Panama
Well I'm sure there is a lot more to Panama then the canal but that is all we saw of it. After arriving in the rainy season (thanks to being delayed 4 weeks), spending an entire morning sorting out paperwork for the bikes, we head out of Portobello getting absolutely drowned. The road to Panama City wasn't exactly fun but we arrive safely and set up for two nights, enough time to do some much needed washing, have a decent Chinese and a decent Indian meal, not cheap but oh so worth it! Oh and I nearly forgot, a Dunkin' Donut.
Panama City is a refreshing change with tall sky scrapers and a very modern feel. There is still the old town which is going through the process of regentrification and there are still the street vendors to add some character - a nice blend.
The Panama Canal is quite something. Not so much a canal as I thought it was going to be, more of three sets of locks that lift the ships 26 meters above sea level into a lake and then lowers them back down to sea level about 8-9 hours later on the other side. We arrived at Miraflores Locks just before 10am and spent the next hour just watching the big ships go through, in between rain showers of course. We bump into Vaulker and check out the exhibition and museum. There are plans to build another set of locks by 2014 which will double the capacity of shipping through the canal and also allow boats almost double the size that can fit through now, mainly American Navy Aircraft Landing ships. Definitely worth a visit next time you're in Panama.
After the excitement of the big smoke, we head up north to the 'Swiss' like village of Boquete. Apparently there is some lovely scenery around the village but as it was chucking it down again, and the cloud was thick, we didn't see much of it until the next morning. It was nice to snuggle up underneath a duvet again though.
4 nights in Panama, next stop, Costa Rica.
Panama City is a refreshing change with tall sky scrapers and a very modern feel. There is still the old town which is going through the process of regentrification and there are still the street vendors to add some character - a nice blend.
The Panama Canal is quite something. Not so much a canal as I thought it was going to be, more of three sets of locks that lift the ships 26 meters above sea level into a lake and then lowers them back down to sea level about 8-9 hours later on the other side. We arrived at Miraflores Locks just before 10am and spent the next hour just watching the big ships go through, in between rain showers of course. We bump into Vaulker and check out the exhibition and museum. There are plans to build another set of locks by 2014 which will double the capacity of shipping through the canal and also allow boats almost double the size that can fit through now, mainly American Navy Aircraft Landing ships. Definitely worth a visit next time you're in Panama.
After the excitement of the big smoke, we head up north to the 'Swiss' like village of Boquete. Apparently there is some lovely scenery around the village but as it was chucking it down again, and the cloud was thick, we didn't see much of it until the next morning. It was nice to snuggle up underneath a duvet again though.
4 nights in Panama, next stop, Costa Rica.
posted by Michelle at 3:09 pm
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