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  Panama, Panama
Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Hello one and all.

We found a few glitches in our system of travel. We had a great time in Orlando with Jody, Todd, and the little ones. Following this, we flew into Miami, with a booking for a wonderful condo on the beach with sea view. Well......We got there. Once inside we started to find some problems. We went by the American system "Three Strikes and Your OUT". So, we had nowhere to stay. Our back up plan with Rabbi Lankry, dissolved as his parents descended upon him unannounced, and our 2nd backup plan was an older on the beach no view apartment. This one was beyond description. I think the last straw for Sharon was the French Canadian, picking his toenails outside his room for everyone to enjoy. My last straw was the bathroom doorway, which even going sideways, was difficult to enter. In the middle of the night this could prove to be a more serious problem.

Therefore after 2 nights in name brand hotels, we took a condo in Orlando for the duration of our stay in Florida.

Now, onto Panama.

Panama City is vibrant, choked with traffic and fumes. It is pretty, with a sort of Vancouver setting, with hills behind and the city on the bay. The area with greatest interest is Punta Paitilla. We found the people to be very warm and friendly.

We arrived for Carnival, and thought this might be exciting. NO, no, no. Most of the people left, the kosher restaurants were closed and there was partying in the streets. The good part, was that the traffic disappeared, so we rented a car, got lost a few times, and saw the city.

We went looking for the Panama Canal, and believe it or not, it was not easy to find. Panama is interesting as there are almost no street signs, no highway signs, numbers, markers. We missed the turn to Balboa, and just kept going across the isthmus to the Caribbean. We knew we went the wrong way, but decided to keep on going, as we would go down this road inevitably. Lo and behold, we found the old Spanish fortess of Portobello, and after this lovely trip along the coast, we decided to follow the next tour bus. Who knows where this might take us, but hopefully we would find the canal at the Colon end. We were right. It took us straight to the cruise boat dock. Oh well.

So onwards soldiers. We headed in the direction of the Pacific, took a wrong turn, and discovered the Gatun Locks. This was exciting. Finally, the real Panama Canal. We in fact, were able to drive throught the locks and cross to the other side of the canal.

Eventually, we made it back to Panama city. After this we found the way in and out and around. Today we had a terrific day going to the Amador Causeway, which was created from the diggings from the canal, made it to the Miraflores locks on the Pacific side, and took the tour. We travelled on to Gamboa, and were disappointed that we couldn't get into to see the hotel, but drove around the eco village of Gamboa. The bridge into Gamboa was thrill and a half.

Tomorrow we are heading towards the frontier of Costa Rica, and will be lodging on the beach.

Thats all folks. Keep warm.