We were told to go to the Panama Canal early because the ships only head through the canal at certain times. We tried for nearly an hour to catch a bus because we new for a fact that busses run in that direction but we were told by everyone to take a taxi. Our theory is that people say to take a taxis everywhere because it is easier for the lazy tourists or because it pours more money into their economy. Either way, it is a lie because we have taken busses everywhere and we know it is possible. However due to time constraints and the pressure of the people we priced out a cab. The first driver told us $15 and we knew that it should not cost more than $3-4. The next driver we asked said $7, instead of negotiating we just agreed to play the dumb tourist role and paid the doubled price to get there.
We were actually a bit early to the canal which was lucky because a few minutes after we got in, the tourist boom began and we could barely see anything. In the little time we had to ourselves we were able to see how the system worked and snapped several pictures. We went into the museam that was quite fun and informative, as well as a theater that played an English movie about the canal construction and operation as well as the plans for the further expansion plans. The canal is an access for ships from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific ocean or vice versa. It is the only such access that exists in the world. Its's construction was started by the french people who persisted through weather, disease and other environmental obstacles and finally gave up after twenty years of trying. Many years later the abandoned project was restarted by the Americans who finally completed it. Ships pay up to $400,000 to pass through the three locks of the canal. There is one on the Pacific side and two on the Atlantic side. The one we visited was called the Miraflores Locks. The cheapest payment paid to pass the canal was .39 cents by a man who swam through it back when it first opened.
The way the canal operates is confusing to a simpleton like myself but here is my attempt: The humongous city-sized ship arrives to the first lock (section) and the gates close behind it at sea level. The water level in the first lock is raised to 27 feet above sea level, the next gates open and the ship (with its own power but guided by small electric locomotives) moves forward to the next lock. The water level is then raised another 27 feet via gravity through underwater tunnels fed by man made reservoirs. The ship is then lowered back to sea level using the same priniples and it exits into the ocean. This process takes some time but not nearly as much as it would without the access. Among other ships we also watched the most powerful dredging ship in the world pass through. This ship is being utilized for the canal expansion that is currently underway. This ship has the ability to power 40,000 homes. The expansion began in 2007 and will allow ships three times bigger to pass through. The engineering at play in this expansion is incredible and probably worth looking up if your interested.
Once we were satisfied with the canal viewing we proceeded into the pouring rain to catch a bus to Albrook mall. This mall is connected to the airport and bus terminal and was suggested to us by many people. It is the largest mall I have ever seen including the ones in Vegas. Just in the time we were wandering through we came accross six full food courts packed with people and American fast food joints. I have to admit we fell into the trap and visited several of them, mostly for ice cream. The mall included an amusement park with rides and more stores than we could count. We got lost more than once. Despite what Panamanians seem to believe, we were not interested in expensive and nice malls but rather we prefer the dingy markets crawling with people and deals on cool stuff we cannot get at home. So our mall day included a lot of food but not much shopping other than that. We head back to the apartment and Tyson cooked an awesome spaghetti dinner. We had the apartment to ourselves because our host had gone out to dinner with friends and we chose to stay back and relax a bit. Despite some alarming news about our tenants and property issues back home, we managed to enjoy our time.
The next morning we slept in past our non existant mental alarm clocks and ate our specially reinforced raisin bran cereal with whole milk. We head back to Terminale where we had to purchase our bus ticket back to San Jose. We were told that it would be significantly cheaper if we bought a ticket from Panama city to David accross the border to San Jose instead of a direct bus. So we accepted the advice of our fellow backpackers and bought two seats on an 8:30pm bus to David. After the purchase we learned that the borders close at 10pm and we would be arriving there at 3:30 am. With no other choice, we accepted our fate and did not worry too much about it. After the purchase we took another bus to the shopping area we actually liked near our previous hostel called Casco Viejo. Here we bought some new clothes (you have to be careful because often the clothes have holes or stains on them) and knick knacks plus a large amount of snacks and treats (mainly chocolate) for the long bus ride coming up that night. The problem is nearly all of the stuff is junky and will likely not make it back home in one piece. We also bought ice cream sundaes, plantain chips, burgers and pop to get us through the strenuous day of shopping.
We then rushed back to the apartment and ate our staple dinner of Mr Noodles soup, grabbed our stuff and rushed off back to Terminale. On the bus Tyson realized that he had forgotten our good water bottles in the freezer. This was a tragic hit to the team because we used those everyday and it helped us save quite a bit. Nevertheless it was too late to head back and get them so we forged on like soldiers to the bus station. We got there early but needed to buy water so I took the liberty to wait in the one hour line up at the supermarket. Unfortunately we did not have one hour before the bus left so by the time I got back at 8:50pm, our 8:30 bus had left. Tyson had come looking for me but unfortuantely did not look in the one place I said I would be. I did not have a way to tell time so I had not realized how late it was and figured if the bus was leaving Tyson would come get me. Also busses leave late all the time here, so due to all the above reasons we got screwed. Fortunately there was another bus leaving at 10:45 but it was significantly more expensive than the one we had purchased and we did not have enough cash for the difference. Seeing my frustration and sadness a young plain clothed police officer came over to me and said he wanted to help. He flashed his badge and said he wanted to pay the difference for us so that we would be happier. He took our expired tickets to the counter and paid the difference for the new ones. We were so touched by this random kindness that we were speechless. There are so many good and kind people in this world and it seems that we are meeting many of them. It was not his duty to help us but he chose to because of his own reasons that surely included the kindness of his heart. After handing us our new tickets he walked away downplaying his actions as if it was nothing.
With another couple of hours to kill and a few cents to our name we decided that chocolate was the right thing to do. When I had purchased the water, I was in a hurry and did not collect the few cents change that was owed to me. So we waited in the same one hour line up to purchase chocolate but we were one penny short of what we needed and the same lady who had served me earlier with the water would not let it go. She insisted that we needed a penny. A frustrated man behind us threw the penny at her but it was unprofessional and if I ever go back there with more time I will complain. Speaking of pennies, here are a few other ways the companies here squeeze tourists dry of all their change. There are no free bathrooms near the bus station, all of them cost .25 - .40 cents each. To go through the turnstyle to get to the bus you have already bought a ticket to, you have to pay a nickel each. To have the bus attendant put your bag on the bus (we are not allowed to do it ourselves) we have to pay a tip. While the amounts are not large, the thought of it makes me angry. I fought to not pay the nickel and won, I was very proud until I realized I have one extra Panamanian nickel that is now useless because I have left the country...figures.
Once we got to David we took a taxi shuttle to the border another ninety minutes away. At the border, we had to get our exit stamp out of Panama and I am not sure why but a lady collected $2 from us along the way. She may or may not have been a bum begging for money. After that we waited for the border to open (which was not long since we took the later bus) at 6am. We were thankfully permitted back into Costa Rica without a problem and took the 7:30am bus to San Jose (which actually ended up leaving at 9am). Once we calculated the cost of all the busses and shuttles it took to get there, we ended up saving a mere four dollars, three of which we spent on overpriced coffee at the bus station to stay awake through the ordeal...figures. Either we did it wrong or our backpacker buddies are liars. The bus trip was long with many stops along the way.
Using our store bought snacks and regular empanada purchases we finally made it back to San Jose for the finale of the first section of our world trip. We finally got into San Jose in the late afternoon and walked to the Escazu bus station where we caught the bus to our new home. We were told to take the bus to Escazu and call when we got there to the central school. We met an English speaking guy on the bus who advised us about some of the places in San Jose to visit. He also told us that he had to get off the bus, but that we should follow "that girl in the green jacket" to get to the school we were looking for. So we creepily followed the girl he had pointed to and I broke the ice by asking her if she could help us find the place we needed to be. She was very kind and even let us use her phone to call our new host who did not pick up. She then insisted that we follow her to her home and wait there until we could get a hold of someone. So we accepted and her family greeted us warmly as if we were a part of the family. They thrust freshly baked warm brownies into our hands with milk and juice. She finally got a hold of our host and with the help of her sister, they walked us all the way to our new home. It was yet again another stranger who took it upon themselves to help another person just for the sake of it. We were touched by their kindness.
Our new hosts are a young couple who live in a cute house that is clean and modern in appearance. They had cooked us dinner and gave us a big room to ourselves with a bathroom. The best part has to be their four month old white puppy that has the cutest personality ever. We felt at home here right away and settled in for the night.
***Please pray for and think of a beautiful young angel who left the world yesterday at a very tender age after a tragic car accident. She is remembered and loved by her mother and father as well as many other family members and friends. She is thought of by everyone who met her and many who never had the pleasure. Our condolences to her family***
"If we are not happy and joyous in this season for what season shall we wait"
We were actually a bit early to the canal which was lucky because a few minutes after we got in, the tourist boom began and we could barely see anything. In the little time we had to ourselves we were able to see how the system worked and snapped several pictures. We went into the museam that was quite fun and informative, as well as a theater that played an English movie about the canal construction and operation as well as the plans for the further expansion plans. The canal is an access for ships from the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific ocean or vice versa. It is the only such access that exists in the world. Its's construction was started by the french people who persisted through weather, disease and other environmental obstacles and finally gave up after twenty years of trying. Many years later the abandoned project was restarted by the Americans who finally completed it. Ships pay up to $400,000 to pass through the three locks of the canal. There is one on the Pacific side and two on the Atlantic side. The one we visited was called the Miraflores Locks. The cheapest payment paid to pass the canal was .39 cents by a man who swam through it back when it first opened.
The way the canal operates is confusing to a simpleton like myself but here is my attempt: The humongous city-sized ship arrives to the first lock (section) and the gates close behind it at sea level. The water level in the first lock is raised to 27 feet above sea level, the next gates open and the ship (with its own power but guided by small electric locomotives) moves forward to the next lock. The water level is then raised another 27 feet via gravity through underwater tunnels fed by man made reservoirs. The ship is then lowered back to sea level using the same priniples and it exits into the ocean. This process takes some time but not nearly as much as it would without the access. Among other ships we also watched the most powerful dredging ship in the world pass through. This ship is being utilized for the canal expansion that is currently underway. This ship has the ability to power 40,000 homes. The expansion began in 2007 and will allow ships three times bigger to pass through. The engineering at play in this expansion is incredible and probably worth looking up if your interested.
Once we were satisfied with the canal viewing we proceeded into the pouring rain to catch a bus to Albrook mall. This mall is connected to the airport and bus terminal and was suggested to us by many people. It is the largest mall I have ever seen including the ones in Vegas. Just in the time we were wandering through we came accross six full food courts packed with people and American fast food joints. I have to admit we fell into the trap and visited several of them, mostly for ice cream. The mall included an amusement park with rides and more stores than we could count. We got lost more than once. Despite what Panamanians seem to believe, we were not interested in expensive and nice malls but rather we prefer the dingy markets crawling with people and deals on cool stuff we cannot get at home. So our mall day included a lot of food but not much shopping other than that. We head back to the apartment and Tyson cooked an awesome spaghetti dinner. We had the apartment to ourselves because our host had gone out to dinner with friends and we chose to stay back and relax a bit. Despite some alarming news about our tenants and property issues back home, we managed to enjoy our time.
The next morning we slept in past our non existant mental alarm clocks and ate our specially reinforced raisin bran cereal with whole milk. We head back to Terminale where we had to purchase our bus ticket back to San Jose. We were told that it would be significantly cheaper if we bought a ticket from Panama city to David accross the border to San Jose instead of a direct bus. So we accepted the advice of our fellow backpackers and bought two seats on an 8:30pm bus to David. After the purchase we learned that the borders close at 10pm and we would be arriving there at 3:30 am. With no other choice, we accepted our fate and did not worry too much about it. After the purchase we took another bus to the shopping area we actually liked near our previous hostel called Casco Viejo. Here we bought some new clothes (you have to be careful because often the clothes have holes or stains on them) and knick knacks plus a large amount of snacks and treats (mainly chocolate) for the long bus ride coming up that night. The problem is nearly all of the stuff is junky and will likely not make it back home in one piece. We also bought ice cream sundaes, plantain chips, burgers and pop to get us through the strenuous day of shopping.
We then rushed back to the apartment and ate our staple dinner of Mr Noodles soup, grabbed our stuff and rushed off back to Terminale. On the bus Tyson realized that he had forgotten our good water bottles in the freezer. This was a tragic hit to the team because we used those everyday and it helped us save quite a bit. Nevertheless it was too late to head back and get them so we forged on like soldiers to the bus station. We got there early but needed to buy water so I took the liberty to wait in the one hour line up at the supermarket. Unfortunately we did not have one hour before the bus left so by the time I got back at 8:50pm, our 8:30 bus had left. Tyson had come looking for me but unfortuantely did not look in the one place I said I would be. I did not have a way to tell time so I had not realized how late it was and figured if the bus was leaving Tyson would come get me. Also busses leave late all the time here, so due to all the above reasons we got screwed. Fortunately there was another bus leaving at 10:45 but it was significantly more expensive than the one we had purchased and we did not have enough cash for the difference. Seeing my frustration and sadness a young plain clothed police officer came over to me and said he wanted to help. He flashed his badge and said he wanted to pay the difference for us so that we would be happier. He took our expired tickets to the counter and paid the difference for the new ones. We were so touched by this random kindness that we were speechless. There are so many good and kind people in this world and it seems that we are meeting many of them. It was not his duty to help us but he chose to because of his own reasons that surely included the kindness of his heart. After handing us our new tickets he walked away downplaying his actions as if it was nothing.
With another couple of hours to kill and a few cents to our name we decided that chocolate was the right thing to do. When I had purchased the water, I was in a hurry and did not collect the few cents change that was owed to me. So we waited in the same one hour line up to purchase chocolate but we were one penny short of what we needed and the same lady who had served me earlier with the water would not let it go. She insisted that we needed a penny. A frustrated man behind us threw the penny at her but it was unprofessional and if I ever go back there with more time I will complain. Speaking of pennies, here are a few other ways the companies here squeeze tourists dry of all their change. There are no free bathrooms near the bus station, all of them cost .25 - .40 cents each. To go through the turnstyle to get to the bus you have already bought a ticket to, you have to pay a nickel each. To have the bus attendant put your bag on the bus (we are not allowed to do it ourselves) we have to pay a tip. While the amounts are not large, the thought of it makes me angry. I fought to not pay the nickel and won, I was very proud until I realized I have one extra Panamanian nickel that is now useless because I have left the country...figures.
Once we got to David we took a taxi shuttle to the border another ninety minutes away. At the border, we had to get our exit stamp out of Panama and I am not sure why but a lady collected $2 from us along the way. She may or may not have been a bum begging for money. After that we waited for the border to open (which was not long since we took the later bus) at 6am. We were thankfully permitted back into Costa Rica without a problem and took the 7:30am bus to San Jose (which actually ended up leaving at 9am). Once we calculated the cost of all the busses and shuttles it took to get there, we ended up saving a mere four dollars, three of which we spent on overpriced coffee at the bus station to stay awake through the ordeal...figures. Either we did it wrong or our backpacker buddies are liars. The bus trip was long with many stops along the way.
Using our store bought snacks and regular empanada purchases we finally made it back to San Jose for the finale of the first section of our world trip. We finally got into San Jose in the late afternoon and walked to the Escazu bus station where we caught the bus to our new home. We were told to take the bus to Escazu and call when we got there to the central school. We met an English speaking guy on the bus who advised us about some of the places in San Jose to visit. He also told us that he had to get off the bus, but that we should follow "that girl in the green jacket" to get to the school we were looking for. So we creepily followed the girl he had pointed to and I broke the ice by asking her if she could help us find the place we needed to be. She was very kind and even let us use her phone to call our new host who did not pick up. She then insisted that we follow her to her home and wait there until we could get a hold of someone. So we accepted and her family greeted us warmly as if we were a part of the family. They thrust freshly baked warm brownies into our hands with milk and juice. She finally got a hold of our host and with the help of her sister, they walked us all the way to our new home. It was yet again another stranger who took it upon themselves to help another person just for the sake of it. We were touched by their kindness.
Our new hosts are a young couple who live in a cute house that is clean and modern in appearance. They had cooked us dinner and gave us a big room to ourselves with a bathroom. The best part has to be their four month old white puppy that has the cutest personality ever. We felt at home here right away and settled in for the night.
***Please pray for and think of a beautiful young angel who left the world yesterday at a very tender age after a tragic car accident. She is remembered and loved by her mother and father as well as many other family members and friends. She is thought of by everyone who met her and many who never had the pleasure. Our condolences to her family***
"If we are not happy and joyous in this season for what season shall we wait"
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