Stingray "skeleton"
We picked up Dad at the airport (Tocumen International) on the 14th. With no traffic you can get there in about an hour and a half. We left early to stop at the Westland Mall for dinner. Good thing we left early. Right before the mall was major road construction. Not sure if it was planned or an accident, but there was a huge part of the road missing with a big drop off. Traffic was backed up as they took 3 lanes to 2 and 2 lanes to 1 and then closing that side all together as traffic was routed to the other side of the median. That took around an hour to get through. We skipped the mall and said we would eat closer to the airport. Then, we hit the city traffic and the road construction mess due to the subway that is being built and another road just being widened. So, 3 hours later we were getting close to being late to pick him up and we stopped at the only place to eat on our side of the street and that was Wendy’s. We hadn’t eaten in one of those in YEARS! Gobbled it down in the car and waiting in the airport for Dad to clear customs and immigration. Just glad we weren’t late….. Ironically, Dad also ate at Wendy’s in the Houston airport and he hadn’t eaten there in decades.
The first day we just
relaxed and walked on the beach and hung out at the pool.
low tide
The second day we got
up very early (still dark) to get to the Flamenco Marina on the Amador Causeway
for the Northbound ferry ride through the Miraflores Locks (18 meters above sea
level) and San Miguel locks (9 meters above sea level) of the Canal. We passed
under the Bridge of the Americas and the Centennial Bridge and through the north
end of the Gailard Cut where the Chagres River flows into the Canal. The
Gailard Cut (also known as Culebra Cut because its curves resemble a snake) is
one of the main points of interest because it was carved through the
Continental Divide and this section of the Canal is full of history and
geological value. We got to see the expansion construction as well.
The tour was originally
scheduled to leave at 9:00, but due to low water levels on the canal the Panama
Canal Authorities are putting as many boats in a lock that will fit. So, our
tour started at 7:00 and we left home around 4:30 that morning. UGH! We had
done this tour before when we did a Princess cruise on the Coral that let us
off in Lake Gatun, and we have done a full transit on our World Cruise on the
Pacific Princess. This ferry boat was much nicer than the one that was used on
the Coral Princess excursion.
I was glad Dad got to
experience it. http://www.pmatours.net/pacific_queen/# We enjoyed the day very much! They served
lunch on board which was good, but we all had stomach issues the next day and a
bit the day after too. Thank goodness for Pepto Chewables. (it was between that
and the Ropa Vieja I made, but we have eaten that since and it caused no
problems)
sunrise at the marina
Dad waiting for the tour to begin
Panama City from the ferry
soon to open art gallery
row boat used to bring lines to the ships
the empty space on the left is where we would go
we pulled in behind the tug
Dad & I at the front of the ferry
watching the locks close
Another day of relaxation…. getting
over our stomach bug. At night we played cards or games. Saturday we drove to
El Valle in search of toucans (Dad really wanted to see one), but alas none to
be found. We drove around the area and our favorite pizza place was opening a
bit late that day, so we grabbed a pastry at the local Panaderia to tide us
over. The last 2 times now, we weren’t as impressed with the pizza as when we
first started going, so may eat at Carlitos when we visit El Valle now as
theirs is pretty good! We stopped at the local outdoor market and just drove
around seeing the sites and looking for birds.
Fork-tailed Flycatcher
Sunday we had a fun tour
with Captain Carl. http://www.junglelandpanama.com/ We did the Canal Jungle Day tour. It toured
Gatun Lake and we saw the areas of the canal that we didn’t see on the partial
transit. Monkey Island was disappointing. We only saw one Capuchin and later a
Howler. When Greg & I did that a few years ago, there were lots of
Capuchins and they climbed all over the boat. Then we headed to Carl’s
houseboat and he has a very nice set up there. He has rooms where you can stay
for a night or more as well as all kinds of optional activities. We were served
a traditional Panamanian meal and we had a choice of 3 things to do for the
afternoon. Everyone except us went for the canoe trip to a waterfall etc. We
chose to go fishing for Peacock Bass and a guide took us out and took very good
care of us. Baited our hooks, netted the fish and removed them for us…making
sure we got all the “photo ops” we wanted. We didn’t fish long, but we all
caught fish and we had enough for 2 meals for the 3 of us. They are very tasty
fish. Very mild. If someone didn’t want to do either of those things they could
stay on the boat and relax in a hammock or swim in the lake. Captain Carl also
had a toucan in a cage (the only one Dad got to see while he was here) and a
parrot. He had a pretty boa that we could hold and a baby crocodile that we
held. Then, it was time to head back to the marina, but Carl asked the boat
guys if they would swing by Monkey Island again in hopes of seeing more
monkeys. (nope!) We did get to see Mono Titi monkeys up close as they were in
trees right next to the houseboat. Dad seemed to enjoy the day as well. The
biggest negative to the day was that the public marina is having some
construction done and they could not open the gates. Everyone had to climb
through or over or under. It was hard for Dad to get under it. I don’t think
any of the workers there had keys to open the gate. We almost missed the tour
since we were waiting for them to open the gate and I heard someone say is
Annette here? I went running down there and they waited while Dad and Greg
caught up.
Dad & guide & Peacock Bass
The tour boat
Capuchin Monkey
Howler Monkey
Captain Carl's houseboat
Mono Titi
Dad squeezing, er....holding the baby croc
Our catch
tour boat coming out of the jungle
Fruit & Veggie Market
Ruins
Fish Market
Sites in Casco Viejo
After the tour we stopped at the Albrook Mall for some lunch and then drove to the Miraflores Canal viewing center so Dad could see the larger ships in the locks from a different perspective.
More relaxation with the
beach & pool before our last organized tour of his trip. Another early
morning to meet for our tour to visit the Embera’ Indians. http://www.emberavillagetours.com/
Since it was a Sunday we made good time
as we were going in the opposite direction of traffic and arrived an hour
early. The meeting point was the Radisson near Gamboa and the grounds there had
a nice walking trail which Dad & I did that wandered through the forest and
ended with a butterfly encounter. Our tour guide arrived and today we were
joined by 2 singles. A young lady from Holland and a young guy was from Sweden
I think. We drove quite a ways to the Chagres National Park where we boarded a traditional
dugout canoe for a beautiful scenic ride to their village where we were greeted
by them playing instruments and welcoming us. The ads say it’s like stepping
into a National Geographic special and it truly did feel like that. We had
plenty of time to walk around the village at our leisure and were encouraged to
take all the photos we wanted. The children were warm and loving and played and
laughed. One of the Indians took us on a hike and pointed out various plants &
trees used for medicinal purposes. There was one plant that is used to numb the
mouth for dental procedures and he passed around just a small piece of it and
we chewed it and were instructed not to swallow it. Wow, it started to tingle
and our mouths went numb. Can’t imagine what a larger amount would do. It did
wear off pretty fast though. Our guide didn’t recommend the hike for Dad so he
stayed in the village and talked with a couple of the Indian ladies. Liza kept
him company and I ended up buying a small basket from her. The ladies weave
baskets and make jewelry and the men carve statues and they had nice displays
in all price ranges. I also bought a pretty necklace from another lady.
performance and craft house
hiking guide
"guide in training"
Greg following guide
We were served a nice lunch
of fried tilapia and patacones. (fried plantains) Our guide also had brought
fresh pineapple and papaya that was delicious. After lunch we had more time to
wander the village and interact with the villagers. They did a few of their traditional
dances for us while the band played. They got several of us up and dancing with
them. It was really a special day. We eventually boarded the canoes for our
trip back to the “marina”. (and one last shimmy under the gate)
Naked-necked chicken
views on the Chagres from canoe
On the drive to Gamboa I saw
a toucan fly across the road in front of us, but of course it was gone before
anyone else could see it. Greg saw one on the drive home from the city that
also flew across the road in front of us. Unfortunately, Dad did not get to see
a toucan in the wild. He did get to see (and hear) howler monkeys on our way to
the Discovery Center Tower. We followed the noise until we found 1 young male
climbing about.
In our neighborhood there
was what appeared to be someone’s pet monkey loose and a bit distraught. He let
Greg get right up to him. Unless they found his owner or it was captured and
taken care of, it probably could not survive on its’ own. (they normally live
in the rain forest, not at the beach.)
We drove to the city for 1
last shot at seeing a toucan in the wild. We went back to Gamboa and showed Dad
the hummingbirds at the Discovery Center and we took a drive to Ancon Hill. We
thought you had to park and walk the rest of the way to the top, but as we
started to walk we noticed cars coming down and then they would let that many
cars go up. Dad & I ended up walking most of the way (luckily, there were a
few benches along the way) while Greg walked back to get the car to catch up
with us. Beautiful views of the city from up there.
Dad on walking trail in Gamboa
view of Panama City from Ancon Hill
iguana in neighborhood
bougainvillea in neighborhood
Before we knew it Dad had to leave. The airlines emailed that they had canceled his flight from Houston to Omaha and put him on a later one. Then, they canceled that flight and put him on the last one out for the night. Either way his flight from here still was a go. So, we got up around 4:30 in the morning to get him there on time for his 10:00 flight. They ended up canceling the last flight out from Houston as well, but they routed him through Denver and he arrived in Omaha around noon the next day. YIKES! He spent the night with his niece Bobbi and nephew Dennis and took the bus early the next morning to get back to Fort Dodge, Iowa where his friend Bud picked him up and drove him home.
Since Dad was coming we
ordered a bunch of stuff that we can’t get here for him to bring down. (you’re
allowed something like $3,000 worth of goods for personal use and we were
waaaay under that) So, he stuffed his suitcase full of goodies. Out of the blue
I found Chili Powder in the stores! I picked up some, but prefer the home-made
kind now…though it’s a pain to make if you are in a hurry. I suspect enough
gringos asked about it that they ordered some. Seeing something once doesn’t
mean you’ll ever see it again…lol. Maybe
one day I will find buttermilk. Seems I have quite a few recipes that call for
it and while you can fake some, it doesn’t have the body or the flavor. (like
these are “real” problems)
Anyone interested in more photos of Dad's visit: https://picasaweb.google.com/116659709528973371528/DadSVisitToPanama#
Anyone interested in more photos of Dad's visit: https://picasaweb.google.com/116659709528973371528/DadSVisitToPanama#
Til next time……
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