Panama day 2

For the second day in Panama we just walked around, took a cab to places that were pretty sketchy which resulted in walking a block or two in a given direction, then getting in another cab to go to a different part of town.

We end up on this little but nice peninsula that has a yacht club and couple restaurants. We from there went to visit the Panama Canal. Unfortunately, it started to absolutely pour on our way to the Canal, but it was still worth it. And like most places in the tropics in only rained for an hour or two. The canal operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In the morning ships from Pacific go the Atlantic and in the afternoon the go from Atlantic to the Pacific. It was one of my life long goals to see so I am glad to see it. If anyone ends up going, remember that the viewing deck closes at 5pm so make sure to go much earlier than that. We didn't know this and got there around 4 and didn't really feel that we had enough time.

Here are some pics from that day:

View out of the back side of our hostel.

View from the beind of the yatch club looking back at Panama City. Looks and felt a lot like Miami...

On the end of the peninsula - pacific ocean behind us. You can barely see some of the big ships waiting in the distance.

The lock right in front of the viewing deck. You can see how massive those things are.

Another picture of the same lock.

A HUGE ship entering the lock picture above. You can see just how busy this place is. There is another monster right behind it...

Me, Benedikt, and Andrew on top of the viewing deck. Same huge ship over my left shoulder (we are 4 stories up and it is already going down in the lock)

Panama - only a month or so late...

I am so horrible about posting that doing so know feels like going to confession. Dear readers it has been one month since my last post...

Going way way back here are some pictures from the first day of my trip to Panama:

This taco lady really didn't know what to do with the 3 of us. It didn't help that with typical Latin American efficiency she made 1 at a time in combination with fact that I was starving! Danger! Danger!

I swear people in this club thought this guy was Sean Paul...

Andrew and I trying to figure out why my camera just died for no good reason. I know that I am good at breaking things, but this was not my fault. I swear!

View from our room in our hostel out across the water to rest of Panama City

Andrew and me in the hostel

Chiquita - Banana, etc. tour

The first half of my time here is Costa Rica is over and with that so are my normal classes. For the next 8 weeks I will be working on a biomass energy production project for Chiquita. This past week we went to tour the plant and check out other things around their business etc. It is down in Guapiles on the Caribbean side of the country. It is hot and humid as hell there! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip.

Underside of flower of a banana plant

After the flower (above) is cut off. Sap dripping from the stem with bananas above

Since they don't really refrigerate the beer. The put ice in it. Customer service nor cold beer were not the top of this at this lovely restaurant...

Marco shot of big leaf

Another Macro shot - this is the side view of a banana leaf after some bug has helped themselves

Funny Cow!

Cool plant outside of biodigestor

I love these little plants. So easily entertained.

Nicole's arrival

It is been a long time since my last blog. Sorry. I still don’t have the pics from Panama on my computer but will try to get those soon to post. In case I never mentioned it before or you didn’t see it on Nicole’s blog, I don’t have pictures from Panama because my camera died the first night. Not to fret, Nicole to the rescue. She brought down this really cool and sleek camera that lets people like me take some great pictures! The Elf. This is actual name of the camera, not one given by Nicole, but that is easy to figure out has it only has 1 name not a list. Kali Lou Shenanigans Montgomery, need I say more? J Plus it takes Macro shots, my new favorite. Basically really close pictures that have a lot of exposure and have awesome color.

Here are two examples:

This one was taken by Nicole shortly after arriving.

This one was taken by me in Playa tamarindo of a tiki torch at our restaurant. My favorite one of these is the one on Nicole's blog.

With that let’s just jump ahead until after Panama – apparently my blog is going to more Pulp Fiction style flashbacks than a simple chronological tale. Honestly though, are you really that surprised? But I digress.

Nicole arrived on Wednesday the 23^rd. So I am sitting waiting and waiting at the airport. The arrival screen now says that she landed an hour ago. Finally her pretty smiling face appears through the cloud of everyone else trying to get through the cloud of taxi drivers and transportation people with signs pressed up against the glass. Within minutes of being in the car she nails Costa Rica on the head, she said “It seems like a mix between Hawaii and Guatemala.”

Lunch here is served from 12 to 1, so we had to drop the bags and go to the cafeteria. There is not many things that people like more then traveling for 12+ hours and then having to meet a bunch of new people for the fist time. Since is only served from 1 hour pretty much everybody cycles through there in that short amount of time. Like everything else, she handled it like a rock star. I introduced her to several people and probably remembered more of their names than I knew in the first place. Unfortuately right after lunch I had to go to class. 90 minutes later as I am walking back, Nicole is still struggling to settle in -

To be continued…

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

These are all from Manuel Antonio or on the way there

during my first weekend here at INCAE...

On the way to Manuel Antonio

Sangria, candle, and ocean view?!

I'll be honest, I was a little proud of this pic...

keeping with Nicole's love of street signs

Sloth hanging from a tree

Daddly long legs aint got nothin' on this guy

Cool bamboo in the national park in Manuel Antonio

These 2 raccoon snuck up on two unsuspecting tourists and stole their stuff. Scoop and Score.

Beach inside the national park in Manuel Antonio

and

Just in case you forgot...

Awesome sign in Manuel Antonio

Leaf Cutter ants at my school

UN

Just applied for a spring internship at the United Nations!

Ability to Comment

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