First days in Panama

¡Hola! from Panama City, Panama!

After a three hour delay, beyond the already four hour lay-over in Miami, we arrived in Panama. The flight was great and it was a real treat to arrive during daylight hours to see the ships of all shapes and sizes lined up waiting their turn to travel the Panama Canal.

5:00 AM in Tampa International

Our driver..Tomas(Of course things happened so fast at the airport that I didn´t get a chance to snap his photo at the airport.)

Old Panama City.

Panama City, today. (There has been a 25% growth in commercial real estate development in the past year. There are all sorts of tax incentives for multinational companies to open offices here.)

Raquel made arrangements for lunch at the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal. We had a great view and while the temperature was warm, there was a nice breeze.

When we arrived for lunch, there were two ´little´yachts that were in the process of going through the last lock and out to the Pacific Ocean. We were a bit disappointed as we were expecting the huge container ships, cruise ships, etc. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch and the waitress told us that the ships should be arriving about 3:00. Sure enough, a large vessel started making its way through the Canal. Pretty amazing sight!

Miraflores Locks

There are 4 small trucks, called mules, that are attached to the ships by chains and help to guide/drag the ship through the Canal.

One more lock to go!

After leaving the Canal, Raquel took us on a tourof the area. Traffic in Panama City is HORRIBLE! There is no concern for lights, signs, other cars of pedestrians. Raquel did a fabulous job of driving and giving us a tour of her country and city. (Let´s just say we´re really glad she was driving and not us!)

Moon over Panama City. (This is a view from Tom & Raquel´s condo.)

Tomorrow (Wednesday), we are heading to a small town called El Valle and then to the beach. Stay tuned for more updates.

Hasta luego!