and 250 miles blast along a mixture of dual and single carriageways with the odd pothole still to keep you awake.
The scenery was pleasant enough, not so many mountains more high hills and very green again.
It is a lot more prosperous on this side of Panama and we start to see American fast food ...

... a tree, but there was no one there to share the moment with - so although hiding in a tree I got a photo of the little guy as evidence :)!

In the afternoon I ventured into Panama Viejo to check out the historical ruins and of course the artesian market. both of which were rather unimpressive or perhaps I just prefer nature to history?! I couldn{t find any good tatt in the market - the molas ...

Our ship anchored in Feurto Armador which is a peninsula that was man made to give better access to the the port of Panama. We took a Tender a small boat, to the pier and boarded a bus which would take us to the Charges River Which is National Park. On the way, we passed through the area which was known as the Canal Zone for many years when the United States operated the Panama Canal. The buildings are there, but they are being turned into apartments by the government ...

... Morgans pirates were attacking a priest painted the altar black so the pirates thought it was a worthless piece made of wood. After the pirates left the priest moved it to the site it is at today. The church also has beautiful stained glass windows. The one I took a picture of, as I found out later is dedicated to Saint Rita of Cascia, the Patron Saint of Lost Causes. I guess there's a saint for just about everything! Could this be a sign ...

... and pointed us in the right direction for the viewing decks, and on the way back one lady got off the bus with us at our stop and, as we had stopped in a different area, she walked the half mile back to our road with us before she went off on her own way. We really don´t know what people were worried about. Maybe if they encouraged tourists to use local transport rather than telling them it was unsafe, then the locals would be even more accommodating of tourists ...

Hi, As usual I see that Sid wrote a few lines, and then gave up! I will try to update you a little bit. I am sure that most Edmontonians probably already heard about Evelyn & Isaac's wedding, so I won't spend too long it. Needless to say it was spectacular, from a Hollywood setting! The hospitality was amazing and as always Michelle and Sam were the perfect hosts. What was delightful is that Evelyn's family are also more than gracious ...

... to let yourself in through the gate. Erin and I went out briefly to get large bottles of water and juice to replace the liquids in our bodies that were quickly being sweated out, before collapsing into bed and sleeping hotly until it was dark. Silvia, our dear friend from Italy, arrived at 10pm and we picked her up in a taxi. We drove past the new city on the way, a skyline to rival any big city, so many skyscrapers! Í can´t believe how different the new ...

... then it was a (challenging for Nick) catamaran boat trip the next day. Very relaxing, watching dolphins swim by and snorkelling around the reefs. As we departed Bocas our boat-taxi managed to break down and we sat out in the middle of the sea for about 30mins while they got us out a replacement. V exciting. Then it was off to Boquete, a mountain village which bizarrely seemed populated only by grey haired american retirees. Evidently a couple of years ago it was ...