Pictures – Week 16
Thursday, June 24th, 2010Here are pictures from our last week in Panama City and Cartagena, Columbia:
http://picasaweb.google.com/102902177234791651515/Week16PanamaAndColumbia#
Cheers!
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Adios Panama, Bienvenidos Columbia!
Friday, June 18th, 2010We are now in Cartagena, Columbia, waiting for our car to arrive. We spent our last week in Panama doing typical American things: going to the shopping malls, movies, gym, swimming pool, Blockbusters, Hard Rock Café and even the horse races. The highlights of our last week are:
1. Being VIPs at to the movies: for twice the price of a regular ticket, you can go to the luxury theater with full reclining chairs and supposedly, menu service (although Quinn pressed the service button repeatedly and no one came). We watched the “A-Team” in pure comfort and felt like royalty!
2. Horse races: lots of fun! We were the only gringos and a bit of a novelty for the locals. People told us which horses to bet on, brought horses to “meet” us and explained the betting process. Connor won 3 of 5 races; the rest of us did not win any.
3. Seeing our friend, Luis, from Guatemala: Luis came for dinner at the apartment, then we went to the Hard Rock to meet his brother’s family. It was great to see a familiar face! Paul, Luis and his brother went to the casino after the Hard Rock, but Paul will need to tell you about that….
We also spent a lot of time watching the world Cup games, which are televised live at 6:30am, 9:00am and 1:30pm. The World Cup fever is crazy here! Cars with multiple flags from the World Cup teams, people wearing jerseys and vendors selling gear everywhere. Of course, we do not find anything with US insignia…
Columbia has a completely different feel than Central America. I suppose that Columbia is not as Americanized, however, we did find a McDonalds and Blockbuster. Our rental apartment is interesting – in a building one block from the beach, decent amenities, 16th floor with a great view, but sketchy elevator and hallway, and no hot water!
On our first day here, Paul is sick with a bad head cold, so I take the kids to the old town, a walled city with colonial buildings dating back to the 1500s. We see thousands of well preserved gold pieces from 2000 years ago at the Gold Museum and learn all about the native culture. In a nutshell, the rich wore gold, the middle class – bronze and the poor – shells. We meander around town, then Connor says that he does not feel so well and needs a bathroom. Lo and behold – a Hard Rock right in front of us! We then stumble upon a Naval Museum; the model ships, weapons and dioramas fascinate Quinn. We walk along the thick outer walls of the old town, which took over two centuries to construct. Yet, what Quinn will remember most is our pizza dinner near our apartment – the restaurant has a play structure with trampolines, balls, climbing wall, slides, etc. He has a blast!
On our second day, we go to the beach. We rent a tent and then the swarm starts: “masaje?”, “boat trip?”, “ceviche?”, “cerveza?”, “jet ski?”, “t-shirt?”, “pretty necklace for you?”. A bit overwhelming, but nevertheless, lots of fun. Connor gets a relaxing foot massage ($2.50) and knock-off Aviator sunglasses ($5). I make arrangements for a boat tour to Isla del Rosario on Saturday, hoping Paul will be better by then. Quinn mistakenly rents a boogey board, but I refuse to pay when the guy comes to collect money, explaining that Quinn thinks the board is a gift. Lesson learned – never accept anything – nothing is gratis! All of us nibble on chorizo skewers with hot sauce and lime ($1.50). All in all, a great introduction to South America!
The minivan is supposed to arrive today – more to come about the cumbersome shipping process in the next blog…
Pictures – Week 15
Monday, June 14th, 2010
Here are some pictures from Panama City and Port Manzanillo, where we loaded the minivan onto a shipping container:
http://picasaweb.google.com/102902177234791651515/Week15Panama#
The port was very interesting. Fingers crossed that the minivan gets to Columbia...
Shipping the Minivan
Friday, June 11th, 2010
Shipping the minivan to Columbia is a long, complicated and frustrating process. To give you a sense of what this entails, I am providing the detailed step by step process.
Prep: Research shipping agencies, make initial contact ... [Continue reading this entry]
What Americans Should Appreciate
Sunday, June 6th, 2010After three months of travelling in third world countries, I surprise myself about the material items and cultural aspects that I DON’T miss from the States. I thought that I would have missed my luxurious ... [Continue reading this entry]
Pictures – Week 14
Saturday, June 5th, 2010
Here are a bunch of pictures of Panama City and Panama Canal. Warning - we are awed by the Panama Canal and take lots of pictures, so you will see many pictures of the canal and ships, as well as ... [Continue reading this entry]
What is Panama?
Friday, June 4th, 2010Paul says that Panama City is just like New York, but everyone speaks Spanish. Traffic, sirens, car alarms, shopping malls, cineplexes, bowling, Bennigans, Subway, KFC… High rises everywhere and more being built. Even Trump is ... [Continue reading this entry]
Pictures – Week 13
Sunday, May 30th, 2010
Here are some pictures from Santiago, Chitres and Panama City. We just arrived to Panama City yesterday, so no pictures yet of the canal:
http://picasaweb.google.com/102902177234791651515/Week13Panama#
Here is Quinn going down the water slide at the hotel in Santiago, Panama. Great waterpark ... [Continue reading this entry]
Paradise with a Price
Thursday, May 27th, 2010Bocas del Toro is gorgeous: beautiful beaches, incredible snorkeling, crystalline water, friendly people and delicious food. Yet, paradise has a few hidden costs.
The most hidden element on the islands is sand flies. ... [Continue reading this entry]
Pictures and Video – Week 12
Monday, May 24th, 2010
Here are pictures from Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica, and Boquete and Bocas del Toro, Panama. Enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/102902177234791651515/Week12CostaRicaAndPanama#
Here is a video clip of the kids in Bocas del Toro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMXuSMo4Zek
Here is a video clip of Paul's and Quinn's synchronous diving:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Naf2UL03GD4
hwy1alltheway