Melia Panama Canal Colon

... a little apprehensive to using helpers as it tends to be a big con, but we decided to go along with it. Twenty minutes later Nick and Rochelle arrived and went right into the customs paper work process. It took us about 45 minutes in total to get the paperwork cleared. Christina and I broke a cardinal rule with paperwork helpers. ALWAYS ASK FOR THE PRICE OF THEIR SERVICE! When it was all said and done we were charged US $40 ...

... not when I was there fortunately) - very touristy indeed but good for gifts if you want to meet a real Kuna (indigenous person).

Most tour companies only take bookings for a minimum of 2 people therefore billy no mates couldn´t get on a boat along the canal (so no I didn´t go to Colon, just changed the map pin to make myself feel like I did!). It seems a little old school if you ask me - have they not ...

... heading to Columbia (trieste que no estamos por lo mosmo barco, dice ella)...and then to Chile, New Caledonia and Australia. Sounds great. Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good about the whole thing. Nice adventurous people here. I am definitely the oldest by a long shot but they seem pretty open for the most part so that's good. Just met a Dutch girl from Leiden... This afternoon at 5 we load our big ...

... buttonbush, which shares some mangrove characteristics), we learned a little about sea turtle biology, sea grass restoration efforts, oil spill effects and then......lunch. Just as in 2006, our lunch was outstanding. Our guide told us that what we ate for lunch was very typical for the region and that she ate this food all the time. On the surface it really didn't look like much: a leafy salad with homemade vinaigrette ...

... But it was once the most important Spanish port in Central America, and as such, it was well-fortified against intruders. The ramshackle houses are now built among the ruins of 17th century forts, and cannons lay rusting behind stone turrets, presumably exactly as the Spanish left them. So our short time in Portobelo was interesting in terms of culture and history, but it was a culinary disaster. I've never seen so much fried food and ...

Set sail for Columbia, a little ominously, on Friday the 13th. After a rough first couple of hours though, it turned out to be incredible, unforgettable few days and a real highlight of my travels. We stopped off in a number of different locations in the San Blas Archipelego. We followed the famed, wild Darien coast. The Darien Gap, one of the world´s ...

... letto con la mia figlia minore desiderando soltanto di dormire per un mese intero. Inutile dire che anche l'alimentazione e i ritmi dei pasti sono stravolti e in corso di ripristino, Chiara beve un sacco di latte per generale inappetenza da caldo e principalmente per recuperare i liquidi che perde in sudore. Vedremo cosa si riuscirà a fare nei prossimi giorni. Morale, in questo momento mi manca la neve e anche il freddo (io lo dico sempre che chi ha pane non ha i denti e viceversa!).

... to measure the exact wheel base to find this out and also it was the first time we found that the vehicle is being lifted on to the vessel on a pallet rather than drive on and off. We were getting a bit upset at this stage because we had to get the final price and go to a nearby bank to pay it in, in cash, so they would be able to take it and the bank shut at 3. In the end we got the final figure at 3.30 so we have missed the bank, and to make it worse the ...

... back to Gatun Locks, to cross over once again. These locks consist of three chambers over an area of 1.5 km that raises the vessel some 86 ft in just over an hour. We had to wait whilst one vessel went through the last lock and then it was back across and drive back to the camp. This time we did not get diverted and took the original route and found how bad it was, most of the way we could only travel at 5 to 10 kms per hour hence it was quite a long day. 15th - Another lazy day in camp

... 25000 people died during the construction of the Panama canal, mainly caused by yellow fever, or malaria. Each lock (Current) is 33.53m wide, 304.8m wide. 69% Of the traffic through the Canal originates or is destined to the United States The lowest toll for transiting the canal was paid by Richard Halliburton, who paid 36 cents to swim across the canal in August 1928 Vessels traveling from New York to San Francisco save 7,873 miles by using the Panama Canal instead ...