|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:09:08 GMT
Panama, the Canal and Beyond with Colonial Cartagena All the photos can be found here. And the tale is also available on my blog. Travel Days – 5/6 November 2014 You ever get that feeling that you’ve left home without something? It never fails. I’m in the taxi on the way to the airport and I’m sure I’ve forgotten something. It was like my bag packed itself this time and I don’t trust it. I’ll figure it out when I’m somewhere over Kansas, I’m sure. And no, I didn’t forget to remove my cat from my luggage. She’s safely stowed in a kennel for this trip. Well, I didn’t forget my passport. That’s the one thing that ensures I don’t make it to 36,000 feet over Kansas. I checked in and despite the new AC policy on checked bags, people are walking away from the counter with full sized carryons. I get up to the counter and a woman standing behind the clerks looks at me and says she was in biology class with me. Not to date myself…but that was 1983. How on earth does someone who knew me for a few weeks in 1983 recognize me?? I didn’t have the first clue who she was. Is that Mother Nature’s way of saying that I’m aging well? So, while we’re chatting, the clerk with my passport asks me if I have a visa for Panama. Visa? What visa? Well, I just aged the 30 years. I tell her I’m pretty certain that a visa isn’t required for the short visit and she goes on researching it and I go on reminiscing with Miss Biology. I look around for another clerk who I know works there. She was in grade school with me. The clerk finally says that a visa isn’t required and my blood pressure drops. (It didn’t help that I just started planning a tour of Vietnam, which does require a visa, so I had visa on the brain and yes, I had that brief moment of mix-up in the grey matter). I’m not able to check in for my flights to Bogota and Panama City, which isn’t a big problem. I’m spending the night in Toronto. I hop on the flight and find that regs have changed for using small electronics. We don’t have to turn them off or stow them for take off and landing. And they announce that there’s wifi on the flight. Sweet. If you can connect. I get a screen that tells me I have to be within 100 miles of the US to connect, but even when we were, I didn’t get a connection. Wonder if the flight to Bogota tomorrow will have it. I entertained myself with the latest Transformers movie and am happy I didn’t spend $10.50 at the theatres for that one. We landed just after 8 pm and being in the back row, I deplaned at 8:20. I was in my room at the Alt hotel by 8:40. Love that hotel. Incredibly convenient. So, I get in and given the very long day coming up, I decide to take a shower. And then I drop the 2 lb bottle of conditioner on my foot. Ouch. I don’t think much of it at first and then as I’m getting into bed, I see the bubble forming on top of my foot! Well, you want to see a Newf scramble? Only one thing to remember if you get swelling after a boo-boo. RICE – rest, ice, compression, elevation. I’ve never located an ice machine so fast. Last thing I needed was a swollen foot a few hours before a 6 hour flight. I put the ice in a plastic bag, tied it to my foot, took the generous supply of pillows and elevated the foot and then laid back to watch Ice Pilots. Yes, I really did. That wasn’t a play on the ice on my foot…though watching a show about -50 degree temps and flying was soothing…in a way. An hour and a half later, I felt safe enough to sleep. Luckily I had tossed my tensor bandage in my luggage…or rather..luckily, my luggage was thinking ahead and packed the tensor. That’s the compression part. Then I sleep. Rest. It wasn’t a restful sleep though. I had a wake up call for 5 am and fell asleep after midnight. But the top of my foot was flat when I woke up and what better thing to pull on that foot this morning than a flight sock. Compression in spades. I’m in the airport by 5:30 and lines are non-existant. Gotta love Bag Drop. I was able to get a luggage tag to send my bag to Panama via Bogata but wasn’t able to get a boarding pass, so I’ll have to hunt that down on arrival. I think I’m in business class so I should have a lounge to go to. Internet in Pearson is still as spotty as ever. Best spot is near Tim Hortons. Sad that TO can’t have a more reliable service. The flight took off on time and I had a sweet Columbian woman next to me who has been living in Canada for 35 years. I took the window seat for this flight but didn’t like being trapped there when she took a nap. From here on, it’s seat D. Granted, the window seat has one benefit. Jamaican coastline. We landed in Bogota six hours later. As I walked off the ramp, there was an agent there with my name on a sheet. She had my boarding information. Sweet! And unexpected. She told me what I needed to know and with 8 hours to spare, I took my time finding the Avianca ticket counter where two very helpful employees printed out my boarding pass. Economy class. Hmm….I’ve been robbed! LOL I wandered around the departures area of the airport, got a Big Mac and decided there must be more to do after security, so I went in. The girl there did a double check at my flight number….and I nodded. Yes, I have 7 more hours. Viator actually offers a tour of the city from the airport. I should have signed up for it. They cater it to however much time you have and I had time in spades. As it turned out, I had some editing work to do, and thankfully, there were plug kiosks after security. I walked to an empty one at the far end of the terminal and spent more than 5 hours tapping away. I need a massage. This was my view of Bogota as I typed. I did get a lot of work done and boarded the flight at 10 pm. I was wasted. The flight to Panama City is just over an hour and they managed to get a meal served in that time. A plane that was ¼ full helped. The views of Bogota and Panama City at night were impressive and the flight bumpy. We land at Tocuman just after midnight and as we’re all walking down the terminal, another flight empties into the empty hallway right in front of us. Usually, you wouldn’t think much of that, until you see the immigration line. Oh man, it was a good thing I didn’t need the washroom. If I had stopped to go before the line-up, I’d still be there. It looks like they’re doing some renovations and the area looks temporary with only about 8 or 9 clerks on, but 3 were for locals/air crew and the other 6 for the other 500 people in the line. It took me a full hour to get through the line and I pickd up my bag, put it through the x-ray machine and walked out to arrivals. My voucher said to look for someone from Gamboa Tours and after I looked at the half dozen signs there, I started having flashbacks to my South Africa tour with Brendan when they didn’t know I was coming. But like South Africa, I found a rep of the company there to pick up someone else. He called the office and said he’d take me to the hotel no problem. Luckily, the guy he was waiting for was behind me in the line and came out 20 minutes later. It took about 20 minutes to get to the hotel and there was a pretty chipper young man on the front desk. He got me checked in fast and at 2 am – 21 hours after I woke in Toronto – I crawled into my room, dropped everything and went to bed. I didn’t even bother to check for internet. That just goes to show how tired I was.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:09:23 GMT
Day One – 7 Nov 2014 Weather: 30…thankfully with cloud. I slept like a log and first woke at 7 am and said nooooo way. Put my head back down and woke at 8:30…but I didn’t know where I was. Ever get that when you’re travelling? You know you’re not at home but you’ve forgotten where you are. I had to think it out and at first was thinking this was the end of the tour. Then I remembered it was just starting. Hopefully, you’ve all had those moments. For now, I call them my hormone moments. And for the million times that I said to myself yesterday…why do I do this? Waking up, looking out the window and thinking of what I have before me that day wipes away all my exhausted doubts from the day before. I was thinking…okay, it was 2 am after a 21 hour day, so I freely admit I wasn’t thinking straight…that I might skip the Hop On Hop Off bus today and just stay in bed. Yeah, like that was going to happen. The late arrival merely pushed my start off by about an hour. But first things first. Internet. I went down to the lobby and asked about it. The online portal said it was $15 a day. He said it was but that if I registered for their rewards program, I get internet free at any of their hotels. And it’s costs nothing. So, I say twist my rubber fibre op cable! I log on and find the connection very good. So, after I check everything, I’m off to find the HOHO bus. I step outside and reconsider going back to bed for the day. Holy cow, it’s hot. The guy on the front desk said the HOHO doesn’t always stop at the spot across the street from the hotel, so that it would be better to go to Multicentre – a mall about a ten minute walk from the hotel. It wasn’t hard to find and there was a girl there from the company selling the tickets (but they can be bought on the bus no problem too). By now, I’m thinking I should have bought some water. Heck, I should have bought a camelback! Or better yet, an IV line. Did I mention how hot it is? I get aboard and go for the top deck. It’s only half full and later in the day it only had a few people aboard, so good seats are not hard to get. The bus also has a place to plug in earbuds to listen to the commentary in any language. It starts by rolling down Balboa Ave. Now, I know what you’re thinking. No, it has nothing to do with Sylvester Stallone. Balboa was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean, which he dubbed the South Sea. The Panamanian currency is also called the Balboa. Sly had nothing to do with that either. The funny part is that the Balboa looks just like the US dollar. The bus makes a couple of quick stops at points along the way (including the one across from the hotel) and makes a slightly longer stop at the Albrook Mall – this is a massive mall that employs more people than the Panama Canal. No one gets off. Then we head for the Canal Zone. This was the 8 km wide stretch of land that the US was given on either side of the canal that wasn’t given back to Panama until 1999. The Panamanian government has taken over many of the US buildings and other areas are being built up, expanding Panama City. This is the 100th Anniversary of the Canal which was completed in 1914. The bus stopped at the Miraflores Locks Visitor Centre and half the bus got off. It was $15 to go in. There’s a film that I didn’t have time for, a four floor exhibit – which has a cool video taken from the bridge of a ship navigating the canal in fast forward and is shown from an exhibit that is the bridge of a ship. It was standing room only in that room. On the fourth floor is an observation deck where you can see the locks below. There was nothing scheduled to pass through for another 3 hours, so the deck was pretty empty. After a check of the shop where I got a hoodie, I head back to the bus stop. While I was standing there, I realized there were ants all around my feet. So, I skip back when I see these red ants only to realize they have no interest in me. They’re all walking in a line, some of them carrying leaves. Then I see a line of them going up and down this tree. So, yes, I’m at the Panama Canal and I’m taking video and pictures of ants crawling up a tree. I learn later that they’re called leafcutter ants. The bus arrived and we headed for the Causeway which connects three islands to the mainland. Fill dug out of the canal was used to create the Causeway to prevent silt from accumulating at the entrance of the canal. You can get a great view of the city from here. I got off at Isla Flamenco thinking I’d get some good shots of the city from here, but because of the marinas, access to the coast line was restricted. So, except for a couple of shops, there was nothing to see there. There are restaurants, so it is a great spot to get off to eat, but not for photos. I got better ones on the HOHO on the way back over the Causeway. Which reminds me. If you do this, sit on the left starting at the mall and after Isla Flamenco, move to the right side. The HOHO took me back to the mall and I wanted to eat, so I went in and had an Angus Burger. It’s a huge mall with at least four levels. I didn’t check it all out cause it was after 2 pm and I wanted to get back to get a long cold shower before the welcome meeting at 6 pm. I spent the four hours doing my laundry and sorting my stuff out. I headed down for the welcome reception and met the TD, Gustavo. He said there were 32 on the tour. We get a full sized bus between us. Gustavo gave us a quick rundown of the week long tour and after a few questions, he had everyone introduce themselves. Not all 32 had arrived yet, and I learned from a couple others that the transfers don’t always wait if they don’t see someone out quickly which is really dumb given that those I spoke to all had at least an hour wait in the immigration line. After the intros, we were treated to some finger food and we chatted for awhile before heading back to our rooms for the night and a great view from my hotel. Our partial transit of the canal doesn’t start until 10 am so wake up is set for 8am. That means if I play my cards right, I can sleep up to 12 hours tonight!
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:09:37 GMT
Day Two – 8 November 2014 Weather: Oh no, the sun is out. I’m the type that never complains about the cold. That’s the nice thing about Canada. In summer, it never gets hot enough to need air conditioning (where I live) and in winter it doesn’t get cold enough that we can’t go outside. I’ve been to places where it is hot enough to force one to stay inside. So, I get to enjoy four seasons outside. All this means I can whine about the heat. LOL Then I googled the weather for Panama City and Google will bring up a quick reference window showing the forecast for the day….and all I saw 50 degrees. Once I picked myself off the floor, I realized it was the forecast for Panama City, Florida…and it was in Fahrenheit. Let me try that again. Okay. Leave out the word City. Ah, 30 degrees and 39 humidex. Oh, and when I say complain…I mean have fun with it. Oh look, I can hang my washing on the back of a chair in the sunbeam and it should be the time I get back from breakfast. Oh…just took my cell phone out of the sunbeam. I had to drag it by the charger cord…it was too hot to touch. Hmmm…I might have to turn the AC back on or my bed will be a puddle on the floor when I get back. Anyway…where was I? Oh yeah. I was awake at 7:30 which meant I got 10 hours of blissful sleep. Something to be said for not being woken up hourly by a 19 year old cat with dementia looking for a heat source. I went down to breakfast at 9 am. Nice spread. An omelet station where you get to choose your toppings and then hand them to the cook. A full selection of all the sides and a toaster that takes two slices and gives you back one. I expect to hear the fire alarm any second now. I got back to my room to find the side of my pants facing the window was dry. Yup. I’m turning on the AC and closing the curtains while I’m gone. I was down to the lobby for 10 and Gustavo told us we could thank the Panama Canal Authority for the late start, but that if we were delayed at all, we could blame the Panama Canal Authority. Then he said they had already thrown a wrench in the plan for the day as the transit wasn’t starting until 2 pm, so he decided to take us to the old town first. We got aboard the bus and I headed for the back seat and slowly the seats around me filled by others who walked straight back. Yup, we’re the fun crowd. We drove along Balboa Ave towards Casco Antiguo. Casco Antiguo was established in 1637 as a public market and much of the area is under restoration. We got off the bus and Gustavo showed us to the Presidential Palace. The President works there. He lives at the Miramar Residential Tower. (We’re in the Miramar Intercontinental…so he’s next door). We walked along streets that remind my very much of New Orleans. (Haven’t been…don’t need to now…LOL) Gustavo showed us the Panama City Cathedral which is closed except for special occasions. Now, around this point, my pen ran out of ink, so I missed some of the commentary. I remember he showed us to a statue of General Herrera on a horse and he said it was the only equine statue in the country. Then he asked us what it means if one of the horse’s leg is off the ground, like this statue. After a few suggestions, he said it meant the rider was wounded in battle. And if both legs were up, the rider died. If all four are up…the horse died too. Heh. So, we returned to the square and someone asked about bathrooms. The only place with a bathroom was the museum but he was a bit cryptic about it. He said to visit the gift shop then go to the bathroom. The problem is the museum will let you into the gift shop for free but you had to pay admission to use the washroom. She tried to get me to pay for them but I escaped. I only went in to buy a pen. Back in the square, Gustavo treated us all to a shaved ice drink. The vendor used an interesting contraption to scrap the ice off a block and then you could squirt stuff in it…like a slush puppy. And soooo refreshing in 30+ weather. And of course, there were cats. By now, the clouds are moving in and we feel sprinkles just as we board the bus. We were supposed to visit the market but ran out of time and headed straight for the boat. En route, Gustavo said that Panama no longer had an army. The national police just has multiple branches to cover everything. He said that Panama doesn’t get hurricanes thanks to the Coriolis Effect which means the systems will always shift to the right (except hurricanes named Sandy) so Panama’s location means the storms don’t quite make it down here. He also said Panama doesn’t get earthquakes because it’s sitting on its own micro-tectonic plate sandwiched between the Nazca, Cocos and Caribbean plates. They get tremors but nothing major. There is also no hunting permitted in Panama except by some native groups. As we passed through a national park, he said the area around the Canal is preserved because the rain forest provides water that is necessary to maintain the water levels in the Canal. As we approach the dock, Gustavo says that we should not do anything to upset the Canal police. Even the most minor offence can get you banned from the Canal for life. He told us a story of some men who were in Panama for business and took the partial transit tour like what we’re doing. En route, they mooned a canal pilot and when they got ashore, the Canal police were waiting for them. They got fined. Their company got fined. They got fired. Just before the dock area, we passed over a one lane bridge that he said a previous Trafalgar guest had dubbed the Oh My God Bridge. Then we passed an area with what Gustavo described as a 1 star resort which was all inclusive. Yup. It’s the prison where Noreiga has a suite. We arrived at the dock and boarded the tour boat which is designed for 400 but only had 200 today. (I can’t imagine 400 fitting!). As we boarded, Gustavo said they were serving snacks and we picked up a bun, cake and saw a bin the size of a washer and dryer filled with soft drinks, water, juice and ice. All free and kept filled throughout the day. We launched not long after 1 pm when the guide came on and said that there were delays and that we expected to get through by 7 or 8 pm. Well, you want to see mouths drop. LOL. We thought we’d be back by 4 pm. And just as Gustavo said…don’t blame the boat or guides. Blame the Panama Canal Authority. Just don’t moon them. So, we started sailing through the cuts (areas where the hills had been cut back to prevent landslides) and got a long explanation about the Canal. Panama got its independence from Spain in 1821 but united with Colombia for protection. Not long after, France came looking to build a canal. They hired the guy who had built the Suez Canal thinking it wouldn’t be that hard. The Panama Canal needed to only be 50 miles long while the Suez is 100 miles. However, the Suez is a level canal built in the desert and the terrain dug up was sand for the most part. In Panama, they faced mountains, jungle and disease, not to mention the heat. They were faced with cutting through rock while battling yellow fever and malaria. Twenty-three thousand died from the disease and the project went bust after 20 years. In 1890, Colombian civil problems led to Panama to look at separating from Colombia and they looked to the US to help them by offering them the opportunity to build a canal. The US had sent its Pacific navy to the Caribbean during the Spanish American war and it took so long to get there, the war was over by the time they arrived. Because of this, they wanted a shorter route. They were already looking to build one in Nicaragua but realized they could build one in Panama that was much much shorter. Essentially, by utilizing locks on both ends, they could transit most of the distance on Gatun Lake and in the end only had to excavate about ten miles. So, the US agreed and Panama ceded from Colombia. The US navy blockaded the Colombian navy so that they couldn’t do anything about it and in 1903, the US began construction of the Canal. It was completed in 1914. It meant that ships no longer had to spend 2 weeks traveling around the Horn to get to the other side, which even with the cost of transiting the Canal, was a great cost savings. The locks are 110 feet wide which restricts ships to that width. Those ships are called Panamax ships. The larger ships are called Post-Panamax and the new locks will be able to accommodate most of them. If a ship is more than 65 feet long, it requires a pilot. We were served lunch on the ship – rice, beef, chicken and salad. The chicken was delicious. And then we sat down and spent a total of nine hours transiting through two locks with a trimaran and a container ship. We first went through the Pedro Miguel lock which was a single section and then moved to the Miraflores locks which had two sections. We got to see how the mules work on either side of the lock to keep the larger ships in line as they move through the locks under their own power. Gustavo told us the average cost to transit the Canal is $120,000. The small craft like the trimaran behind us, pays $800. Our tour boat pays $3000. The largest cruise ship to go through the canal, the Norwegian Pearl paid $480,000. And now they are constructing a third set of locks large enough to accommodate the super-tankers. They expect the revenue from the new locks to increase from $1 billion a year to $7 billion a year. As it got dark, we could see the construction in the area to the west of the locks. They expect to have the third locks completed in a year. The airspace above the canal is also a no-fly zone as they want to prevent any accidents or damage to the locks given that closing them for any length of time would be devastating to the Panamanian and US economy and of course, the world economy. This wasn’t my first time through locks so I knew what would happen. I wandered the boat, held my camera above everyone’s head to snap a pic at specific times and then sat back down with our group and chatted as we went down, down and down. It made for a very long day and we were spent by the time the boat docked at one of the islands at the end of the Amador Causeway. We were back in the hotel just after 9 pm and I lapsed into a coma.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:09:50 GMT
Day Three – 9 Nov 2014 Weather: The world is melting! Gustavo had set the wake up for 6:30 and departure at 8:30 but I switched my wake up for seven and had my bag out by 7:30. I had another delicious omelet for breakfast and we were off by 8:30. Our first stop was to the original settlement of Panama, Panama Viejo. It was founded in 1519 and sacked by the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671. The settlement was not well defended and Morgan easily defeated the Spanish, but was denied access to any gold that had already been loaded about a galleon. The new settlement was then moved to the current location of Panama City to the west where the city could be defended. We walked to the restored bell tower of the Cathedral of Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion and had our group photo taken by a young fella who wanted it perfect – despite several people having a hard time holding the pose. Half are smiling and half are grimacing in the photo. LOL After that, we were able to climb the bell tower on a set of steel steps constructed inside the tower. The views are great and well worth the climb. From here, we made a stop at the artisans market that Gustavo had wanted to take us to yesterday but the Panama Canal Authority nixed those plans. We got some time to look around the stalls but it wasn’t really a lot of handcrafted stuff. Every stall sold much the same thing and the prices varied wildly. I picked up a fridge magnet for $4 at one stall and another one had them 2 for $5. One girl paid $10 for a Panama hat that another stall had for $3. We reboarded the bus and Gustavo noted that we were all very quiet. He said that meant one of two things. We were tired or hungry. He opted for the latter and our next stop was to the massive Albrook Mall. This is the one that employs more people than the Canal. Each entrance uses an animal to identify it and we entered at the Dinosaur entrance. There was a small food court there and I had a quick bite at McDonalds then walked farther into the mall and found a massive food court that had everything including Taco Bell! A thunderstorm blew through while we were in the mall. I went to one entrance and looked out. The water was white and blowing sideways like a mini-hurricane. It was a ferocious storm but by the time we were done at 1:30, it had blown over. Which is good given that one of our next stops is a cable car ride. From the mall, we headed to the Miraflores Locks Visitor Centre and we got until 3:20 to check it out. This gave me time to do the stuff I didn’t do the first time I was there. I went in to the theatre to watch the 10 minute video which explained everything about the Canal and the lock system and showed the construction of the third lock. Outside the theatre is a tv screen that shows one of the massive doors being moved into place. The new lock won’t use the traditional doors that open and close into the walls of the lock and form a V when they’re closed. The new one will have a massive water filled door that will simply move into the lock like a pocket door. I looked around the museum again and checked out the bridge video on the 3rd floor. The videos can be viewed [/a] here, here and here. By the time I was done, there were ships going through the locks. I kinda had to chuckle at the people using their iphones to video tape the process. It takes a long time. The people were three deep on the observation platform and I have to admit, there’s nothing worse than a tall person who won’t make way for a child to stand in front of them to watch the ships. (I stepped back to let the little girl in and the guy to my side slid in so that the little girl couldn’t take my spot). Again, just a pic or two at different points in the ship’s passing was more than enough to get an idea of what is happening. A cruise ship approached as we were ready to go. From here, it was a short drive to the Gamboa Rainforest resort. En route, Gustavo explained what we had to do with our luggage and the response from some people made it obvious that they had not read the documents that we received. At one point, he made it clear that we have to take some responsibility and read the stuff we’re sent – and he’s absolutely right. What is going to happen is that we will spend tonight (Sunday) and Monday night here in Gamboa. On Tuesday morning, we fly to David on a small plane that can’t take more than 35 lbs of luggage per person. He said if our bag was that light, no problem – but if our luggage was more, we’d need to send it on the bus to David and the bus is leaving Monday afternoon. So, anyone that wants to send their luggage on needs to have a day pack with what they need for Monday night in Gamboa. We will see our bags at the hotel Tuesday night in Boquete. So, essentially, keep out the clothes we need for Tuesday, our pajamas and toiletries. That’s it. We were all given reusable TT bags, so if one didn’t have a small bag to carry the few items, they certainly could use that. Well, I’ve never seen a TD have so much trouble explaining this. LOL. And he did it with a smile. By the time we arrived at the cable car, most had figured it out. We boarded the cable cars in groups of five with a guide. The cars are open with a canopy and there’s even one that can carry a wheelchair. As we pull away from the station, the sky rumbles with thunder. Yup. Open cable car on above the treetops and we can hear thunder. The guide didn’t seem concerned. He said the cable cars are grounded. I’m wondering if I am. We don’t hear any thunder after that. On this ride, one might see animals like sloths but it’s too wet. We do hear the howler monkeys and the guide says he can’t imagine what the original Spaniards thought when they came to Panama and heard that noise in the jungle. We rode the car to the top through and over the jungle canopy while the guide pointed out different trees and at the top we got out and walked a short trail to a huge observation tower that had a ramp that climbed the whole difference. That made it easy. From here, we could see the Chagres River and the Panama Canal with ships moving along. Then someone with a really good eye saw a Toucan in the trees and my 30x zoom could just get it. We returned to the cable car and took it back down to the bus. The hotel was only down the hill and we pulled in around 5:30. My room is on the seventh floor with an awesome view of the Chagres. Dinner was at 7 pm and was a buffet with a pasta station where the chef would cook up the extras, add the pasta and sauce and we could put the parmesan on it. Absolutely delicious. After dinner, we had a talk given by a local scientist and her topic was biodiversity and the canal. It was a fascinating talk about how the rise of the Panama land bridge 3 million years or so ago completely changed the climate of the planet and allowed for animals to cross north to south and vice versa. But the canal essentially ended that crossing of species between the continents. To get across, land mammals have to cross one of the bridges, which is how they believe one species of coyote spread to eastern Panama. The talk was very interesting and like everything else so far, we’ve been absolutely immersed in everything about the Canal – from its construction and expansion to how it affects the wildlife and landscape. After the talk, I changed my wake up call from 6 am to 7 am cause I don’t need a lot of time to get ready and by 11 I’m out like a light.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:10:09 GMT
Oops
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:10:20 GMT
Day Four – 10 Nov 2014 Weather: 50/50 Well, I got two wake up calls this morning and the first one was 15 minutes early. So, I was up at 5:45 when I didn’t need to be up until 7. I got up to check the sunrise but the sun was too bright on the horizon. I took my time getting my luggage ready and sorting some photos before heading down to breakfast. I’m far enough from the lobby to not want to return for my bag so I take everything. There’s another omelet station here and a great assortment of sides and breads. After breakfast, I went up to the lobby and someone said there was a toucan outside and I managed to get a couple pics before it got scared away. We got aboard the bus for our visit to the Embera village. Despite the fact that we could see the village from the observation tower yesterday, it’s over an hour’s drive to get to the river bank to take the canoes. Gustavo wasn’t sure if we would be delayed en route. Today is a holiday celebrating the first attempt to gain independence from Spain. On the way, Gustavo put on an episode of Build it Bigger which chronicles the construction of the third lock and our immersion into all things Canal was continued. It was a very informative episode and showed how they managed to remove the highest hill in the area of the Pedro Miguel locks without once delaying a single ship. The Canal was never closed during the construction. Instead of ships waiting for demolition, the demolition waited for a break between ships. In fact, the Canal has only been closed three times in its history. Once due to a landslide in 1915 (or thereabouts) which led to the expanded cuts. Once during the invasion of Panama in 1989 (for about 6 hours) and again in 2010 after 7 days of continuous rain. We get to the river bank by 9:30 and a couple people say they don’t want to go in the canoe, but it turns out they have no choice. No one is permitted to remain with the bus in the park. So, if you have problem with traveling by canoe, arrange to do something else at the resort. Or just lay in the hammock on the balcony like I’m doing right now. The canoe ride was 30 minutes long. About 8-10 people could fit in a canoe and an outboard motor was used (no paddles). We all have life vests on. I found my seat a little cramped and my hip isn’t happy with me. (Which is why I’m in the hammock…trying to make up for it). We arrive at the village and the locals are there to help us off. A small group are above playing instruments. It’s a short walk to the top and we gather in a hut for a talk. Oh, on the way in, it was hard not to miss the phone booth sitting in the middle of the village. During the talk, Gustavo translated. He said the Embrea people originally came from eastern Panama and two families established this village almost 40 years ago. The oldest person in the village is 73. They came with 8 people and now 108 live in the village. There are 20 houses, each containing one family. He said they believe they cannot start to build a hut until the full moon, otherwise the building will be infested with termites. They use the royal palm leave for the roof but it’s currently only available to the east and they have to travel up to 5 hours to buy the leaves for 50 cents each. Apparently, inflation means the leaves will soon cost 75 cents and the Embrea have decided to grow their own palm trees and expect to be self-sufficient in 5 years. They used to wear the bark of the Spiny tree but realized that taking the bark kills the tree and before long, they would cause problems associated with deforestation. So, a company in Japan was asked to produce a fabric for them and the Japanese thought – well, it’s for an indigenous group, so they made bright coloured fabric with trees and animals on them. The Embrea weren’t picky and were happy with what they got. But in terms of meaning, the designs are a Japanese creation. The men wear a simpler fabric that only costs $1 a yard. The women’s bright coloured fabric can go for $20 a yard and can’t be bought in stores. The women also wear coins around their necks as well as antique silver. The men do most of the carving work using rosewood – which is very heavy as well as the tagua nut which is the vegetable ivory. They can only carve the nut in dry season when it is hard. While the men carve, the women make baskets and take care of all the domestic duties. Some of the baskets are pieces of art and can take months to complete. One basket was $130. A simpler plate shaped one was $30. As they finished their talk, they brought in lunch which was fish and fried plantain served in a leaf. I asked for the non-fish selection and got a leaf full of plantain which was delicious. There was also fruit offered. Some said the fish was delicious. After lunch, we had a chance to check out the handicrafts. Gustavo already warned us not to give money to the children as they would learn to beg. Instead, he said that if we wanted to support them to buy the handicrafts. I got a necklace with a dolphin caring on it for $8. There's a budding photographer's assistant among them. And you could get a temporary tattoo from them as well. It can last about a week. We were then treated to some dancing which is performed by the women only. The men played the instruments. It was cute to watch the two youngest girls try to keep up with the rest of the women. They did a few dances, including one with “volunteers” from the group. The videos can be viewed here, here and here. By 2 pm, it was time to head out. A light rain was falling as we headed back to the bus and as we were going down river, the trip back only took about 20 minutes. I was near the front of the canoe so that I could stretch my legs forward and my hips were much happier. On the way back to the resort, Gustavo gave us the timings for Tuesday. The flight is not until 11 but traffic may be heavy after the long weekend and so we will leave at 7:30. That means a 5:30 wakeup call. I think I’ll let this one alone. I can always go out and look for that toucan if I have nothing to do after breakfast. Gustavo said we would be visiting the horse farm. Someone misheard him and thought he said whore farm. Well, it is a stud farm after all. After Gustavo caught his breath, he said his accent can sometimes be misunderstood – like when he says sloth but pronounces the ‘th’ like a t. (And the o is more like a u). Back at the resort, we were given up to 30 minutes to get our luggage and bring it back down to the bus so that our bus driver could leave for David. I got mine down, checked for the Toucan and then went back to my room to lay on the hammock while I type this up. At 7, I went down to the lobby and boarded a truck for a short game drive around the resort looking for sloth, caymen and anything else that moves. The guide had a spotlight and not long after we started, he spotted a sloth high up in the tree. This photo was the best I could manage. Later, we spotted a caymen swimming in a river next to the road. That was pretty well it, but it was free. I went back to my room and thought I’d have a granola bar…only to remember that I left them all in my luggage and they’re halfway to David by now.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:10:54 GMT
Day Five – 11 Nov 2014 Weather: Sunny and warm I changed my wake up call after to 6 am cause they were calling early and sure enough, I got a call at 5:40. So, they were either late with my 5:30 call or early with my 6 am one. The sun rose just after six so I had everything packed and ready to go, so I was able to lay on the hammock for a while and watch the sun rise. I went down for a quick omelet and went out to see if the toucan had come back to the papaya tree outside the lobby. The birder in the group was out there waiting and moments later, one of them showed up. We watched, took pics and waited….7:30 came and went and then we started to wonder what was going on. Gustavo said the bus had broken down and that they were going to send three smaller buses. (Remember, our regular bus is already in David with our luggage). Just after 8 am, the buses arrived and we loaded up and were off. Halfway there we met up with the traffic that Gustavo said we were trying to get ahead of by leaving at 7:30. We moved slowly for a few kilometres and saw that two other main roads fed into this one so that it slowed traffic. Once we passed the second feeder, the traffic sped up and then we got to multi-lane roads. We got to the airport by 9:30. Gustavo had taken the first bus and gone on first to check us all in so when we arrived, he had the passports and boarding cards ready for each of us. Our 11 am Air Panama flight took off at 10 am. So, we were late leaving the hotel and early leaving the airport. The flight was on a Fokker 50 Air Panama aircraft and flew right over the bridge. The flight took about an hour and we met up with our driver at the airport. We left David and drove towards Cerro Punta – about 90 minutes away. This is the map he showed us. En route, Gustavo told us that the area is called Chiriqui which means Valley of the Moon. It has a population of about 440,000. It’s an important region for Panama for the agriculture. In the lowlands, they grow tomatoes, corn etc and in the highlands they grow colder weather plants like carrot, potato, onions, coffee etc. Gustavo handed around a map above to show where we were in relation to the “country to the west.” That’s better known as Costa Rica to the rest of us, but they don’t call it by name. They don’t want to give it the extra exposure and attention. So, when I decide to go to Costa Rica, I’ll got to my travel agent and say that I want to go to the country west of Panama. The highest peak in Panama – Volcan Baru – is here. It’s among the 25 volcanoes in Panama though most of them are under water. We pass through some beautiful green hills as we climb into the highlands and Gustavo points out Cerro Punta – the pointed mountain. Below it is the 100 hectare stud farm. It breeds thoroughbreds and employs 27 people and the owner had set up a tent for us to have lunch in the spot that is reserved for their own special functions like weddings. There were young horses in the paddock nearby and after getting some pics, we sat down for a delicious feed of rice, chicken, beef, salad and strawberry shortcake. After lunch, we walked up to the stables where we were shown some of the horses boarded at the farm as well as some of their champions, like Dicky’s Cat, Tortellini Ted and Papa’s Bull. They had been bought in the US and brought here to breed. The competition lifespan of the horses is 2 to 7 years but they’ll retire at 5 years if they are particularly successful. This way, they are bred when they are their most virile. We were given a chance to feed some grass to the horses and then went inside to be shown where “the action” happens. It’s in the centre of the stable in the open and the floor is a soft, cork-like material and there are padded sides so that the horses can be pushed up against them so that they don’t hurt themselves. Fifteen days later, the mare is checked to see if she is pregnant. The stud can have up to 3 mares in one day but after that, it can be risky. Take note, guys. Three. A day. After that, it gets risky. After that, they brought out a work horse named Centurion and gave people a chance to sit on it and get their pic taken. The sun had come out and it was perfect weather for pics. After a bathroom break, we headed back towards David. Apparently, there is a shorter route but that it’s too weavy for the big buses, and given that some had felt motion sickness on the slightly curvy drive up the mountain, the curvy road would have done them in. As we left the area, the clouds looked very angry and sure enough, as we descended towards David, the skies darkened and opened up. It poured all the way to Boquete. Gustavo gave us a bathroom break after David and we were able to pick up snacks and that. We pulled into The Finca Lerida around 6:30 (after dark) and we needed guided help to find our rooms. Most are up the hill but I’m below them in a cabin where I seem to be able to pick up the wifi from the office next door. The bathroom in this room is nice and the TV has the NFL Network, so I’m set. We get dinner tonight starting at 8. Gustavo had us pick between two choices – steak or chicken with flan for desert. I go up to the restaurant and find that everyone up top has a hammock. But they don’t get the wifi in their rooms….lol The dinner was delicious and I go back to my room to be reunited with my bag. All is good.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:11:08 GMT
Day Six – 12 Nov 2014 Weather: Sun, cloud, shower and a reasonable 25. Well, I was woken at 6:30 thinking it was my 7 am wake up call. This seems to be a trend and my name must be at the top of the list if I’m getting such an early wake up. And here I was thinking ‘wow, the sun rises really late here.’ I made the climb to the restaurant for breakfast which was basic. The staff did the toast for us and the tea was delicious. Being a coffee plantation, I hear the coffee was pretty good too. We met up with Gustavo outside the restaurant to start our tour of the plantation. He split the group into mobile and not-so-mobile. I went with the mobile. Our guide, Rolando, gave us a history of the plantation which I think their website tells best here: “After participating in the design and construction of the Panama Canal locks’ emergency hatches and the gigantic docks in Colon, Toleff Bache Mönniche, a Norwegian engineer and graduate of the Royal College of Dresden, Germany, traveled to the High Lands of Chiriqui in 1911. He was looking for a place with clean, fresh air to rest and recover from his fourth attack of malaria contracted in the hot and humid lands of the Panama Canal. After sailing seven days in a little vapor boat along the Pacific shore and riding a horse uphill for many hours, he arrived in a unique spot in the world: Finca Lerida, nested along the lively skirts of VolcanBaru and the high ridges of the Central Range. Located 10 km uphill from Boquete, this property used to be half grasslands/half tropical forest yearlong. In 1924, engineer Mönniche finally retired from the Panama Canal and along with his wife Julia moved to Finca Lerida. Here he built his house – completely by hand – in a Norwegian countryside style and built the first Coffee Plantation by gravity in Panama. Aside from this he designed and patented the “sifon”, a device made to separate good beans from the bad. This device is now is used worldwide by many coffee plantations and it is still working in Finca Lerida where Mönniche’s old processing plant still processes coffee of excellent quality. In 1929, Finca Lerida exported to Germany its first shipment of Panamanian coffee. This began Panama’s high reputation as one of best quality exotic coffee producers in Europe.” The farm primarily grows Catuai Arabica coffee with about 20% of their crop being a variety of others including the famous Geisha Coffee, the best in the world. The plants can live up to 40-45 years and thrive in the volcanic soil nestled here at over 5000 feet in altitude halfway between the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Rolando picked some of the coffee berries, showed us how to pop the beans from inside the cherry and had us suck on them and taste the different flavours emerge the longer we had them. I wondered if I’d sleep that night if I chewed them and swallowed them. From here, he brought us down to a pool and showed us how water is used to sort the bad berries from the good. He tossed a few in. The good ones sank. The bad ones floated. This is essentially how the sifon mentioned above works. The original is still here with the patent posted on the wall above. From here, we went into the testing/tasting room. The coffee addicts sat down and Rolando ground up three types of bean – natural, honey and lavado. The three vary on how they are processed including the washing, the removing of the pulp and differing time for drying and fermenting. He showed us the green bean and the roaster where they are roasted with varying temperature, time and air content depending on the variety. The bean is then ground down and the tester will smell the grounds. Hot water is added and it was smelled again. The crown was removed and the spoon was half immersed and moved away from the nose as it smelled it again. And then the tasting was done by sucking it up from the spoon (in order to add more air to it). Everyone that wanted to got a chance to do the whole process. Someone asked about decaffeinated coffee and he said it could never be 100% decaffeinated. From here, we went down to the coffee shop (ha!) and everyone got a cup of coffee and a deliciously moist lemon/passionfruit slice of cake. I skipped the coffee…the cake was awesome by itself! Once the tour was done, we boarded the bus for our free time in Boquete. Now, if you want to go ziplining or anything else today, arrange it before today and be aware that you likely will have to skip the coffee tour to do it. The ziplining left at 8:30 and 10:30 am. There are other activities as well, but one can’t hop on the bus after the tour and expect to sign up and go do something as most seemed to start early. To me, this was the allure of Boquete yet no time was made for it and no optionals for it were offered. For that reason, I honestly think they should either offer optionals here for the more adventurous or replace Boquete with a visit to Colon via the Panama Canal train. (And my thoughts on this grow stronger given the very long bus day we had to return to Panama City. If they keep Boquete, they really should have a flight back to Panama City. The extra cost would be minimal and well worth it to avoid that long long drive). We were dropped off at the plaza and given 3 hours to visit the area. There isn’t a lot there and the town isn’t really any kind of tourist town. There are a couple of souvenir shops and a lot of restaurants. I sat in a café with some tourmates and gorged on a mountain of nachos. At 3:30, we boarded the bus just as a sprinkle of rain started. It was done by the time we got to the hotel and I found the wifi back on in my room, so I finally got my pics downloaded and then went for a walk. I ended up on a hammock outside one of my tourmate’s room and before long, half the tour had chairs pulled up around the hammock to chat and someone even rocked the hammock for me. It was everything I could do to not sleep. They went on in to dinner but the mountain of nachos would do me till the weekend, so I went back to my room to watch football and pack up. Ahh….football! This is a first.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:11:22 GMT
Day Seven – 13 Nov 2014 Weather: Gorgeous in Boquete. Oven once we passed David. A phone woke me up at 5:40. No idea whose phone it was as most didn’t get a wake up. We knew this was possible and most had their alarms set on their phones. I got changed quick and walked up to the restaurant to watch the sun rise. I took a chair from outside the restaurant and sat down. One tourmate glanced out her door and did a double take to see me there, sitting in the pre-dawn light. Then I realized the moon was directly above me. Cool. The staff showed up at 6:30 and started serving at 7 am. The girl remembered I had tea and offered one to me before giving everyone a coffee. I was talking to the others and learned the geisha goes for $27 a pound so I decided to pick up a pound. Then I could offer everyone a single cup of coffee as a souvenir. We were done and down waiting for the bus at 8 and left shortly after. It’s our one long bus day and everyone is ready for it. As we passed David, Gustavo put on a documentary that detailed the construction of the Panama Canal and filled in a lot of holes in what I had learned so far. We stopped for a bathroom break half way through the film and Gustavo held up a roll of toilet paper and asked that the last person to use the bathroom please bring back the roll. Yes, if you come to Panama, bring tissue. Back aboard, Gustavo told us we would have to go through a checkpoint between this province and the next. It’s meant to be a buffer between those who might get in from the “country to the west” and the rest of Panama. Kinda like the jungle to the east of Panama City. The Pan Am highway doesn’t cut through there because the Panamanians like the buffer between them and the troubles in Colombia. As we approached the check point, Gustavo stands up and tells us to remain calm. Then he smiles. I have to admit, he has to be one of the funniest TDs I’ve had. His English is excellent and he gets a lot of slang. And is learning more. At one point he said something about folding the rules. We asked twice and he repeated ‘folding the rules’ and then almost all at once everyone got it. Bend the rules! LOL He said the border guard might come on and say ‘oh, gringos’ and just leave. Which is pretty well what he did. Gustavo said the term gringo can be used for anyone of European descent. It’s not limited to any nationality. Just to Caucasians. We passed through without a hitch and stopped shortly after so people could visit some stalls along the highway. I went for the walk. Lunch was in Santiago at a cafeteria type of restaurant and we were limited to 45 minutes so that we could make up some time. There was almost continuous construction on the highway from David to Santiago as they were doubling the highway. It’s unreal that there was like almost 200 km of unbroken construction. I imagine being able to work on the road all year round helps. After lunch we found ourselves on a divided highway and expect this will speed up the second half of the trip. By 3:30, we pulled into a basilica at Nata. The settlement was established in 1515, before Panama City. The Spaniards wanted to settle the area since it was so agriculturally rich and had a lot of wildlife. We took some pics and were off for the last bit of the long trip. There is some grumbling among the others that we should have flown back to Panama City and that they were more than willing to pay the extra to have that as opposed to a very long day on the bus. I have to agree. And I think the Boquete visit could be replaced with a visit to Colon instead. We went all that way for what essentially was a visit to a horse farm and a coffee plantation. I don’t think it was worth the effort. Instead, since everyone on this tour is fascinated by the Canal, I think taking the Panama Canal train to the Caribbean coast would be the cherry on top of an amazing journey. One thing is certain. This tour gives one far more Canal experience than any cruise. For the last two hours of the bus trip, Gustavo put The Bourne Legacy on the tv and that helped the time go by. The credits rolled just as we pulled into the Westin Playa Bonita at 7 pm. The hotel is located across the bridge from Panama City. And what a hotel. Some people have transfers that leave the hotel at 5 am so they’re not even going to see the view out the window. My transfer isn’t until 8 am so I’ll get to see something. We get up to our rooms and are back down for our Farewell Dinner at 8 pm. Thankfully, it’s a buffet. No one could face a 2 to 3 hour menu meal. We feasted, exchanged emails and hugs and birthday wishes for one woman. Gustavo got her a cake and gave her and other November babies a gift. It was a nice end to a great tour. Now, on to Cartagena.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:11:32 GMT
Day Eight – 14 Nov 2014 Weather: And I thought it was hot in Panama! I was up at 6 and the first thing to come to mind is the sunrise. I spent a half hour on the balcony taking pics of the strings of ships waiting to enter the canal. Last night, the lights of the ships made it look like there was land all across the horizon, but I knew I was looking at a bay and figured they were ships. I didn’t bother with breakfast and was down to check out and board the transfer. One of my tourmates who is not going to Cartagena was on the transfer and I had thought she was in her 60s. She told me she was 85! I nearly fell out of my seat. She was amazing. We arrived at the airport by 8:30 and check in was smooth with short lines at checkin, immigration and security. The condition of the departures is much better than the arrivals area and as I check out the shops, I see a new terminal being built nearby. Exactly what they need. I picked up my second t-shirt – yeah, I got a grand total of two – and dropped into Dunkin Donuts for their Big Toasty. Delicious. And the guy next to me said he loved the smell and was resisting going to get one. We are a group of six going to Cartagena. One couple remained behind as the husband was sick. Which reminds me, a few have gotten traveller’s gut on this tour and not one of them took Dukoral before leaving home. They had never heard of it and weren’t offered it by their travel clinics. This baffles me. It’s the oral e-coli/cholera vaccine that can protect you from 70% of the causes of traveller’s gut. It not only protects you from the bugs in the water, but from improperly prepared food which can happen anywhere, including at home. But at home, you stay in bed. That’s not always an option on tour. The water in Panama was perfectly safe to drink (they boast it’s the best in the world and it did taste great) but every one of those that got sick all said they had salad. I ate the same salad and drank the same water to no ill effect. One of the sick girls is on the Cartagena extension and she spent the day in bed as soon as we arrived. So, the six of us board the Copa flight to Cartagena. It takes less than an hour and the views of Cartagena are wonderful. Of course, I can’t help but wonder what sea level rise is going to do to all those buildings on the sand bar. Getting through Colombian customs is much quicker than what we faced in Panama. The customs guy asked if I only had the one bag and I said yes and he pointed me towards the exit. The others had to put their luggage through an x-ray machine. Outside, I met David Romera, our guide for the weekend. He’s wearing a TT shirt and nametag, unlike the Panama side of the tour where they wore Gamboa Tours. He’s a pleasant guy and noted that we would get an orientation walk this afternoon. Sweet! Once the six of us are together, we board a mini-bus and it’s a short ride to the old town where our hotel is located. David said it was a 400 year old house that had been converted into a hotel. The rooms have no windows to the street. We face the interior courtyard. My room is huge with a cast iron bathtub next to my bed, a sink just outside the washroom and a shower in the washroom. It has safe, fridge, shampoo stuff and like all the hotels, a good selection of tv channels though it takes time to find one in English. There is free wifi as well. David gave us 30 minutes to freshen up and given the oppressive heat, I got into capris and headed down. Then I realized there was a huge cage in the middle of the courtyard and two toucans there. One tourmate had one of the birds on her arm. Let the photo frenzy start! It flew off when it got bored and we met up with David. The first thing he did was to give us a package of wipes. He said the heat can get so bad, we will be constantly wiping the sweat off our face. Okay, now I’m looking forward to seeing the snow at home. I think I’ll fall back on an old army trick and borrow a small towel from the hotel, wet it and leave it in a bottle carrier on my backpack. That works really well in oppressive heat. David gave us maps and took us out on the street. He said the street names can change and there’s not always signage, so they use the plazas as reference points. He points to the small plaza at the end of the street and says it’s Madrid, so if we get lost, we just have to remember that. He showed us a supermarket around the corner and we did a loop of a block as he pointed out restaurants and the currency exchange. He answered all our questions and we were done by 2:30 with timings set for tomorrow. I go back to my room, grab some stuff and head for the Cartagena wall. I’ve walked on a city wall in North America (Quebec), Europe (Dubrovnik) and China (Xi’an). Now to add South America to that list. The wall almost completely encloses the old city with a section missing where the old meets the new. I walked down to the artisans market which is a string of shops under the wall and walked up the ramp to the wall. It was hot and I drank two full bottles of water and two bottles of Coke and had an ice cream. There were shaded spots to take a break in and I made the entire walk without a hint of heat stroke (unlike Dubrovnik where I didn’t start out with enough water). There were street vendors with water all over the place so it was easy to restock. My plantar’s fasciitis acted up and I almost didn’t finish when I realized I was close to the hotel, so I stopped, stretched and carried on. I dropped back down to the street at the artisans market and found my fridge magnets and a cat figurine. I picked up a Fanta and more water and trudged back into the hotel by 5:30. (It gets dark at 6 – though David said it’s perfectly safe in this area even after dark). I’m wasted, so I take a nice long shower and sit back to sort photos and stuff. While my tummy has been fine, my allergies are acting up and I’m getting a cough. Funny thing is I always brought a bottle of cough syrup with me but it expired a couple months ago, so I tossed it and didn’t replace it. And I haven’t seen a pharmacy all day. Time to load up on my decongestant. That’ll put me out like a light.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:11:45 GMT
Day Nine – 15 Nov 2014 Weather: Shoot me now…32 with 39 humidex. Feels like 55. I slept a good solid 8 hours but still have sinuses and a slight cough. Gotta wonder which customs is going to quarantine me – the US or Canada. One other girl was sick coming from Panama and they asked her where she had travelled. I had been woken by gunshots in the middle of the night. Given that I’m on the interior courtyard, it really sounded like they came from inside the hotel but I later heard they were celebrating in the street and that it was either gunshots or fire crackers. I got back to sleep and rolled out of bed by 7 am and went down to breakfast. It’s a pretty cool setup. Not much in the way of eggs but there cereal, fruit, coffee, toast and that. There are like ten tables in the room. We met up with David at 9 am and he gave us each a water and we started the walking tour of old town Cartagena. How he manages this heat in a black shirt, I’ll never know. And the humidity is only 70%. Can’t comprehend 90%. David started by saying Cartagena is the friendliest city in Colombia. The old town was originally settled by escaped slaves and they remained after slavery was abolished. Their dialect, Bantu, is what the hotel is named for. The women made money by carrying fruit on their heads and many around will pose with the fruit up there and colorful dresses. David pointed out the braids in their hair and said that prior to the abolition of slavery, they used to braid their hair with the directions to the free settlement in Cartagena. Cartagena is a mere 11 degrees above the equator so it gets pretty well equal daylight and night. David said the cartels are no longer a problem as the leaders have been jailed or killed. He says there is still a drug issue but that it’s small time compared to the cartels. There are 47 million people in Colombia and 1.2 million in Cartagena. Many of the buildings in the old town are former convents or monasteries converted into hotels. The government gives them 30 years tax free on new hotels. The area was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1984. Our first stop is the Heredia Theatre which is no longer used as a theatre but can be rented for any occasion. After a few photos, we moved on to walk the streets and David pointed out the Inquisition Museum, the Cartagena supreme court and noted that Colonial balconies are wooden whereas those from the Republic are concrete. He said they can choose their own colour. David said many people drink coconut water as a home remedy. Apparently it’s good for kidney stones, heart burn and can be an aphrodisiac. In large quantities, it’s a natural laxative. He suggests we not go swimming if we drink too much. The doors all around the old town have elaborate door knockers. We move passed the old customs building that is now city hall and end up at San Pedro Claver Church. Claver (1580-1654) was a Spaniard who came to Colombia and saw the poor treatment of the slaves. He became a priest and committed his life to help the slaves. He baptized more than 100,000 during his tenure. David said 85% of Colombians are Catholic. Many from other religions were killed during the Inquisition when you were either Catholic or Catholic…if one was thinking ahead. Since the church is so strict with divorce, many get a civil marriage then show up at the church for show. We walked back the hotel by 12 noon and I went out to get a coke and an ice cream. The heat just kills the appetite and all I want to do is drink water. I had a granola bar and spent two hours in my room soaking up the AC. At 2 pm, we met up with David for our driving tour outside the old town. En route, he pointed out the motorcycles that one can take instead of a taxi. The drivers will offer you a ride with or without AC. The AC one means 100 kph. David said there are few traffic lights in Cartagena and not many stop signs. Even if there were stop signs, no one stops. He said the larger the vehicle, the more likely it has right of way. For pedestrians, he recommends we look left and right then run like hell. We’ve figured that out. Granted, in the old city, they can’t get their speed up very high. Our first stop is to La Popa, Convent of La Candelaria where you can get a great view of Cartagena. This was built in 1606 after a priest had a dream where they saw the virgin of the candles and was told to build the convent on the highest point. He found freed slaves who were worshipping goats and he took the gold statue of the goat and threw it over the side of the hill. The word Popa refers to the stern of a ship as in a reflection, the hill looks like the stern of a ship. We took some pics of the great view and proceeded to San Felipe Fort. This was built inland from the old town in order to protect the walled city from land based invaders. Cartagena was the port from which the Spaniards shipped a lot of gold, so it had built the walls to protect the gold. It was only manned in daylight hours while the soldiers watched with their backs to the sea. It was the site of at least two battles. It was eventually abandoned and later restored. It is also a UNESCO heritage site. From here, we headed to the peninsula to visit an Emerald factory. (The gold factory was closed for renovations). We got a short tour. The emeralds are always green and was first worn by Cleopatra. That mine in Egypt is long since closed. It is considered a precious stone and the factory has the largest rock with emeralds in Colombia at 276 lbs. We went into the shop and two tourmates spent over $3000 for a ring and necklace. We went back to the bus and drove along the beach towards the old town. It goes on for miles. David said there are no private beaches in Colombia. We made a short stop at the artisans market which I had seen the day before. I picked up my obligatory t-shirt and headed back to the hotel. My allergies are holding their own, so I take a long shower and settle in for the evening with cough drops and Fanta. Tomorrow, it’s a visit to the local archipelago.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:12:01 GMT
Day Ten - 16 Nov 2014 Weather: I’m melting! I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve experienced such heat. Even in Las Vegas where it was 45, it had no humidity like this. I don’t know how they do it! And the humidity is only 60-70%. They get 90% in summer. My throat was sore so I skipped breakfast and feasted on Fanta Orange. We met up with David at 8:30 and myself and three others headed to the port for our Isla Del Encanta optional. The port is only a short distance away and the area was quite crowded. Tons of boats head out every day to the islands and the moment our speedboat went to full speed, I could understand why. Nothing like natural air conditioning. The ride took a full hour and en route we could get great views of Cartagena. And we passed by the two forts that were built by the Spaniards to protect the entrance to the harbor. What I didn’t quite catch is that there is a wider entrance to the harbor on the other side of this island. That must have been watched by ships. The passage here is fairly narrow. When we got out to sea, the other boats split off in different directions. There are a number of islands out here and each company seems to have dips on one or the other. Our island only has four speedboats going to it and it’s much less crowded than the others – from what I’m told. And yes, it was a hotel that has like 8 cottages, a beach, bar, pool and hammocks! I love hammocks. We landed and two of us signed up for the snorkeling optional. Yeah. I am developing laryngitis and I’m going snorkeling. Hey, I can breathe out of my mouth. I just can’t pass air through my nose. And that’s not needed with a snorkel and mask. We have a half hour, so I grab a Coke and a hammock under the shade. Talk about relaxing. In about two weeks, I’m going to be wondering how I could lie in the shade in my tankini and still be hot. Oh wait. Well, at my age, I’m still hot. It just comes in flashes. At 11:30, the guide for the snorkeling hands out the flippers and we load up on the boat with a group of about 15 of us. We take a short boat ride out and stop near this gorgeous little island. The way the sea level is going up, this spot won’t be there in a couple of decades. The guide handed out the mask and snorkel and we jumped into the water where it was shallow enough to stand. The guide brought along two red rings in case someone tired and wanted to hang on. One guy hung on from the start and I’m assuming he wasn’t a strong swimmer. This is our guide in the water. I’m always in awe of how warm the water can be down here. Jumping into the water at home is like taking a polar bear dip every time we go swimming. I had bought an underwater camera and took all 27 snaps as we went along. The coral was not as bright as I expected but the shapes were interesting. And we came across some interesting fish. The swim took almost an hour and we swam about 200 m according to the guide. The boat dropped us off in one spot and picked us up at the other side. It was draining and fascinating at the same time. The girl that came with me had trouble with her mask and just swam along for most of it. I managed to get a mouthful or two of sea water and once I got back on the boat, I started to feel a little nauseas. It passed after a while. We returned to the island and I sat in my hammock while the others went to lunch. I wasn’t hungry but they brought me back a 7Up. We sat and swung until 3 pm. Then we reboarded the boat for the hour long ride back to Cartagena. David met up at the port and drove us back to the hotel. I needed something for my throat so I went looking for a drug store only to learn that everything is closed on Sunday (or closed early). The supermarket was open and I was able to decipher the different types of cough syrup and that and picked one up with an ice cream. Back at my room, I was spent. It must have taken me an hour to finally start packing for the next day. I packed up and sat down to watch the Patriots v Colts game but couldn’t keep my eyes open passed 9 pm.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 25, 2014 16:12:30 GMT
Day Eleven/Twelve – 17-18 Nov 2014
Weather: AC most of the way.
That’s air conditioning and Air Canada.
I was up at 4 and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I got up, downloaded the football game and got ready. I was in the lobby by 6:30 and David brought us to the airport which is like only 15 minutes away. It’s a small airport with short lines and David stayed with us until we were checked in. Which was great as there was an issue with my ticket with Avianca and he was able to sort it out faster than I could have.
Cause my laryngitis is in full swing and all I could do was smile.
They got it sorted out but my bag can only go to Miami and I had a faint recollection of something similar happening on my way back from Lima. I was through immigration and security without anyone questioning why I was squeaking answers and the flight left on time.
Like my Avianca flight to Panama City, this flight was almost empty. I think in all the travelling I’ve done in the last 5 years, I haven’t been on a flight so empty. Maybe 30 people on an A-320. It’s so empty, the crew take their time serving breakfast.
I’m able to watch the end of the football game (Pats 42 – Colts humiliated…LOL). We land in Miami at noon and my allergy head is giving me a touch of vertigo. If they ask me to walk in a straight line, I’m done for.
I pass through passport control no problem and pick up my bag. The guy taking my customs form was the first to ask if I was sick. It was a short walk to the Air Canada counter and the girl there asked for my credit card. Took me a sec to realize she wanted to charge me for my bags. So, for the first time, I was able to use my veteran’s card for something. No problems there. My fee was waived.
Once I’m through security, I check for wifi and remember that Miami is stingy. No free wifi.
Seriously, Miami, get with the program.
So, I go in search of more cough suppressant and finally break down and pay for the wifi. Gotta feed the addiction.
Actually, I wanted to research my flights for my tour to Vietnam in January….but I ran out of time before I got that far.
I found my gate and sat down to wait. The snow in Toronto had delayed the flight coming in by a half hour. No problem on my end. My connection isn’t until noon tomorrow and I am sooooo looking forward to a warm comfy bed at the Alt Hotel next to Pearson.
We get aboard, and for the first time, I’m in the overwing exit row that is also a front row for the section. So, the seats have the solid armrests and a video screen that pops up from the armrest. The row has no window so when the 3 jokers behind me start talking about fuel spilling from the wing, we can’t see anything.
It turned out to be the overflow valve but we had to go back to the gate to get it checked and then get the tanks topped up again. The jokers behind me were taking video and posting it on twitter.
We finally got airborne by 6:30. I’m hacking and sniffling and blowing my nose and tell the women next to me it’s allergies and you could hear the audible sigh of relief. The bloodshot eyes should have been a dead giveaway. Or the conjunctivitis that my left eye now has.
First time my allergies have gotten bad enough to cause laryngitis and conjunctivitis. And I checked…they can be both caused by allergies. So, no habla ebola!
(Turns out I had, for the first time that I ever remember having it….a wicked case of the common cold. Three days later, I’m still hacking and congested but the doc said I just have to ride it out. Hopefully the women next to me didn’t catch it. I had had it a good 2-3 days at this point, so I may not have been contagious anymore.)
I watch Edge of Tomorrow and the flight is shorter than I expected. The movie ended just as we arrived and I looked out to see mounds of snow everywhere.
Oh yes! I’m jumping in the first one I see and hugging it!
Seems like several planes arrive at once and the immigration is a bit busier than usual but I managed to make it through the whole process within an hour and I’m outside in 1 degree temperatures and just sucking in the cold crisp air.
Ahhhhhhhh.
I’ve never been so happy to have decided to add in the night in Toronto. I could have made it home on a later flight that arrives at 3 am in St. John’s, but for the sake for the $120, I thought I’d stay the night. Only a few hours difference in arrival. And I decided to take the noon flight, so that means I got to sleep in right to 8 am.
I was feeling a bit better in the morning and set out to the terminal hoping to find a bottle of cough suppressant for dry hacking cough. (The others were for productive coughs). I drop off my luggage and go through security where they’re checking the carryon sizes. This means one can’t leave their bag with a family member while they check in. If the bag is too big, they send you back to the counter.
And the carryon size allowed is quite reasonable, so one can get what they need in that no problem. Even OzT! The policy seems to target those going on with what could be considered medium or full sized luggage.
I get through security, find my cough suppressant and the Maple Leaf Lounge. I had a pass that was due to expire, so with 4 hours to my flight, why not? (I had bought it to use for my 12 hour wait for my flight to Buenos Aires last February only to find it was only good at the domestic terminal, not the international one, and once I was there, I couldn’t go back to the domestic terminal.)
With my flight yesterday, I’m now at Prestige Aeroplan level and will get some free lounge passes for next year.
So, I munch on raisin toast and delicious tea and type this up until 11:30 then go in search of my gate. The flight left on time and I hacked and sniffled my way back into St. John’s where my sister picked me up. We dropped by a pharmacy and I crawled into my bed. My cat must be happy I don’t pick her up till the morning cause I would have kept her up all night.
Oh wait….
Some final thoughts on the tour.
Take a bathing suit if you do the Cartagena extension. No real chance to use it in Panama.
I still stand by my thought that the Boquete part of the tour either be a return flight or skipped and replaced with the Panama Canal train ride to Colon. No one on the tour ever got tired of hearing about the Canal. The drive back to Panama City was simply too long at 11 hours on a hard road.
Hotels were all pretty good to exceptional. All had safes, hairdryers, kettles, shampoo stuff and facecloths. Some even had robes. Don’t remember any having a carpet floor.
English is not as widely spoken as one would expect for a country that was so dominated by the US for so long. Using the USD in Panama was nice.
This is a lively tour. Average start in the morning was about 8 am which wasn’t bad and there were some later finishes.
Food was pretty good overall. Chicken, beef and fish were often available and my aversion to fish was never a problem. There was always an alternative.
|
|
|
Post by Boop on Oct 25, 2014 21:47:26 GMT
Day Thirteen...just in case I get arrested for trying to take catnip home. What happens in Cartagena, stays in Cartagena......
|
|
|
Post by Boop on Oct 25, 2014 21:51:20 GMT
Out of jail. Trying to get the cats out now. help me..........
|
|
|
Post by californian on Oct 29, 2014 18:25:52 GMT
Have a wonderful adventure, Chech, we flew over the canal and almost landed at the wrong airport, there were air force bases, naval bases, small airport, international airport, all within a few miles of each other, first time landing there it was a challenge! Great people, though, they did not shoot us down!
|
|
|
Post by chech on Oct 30, 2014 18:10:35 GMT
LOL...well, at least the people were nice! A week from now, I'll be sitting in the Bogota airport twiddling my thumbs for 8 hours.
|
|
|
Post by Tulips on Nov 1, 2014 10:28:20 GMT
Hopefully, they will have wifi. If can get into a lounge, they likely will.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Nov 1, 2014 12:50:19 GMT
What I can find online says they do. The big question is which terminal I will have to spent it in. The old terminal is still used by some Avianca flights but they're moving them slowly to the new terminal - which would mean the difference between spending 8 hours in a terminal like Pearson or a terminal like St. John's. LOL Oh...and apparently, my flight from Bogota to Panama City on Avianca is in business class...so I should get free access to a lounge.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Nov 8, 2014 13:38:56 GMT
My Travel Days (Day of the Foot Boo Boo) is up.
|
|
|
Post by Boop on Nov 8, 2014 18:15:43 GMT
My Travel Days (Day of the Foot Boo Boo) is up. Phew, that's a long travel day! But happy to see you are there and at the start of your journey. That's so painful reading about your foot but very glad the bottle didn't land on your toes! You were robbed of your executive flight..ahhhhh! Looking forward to your tale!
|
|
|
Post by chech on Nov 10, 2014 2:50:18 GMT
Oh look....I can post on my cell. Hopefully have day one up tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by Boop on Nov 10, 2014 6:20:28 GMT
Oh look....I can post on my cell. Hopefully have day one up tomorrow. Yes, she will have day one up tomorrow...lol!!
|
|
|
Post by chech on Nov 11, 2014 0:48:00 GMT
Well, so much for that attempt. The internet is too slow to get my pics up. I will try again in Boquete tomorrow.
|
|
|
Post by Boop on Nov 11, 2014 1:27:23 GMT
Well, so much for that attempt. The internet is too slow to get my pics up. I will try again in Boquete tomorrow. Yes, she will definitely have day one up tomorrow.......from Boquete
|
|
|
Post by chech on Nov 11, 2014 1:53:04 GMT
Okay...forget my last. I managed to get wifi in my room. (Just logged on in the lobby and didn't turn my computer off - when I got back to my room, I checked and was still connected). So....Day One is up.
|
|
|
Post by Boop on Nov 11, 2014 3:47:20 GMT
Okay...forget my last. I managed to get wifi in my room. (Just logged on in the lobby and didn't turn my computer off - when I got back to my room, I checked and was still connected). So....Day One is up. LOL!!...........Yayyy That is a truly magnificent photo of the city with all the sailboats in the harbour! Sounds very, very hot to the point of discomfort?
|
|
|
Post by tiffany on Nov 11, 2014 12:48:37 GMT
Great pics. The views from your hotel room are great! If only we always had views like that while on tour.
|
|
|
Post by solaria on Nov 11, 2014 20:48:31 GMT
Hi Chech Am loving touring with you especially when I can go first class ( leather recliner chair ) !! This is a good way to travel for me at the moment as while we were selling house and shifting our passports expired! NZ now only issues them for 5 years so we are not going to all the hassle until we know we're definitely going somewhere. Armchair travel is the way to do it for now.
|
|
|
Post by chech on Nov 12, 2014 12:03:07 GMT
LOL...my aching joints could use an reclining armchair right about now. Actually, we have a woman with MS on this tour and she is incredibly positive. It's inspiring to see her struggle with steps and everything and not a word of complaint. If she can't do something, she'll stay on the bus. She's so sweet, the whole tour would pick her up and take her with us if we could. Day Two is up. I can't get a stable and fast enough connection to load my photos, so I have the 3 photo limit right now (plus the ones I post online so I can link to them). So, more photos coming.
|
|