07/14/2007
We have now been in Panama City for almost 6 weeks. All of our Spanish is getting much better. I can now have half conversations and understand them almost perfectly. Its very hot here and lately its been raining lots, yesterday it rained almost all day. One amazing thing is when a 500 foot freighter passes you 300 feet away. We are on a mooring buoy thats right by the Panama canal channel. I can see every detail. I have seen all types of freighters and even 4 battle ships one nuclear powered and yesterday a submarine. 2 days ago I saw a huge military hospital vessel, it was bigger then a car freighter but just like it. It was huge and had a crew of 2000 men and women! We went to Mira Flores locks and saw a freighter go through, it was a long process, the museum was nice but small. There was lots of info and I learned a lot, they even had a section on the expansion of the canal. On one floor you could drive a freighter through the locks, that was cool. The locks are big, the gates are also huge. Without tug boats the freighters could not get through. At slow sppeds they are not very munuvrable. Just sitting on the boat you see lots of interesting ships. Some old Some new. I got to now the local Panamainan fleet preety well.
When we first got here we went to old town, its on a point overlooking the city, the buildings where very nice, they looked Spanish. There where some beautiful restored buildings and many more to be done. There was a nice museum and there are lots of churches. Its very nice to walk through, with all the streets being cobblestone.
Panama city is nice, and clean. Although the traffic can get bad. Its a very congested city.
I am looking forward to coming home in two days. Tonight is our last night on the boat. When we first arrived i thought the city strerts where very confusing for they are all curvy and none of them are straight, now after 5 weeks I am getting use to it. I have greatly enjoyed this trip and look forward to finishing it in the near future.
My favorite place was in Mexico where I made some friends and learned how to surf, in Barra De Navidad and Tenicatita. That was the only place whee we met cruisors with kids, one was 12 and the other 9. Just like us! We all miss home and cant wait to be back, even though our trip will be ending.
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07/09/2007
Here are some photos taken in the past 6 weeks, it's hard to believe that we have already been in Panama city for 5 weeks!
The photo above is of two boys we met in Bahia Honda, I gave them some candy but what they really desired was some fishing line and hooks. Johnathon raided his tackle box and they were so happy, they also asked for english magazines which really surprised me but we were happy to give them some of Christina's kid's magazines that we brought from home. They look shy in this photo but when they left they gave us a big smile.
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07/08/2007
I've just uploaded some pictures that we took in Costa Rica. Panama ones are to follow.
The story of the iguana is this: we were on the beach in Miguel San Antonio Park eating our lunch when I spotted this iguana coming around the rock that I was sitting on. He never took his eyes off me (or my sandwhich), when he got really close and didn't look like he was going away I jumped up and moved out of the way. Moments later this same iguana plus another one were stalking Johnathon and his sandwich. Johnathon had a long walking stick for protection and thought the whole thing was funny. I did not and was happy to leave that beach.
The picture above is of the church steeple in Golfito. This is perhaps the most unusual steeple I've ever seen. It is made out of corrugated metal boxes stacked one on top of the other is a diagonal sort of way.
Golfito looks much nicer from the water than it does from on land.
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07/02/2007
After an unexpected 10 day visit to the hospital I'm finally back on Impossible, home. Not more than 24 hours after checking into the hospital was I given a medication that immediately started to make me feel better. But as the days went by more meds were added and the lengthy stay was because of making sure the doses were right for me. I still will have to go for another couple of blood tests before getting the all clear to travel home, just to make sure the amount I'm taking is okay.
Thank you to all who have sent emails and left comments. All your good thoughts are helping me! Fortnately for us the medical system (private) is excellent and I received first rate attention from the two doctors I was seeing.
It's good to be back on the boat but I am sad that our adventure has been cut short. We should be back home in another week or two, knowing that we are returning to Victoria the kids are very excited and really are looking forward to going back. They are excellent travelers but sitting here on the docks for four weeks now has been enough for them and for Stan and I. This has been the longest we've stayed anywhere in our travels.
I left the hospital yesterday and today Christina and I went for a different kind of therapy while Johnathon hung out with an American boy on the yacht next door and Stan helped some workers install our new toilets/heads. Christina and I went to the mall for some clothes shopping and I got a manicure and pedicure! Very therapeutic!
We still will make more entries before we return home, there are still some sights to visit here, more photos to post. Oh and by the way in case anyone is wondering we have decided to leave Impossible here and have her transported back to Victoria with dockwise (a special freighter) in November, we'll fly back. Stan was seriously considering sailing her back with another crew but the length of time away from us (at least 6 weeks) and the threat of stormy weather off the Mexican coast changed his mind.
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