Nh Krystal Laguna Villas & Resort Colon

Last night we flew back to Panama City and took the half hour taxi ride to the resort. It was dark so we didn´t see much until we got to the hotel. And what a hotel it is. Very luxurious. We were going to stay in the historical rooms where the workers of the Canal stayed. Those rooms are a ways away from the main hotel so we upgraded to rooms overlooking the water with balconies and hammocks. We were a little skeptical about this place because almost every review said the food was awful but y...

There was no rain today so we were able to go not only on the aerial tram but later we went to monkey island.
The tram ride is interesting as the guide explains all the differen types of plants and you take numerous pictures. At the top of the tram ride you get off and walk for a bit and then start the ascent of the tower. You are told to walk in the middle of the ramps as our guide saw 6 snakes the day before. Arrival at the top is spectacular! You overlook the canal and the rain forest a...

Now, to retrieve that credit card... On the way back from Chile, Copa was unable to get us on the first connection back to the US, so we 'had' to stay an extra day in Panama. That gave 36 hours, which was enough time to no only pick up the credit card I'd left at a restaurant at the Canal, but to spend a day and nigh at a resort about an hour's drive outside the city. The Gamboa Rainforest Resort is a wonderful place. There are two choices of accommodation: the old style buildings which used ...

After another night of very little sleep (the girl next door was a screamer) and still resorting to wet wipes we set out early to catch the Panama Train to cruise up along the canal and it's lakes to the final destination of Colon. Tourist class was completely full so we had the observation carriage which was an open carriage, standing only. To us it was the best seat in the house as we got to see the stunning scenery without obstruction and without freezing in the air conditioned carriages. ...

Just after lunch on August 1, we crossed the Bridge of the Americas which spans the Panama Canal and serves as the entrance to Panama City. While it wasn't our farthest point south on the trip - that would come a few days later while chasing a turtle - it psychologically marked the end of the road for us. Six and half months after leaving home we had finally reached our destination! (The real end of the road - the Darien Gap - is about 230 km east of Panama City. It is a 160 km stretch of hos...

It was rather a chore to get this trip organized. We were in Panama in 2002 as part of an Elderhostel tour in Costa Rica and Panama. We liked some things we saw and since husband didn't want to go to Costa Rica again we decided on Panama. But figuring out where to go, and how to split our time was not that easy. We like to go for 4 weeks to escape a big chunk of winter in the NE. It seemed like the travel agent always took several days to check on each thing. This resulted in only 4 nights at...

OK, this is for my foodie people.....and as with a lot of blogging....a way to remember what we did. Since Panama is a country of immigrants and expats there is an amazing amount of international cooking/eating done there. Of course the big resorts consider themselves "international" so you are sometimes hard pressed to find any "local" food. Most striking case in point....the (very tasty) Chinese shrimp dumplings one morning on the breakfast buffet at Gamboa Rainforest Resort. One kind of so...

Si il y a un endroit, à visiter à tout prix lors d'une séjour à Panama, c'est bel et bien Gamboa Rain Forest. Situé à 40 minutes du centre-ville, c'est une localité qui borde le canal de Panama, en plein coeur de la junge tropicale. Le plus epoustouflant sur le chemin de Gamboa, c'est toute cette humidité que l'on apperçoit s'élever du bitume. À peine est on à l'intérieur de la forêt, qu'on se sent envahit par l'ombre des grands arbres mais aussi une chaleur moins étouffante que celle du cent...

Hey. I let my family take care of this entry to give me a break. I havent had a decent Internet connection since Panama so unfortunately I could only upload 4 photos. It was awsome seeing my family again after all this time and I had a great time hanging out with them for the week. FROM ADAM at GAMBOA RESORT, PANAMA, APRIL 6 It's been raining here all week (boo) but its very hot and very humid. Ive mostly been hanging out by the pool drinking and eating a lot, which is good. Today we managed ...