Monday, Dec. 31, 2012--Banquete, Panama
All night long last night we had high winds with rather heavy rain. By today, the winds continued, but the rain had turned to a swirling mist. We were told this is the normal weather pattern for this time of the year.
Our breakfast at the hotel was good. They made us hot chocolate and served us freshly squeezed orange juice and a plate of fresh fruits--pineapple, papaya, and banana. From the egg choices we each ordered the omelette. We ordered the omelette with ham, the waitress asked if we wanted "en toto" which we took to mean that we wanted it also with cheese and vegetables which were listed as possibilities. We got a cheese only omelette and are not sure what the problem was. From the bread choices, we got the hojaldras, a local fry-bread.
My San Antonio friend Merryl has a long-time friend Totsie who lives here in Banquete with her husband Winn, his mother Wanda and their dog Jazz. Totsie and Wanda came to pick us up at 9:30 and took us to their home in the hills. It's a very nice place with views of coffee plantations, a nice lawn with flowers, and lots of windows which allowed for steady breezes through the house. We played with Jazz, had cappuccinos, toured their home, saw Totsie's weavings and her Japanese loom, and talked about everything from around-the-world travel, to their web design business, to living in Panama as an expatriate, to the problems related to dementia (which Wanda has and our mothers had), etc.
They gave us a driving tour of the area, and we eventually stopped at the Panamonte Hotel, a historic inn from the early 1900s where we ate lunch--burgers with fries for Wes, Winn, and me, and pumpkin soup and a salad for Totsie.
After lunch, they left to visit Winn's brother and his family who also live here, and Wes and I walked back into town. We barely made it back to the hotel before the swirling mist began again. We stayed inside for a couple of hours, then we went out exploring the town more. People were active in the local park, along the streets, etc., in preparation for and celebration of the New Year. While out, we stopped at the supermarket and bought some rum, cola and peanuts to have in the room to celebrate the new year ourselves.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Cool with Rain
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012--Santa Fe to Banquete, Panama
Today was a big travel day. We were up early and waiting at the road in front of our hotel for a bus at 7:30. Fortunately, one arrived in only 5 minutes. An hour and a half later, we were in Santiago where the bus station was bustling and we had to ask about the bus for David, since we couldn't see a sign designating it. We were told it was across the street, and a nice man there guided us to it on a side street. Luggage was being loaded on top of a bus that was already full of passengers. We were escorted to the back of a long line of other people waiting to go to David. A quarter of an hour later, that bus pulled off and another replaced it. They took our luggage, and we rushed forward with our line to get on the bus hoping we would get good seats. We were far enough back in line that we just barely missed having to sit over a wheel well. Therefore, our location was fine, but it lacked comfort. It was another small bus which meant each bench could really only hold about 1 1/2 butts even though they force two people to sit per bench.
The bus for David left about 45 minutes after we joined the line for it. The trip was a little over 3 hours on a bumpy concrete roadway with me sitting half-way off the seat into the aisle. It seemed as if the trip would never end. Eventually, however, we arrived at the terminal in David, got our luggage, and left within 5 minutes on another crowded, small bus for Banquete. That trip took a little over an hour. When we arrived, we had been traveling for over 7 hours and were exhausted.
Just as we got off the bus at the park in the center of town, it started raining. We walked about 2 blocks towards our hotel and had to seek shelter under an entrance to a building. We were tired, needed to use the bathroom, were hungry, etc. Finally, after maybe 15 minutes, it turned to drizzle and we were able to make it the other two blocks to our hotel.
We are staying at the El Oasis Hotel. It's one of the better places in town. The beds are good, the sheets are soft, the TV has lots of cable channels, the wifi signal is strong, and we are hoping that the breakfast tomorrow morning will be great.
Around 4:30 p.m., we went out to find a place to eat. I hadn't eaten all day, and Wes had only had a granola bar. We went to El Sobroson which our guidebook said was popular with both locals and tourists. Even at that hour, it had a long line of customers at the cafeteria-style counter and had tables filled with used dishes waiting to be cleaned off. We each picked out dishes that looked good to us. I got a rice with lentils, chicken with a cream sauce flavored with giblets, roasted plantains, and coleslaw. It was a huge plate of food that was filling, but it lacked the great flavor of the food we had yesterday in Santa Fe while costing twice as much.
The wind and rain began again while we were eating, so we headed back to the hotel. It hasn't let up all evening. It must be associated with a cool front coming through. We've stayed inside the room and relaxed. We got a call from my friend Merryl's former college mate who lives here. She and her husband will pick us up tomorrow morning after breakfast and take us to their place for a visit.
Today was a big travel day. We were up early and waiting at the road in front of our hotel for a bus at 7:30. Fortunately, one arrived in only 5 minutes. An hour and a half later, we were in Santiago where the bus station was bustling and we had to ask about the bus for David, since we couldn't see a sign designating it. We were told it was across the street, and a nice man there guided us to it on a side street. Luggage was being loaded on top of a bus that was already full of passengers. We were escorted to the back of a long line of other people waiting to go to David. A quarter of an hour later, that bus pulled off and another replaced it. They took our luggage, and we rushed forward with our line to get on the bus hoping we would get good seats. We were far enough back in line that we just barely missed having to sit over a wheel well. Therefore, our location was fine, but it lacked comfort. It was another small bus which meant each bench could really only hold about 1 1/2 butts even though they force two people to sit per bench.
The bus for David left about 45 minutes after we joined the line for it. The trip was a little over 3 hours on a bumpy concrete roadway with me sitting half-way off the seat into the aisle. It seemed as if the trip would never end. Eventually, however, we arrived at the terminal in David, got our luggage, and left within 5 minutes on another crowded, small bus for Banquete. That trip took a little over an hour. When we arrived, we had been traveling for over 7 hours and were exhausted.
Just as we got off the bus at the park in the center of town, it started raining. We walked about 2 blocks towards our hotel and had to seek shelter under an entrance to a building. We were tired, needed to use the bathroom, were hungry, etc. Finally, after maybe 15 minutes, it turned to drizzle and we were able to make it the other two blocks to our hotel.
We are staying at the El Oasis Hotel. It's one of the better places in town. The beds are good, the sheets are soft, the TV has lots of cable channels, the wifi signal is strong, and we are hoping that the breakfast tomorrow morning will be great.
Around 4:30 p.m., we went out to find a place to eat. I hadn't eaten all day, and Wes had only had a granola bar. We went to El Sobroson which our guidebook said was popular with both locals and tourists. Even at that hour, it had a long line of customers at the cafeteria-style counter and had tables filled with used dishes waiting to be cleaned off. We each picked out dishes that looked good to us. I got a rice with lentils, chicken with a cream sauce flavored with giblets, roasted plantains, and coleslaw. It was a huge plate of food that was filling, but it lacked the great flavor of the food we had yesterday in Santa Fe while costing twice as much.
The wind and rain began again while we were eating, so we headed back to the hotel. It hasn't let up all evening. It must be associated with a cool front coming through. We've stayed inside the room and relaxed. We got a call from my friend Merryl's former college mate who lives here. She and her husband will pick us up tomorrow morning after breakfast and take us to their place for a visit.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Bites and Mountains
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012--Santa Fe, Panama
When we returned to our room last night after having dinner on the porch and using the computer in the lounge (the only place with wifi), we were surprised to find that we both were covered in bites. They were mainly on our arms near the elbows and on our legs at the bottom of our shorts and on the back of the calves. Wes had said he thought he felt bugs, but I didn't feel anything. We must have each had 50 bites. However, the spots were small, did not result in welts, and did not itch. We aren't sure what caused them, but we were happy not to be feeling miserable.
The main purpose of being in Santa Fe is to hike in the mountains exploring the area. We walked to town and ate a fantastic breakfast in a small cafe--a chicken leg in a wonderful sauce seasoned with local herbs and accompanied by two freshly made pieces of fried flat bread. It was the best meal we have had on the trip, and it cost a total of $3 for the BOTH of us.
We planned a loop trip. We headed out of town toward the east, curved around the north side of town, and came back in from the west. It took about 4 1/2 hours. The scenery was beautiful, but the hills, especially with the high humidity and heat were difficult. Actually, they were steep mountains rather than hills. We came to a swimming spot on the river east of town. No one was there, but it was a beautiful area. Then we headed off the main road onto a local country road that took us far up and across a mountain. A few houses were scattered along the way. Usually, someone was on the porch to greet us as we passed. All of them had nice flowers in the yards and most of them had trees loaded with oranges and tangerines. Everyone seemed a bit surprised (and happy) to see us walking, but none of them thought to offer us a fruit from their trees. When we found a spot with a breeze, we would pause under the shade of a tree and enjoy it. But within a few minutes of walking again, we were hot and sweaty.
We were using a map the owner of our hotel had provided for us. It was quite accurately made making it easy to know which roads to take. There was a turn off for a waterfall at one point, but we could see the trail went up a mountain. We figured we had seen Niagara, Iguazu, etc., and that it wasn't worth the effort to climb that mountain (45 minutes up plus return) to see another we didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago.
At a small church, we stopped to sit on an outside bench for a while. One of the problems with the entire route was that there were few places to sit. If we stopped for the breeze, we had to stand. Although the church building blocked the breeze somewhat, we still enjoyed being off our legs which were aching from inclines of about 45 degrees!
As we approached the river again on the west side of town, the road was really two ruts. With no one in sight, I saw a tangerine tree with fruits low enough to pick. I picked two of them for us to eat. There were many on the ground rotting, so I didn't feel bad about taking two. Mine was so refreshing! Unfortunately, Wes had about 1/4 of his tumble out of his hands onto the ground as he was trying to pull off sections to eat.
The second place we passed the river was so remote that it had only a walking suspension bridge. (Sorry that photo at the link is blurred; it's the only one I could find of the actual bridge we crossed.) The river was so peaceful there with rapids both above and below the area. We watched the water a while and then crossed the bridge. Two teenage boys were there enjoying making the bridge bounce some. They had been swimming in the water just before we arrived, because their suits were wet. They were nice, however, and let us cross without creating havoc. I told Wes that I'm sure both of them will fondly remember their days of swimming on the river and bouncing on the suspension bridge without a care in the world when they are adults.
We were in a very remote area after passing the suspension bridge. It was quite special because of all the beautiful butterflies. As we walked along a road only passable on foot or horseback, we passed an area where swarms of butterflies swirled and flitted around us. Just past there, we were back on an unpaved road for autos and found a good place to sit in the shade on stones beside the river. Am American man and his daughter were there swimming. (We could hear them speaking English). And a man walked up to us who was hiking along the river. He was a local man living with his wife and parents who goes hiking along the river regularly.
Back in town, we were exhausted. We returned to the room and watched TV while enjoying the air conditioning. Then we walked back into town in the evening to have dinner at the same place where we had breakfast. I had a plate of rice with fresh tomatoes, onions, and chunks of roasted pork. Wes had the same except it was a chicken breast in the same sauce as what we had for breakfast. Dinner was $4.50 for the BOTH (not each) of us and was fantastic.
We will leave here for Boquete tomorrow. We were able to get a hotel reservation in a nice place and are just hoping we won't run into problems getting buses. It will take 3 of them to get us there.
When we returned to our room last night after having dinner on the porch and using the computer in the lounge (the only place with wifi), we were surprised to find that we both were covered in bites. They were mainly on our arms near the elbows and on our legs at the bottom of our shorts and on the back of the calves. Wes had said he thought he felt bugs, but I didn't feel anything. We must have each had 50 bites. However, the spots were small, did not result in welts, and did not itch. We aren't sure what caused them, but we were happy not to be feeling miserable.
The main purpose of being in Santa Fe is to hike in the mountains exploring the area. We walked to town and ate a fantastic breakfast in a small cafe--a chicken leg in a wonderful sauce seasoned with local herbs and accompanied by two freshly made pieces of fried flat bread. It was the best meal we have had on the trip, and it cost a total of $3 for the BOTH of us.
We planned a loop trip. We headed out of town toward the east, curved around the north side of town, and came back in from the west. It took about 4 1/2 hours. The scenery was beautiful, but the hills, especially with the high humidity and heat were difficult. Actually, they were steep mountains rather than hills. We came to a swimming spot on the river east of town. No one was there, but it was a beautiful area. Then we headed off the main road onto a local country road that took us far up and across a mountain. A few houses were scattered along the way. Usually, someone was on the porch to greet us as we passed. All of them had nice flowers in the yards and most of them had trees loaded with oranges and tangerines. Everyone seemed a bit surprised (and happy) to see us walking, but none of them thought to offer us a fruit from their trees. When we found a spot with a breeze, we would pause under the shade of a tree and enjoy it. But within a few minutes of walking again, we were hot and sweaty.
We were using a map the owner of our hotel had provided for us. It was quite accurately made making it easy to know which roads to take. There was a turn off for a waterfall at one point, but we could see the trail went up a mountain. We figured we had seen Niagara, Iguazu, etc., and that it wasn't worth the effort to climb that mountain (45 minutes up plus return) to see another we didn't even know existed until a few weeks ago.
At a small church, we stopped to sit on an outside bench for a while. One of the problems with the entire route was that there were few places to sit. If we stopped for the breeze, we had to stand. Although the church building blocked the breeze somewhat, we still enjoyed being off our legs which were aching from inclines of about 45 degrees!
As we approached the river again on the west side of town, the road was really two ruts. With no one in sight, I saw a tangerine tree with fruits low enough to pick. I picked two of them for us to eat. There were many on the ground rotting, so I didn't feel bad about taking two. Mine was so refreshing! Unfortunately, Wes had about 1/4 of his tumble out of his hands onto the ground as he was trying to pull off sections to eat.
The second place we passed the river was so remote that it had only a walking suspension bridge. (Sorry that photo at the link is blurred; it's the only one I could find of the actual bridge we crossed.) The river was so peaceful there with rapids both above and below the area. We watched the water a while and then crossed the bridge. Two teenage boys were there enjoying making the bridge bounce some. They had been swimming in the water just before we arrived, because their suits were wet. They were nice, however, and let us cross without creating havoc. I told Wes that I'm sure both of them will fondly remember their days of swimming on the river and bouncing on the suspension bridge without a care in the world when they are adults.
We were in a very remote area after passing the suspension bridge. It was quite special because of all the beautiful butterflies. As we walked along a road only passable on foot or horseback, we passed an area where swarms of butterflies swirled and flitted around us. Just past there, we were back on an unpaved road for autos and found a good place to sit in the shade on stones beside the river. Am American man and his daughter were there swimming. (We could hear them speaking English). And a man walked up to us who was hiking along the river. He was a local man living with his wife and parents who goes hiking along the river regularly.
Back in town, we were exhausted. We returned to the room and watched TV while enjoying the air conditioning. Then we walked back into town in the evening to have dinner at the same place where we had breakfast. I had a plate of rice with fresh tomatoes, onions, and chunks of roasted pork. Wes had the same except it was a chicken breast in the same sauce as what we had for breakfast. Dinner was $4.50 for the BOTH (not each) of us and was fantastic.
We will leave here for Boquete tomorrow. We were able to get a hotel reservation in a nice place and are just hoping we won't run into problems getting buses. It will take 3 of them to get us there.
Friday, December 28, 2012
Remote Panama
Friday, Dec. 28, 2012--Panama City to Santa Fe
We rushed after getting up and having breakfast. We knew we had quite a trip ahead. It started with a city bus from our neighborhood to the main bus station in Panama City. There, we had to wait about 10 minutes before the next bus from the company that had sold us our ticket arrived. We were lucky to get on early and get good seats. By the time it left 30 minutes later, people were told they had to wait for the next bus. It's the beginning of a long weekend with many people going home to celebrate the new year.
After 3 1/2 hours, we arrived in Santiago. There, we had to change buses again. Fortunately, just 5 minutes after our arrival, a bus for Santa Fe arrived. There was a rush for it, but the young man who handled the luggage and tickets saw us, grabbed our bags, and told a man inside to save two seats for us. An hour and a half later, we arrived in Santa Fe.
Our hotel is outside of town. We have to walk uphill about 1/2 a mile to get to the center of town. The center isn't much, though. This is really a SMALL village in the mountains. It's a dead end, too. Visiting here is like visiting Boxelder in Texas. It's quiet and remote.
After resting for a while in the room, we walked into town. We explored up and down some of the streets. There is a small general store, a small fruit and vegetable market, a few places offering rooms that looked mostly closed, a small school, and a scattering of local houses. Many homes have a saddled horse outside ready to use for local transportation. Many lawns have colorful flowers. Crocuses are very popular, too. And almost every home has both an orange tree and a tangerine tree.
Mountains surround the town, and clouds float in and out of them. The air is cooler than in Panama City, but it is still humid. Everyone was friendly.
Our room is clean, but it isn't as nice as what we had in Panama City. It will be fine, though. I don't think we will stay for 3 nights as we had planned. It's likely we will stay only two nights just because the place is so remote. Tomorrow, we will explore the area.
We rushed after getting up and having breakfast. We knew we had quite a trip ahead. It started with a city bus from our neighborhood to the main bus station in Panama City. There, we had to wait about 10 minutes before the next bus from the company that had sold us our ticket arrived. We were lucky to get on early and get good seats. By the time it left 30 minutes later, people were told they had to wait for the next bus. It's the beginning of a long weekend with many people going home to celebrate the new year.
After 3 1/2 hours, we arrived in Santiago. There, we had to change buses again. Fortunately, just 5 minutes after our arrival, a bus for Santa Fe arrived. There was a rush for it, but the young man who handled the luggage and tickets saw us, grabbed our bags, and told a man inside to save two seats for us. An hour and a half later, we arrived in Santa Fe.
Our hotel is outside of town. We have to walk uphill about 1/2 a mile to get to the center of town. The center isn't much, though. This is really a SMALL village in the mountains. It's a dead end, too. Visiting here is like visiting Boxelder in Texas. It's quiet and remote.
After resting for a while in the room, we walked into town. We explored up and down some of the streets. There is a small general store, a small fruit and vegetable market, a few places offering rooms that looked mostly closed, a small school, and a scattering of local houses. Many homes have a saddled horse outside ready to use for local transportation. Many lawns have colorful flowers. Crocuses are very popular, too. And almost every home has both an orange tree and a tangerine tree.
Mountains surround the town, and clouds float in and out of them. The air is cooler than in Panama City, but it is still humid. Everyone was friendly.
Our room is clean, but it isn't as nice as what we had in Panama City. It will be fine, though. I don't think we will stay for 3 nights as we had planned. It's likely we will stay only two nights just because the place is so remote. Tomorrow, we will explore the area.
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Casco Viejo (Old Town)
Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012--Panama City
We met a nice couple at breakfast yesterday morning from San Francisco--Steve and Naomi. We visited with them at breakfast again this morning. We were going today where they were yesterday, and they were going today where we were yesterday. We helped them with what we learned about catching the buses, and they suggested a couple of things for us to do while in the Casco Viejo area.
There were more buses running today than last evening, but supposedly still only 50% of them are on their routes. My guess is that the government has the right to force them back to work if fewer buses than that run. The city is building a metro, but until it is finished bus service is critical for the city.
We took a Red Devil bus today to go to Casco Viejo, the old part of Panama City. Red Devils are not air conditioned, and they are really just old school buses fancied up with paint and flashy features.
Casco Viejo is a small peninsula which was all that existed of the city in the early 1900s when the canal was built. Over the years, it crumbled as the city expanded. Today, it is partially restored and going through a major period of restoration. It has the feel of the French Quarter in New Orleans or the old town in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When it is totally restored, it will be a fantastic area for tourists. Now it is interesting to walk the narrow streets seeing restored buildings beside ones with large trees growing out of their roofs and others only with outer walls still standing. There are small plazas, churches, church ruins, a promenade, museums, the national theater, etc. We spent about 3 hours exploring the area. Because of the heat and humidity, we had to stop occasionally to sit in the shade or to stand in front of a fan at a church. There is little air conditioning in that part of the city. We saw the golden alter at San Jose Church, the small Panama History Museum, and the National Theater (both in front and behind the stage). The whole area was a good place to just stroll and visit.
When we left Casco Viejo, we walked Ave. Central to Plaza Cinco de Mayo several blocks north. The street was lined with old shops, street stalls, small restaurants, etc., serving the rather poor people of the neighborhood. It reminded me of the shopping districts in Laredo or El Paso near the border to Mexico.
We tried to go the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. We found it only to discover that they were closed for the holidays and installing a new special exhibition. An older man (I'm not sure if he was an employee or the artist of the new exhibition) asked us to come back after Jan. 1. Then he added, "I like Obama; Obama is my friend."
Heading back to Plaza Cinco de Mayo, we stopped at a small, local restaurant. We both had a large plate of chicken and rice for a total bill of $3.50.
After that, we decided just to walk all the way back from there to our hotel. Slowly, but surely, the neighborhoods kept improving as we made our way. One interesting thing to observe was that stores often had young men hired as security guards who would sit atop unfolded ladders on the sidewalk looking into the stores watching the customers. Each had a billy club attached to his ladder--some were made of wood such as policemen would use and others were made of metal pipe. Their job, apparently, was to watch for anyone trying to leave the store without paying for merchandise and to stop them using the clubs.
The walk back to the hotel was interesting, but it was quite difficult in the heat and humidity at 14:30. We BARELY made it to our nearby Rey Supermercado where we knew we could buy a 2 liter Coke Zero for $2. It was so refreshing to have that cold drink. Wes' entire shirt was damp by the time we got back to the room. We spent about 3 hours just enjoying the air conditioning before going out again briefly in the evening to explore another part of our neighborhood and find a snack for dinner.
This was our last day in Panama City. It's a very dynamic city filled with many skyscrapers. From a distance, the view of the city is much like that of Asian cities with all the modern buildings. And the city overall is clean and nice. We haven't felt uncomfortable about wandering and exploring anywhere we wanted.
We met a nice couple at breakfast yesterday morning from San Francisco--Steve and Naomi. We visited with them at breakfast again this morning. We were going today where they were yesterday, and they were going today where we were yesterday. We helped them with what we learned about catching the buses, and they suggested a couple of things for us to do while in the Casco Viejo area.
There were more buses running today than last evening, but supposedly still only 50% of them are on their routes. My guess is that the government has the right to force them back to work if fewer buses than that run. The city is building a metro, but until it is finished bus service is critical for the city.
We took a Red Devil bus today to go to Casco Viejo, the old part of Panama City. Red Devils are not air conditioned, and they are really just old school buses fancied up with paint and flashy features.
Casco Viejo is a small peninsula which was all that existed of the city in the early 1900s when the canal was built. Over the years, it crumbled as the city expanded. Today, it is partially restored and going through a major period of restoration. It has the feel of the French Quarter in New Orleans or the old town in San Juan, Puerto Rico. When it is totally restored, it will be a fantastic area for tourists. Now it is interesting to walk the narrow streets seeing restored buildings beside ones with large trees growing out of their roofs and others only with outer walls still standing. There are small plazas, churches, church ruins, a promenade, museums, the national theater, etc. We spent about 3 hours exploring the area. Because of the heat and humidity, we had to stop occasionally to sit in the shade or to stand in front of a fan at a church. There is little air conditioning in that part of the city. We saw the golden alter at San Jose Church, the small Panama History Museum, and the National Theater (both in front and behind the stage). The whole area was a good place to just stroll and visit.
When we left Casco Viejo, we walked Ave. Central to Plaza Cinco de Mayo several blocks north. The street was lined with old shops, street stalls, small restaurants, etc., serving the rather poor people of the neighborhood. It reminded me of the shopping districts in Laredo or El Paso near the border to Mexico.
We tried to go the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo. We found it only to discover that they were closed for the holidays and installing a new special exhibition. An older man (I'm not sure if he was an employee or the artist of the new exhibition) asked us to come back after Jan. 1. Then he added, "I like Obama; Obama is my friend."
Heading back to Plaza Cinco de Mayo, we stopped at a small, local restaurant. We both had a large plate of chicken and rice for a total bill of $3.50.
After that, we decided just to walk all the way back from there to our hotel. Slowly, but surely, the neighborhoods kept improving as we made our way. One interesting thing to observe was that stores often had young men hired as security guards who would sit atop unfolded ladders on the sidewalk looking into the stores watching the customers. Each had a billy club attached to his ladder--some were made of wood such as policemen would use and others were made of metal pipe. Their job, apparently, was to watch for anyone trying to leave the store without paying for merchandise and to stop them using the clubs.
The walk back to the hotel was interesting, but it was quite difficult in the heat and humidity at 14:30. We BARELY made it to our nearby Rey Supermercado where we knew we could buy a 2 liter Coke Zero for $2. It was so refreshing to have that cold drink. Wes' entire shirt was damp by the time we got back to the room. We spent about 3 hours just enjoying the air conditioning before going out again briefly in the evening to explore another part of our neighborhood and find a snack for dinner.
This was our last day in Panama City. It's a very dynamic city filled with many skyscrapers. From a distance, the view of the city is much like that of Asian cities with all the modern buildings. And the city overall is clean and nice. We haven't felt uncomfortable about wandering and exploring anywhere we wanted.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Hot and Muggy!
Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012--Panama City
Unfortunately, the air conditioner blows right onto my bed. Most of last night, I slept with covers mostly over my head. But no air conditioning is even worse. This is a hot, muggy city. Even though this is the dry season here, there is very high humidity. It's impossible to be outside and be comfortable.
We caught a bus to to the main terminal this morning where we switched to a bus to the Miraflores Visitor Center, the Panama Canal overview sight and museum. We saw three different ships going through the canal while we were there. We also saw a 3-D film about the canal and toured a 4-floor museum. The most interesting experience was a room in the museum with projected images of going through the canal as if you were up in the bridge of the ship. It was speeded up so that in a few minutes you got the entire experience of going through the locks, across the lake, and through the other locks with all the tug boats and small guidance trains doing their jobs. Virtual Tour: http://www.panamatours.com/Pancanal/Canal_pics.htm
When we got back to the main bus terminal, we walked through the Albrook Mall just so we could be in air conditioning for a while. It is a HUGE mall, though. We kept expecting it to end, and it would just make a slight turn to a different direction over and over again.
The big surprise was trying to get back to our part of town at 4:30. All of a sudden, instead of a bus every couple of minutes, there was maybe one every 20 minutes. Then we saw a man with a news camera. Wes guessed that a strike was occurring. Fortunately, we squeezed onto a bus going our way. I had to watch carefully, however, because it wasn't going back exactly as we came. I could tell when we were near our area and told Wes to watch out for Av. Brazil. Two men sitting by where I was standing told me we should get off at the next stop and go to the right. Sure enough, it was the perfect place for us to find our way to our hotel. Back in the room later, sure enough all the news was about a bus strike causing thousands to have trouble getting home.
We ate at Jap Jap, a place near our hotel that specializes in grilled chicken. We bought a whole chicken and a baked potato and shared it for dinner. It was very tasty with a very nice dipping sauce for the chicken. Then we walked to the nearby supermarket to buy a cola. Each of us drank an entire 1.25 liter cola within an hour. We were so dehydrated from the heat.
Unfortunately, the air conditioner blows right onto my bed. Most of last night, I slept with covers mostly over my head. But no air conditioning is even worse. This is a hot, muggy city. Even though this is the dry season here, there is very high humidity. It's impossible to be outside and be comfortable.
We caught a bus to to the main terminal this morning where we switched to a bus to the Miraflores Visitor Center, the Panama Canal overview sight and museum. We saw three different ships going through the canal while we were there. We also saw a 3-D film about the canal and toured a 4-floor museum. The most interesting experience was a room in the museum with projected images of going through the canal as if you were up in the bridge of the ship. It was speeded up so that in a few minutes you got the entire experience of going through the locks, across the lake, and through the other locks with all the tug boats and small guidance trains doing their jobs. Virtual Tour: http://www.panamatours.com/Pancanal/Canal_pics.htm
When we got back to the main bus terminal, we walked through the Albrook Mall just so we could be in air conditioning for a while. It is a HUGE mall, though. We kept expecting it to end, and it would just make a slight turn to a different direction over and over again.
The big surprise was trying to get back to our part of town at 4:30. All of a sudden, instead of a bus every couple of minutes, there was maybe one every 20 minutes. Then we saw a man with a news camera. Wes guessed that a strike was occurring. Fortunately, we squeezed onto a bus going our way. I had to watch carefully, however, because it wasn't going back exactly as we came. I could tell when we were near our area and told Wes to watch out for Av. Brazil. Two men sitting by where I was standing told me we should get off at the next stop and go to the right. Sure enough, it was the perfect place for us to find our way to our hotel. Back in the room later, sure enough all the news was about a bus strike causing thousands to have trouble getting home.
We ate at Jap Jap, a place near our hotel that specializes in grilled chicken. We bought a whole chicken and a baked potato and shared it for dinner. It was very tasty with a very nice dipping sauce for the chicken. Then we walked to the nearby supermarket to buy a cola. Each of us drank an entire 1.25 liter cola within an hour. We were so dehydrated from the heat.
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Arrival in Panama
Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012--Panama City, Panama
There were no problems at the airport in San Antonio this morning. No lines to check in or to go through security. Our flight was full though, and it was a superliner thanks to the tailwinds that got us to Houston in about 35 minutes!! In Houston, we had a short walk to our connecting gate where they were just starting to load the flight to Panama, another one that was full.
I sat beside a 31-year-old American surfer from San Francisco who was excited to be away for a few days of surfing here. He was a talker!! He really loves electronics and never wanted to shut anything down when asked to do so. He had a new Asus tablet with an external keyboard, a set of $300 headphones by V-Moda, a Boosteroo portable amplifier to improve the sound from his cell phone, and a Motorola cell phone. He demonstrated the headphones to me by selecting various songs and letting me hear the sound. It actually was very good.
There were no problems getting processed through immigration and customs at the airport, and Dan, the surfer, joined us in our collectivo taxi which provided the cheapest way to get into town--$11 per person vs. $14 per person if only two of us took a taxi.
There was one glitch in our plan. We had trouble finding our hotel. It's a small place called Entre 2 Aguas. I had marked its location on my map and I guided the taxi driver to within a block of the hotel. However, we didn't see its small sign when we went past it. We stopped half a block away and some local people tried to help us with their cell phones. They found the website and telephoned the hotel, but there was no answer. They said it should be nearby. Rather than letting us walk up and down the street and look for it, the taxi driver insisted on taking us. He drove to a parallel street and we saw nothing. Then he moved even further away on another street. I knew it was a bad move. Eventually, we paid him an extra $3 and he left. We then walked back to where we had been first, and found our place quite easily. The biggest problem was the high heat and humidity. By the time we got back to there--maybe 3 blocks from where the taxi left us--we were really perspiring. But the man answered the bell and told us he and his wife had just arrived. That's why they hadn't answered when the first helpful group called the hotel.
Our room is huge--two king size beds, a large flat-panel TV, a safe, a refrigerator, etc. It's quite convenient to Calle Espana, a street with many shops and restaurants. Because it is Christmas, we only found a couple of places open. One was a KFC, so we went there and had some chicken wraps and fries for dinner. Tomorrow, it should be much easier to find local food available.
Neither of us slept well last night, and we got up at 4:20 this morning. Therefore, we are very tired and are going to bed early. Tomorrow, there is a full schedule for exploring!
There were no problems at the airport in San Antonio this morning. No lines to check in or to go through security. Our flight was full though, and it was a superliner thanks to the tailwinds that got us to Houston in about 35 minutes!! In Houston, we had a short walk to our connecting gate where they were just starting to load the flight to Panama, another one that was full.
I sat beside a 31-year-old American surfer from San Francisco who was excited to be away for a few days of surfing here. He was a talker!! He really loves electronics and never wanted to shut anything down when asked to do so. He had a new Asus tablet with an external keyboard, a set of $300 headphones by V-Moda, a Boosteroo portable amplifier to improve the sound from his cell phone, and a Motorola cell phone. He demonstrated the headphones to me by selecting various songs and letting me hear the sound. It actually was very good.
There were no problems getting processed through immigration and customs at the airport, and Dan, the surfer, joined us in our collectivo taxi which provided the cheapest way to get into town--$11 per person vs. $14 per person if only two of us took a taxi.
There was one glitch in our plan. We had trouble finding our hotel. It's a small place called Entre 2 Aguas. I had marked its location on my map and I guided the taxi driver to within a block of the hotel. However, we didn't see its small sign when we went past it. We stopped half a block away and some local people tried to help us with their cell phones. They found the website and telephoned the hotel, but there was no answer. They said it should be nearby. Rather than letting us walk up and down the street and look for it, the taxi driver insisted on taking us. He drove to a parallel street and we saw nothing. Then he moved even further away on another street. I knew it was a bad move. Eventually, we paid him an extra $3 and he left. We then walked back to where we had been first, and found our place quite easily. The biggest problem was the high heat and humidity. By the time we got back to there--maybe 3 blocks from where the taxi left us--we were really perspiring. But the man answered the bell and told us he and his wife had just arrived. That's why they hadn't answered when the first helpful group called the hotel.
Our room is huge--two king size beds, a large flat-panel TV, a safe, a refrigerator, etc. It's quite convenient to Calle Espana, a street with many shops and restaurants. Because it is Christmas, we only found a couple of places open. One was a KFC, so we went there and had some chicken wraps and fries for dinner. Tomorrow, it should be much easier to find local food available.
Neither of us slept well last night, and we got up at 4:20 this morning. Therefore, we are very tired and are going to bed early. Tomorrow, there is a full schedule for exploring!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
New Trip Coming Up
Dec. 16, 2012--San Antonio, TX
I'll be departing on a new trip on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. I'll be in Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua for a total of 7 1/2 weeks. There won't be a set itinerary this time. I want to be free to change my plans as I go along.
The first week will be the hardest part of the trip, because the week between Christmas and New Year's is a time when almost everyone in Panama travels. I have made reservations for two places for the first 6 days. However, it's not just hotels that are affected. Getting a seat on a bus may be even more difficult. The big problem will come on Dec. 30 when I try to go from Santa Fe to Banquete. I am hoping that if I cannot make it all the way, that the potential stopping points are non-traditional vacation spots where a hotel room should be available. I can't make a hotel reservation in Banquete, because it is quite likely that I will not make it there. If I do make it there, however, friends of a friend have kindly offered to let me stay with them if I cannot find a hotel available once I arrive. Therefore...
It should be an interesting, and maybe sometimes exciting, trip. I'll post regularly so that those of you who want to know where I am and what I am doing can check the blog. In the meantime, have a very happy holiday season.
I'll be departing on a new trip on Christmas Day, Dec. 25. I'll be in Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua for a total of 7 1/2 weeks. There won't be a set itinerary this time. I want to be free to change my plans as I go along.
The first week will be the hardest part of the trip, because the week between Christmas and New Year's is a time when almost everyone in Panama travels. I have made reservations for two places for the first 6 days. However, it's not just hotels that are affected. Getting a seat on a bus may be even more difficult. The big problem will come on Dec. 30 when I try to go from Santa Fe to Banquete. I am hoping that if I cannot make it all the way, that the potential stopping points are non-traditional vacation spots where a hotel room should be available. I can't make a hotel reservation in Banquete, because it is quite likely that I will not make it there. If I do make it there, however, friends of a friend have kindly offered to let me stay with them if I cannot find a hotel available once I arrive. Therefore...
It should be an interesting, and maybe sometimes exciting, trip. I'll post regularly so that those of you who want to know where I am and what I am doing can check the blog. In the meantime, have a very happy holiday season.
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