Cartagena 2

There were also nicer things to look at in Cartagena other than drunken Me:


For some reason it seems that a disproportionate number of my photos are of elderly men....hmmmm.

Cartagena

Yay! Cartagena is fun! Didn't really drink much alcohol on the boat for fear of reawakening the Evil Seasick Steph. So...Cartagena means Beer! Yes. Thought it was appropriate to celebrate arriving in Colombia by going to a German brewery for the night.

Hmmm...look slightly seasick there actually.

On a boat in the San Blas islands

The San Blas islands are the type you imagine when you read Robinson Crusoe, but don't really believe still exist without a mega-bucks 5 star resort messing it all up.

The islands range from ones that are big enough to house several thousand Kuna Yala (local indigenous group), through to tiny islets that are little more than a few palm trees on a pile of white sand.

We spent 6 days sailing down the coast of Panama (the only way it is possible to travel to Colombia, unless you fly), swimming and snorkelling and fishing our way around hundreds of perfect islands.

Day one was a bit messy, bleurgh....big waves. After that my stomach got it's act together a little and stopped behaving like a big wuss. By Day 6 I was loving it! Sat myself on the very front of the boat to get the biggest possible wave action! There were quite often dolphins swimming along with us to play in the water disturbed by the boat, and flying-fish zooming about all over the place. It was pretty darn cool.

The Captain turned out to be nice too. The fine officers of Scotland Yard have stood down and directed their activities towards the gangs of field-mice currently causing havoc in the badlands of Norfolk.

The Captain and our dinner:

The fish I caught.... :( poor fishy fish:

A star fish having a breather:

Me, having a well-earned break from a long, hard day:

The Pirate Francis Drake

The town where I was supposed to meet 'the Captain' is about as far as you can go in a Northeasterly direction in Panama. After that, it's on foot, possibly with a few guerrilla-shaped obstacles in your path!!

I stopped in Portobelo on the way, which is where our honourable Sir Francis Drake lies, somewhere at the sandy bottom of the sea. Funny that here he is never mentioned without a whisper of piracy....interestingly different history lessons depending on where you are in the world I guess.

It's a strange area of Panama, lots of old Spanish fortresses, tiny forgotten towns and a distinct feeling of maritime trickery. Lots of (slightly dodgy) boat people hanging around who've been at sea for years and have become slightly loco from all the salty air.

After waiting by the side of the road for several hours for a bus that was rumoured to travel to Miramar, decided it was actually safer to hitchhike than to sit by the road all night (sorry mum!)...I did manage to find the oldest man in Panama to give me a lift, I could definitely have taken him on in an arm wrestle :)

Helping Scotland Yard

The journey from Panama to Colombia is notoriously dangerous by land, through the Darien gap. So, being a safety-first kind of girl, i´m gonna avoid the guerillas and go by sea instead :)

The Captains that sail the boats from Panama to Colombia, however, are generally a bit dodgy. This guy has been recommended by a few people and has connections with the hostel where i´m staying in Panama City.....but just in case i get tipped overboard halfway down, i thought i´d make the investigation a little bit easier ;)

Loner

Both Sally and Derek are back in sunny London now....i wish i could come back, hang out a while, and then come back here.... I miss you guys!!!

Me and Sally on Sally´s last day of holiday:

Panama Canal

Pretty flipping awesome sight to see. After several hours of Canal history museums, i can tell anyone anything they want to know....almost. Will leave it for future dinner parties though.

Here are some pictures of a Chinese ship passing through the Miraflores lock to whet your appetite ;) : And a picture of my Canal Buddies:

Contrast

I love the contrasts we´ve found so far in Panama. There´s the Garifuna Carribbean culture on the Bocas del Toro, quiet highland towns like Boquete, hot and dusty transport towns like David, Cowboy country on the Peninsula de Azuero and the modernity of Panama City.

Even in Panama City itself, each district throws up a completely different perspective. From the highest point in Panama City, Cerro Ancon, you can see as many sky scrapers (it seems!) as Hong Kong, the ruins of Panama Viejo - the original city that was destroyed by Henry Morgan, the wonky charm of Casco Viejo - where the city was rebuilt in the 1600s - and a queue of immense cargo ships waiting out in the Pacific to enter the Panama Canal and the Miraflores lock.

It´s a crossing point for people too....there are ex-pats from everywhere here, though predominantly from the US. There´s a whiff of scandal from the slick looking guys in their fancy E-type jags and a story of money and intrigue to imagine for the immaculately groomed lady sipping coffee in the square.

There´s poverty too though. The hostel we are staying in (Luna´s Castle) has a view on one side of the business district and the bay, while on the other there are people PACKED into houses that look like they´re about to collapse. These are the people that the city government is trying to move on, and out of their homes. They´ve realised the value of the old part of town, but it´s just a little too close to the poor part of town for comfort.

A Man, a plan, a canal Panama

It reads the same forward and backward! Favourite thing learnt about Panama so far....

National Geographic submission

Yes, you can be assured that Sally and Derek enjoyed hanging around for 5 hours while i waited for a nice picture of seagulls.