Panama 24th to 11th of May 2014

Before we leave for Galapagos a few pictures of what we are up to here in Panama:

Panama city 

One night we went out with Ricardo, one of our pilots from the canal crossing. It was so nice, that he took us out and showed us around town. We visited the old part of Panama, it is very beautiful! And the government is restoring all the old buildings! While we were wondering around the streets, we came across some street theater performance which was very good. We finished the night off with a lovely dinner accompanied by some music performed by some Argentinian back packers... Lovely night and Ricardo was lovely company!

 Ricardo and us

 Street theater

This week we decided to get a couple of days of the boat and go on a road trip. So we hired a car (which is a nightmare in Panama!!! We were so proud, we almost made it out of the city when we got it, but then took one wrong turn and got hopelessly lost... When we returned the car, same thing. We had to return it to a different spot in the middle of the city! It took us forever! I think we have seen every street in the city centre of Panama by now! Often there are also no lanes on the streets, and everybody just drives wherever they want. So, if you ever come here, believe me, take a taxi!!! Taxis are plentiful and cheap if you know he prices! So normally if we need to get around we just take a taxi. When you are a tourist they of course try you on, but be firm and you get the right price! I even got invited to lunch by my taxi driver yesterday, who took me out of town to get our gas bottle filled. We had a lovely road trip with funny conversations with my terrible Spanish!)

Anyway, back to our little road trip. We had a great time. We chose to go to El Valle de Anton, by  recommendation of Roy, our agent here, who organised the canal for us. Ell Valle is about 1.5 hours drive from the city. It is a little town sitting in the crater of a volcano (the only town in the world in a crater of a volcano (so they say, don't know if this is correct?). It is at an altitude of 600 metres and because of it lovely and cool!!! Oh, we enjoyed this soooo much! We actually had to put a cardigan on at night time! It is very lush and green and the home of the yellow little frog, which is only there in the world. It is the most poisonous animal in the world. The local Indians used to just stroke the tip of their darts over the back of the frog and it was deadly poisonous for 2 years!!!! But sadly, the poor little frog is dying out due to a fungus. So they have set up a research centre up there to save the little frog!
El Valle is a lovely little friendly community of the local Indians. Everybody is friendly, it is very clean (opposite to the rest of Panama!), people mainly just ride their push bikes, the food we had there was amazing, the best of the whole trip so far and hiking is lots of fun in a beautiful jungle environment.

So yummy and the best fresh juice ever!!!

 We chose a nice hotel, but had to laugh when we booked in: We got away from the confinement of the boat for a couple of days, to go to a hotel and they give us a room for all five of us together!!! Isn't it nice to be close to the family...
Direct from the hotel we went on a nice walk to some square trees. They are actually square!! Funny! Some University in the US took some saplings back to the states to see, if they are square because of genetics or because of the environment. There you go. Square trees!

It doesn't really come out in the photo, but it is really square!

  

Ant Highways are everywhere here! You have to be so careful not to treat on theses busy little animals

 We visited a local zoo, where also the frog research centre is. The zoo is just a place where people drop off insured animals, it's not set up too good...

 I hate seeing these poor little animals in cages!!! Brakes my heart.

 Tapir (I never knew, how big they are!!)

 And here he is, the little star!

And another pretty one.

 and this is the sleeping Indian girl. A real Pocahontas story... She was the chiefs daughter and fell in love with one of the Spanish solders. But one of the tribe's man loved her as well, which she rejected. So he killed himself and she was so upset then that she left the village crying and wondering in the wilderness without eating or drinking until she died! There you go! And if you have a look these mountains are formed like a sleeping lady.

 Rock paintngs/carvings - 30 000 years old

No comment!

 No water in the waterfalls. Rain season is just starting (we can feel it! The build up is terrible. One move and your covered in Sweat!! Soooo hot!)

What else about here? We are now staying in a Marina for  a week about and direct behind it is a fishy research centre the kids had a look at yesterday. On the road to it, they saw lots of sloths, just climbing around on the fence and lots of raccoons. We noticed last night, the raccoons come out at night to the place where everybody brings their garbage, which is in a cage type. I understand now why, to try and keep them out, but they found a way in and just have a feast there! So cute! And when they see you, they look at you like, me? I haven't done anything! This is why they probably here have all their garbage bins in cages fixed to the ground so the raccoons can't tip it over. Other than that, Jack and Lisa got a lot of school work done here, they are going actually really well with that and are soon through with it all.

On Sunday we will be on the water again to finally make our way to Galapagos.... And Happy Mother's Day to all the lovely mums I know!

It's Sunday morning now, I need to quickly scan and send off a bit more schoolwork while we have internet, a bit more cleaning outside the boat (Galapagos is very particular with this! They won't let you in if your boat is not clean inside and out and especially underneath, so we will also quickly have to stop at Las Perlas on the way and clean underneath the boat!) So, leaving today another country we spend quite a while in now, and where you after a while start feeling like a local again, with the local 'Buenas' greeting, haggling with the taxi drivers, the heat and now the really big electrical storms and rain.

And last... This is Roy, our agent to get us through the canal and has helped us with lots of other things! Thanks Roy!

Las Islas Perlas - off the Panama Coast 18th to 23rd of April

After spending a day shopping in Panama (Albrook Mall, the biggest shopping mall in South America, 3.5km long!!!), we decided to spend Easter at the Islas las Perlas, which are about 35 nautical miles off the Panama coast. The Islas Perlas consists of a group of about 40 islands (only a few inhabited), which got their name when in 1515 the Spanish robbed a large amount of pearls from indigenous King Toe, defeated the king and enslaved his pearl divers! How mean!
Anyway, we had a lovely time there over Easter. Just relaxing! Except,  good Friday and Easter Saturday half of Panama was at the Las Perlas with their fishing yachts and big cruising motor yachts. It is obviously their long weekend destination. But that was fun too! Lots of Latin music and lots of people. When we woke up in the morning on Good Friday we were alone in the bay and by lunchtime there was about 17 boats around us. Sometimes that close that we had to move a bit.

Over the Easter days we did a bit island hopping to have a look around. The vegetation wasn't as green as in our guide book (very good by the way, 'The Panama Cruising Guide' by Eric Bauhaus) as all of Panama is waiting for the rain season to start. Our Panama guides told us, if it doesn't rain in the next 3 weeks, the canal water level will be too low and the really big ships won't get through any more and they will start loosing money. So a lot of trees were just dead looking. But we had fun: Hermit Crab races, Coconut picking and opening and eating, yummy! Jack had a couple of days water skiing (had a smile from ear to ear!), Lisa skied too and got out first go! And Jack gets out every time now on one ski. Ben and Pete entertained themselves a bit with Wind Surfing, I swam and read a lot and Jack and Lisa also kept on building their 'Mega Pools' at the beaches.

 Jack skiing

  

 Another pretty sunset

 The ladies from Havachat

 The crazy man from Havachat

 Put your hermit crabs down and then: Ready, Set, Go! Which crab makes it first out of the circle?

 Collecting coconuts at the beach

 Trying to get a few more of the trees

 A bit gymnastics

 They are just not coming down! (throwing rocks at them)

 Maybe with a long stick?

 Not working either!

 Climb up? Too high!!

 Now the hard work of opening them....

 Pete windsurfing

 Ben windsurfing

 Building a mega pool (you have to do it as the tide comes in, so in the end the pool gets flooded...)

Oh, almost forgot: The Easter Bunny found his way to us!!! Here are Jack and Lisa at their Easter Hunt:

Back on the 23rd to Balboa Yacht Club to wait for our Parasailor to arrive (was in repair, long story....) We think we might maybe go on a road trip for a few days.

And the rain season has started today.... Its so muggy!!!! More before we leave to Galapagos in a few days.