Sevilla Panama City

... to raise the ships from sea level to the level of the lake and the ships have to pass through three sections before they are released into the lake. The whole canal is eighty kilometres long and takes nearly twenty four hours to get from either the Pacific to the Caribbean or vice versa. Fourteen thousand vehicles pass through the canal every year and by going through rather than around companies save three months in travel time and over two million in ...

... gr*nd. The *ncient c*stle ruins, the pe*t bogs, the hurling, the pubs, the *ccent, the sense of humour, the comr*dery...It *ll m*de for * gre*t visit *nd IŽll definitely be b*ck when I h*ve more c*sh in my skyrocket. Th*nks to everyone who put us up *nd put up with us, without y* it wouldnŽt h*ve been in the budget!

Exit Irel*nd, enter London, exit London, enter Los Angeles.

We touched down in L.A. pretty d*mned tired. We went from * f*irly rel*xed Irel*nd ...

... it can cost a ship hundreds of thousands of dollars. The cheapest anyone has ever passed through the canal for, was a man who swam the canal and paid a toll of 35 cent.

Last thing to mentioned was the taxi ride to the airport. It was the ride of death! The driver was going at about 120mph, there were no seat belts, the front window had a big crack in it, and there isnŽt exactly lanes in Panama, so he was weaving in and out of cars at this speed. FUN!

... at 1 pm.    So we went and waited in the parking lot and found a young German couple in their VW camper waiting there too.   I went and talked to them and proposed that we combine their camper and our bikes into a container and we could all pay 1200, reducing our costs considerably.  They were up for it so we went and met Barwil together at 1:00 together.    Barwill said they would be happy to do it but that it would cost $2000 for ...

... waters for 24 to 30 hours. 2. The canal runs from the Pacific to the Atlantic oceans. 3. In Miraflores Locks, which are open 24-7 365 days of the year, ships pass one way in the morning and the other way in the afternoon, and then there is 2 way traffic through the night. 4. Big ships pass through the locks during the day and smaller ships pass through at night. 5. There are 2 conditions for ships to pass through the locks: 1. The Captain has to give up control of ...

... including Rabbi & Naomi Munk and family, so that was great! After Shabbos we left for Panama! and our house. We met our friends from Montreal in Miami and we all got on the plane for Panama. We had decided to stay a couple of days in Panama City to buy a car. We poked around the city, enjoyed some of the kosher restaurants, and finally found a car. It is a Mitsubishi Monterro, which is a suv. It is diesel and can hold about 7 people ...

... morning. While he was gone I wrenched the bike and changed the oil. I then prepared everything for tomorrow, we have to drop the bikes off a day in advance at the Air Carrier. Sorry I should explain why we are flying the bikes to Columbia.... The Pan American Highway ends literally at the town of Yaviza in Panama. At this point there is apx 200 miles of dense jungle between Panama and Columbia called the Darien Gap before the ...

... in the 40's! All the boat passages are planned way in advance and there is one vacant slot a day that is decided by auction. The museum taught us a lot about the construction of the canal (first by the French, then totally taken over by the US which created friction with Panama that lasted years, and finally the expansion that started in 2007 and should be finished in 2012 - so 2030 if they are like Ireland).

After the Canal, we went to the ...

... of the year when there was naught to do... instead we went to the beach (Pelmar) where we learned how to surf. Nick got up, but went down almost as fast. Big waves though made it very exciting. Even body surfing was painful! Stayed for the day at a freeky/dodgy surfer dude house where the Class As were flowing... most of the group felt like they were in Point Break with Keanu....At the hotel we stayed at there was a Golden Tree Frog (actually a Toad), which is ...