6-7 March 2007
The Panama Canal has been something I really wanted to see on this trip. Preferably sailing thru it. But by the time we arrive in Colon we are running short on time, and getting line handler positions at short notice requires quite a lot of luck. We ask around, and are told later in the week is fine, but not tomorrow. We are a bit over sailing just now anyway.
So we cab out to the Gatum locks. It is a scerene experience. The filling and dr
aining of each lock is much quiter than I expected. As is the sight of HUGE freighters getting pulled thru by mechanical mules.
Panama uses the US dollar as official currency. That’s all fine, but paying $5 to see the locks is a bit rude!
We stay for a couple of hours then catch a late arvo bus over to Panama city. We stay in the old town which is like a giant construction site, with money coming from somewhere to return it to its former glory. What 
has been finished is nice indeed, but on nowhere near the same scale as Cartagena. In the middle of it all we find a Portugese restaurant. Its looks flasher than any we have visted in the entire trip, but we decide to go for it anyway. Excellent food, and a good bottle of wine later we are happy, but $65US poorer…
We are so short of time now we have to plan ahead. From here we want to see Leon, and an ex Oz Experience driver´s hostel, and the Bay Islands for some diving. This means bypassing the rest of Panama and all of Costa Rica. A shame, but they can be done on another trip…
So we spend a day organizing… I do manage to find a cheap flight to Madrid, but flights to anywhere in Central America are just extortionate. $350US one way!! This means we have to catch a bloody night bus.. never good.
At least the bus is pretty comfortable I guess. I don’t really sleep and feel like a zombie as we cross into Costa Rica at 5am. It is amusing that the border guards on the CR side don’t wear any form of uniform. 1st place in the world I have seen this. And CR is supposed to be the most advance country in the region…
After 17 hours on the bus we get to the capital of San Jose. Its supposed to be pretty uninteresting, so we literally jump on another bus within 5 mins. And another 4 hours of travel. In the small town of Liberia its amusing to see quite a few other gringos, and loads of trendy surf shops…
Two beers over dinner almost sends me to sleep immediately, so after 21 hours of almost continuous bus travel we sleep well…
6-7 March 2007
aining of each lock is much quiter than I expected. As is the sight of HUGE freighters getting pulled thru by mechanical mules.
has been finished is nice indeed, but on nowhere near the same scale as 
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