Money Money No Infraction ... followed by commentary

                        Money , Money No Infraction

     Time to head to the beaches again.  The highway from the mountain town of Boquete is a new four lane road.  Very nice, very scenic.  In no time we were in David and connected to the Interamerican Highway, headed back towards Panama City.  We were heading to the beaches about two hours this side of Panama City.  We planned for a 4-5 hour ride.  The Interamerican from David is a one lane in each direction concrete washboard.  And it's full of potholes.  Along with the trucks, buses  and cars we played dodge'em for two hours, everyone weaving from the breakdown lane to the oncoming lane to avoid blowing out a tire.  The buses make frequent stops, so that's another dodge'em  scene.  WHEW! 

     Panama doesn't have an army any more so Joe figures that accounts for the large number of police.  Some are uniformed, much like our city cops.  They saunter around the town streets schmoozing with the locals.  Then there are the guys in the green uniforms, boots and flack jackets.  They get to carry AK47's or kind of gun that I imagine an AK 47 looks like.  Some of those guys look like they're about 16 and the guns are too big for them.  There are quite a few motorcycle uniformed police lurking under overpasses with speed guns pointed at passing cars.  Another group of police wear green  flack jackets and carry pistols.

     Needless to say we watched for speed postings along the Interamerican Highway very carefully as it varied from 40km/hr to 100km/hr seemingly rather randomly.  As we got nearer the beaches on the other side of Santiago, the highway got better and became four lanes. We still had to watch for the occasional pothole and buses making frequent stops.  Those bus drivers are extremely aggressive, pulling out from their stops without regard for the following traffic.  I guess the police don't care about that.

     Beyond Santiago the beach areas begin.  There's Playa Blanca, Playa Farallon, Playa Santa Clara, Playa El Palmar and so on to Playa Coronado, the most popular beach  (according to The Lonely Planet Guide). None were well marked but we made our way off the highway and headed towards first beach, Playa Blanca and ran into a gated community and no beach access.  Then we tried Playa Santa Clara, a with the same results.  We decided to head to Playa Coronado but somehow overshot the turnoff and ended at a sign that said "Playa Gorgona".  We tried that and damn, if there was no beach access, in fact we couldn't even find the beach., and certainly no hotels, hostels, no nothing!

     Since Playa Gorgona was the last of the beaches on the map we turned around to find Playa Coronado. We drove a ways, asked,  turned around, drove, asked, turned around, asked, ended way beyond, turned around AGAIN.  Well, that time I picked the wrong place to turn around. Across the highway came running one of those police in the green uniforms, boots, and flack jackets, whistling for me to pull over.  Pad and pen in hand he describes my infraction by drawing it.  He wants my license and the rental car info. Barely looking at them, he ask for my passport.  I comply.  He opened it saying "Money, money, no infraction" waving my passport and the pad he's holding. Again "Money, money , no infraction'"  Huh?  Really?  Joe hands me $20, saying "He wants money and he'll let us go.  Just give it to him."  I do, and he flips his infraction pad closed, hands me back my passport, license, and car papers and starts to walk away.  "Wait, Wait." I yell.  He turned around looking rather surprised.  "Playa Coronado?" I ask.  He points in the direction we were heading, and says "5 kilometers  Reys."  We know Reys.  It's a big chain store with a big red sign.

       By now it's dark. Once again we backtrack, find Reys and head down the unmarked bumpy side street.  At least there were a couple of restaurants so that was hopeful.  We passed through a manned gate.  Continuing down the road we encountered a few people enjoying an evening stroll but there was no sign of a beach town. We stopped at what looked like it could be a high rise condo or a high rise hotel.  There were very few people.  Joe went in and reported back that there was no beach access in Coronado Beach any more. Most of the area had been bought up for condos.  We were to learn that is what has happened in most of these beach communities. Bought up by Columbians, it is whispered.

     Lucky for us this establishment was a newly opened Wyndam Hotel.Joe asked if I wanted to take a look at a room.  No.  Just book it.  We had no options but to take a room for the night, and in fact we stayed the next night as well, for lack of a better plan.  Our room faced the ocean but in front of this hotel were two towering condominium buildings.  At night we counted a total of eleven lighted units..  In either direction were more white high-rise buildings.  The beach access was down the street and between a ten foot wall and  a chain link fence enclosing a narrow trash-strewn path.


I forgot to mention the razor wire.

  The Coronado Beach is a dark sand beach stretching far in both directions.  We took a walk and found no public access points.

       Coronado Beach was lined with fairly new large homes, but we didn't see any other hotel so we have no idea where those fancy hotels are, and clearly there are no longer any average hotels or b&b's described in our guidebooks.  It was VERY hot so we spent quite a lot of time in the ocean that morning.

      At this point we had canceled our plans on the Azuero Peninsula after finding that not to our liking.  We had canceled our plans to go to Bocas Del Toro because we had heard how buggy it could be, so we still had a week left.  That much time in Coronado Beach was unappealing so we decided enough is enough.  Time to go home.  I was on "hold" with American Airlines for nearly half an hour because of the impeding snowstorm in the Northeast, but my perseverance paid off.  By using Advantage miles for this trip we were able to make a no hassle, no cost switch.  The next day we were on our way home.

                                      Commentary:  I Can't Resist

     Joe and I are pretty adept travelers.  We've driven and toured through Belize, Costa Rica, and Ecuador.  In all those places we got lost, had car issues, and got frustrated at times.  But we always found lovely beaches, reasonably inexpensive but nice lodging, and lots of interesting sights, interesting people, and interesting animal life.  In Panama we marveled at the Panama Canal, archeology, coffee plantations, and scenery.  But the foreign influence has created an in-your-face double economy. The minimum wage is $1.50 an hour so who can afford the $10 hamburgers? Much land is scraped clear of vegetation to build gated communities for ex-pats.  Time and again Joe and I saw acres of barren red soil with signs saying COMING SOON. The wildlife has all been chased away, and much of it is eaten by the indigenous people on reservations. (So we were told.)  If a traveler goes way out into the wilderness near the Columbian border he can find wildlife, and much more.  We were told that area is very unsafe more reasons other than wildlife.

      High priced hotels are replacing friendly, inexpensive hostels and bed-and-breakfast lodging. The tall space-age looking buildings of Panama City, mostly unoccupied, are referred to as the Cocaine Towers.  There is a pensionado program for foreign pensioners that provides for discounts on home owner taxes, travel, restaurants, taxies, and buses, theaters and the like.  There's a very favorable health coverage plan.  In fact there is a very complete heath care package for the first thirty days for foreign travelers.  We met foreigners who were there just for good, inexpensive health care.  All this is good except the government doesn't reimburse the locals for that loss of revenue when they honor the discounts.  Why should the foreign residents get the breaks when the locals are the ones with less money?  Hmmm  Think about that.

     What we found while traveling throughout Panama was the foreign influence has made travel in Panama  expensive. The US dollar is the national currency.  Most restaurants have US pricing, the hotels have US pricing and tours often have US pricing. While we found some interesting things to see and do, we found these to be far more expensive than equivalent activities, meals and hotels in any of our other travels to Central and South American countries.

Boquete Part II Finding Quetzales

              Finding the Elusive Magnificent Quetzals

      There are several trails leading into the rain forest from Boquete.  On our first day here we hiked the Pipeline Trail to the waterfall. We had hoped to see the magnificient quetzals.  They are extremely difficult to spot and we had no luck in doing so.  We had been told this is mating season and it's the best time ever to spot one so I wanted to try again, this time with an experienced guide.  Joe decided not to go.  He's not much into hiking.  But had he come he would have seen not one, not two, but five male quetzals.

 

I've tried to enlargen the pictures I took from my little camera.  In the pictures you can see the quetzales' long blue plume of a tail.  The first one I saw flew overhead trailing this plume.  He really is magnificient.  He has the coloring of a parrot but he's bigger than the average parrot. 

Riding in Caldera

                               Ms Mare and Mr. Stallion

     We  had to try horseback riding while we're in Boquete.  Actually we went to Caldera, a town about a half an hour from here for some equestrian excitement.  After we mounted up, our guide led us across pasture land, up hills and down the ravines.  It's a good thing we had done some very hilly riding in Costa Rica.  The terrain was very steep in places, and in a couple of places the horses could barely fit through the hilly ravine, let alone us with our legs and stirrups around the horses' tummies.  We had the opportunity to canter and gallop up the hills but it's been a while since I've ridden at that level.  No nose to tail ride was this.

We cantered up a hillside to be confronted by a herd of cows, a mare and her foal, and a stallion.  The stallion took one look at the mare I was riding and let out a loud whinny.  The mare's ears went right up.  I knew love was in the air.  She responded with a loud whinny of her own.  Clearly he was interested and she was willing.  I suspected a potential problem and luckily so did our guide.  He told me to stay close to him, as he shooed the stallion away.  The stallion wasn't going to be deterred.  More whinnying ensued.  I checked the mare's reins, and held on with my knees, nudging her uphill and away.  She was a reluctant steed.

      It wasn't long before Mr. Stallion was calling again, and again the guide chased him away.  Down the other side of the hill we went.  More whinnying.  I looked to my right and galloping over the hill was Mr. Stallion.  I kept going and the guide once again shooed him away.  This time for good.  But I think I heard Ms Mare whinny she'd be back.

My white mare's ears pricked forward when she saw that handsome stallion giving her the whinnies.  He's the brown guy on the left standing next to the lounging cow.

Boquete Part I

                        From the Pacific to the Mountains

     A five hour drive from the coast to Boquete brought us into much cooler, drier weather.  We drove up the of slopes of  Volcan Baru then down into a bowl-shaped valley where the town has developed along a river.  The water supply for the town comes from the many streams that flow down the mountain sides and into the river.  It's purified and very fine to drink.

     During the first two weeks of January the town hosted a huge Flower Festival. It is extremely popular drawing thousands to this small city. In a few weeks Boquete is hosting a Jazz festival and the hotels are booked as again they are expecting thousands.  As a result of the festival the park where the main events were held is still in bloom.  It's an event much like our Garden Shows held in the spring.

Geologic formation due to volcanic activity eons ago

     Around Boquete there are several hikes ranging from easy to difficult. There are hikes to the various waterfalls and hikes to the top of the volcano.  All of them are superb birding trails and everywhere there are people with binoculars, all looking up. The prize to find is the male splendid quetzale, It's a rather large parrot-looking bird but he has a three foot long plume of a tail. This is mating season so the birds have been spotted frequently, but they blend in so well they're hard to spot.

     The first day we were here Joe and I took the Waterfall Trail, a relatively easy and not too long trail.  We could hear all kinds of birds chipping along the path but they were very hard to spot. We did see two female quetzals feeding on some very colorful flowers high in the trees.  I spotted yet another snake, a black racer this time.  Howler monkeys were making quite a racket for a while, but we never saw them.  They are scary sounding, sort of like roaring lions.

Breakfast for the birds at the Boquete Garden Inn

Boquete Garden Inn

     We met a rather gregarious man who winters here with his wife.  The rest of the year he runs his garden flower business in Calgary.  He had lots of suggestions of things to do around here.  He had climbed the volcano the day before, but that one's not on our list.  He did suggest the Gringo Market held Tuesday mornings.  The ex-pats bring their organic garden goods and crafty things to sell.  There were a few natives selling baskets and jewelry.  There was an interesting mix of people and it was interesting to see such a large "snowbird" population. 
     Some guests at the Boquete Garden Inn where we were staying had raved about  an archeological dig and tour given by the landowner about an hour and half drive from Boquete so we decided to give that a look.  The drive around the volcano was spectacular and we were not disappointed by the tour.  It seems that the woman's grandfather had come from Texas in 1929 and farmed the land.  In the course of her living there she dug up several pottery pieces and contacted people who knew about these things.  There have been several professional teams from Germany and the US exploring her grounds and have found thousands of artifacts, some dating back as long as 3000 years ago.  She keeps a bunch in her little rustic museum, and many are in museums elsewhere.  It's believed the ancient dwellers were forced to leave due to volcanic activity.

The artifacts can't be removed from the soil because they would crumble so they've been left as they were found.



     Panama is the first Central American or South American country we've toured that has really good coffee.  We signed up for a four hour coffee tour of the Ruiz Coffee plantation and found out why that is.  Panama's coffee plantations are privately owned and they sell their coffee inside the country as well as to foreign countries.  Coffee producers in the other countries are required to sell to their governments who export the good stuff and keep only the not-so-good stuff inside the country.

Walking through Ruiz Coffee Plantation

During our tour we walked the plantation watching the red ripe beans being picked.  Unlike orchards at home the coffee trees aren't necessarily planted in rows,

Juan Valdez doesn't really pick the coffee beans

The red beans are the ripe ones.  There are several pickings on one plant.  As the beans ripen the pickers will return, usually three times.  The last picking takes all, ripe of not.  This final picking goes into making instant coffee.

Volcan Baru.  Spectacular scenery everywhere.

Scattered among the coffee trees are different kinds of trees; orange trees, palm trees, and deciduous  trees.  They provide shade, insect attraction, and homes for birds who prey on the insects. This plantation sells oranges as well as coffee bean.  We saw the beans drying in the sun, saw them being washed, peeled, redried, and bagged. They have to be aged for four months then they're sorted by size and density and rebagged for shipment. Some of this plantation's coffee sells in la-de-da stores around the world for more than $800 a pound.  We ended the tour with an explanation of roasting of the beans then a tasting session.  The dark roast has the least amount of caffeine and the light roast has the most.  Espresso also has the least amount of caffeine.   Instant coffee is made from the beans that don't pass muster for ground coffee, and it often has tiny twigs and bits of stone ground in it.  I've never like instant coffee anyway.

Evening scene from our window.

Pensula de Azuero and Santa Catalina

                                      Peninsula de Azuero and Beyond

      We drove up and out of the crater surrounding El Valle, found our way west along the Interamerican  Highway, then south via la Carretera National to Pedasi.  It was a long trip, and although the highway is excellent the speed limit is about 25 mph in places.  There were plenty of police with radar guns so we thought it prudent to at least try to pay attention to our speed.  It was quite easy to get lost when going through towns along the highway, too. 

     The Azuero Peninsula is farm country.  We passed miles of sugar cane and had planned to stop at a sugar processing plant but we couldn't find it.  If the fields weren't covered in sugar cane, or the remains of harvested sugar cane, they were pastures for cows, lots of big white brahman cows.  We thought it odd we were told not to order beef in Panama because it is "like shoe leather".  

     We finally got to Pedasi, one of the surfing capitals of Panama only to find it not on the coast.  Playa Pedasi (Pedasi Beach) had no accommodations but there were some in town.  But why would we want to stay there?  It was hot and unappealing so we backtracked to Playa el Uvertio.  That's not so great either but for one night it was ok.  And the sun rose over the Pacific Ocean. That's so weird.  Gotta look at a map to get it!

                                                      Santa Catalina

     Off to the next destination, the surfing  hot spot of Santa Catalina..  We're not into surfing, just beaches.   That required driving another leg on the Interamerican Highway, getting lost going through a city again, and turning south beyond Santiago.  It was somewhere around there we got lost again.  Try getting directions when you don't speak Spanish.  Eventually we found the road and when in doubt at intersections there was usually somebody at a bus stop who pointed the way to Santa Catalina.   That was another long ride.  The road is a bit narrow and it twists and turns, but it's paved right to the beach.

     Picture a tropical beach town.  How does it look in your mind?  Well, it's some beach, somewhere, but not here.  There are no topical resorts lining the beach, one questionable  beach bar, a few equally questionable restaurants, one mini-mini-mini-mart, several surf shops, barking dogs, wandering children and roosters.  We drove out of town a bit and back, trying to get the lay of the land.  We decided on an in-town location, Rollo's Hostal.

     It's interesting how perspective changes when you're rested and an area becomes familiar.  We spent four nights at Rollo's.  Our private bath room was clean, air conditioned, and quiet, and there was fresh good coffee in the common kitchen in the morning.  We explored Santa Catalina on foot and found a couple of decent restaurants, a guy to take us fishing, a tour to take us to Isla de Coiba to go snorkeling, and a panaderia for muffins.  The locals were friendly, there was a laid back police presence, and the gringos  were mostly surfer dudes and girls from many foreign countries, and  ex-pats.  And then were Joe and me.

     If we had been there to surf we'd have been quite disappointed.  The surfers were hanging out waiting for the big ones, but the waves were fine for body surfing.  The sand is dark but the water was clear and very warm.  We didn't do much beach sitting because the sun is so hot.

     The snorkeling trip was a long day but well worth the bone-jarring  hour and half ride out to Coiba.  On the way out we encountered a group of whales quite near the boat so the captain shut the engine and we watched for a few minutes. Coiba is a large protected island about twenty-five miles off the coast of Santa Catalina.  It's largely uninhabited so the natural flora and fauna are undisturbed.  You can stay at the ranger station and take hikes into the interior of the island, but it's rugged and the fauna is not so friendly.  As well as monkeys and sloths there are several varieties of poisonous snakes, crocodiles, alligators, and cayman.  Joe and I have had one cayman encounter too many so that excursion was out! (See our Ecuador blog of the jungle.)  At the ranger station by the beach there was a sign saying not to swim because of the cocodiles.  No worries.

     Our snorkeling adventure was around other smaller islands.  The water was clear and the fish were abundant.  Our only criticism is that there was a strong current running along the backside of one of the small islands.  I'm a very strong swimmer but Joe had quite a hard time for a few minutes.  After stopping at three different snorkeling sights we rested  in the shade of the palms on an idyllic beach.  Joe and I took a walk to along the beach to small stream leading back to a fresh water lagoon.  At the edge of the stream leading to the ocean were very large creature footprints.  They were bigger than my hand and had claws. I could see where a tail had dragged between these claw prints. My first thought was "Oh shit.  Not another cayman!"  No, not a cayman, a crocodile. Two of them.  But we didn't see them.  Somebody approached us and confirmed the presence of these creatures.  Without hesitation we rejoined the other lounging snorkelers, climbed aboard the boat and headed back to Santa Catalina.

This is how the local get gas for there boats.  The nearest gas station is miles away.

Joe always like a fishing trip so naturally he found a local with a boat to take us out for two hours.   I found watching the local fishermen getting their boats ready for the day more interesting than fishing.  We caught two fish:  Mine was long and skinny with lots of teeth which got thrown back, but Joe caught a nice big mackerel.  We gave that one to the boat captain.

The last evening we were in Santa Catalina we went to local bar/restaurant which had been advertising reggae music, good pizza and drinks on special.  The music, which was supposed to start at 8:00, never got going until 9:30.  It seems they forgot to get a permit but the police told them to wait until 9:30 then the music could begin.  Maybe that's when the police went off duty.  The waitress kept bringing us free drinks to ensure we'd stay until the music got going.  "Don't go guys.  Music start soon."   Pretty soon the place was packed with mostly gringo surfer dudes and girls, and finally the music began.  It started with a Bob Marley song, but the singer read the words off his i-pod.  Clearly this wasn't going to be reggae for long.  It wasn't.  There was a Guns and Roses song, then a few Spanish songs, and a couple of songs we didn't know (no surprise there).  The first set closed with "The Summer of '69".  We're pretty sure we were the only ones in there that remembered the summer of '69 so we figured it was time to leave the partying to the kids. 

Sunday morning we packed our stuff and left the heat of the coast behind for Boquete, a town in the mountains between the Pacific and the Caribbean shores.

We saw many cows being moved via trucks and cowboys. There are a couple of guys on horses here, too but they don't show in the picture.  Many locals travel by horseback.

We saw a lot of these hawks.

El Valle de Anton

                                   El Valle de Anton

     Once we got the car we were off and away from Panama City.  We knew the Pan American Highway Bridge was a crowded mess as we had seen it from our hotel so we drove north along the canal beyond the Miraflores Locks to the other bridge that spans the Panama Canal.  That road then heads south to the Pan American Highway. (We have a map!)  The Pan American Highway crosses Panama from the bridge in Panama City all the way into Costa Rica and beyond.  It's a lot like the old Route 1 with businesses accessed right from the highway.  Easy to find lunch.

     About an hour out of Panama City we turned off the highway and drove into the hills on a twisty, well maintained road. Our destination was El Valle, a small town in the remains of an ancient crater.  El Valle is surrounded by high mountains and jagged peaks so we really feel like we're in a crater. I like geology so I think it's interesting!  The climate is different from the coast in that it's much cooler, and in the evening you need long pants and a sweater.  Since it's the dry season it is also extremely windy.  The wind ROARS down the hills day and night.

     After stocking up on a few necessary items like adult beverages and snacks at the super mercado we found our way to the Golden Frog, very nice hotel run by American ex-pats.  This is the last of our reservations until the end of our trip.  By the time we got organized, lounged by the pool which was very chilly, it was time for the hotel cocktail hour.  We met our hotel neighbors and chatted with our hosts, met the ever-so-colorful resident parrot, then drove into town for pizza.  How Panamanian.

In the morning we headed out for a jaunt to the local Sunday market where indigenous folks bring their wares and food to sell.  After the incredible  indigenous market we found in Ecuador, this one was a bit of a let-down.   But we wandered the town then found our way to the Orchid garden and the zoo to try to see the symbol of Panama, the golden frog. There's a big habitat set up for this rare amphibian, but it is so good we couldn't find it anywhere.  Oh well. Time for an adult beverage by the pool.

     The following day we wanted to do a few hikes to waterfalls and maybe go to the mud baths and hot springs. Our hostess gave us a map with suggestions.  We were off to see, of all things, the square trees.  Apparently there's something about the environment in which they grow that makes these trees have square bases. Not much of a big deal but it was a walk in the forest.  We were told to watch for snakes so we don't step on any.  Great. I found a branch and used it to swish the trail as I went along.  Joe had to tease me about how the snakes weren't going to be lying in the middle of the trail but he let me go first!  And what was lying in the middle of the trail??? A big green vine snake.  No snakes on the trail, huh?  I also uncovered a newly shed shake skin, that in my teacher days I would have kept. 

   We also encountered a trail of leaf  cutter ants carrying their over sized loads back to the nest. Most were carrying  green leaf pieces like little flags, but some were lugging flowers.  Joe thought they might be preparing for a festival.

The square trees are only square at their base.

After surviving the square tree trail we headed for Macho Falls and arrived just as a tour bus of Japanese tourists arrived.  So much for that plan.  There are more than one waterfall in town, and there's a panaderia, too. What delicious baked goods they have!The bread is wonderful, and so are the cookies and the sweet rolls and the cakes.

There are ancient petroglyphs carved on this boulder.  It's on the way to a waterfall.

 

I found the snake skin on the other side of this foot bridge.

We never did get to the mud baths and hot springs but there are more to be found in Panama.  Next we are going to explore a bit of the coast.


This huge toad was on the steps leading to our room.

The Saga of the Car

                                                 The Saga of the Car

 

 

After returning to the Flamingo Marina following our partial  Panama Canal transit we went on a taxi hunt.  Actually the trick was finding a cab driver who actually knew where the car rental office was.  Yes, we did have the address in downtown Panama City.  I'll tell you we were none too keen on driving back to the hotel after having experienced the city traffic, especially the  late afternoon traffic.   We found a cabbie who said he knew where we needed to go.  He really didn't but eventually we got to Acme Car Rental.  Of course they had no record of our reservation, but I did.  Not that it helped because they only had one manual shift vehicle and I was specific about an automatic.  Joe said he couldn't drive a manual.  (Of course he can but in this traffic, he wasn't about to even try.)  So the high heeled young lady in charge said they'd have our car tomorrow.  We said ok.  Deliver it to our hotel, and by the way, deliver us to the hotel now.  That seemed ok with the rental agency, and we were just as happy with that arrangement. (We acted miffed, though!)

 

After keeping us waiting several minutes High Heels returns with a new plan.  A bigger automatic car had been retuned and we could have that one.  Hmmm?  It was dirty and not too new.  We said no.  We want the car we had reserved.  (We also wanted it delivered and we wanted a ride back to the hotel.)  Suddenly this wasn't ok.  We told her to cancel the whole reservation.

 There we were with no car and no plan, standing on the city sidewalk in a rather dumpy part of Panama City.  But, aha, there were lots of taxis so back to the Country Inn and Suites we went.  A quick room turn around and we were floating in the nice warm pool.  Time to regroup.  Refreshed, we returned to the room, got on the computer and found a fine car at Ace Rental at the nearby, easy-to-get-to domestic airport.  Online reservation and confirmation was for Saturday morning.  We were all set and it was  time for an adult beverage.

     Friday was an easy morning around the pool and an afternoon cab into Casco Viejo (old part of the city) for lunch and more sightseeing.  We found the fish market with dorado, squid, octopus, sharks, and lots of ceviche interesting, but not appetizing.  Many locals were buying fish to take home, and even more were crowded around tables eating cooked whole fish.  Again, interesting but not too appetizing.

     Ah, but I digress.  Back to the car.  Saturday morning arrives and we check out, anxious to be on our way to discover the more rural Panama.  We had had enough of the city.  Ruben, our cab driver for the second time, I might add, gave us helpful hints to get us away from the airport and off in the direction we needed to go.  At the airport he pointed us in the direction of Ace Auto Rental and waved us on our way.  Once inside the airport we started down the row of car rental booths.  Not finding it we asked directions only to be told, "Oh they are closed.  Gone.  Not here anymore."      HUH?  "Closed.  Gone.  Look, here's the booth."  Sure enough.  The booth with the Ace rental sign was completely stripped.   Doesn't that just figure?

Joe and stood looking at each other, almost laughing. (almost)    So who needs a car reservation, anyway?  National Car rental had a car, a bit bigger but rather new, and bit more pricey, but hey, we have a car and at this point we are in a lovely town of El Valle de Anton, at the Golden Frog, a lovely hotel.  It was a lovely ride through the hills once off the Pan American highway.  Here we'll be for a few nights.

Panama Canal

Thursday January 16, 2014

                                    The Panama Canal

Boarding the vessel at the end of the dock

     Two days before our 9 AM scheduled partial transit of the Panama Canal we received an email stating our trip had been to rescheduled to 7AM due to low water in Lake Gatun.  So after an early wake up call and an early breakfast we arrived at the dock right on time, as the sun was rising over the Pacific Ocean.  Panama is "S"shaped  so the sun appears to be rising in the west.  To go from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean ships travel the canal from south to north.

Pilot coming aboard

     We left the dock at 8AM and met our pilot at the entrance to the canal.  Every boat that transits the canal MUST employ a pilot who is in charge of the vessel from one end to the other.  At the entrance to the canal is a large mooring field where many ships were awaiting clearance to begin their trip.  Most ships with perishable goods and cruise ships make reservations many months in advance, paying a premium to do so.  Ships are charged by their length and their cargo.  Cruise ships generally pay the most, usually more than $300,000 (that's not a typo). The highest price ever paid was $400,000.  The vessel in which we were cruising is charged $4000 for a round trip partial transit.  The Panama Canal revenue averages about $6,000,000 per day.  And why did we give this to Panama?


A PanaMax entering the Miraflores Lock.  Ahead are two ships in a nearly full lock.  The left one is a car carrier.  Note the ramp attached at the stern.

Pleasure craft is attached to our vessel while in the lock.  It picked up passengers in Gamboa, the end of our trip, and headed back immediately.

     Our assigned lock mates were a chemical carrying tanker with its accompanying tug and a large pleasure craft which was tied to us in the locks.  We went through the three locks to the midpoint of the canal Gamboa  on Lake Gatun with these boats. Boats don't generally go through the locks with tugs but since the ship we were with was carrying hazardous material it had to have tug, and there was a fire truck that drove next to it as it went through the locks.  Usually ships are guided into the locks and kept from hitting the sides (only about two feet on each side to spare) by "mules", locomotive type of machines that are driven on tracks.

Locks are closing




The chemical tanker is ahead of our boat.  Notice the "mules" on either side of it to keep it from hitting the sides of the locks.  It's a tight fit, only two feet on either side.

The lock is almost full.  There's a PanaMax in the lock next to us.

Looking back at full locks

Construction of new canal  along the Panama Canal

      In a lock next to us was a PamaMax, the name given to large tankers that are of maximum size to fit in a lock.  Because of the limiting size of the locks super tankers carrying goods bound for one coast or the other must off load their cargo and ship it to destinations via trains.  Along the one hundred year old Panama Canal another canal is being dug.  This one is designed to accommodate these super tankers.

     Once out of all three locks responsible for lifting the ships to the level of Lake Gatun, somewhat less than 100 feet, ships must navigate the cut carved through the mountains to Lake Gatun. Due to the winding narrow passage every ship except the cruise ships, must have a tug  attached to its stern.  The tug isn't tugging or pushing.  It's just there in case of an emergency, and the cost is $3000 per hour.  Transiting the canal is a very costly endeavor.

Entering the cut between the locks and Lake Gatun.  That used to be all one hill which is now separated by the canal  Most ships are required to have an accompanying tug just in case of emergencies through this narrow passage..

Tug accompanying a ship through the cut.

     As we passed through the canal we saw tankers, cruise ships, a sailboat or two, and two large awkward looking car carriers which could hold up to nearly 50,000 cars. Needless to say we found the trip fascinating.  Joe and I remained on deck for nearly the entire windy, hot trip.   We were offered breakfast but passed on that, but we did go into the dining room for lunch. Ahh... air conditioning!  Our trip to the half way point in the canal took a little over six hours.  A full transit made by cargo ships and passenger ships usually takes ten to twelve hours.  At the end of the trip we were transported via air conditioned buses to our starting point at Flamingo Marina on the Amador Causeway. From here we took a cab to pick up our car for the remainder of the trip.  That's the next story!

Passing a cruise ship

 

 From our hotel balcony I snapped this early morning picture of a cruise ship entering the Panama Canal.

 

 

 

And a little later, this one