Day 46, Santa Clara, free day.
A day to spend as you please. Some of us went to the beach and swam in the Pacific Ocean while others worked on their rigs. We walked over a mile to the beach and dispite the fact the sun was clouded over, it turned out to be a nice day. It was nice to have water and electricity and a real RV park with a restaurant. Later that night we had an American dinner of a cheeseburger, potato salad and slaw. Quite good. We were entertained by a group of young children under 12 doing native dances. They were very good and very colorful. Many of us donated to their school. It was a good day.
Clif and Joan #12
February 25, 2010
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2010 DAY 48
We spent the night in The Country Inn Hotel in the Eldorado district of Panama City, Panama so we began today with a hotel breakfast that was quite extensive which means it had some items that we identified with and others i.e. Panamanian tortillas that were new to us.
The bus and our guide T.O. arrived at 8:00 to take us to the canal for a boat ride through the two sets of locks on the Pacific side. The boat has a 300 passenger capacity that was full today so T.O. got us an early start so we could get the primo seating on the enclosed and air conditioned deck which turned out to be a wonderful idea when the sun came out and later when we encountered a heavy rain shower.
We boarded the boat Pacific Queen in Gamboa and headed for the Pedro Miguel Locks while an on board guide gave a running commentary about the canal and the construction of the new locks that are scheduled for 2014 operation, however, most of the information we had learned yesterday. We had lunch on the boat (chicken and rice) just as we were entering the first locks which were not the greatest timing but we all got fed and managed to enjoy the sensation of dropping the one foot per minute as the water evacuated the chamber. I thought an interesting fact the guide gave us was that when the canal was built in 1914 construction with concrete was a new thing and because the engineers did not know how to determine the correct amount of cement to use for the canal they made the chamber walls 55 feet thick. As we processed through the second set of locks, the Miraflores Locks, down to sea level everyone gathered on the bow of the boat for a photo op of the birds gathering in the fresh water fish as they die when they encounter the salt water of the Pacific just when the heavens opened up with a very healthy down pour getting many people VERY wet. The boat continued on out into the Pacific to Flamenco Marina where we disembarked and boarded our bus for the YMCA.
The YMCA (the old YMCA building of the U.S. occupation now turned into to an artesian market) was a huge display of “local” crafts giving us yet another opportunity to purchase gifts and souvenirs.
Then it was back to The Country Inn for everyone to fend for themselves for dinner at one of the nearby restaurants and then get ready for a busy day tomorrow.
Rig #14, Barb and Ron
Day 50 (March 1) – Santa Clara, Panama
FREE DAY – About 18 people went off on a small tour to a neighboring town in the mountains. The rest of us that stayed behind did laundry; went to the beach; walked around the neighborhood and lounged around the pool. Very peaceful. We had a “pot-luck” supper that evening around 6 pm. Great food and great company. It was Bill and Gerry's 51st wedding anniversary so cards were given and they had to wear the crowns. After clean-up Ron Schatz brought out his electric guitar and with Brian accompanying him we all sang a variety of music. Ron and Brian did an awesome job. Everyone sang and enjoyed themselves. Towards the end Ed and Sharon got up and danced. It was a great way to begin the journey home.
Rig #16, Pete and Wendy
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment