Sevilla Panama City

... on that river, and they managed to flip the boat over, injuring one passenger and freaking out the rest so we ended up waiting for them at lunch so we could go down together as our guide (Tiny) was a 10 year pro. Did the tour with an American fella called Hayden who had driven through most of Central America from North Carolina, and his missus Dianne from Ontario. Both had met while working on super yauchts owned by billionaires, sounded alright! All year round paradise and seeing &amp ...

... a guy called Conrad Grant. A random guy who started a conversation with us when we had stopped to take a picture. He was a Panamanian but had been educated in English schools so had perfect English. He took us a great tour of the old part of the city and had so much background information and knowledge of the history of his city. He was brilliant. He took us down to the Plaza de Francia and Paseo las Bovedas, on to Palacio de las Garzas where I took the ...

... 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!<br><br>Exit Westme*th, enter Dingle.<br><br>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? <br>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 ...

I was woken by the early leavers in the hostel dormitory, this is not really my style! I went out for coffee with a fellow guest who was leaving, and ended up having breakfast.<br>We have planned to go to the Milflores lock today and hopefully see a ship going through. After a few minor detours we find the tourist centre and pay our $8 entry fee.<br>Inside there is a short film on the history of ...

... for at least an hour dealing with the service. Lot I just lost about 2 paragraphs when there was just a blip and then GONE! I didn´t loose it all though because I learned to save it regularly because it is so unreliable. Time to save again.... Horns --I´ve been meaning to write about this. Everyone constantly blows their car horns here when going down the street... In the U.S. if we hear a horn blow, we think ...

... through the lock via a webcam. I had emailed this info to our kids but the time we entered the lock was about an hour later than we had been advised so nobody was watching when we went through. Then it was on to the Gatun lake where we spotted two crocs on the banks at different places. Finally, we went through the Gatun locks and emerged into the Caribbean at around 6.30 pm. It had taken all day to get through the canal but it was a day to remember.

... an unassuming hotel just off 31st and Peru Avenue. I went straight to my fortunately air conditioned room, as even about 11pm it was 20-something degrees. I woke up about 5am but managed with little difficulty to persuade myself back to sleep. I finally arose to the traffic noises competing with the local birdsong outside my window at about 8.30am. Luckily I met Gordon in reception, a Canadian from Calgary who will also be on ...

... close to Santiago and decide to carry on. The rain continuing and the wind picking up, all I can smell is a strong eucalyptus scent . We ride out of the storm just as we enter Santiago. My Aerostitch riding gear is great. My clothing underneath is dry, however my left "waterproof" boot is saturated the glue has given away at the sole. We find a suitable hotel and settle in for the night. November 16th Another hot day, I slept in until 7.30 this ...

... the first lock. It looks like we're doing this transit together. This was our first time here so I'm not an expert, but for those of you who have never done the Panama Canal I'll try to explain what happens from what we've been told. If you have done it before, fell free to skip ahead. Before we enter the locks, 3 pilots come onboard along with a commentator. The commentator (as the title suggests) provides a commentary for the ...