• Browning Retirement Fun
  • Rubber Shark
Mar – Apr 2024

Buenos Aires to UK via Panama

A 46-day adventure by Browning Retirement Fun & Rubber Shark Read more
  • Trip start
    March 2, 2024

    Perth Airport

    March 2, 2024 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 26 °C

    At airport waiting for depature

  • Arrived

    March 4, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    We arrived in Buenos Aires at 11:45pm local time. Perth is eleven hours ahead. We left home at 6 pm on Saturday 2nd March. Darren took us to the airport and unloaded our luggage. He kept Darryl's fishing shirt, so we have to buy a new one today.

    Look at how small the hotel lift is.
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  • Gaucho Pampas tour

    March 6, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Took a wonderful tour to a station/ranch. Delightful lunch. Went horse riding, saw the horse riders take small rings with small sticks on fast-moving horses.
    Darryl bit! Got mozzied. There is a problem with Dengue fever. Hope I didn't get it.
    Tried some maté, which is Argentinean tea. Loved it. 😍 Will get some when I get home but I wonder if there are distinct blends and can't get the smooth one we sampled. I'll pine for it.BTW the waspy thing in the picture is a bumble bee. It was huge!
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  • Uruguay City Tour

    March 7, 2024 in Uruguay ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Took a small Renault people mover for a 3 hour drive around the city.
    Montevideo is smaller than Buenos Aires, more laid back but still with the parks and shady streets that give away it's Spanish heritage.
    Lovely beaches but the water is still brown as it is in the mouth of the River Plate.
    Now for two days across the South Atlantic to the Falkland Islands where Angela might be able get a decent cup of tea! I hope the sea is kind to us. It's a stretch of water with a reputation. Oh, also passing the wreck of the German battleship Graf Spee, but in the dark. If you are a history buff google it. Interesting story.
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  • Two days cruising to Falklands

    March 9, 2024, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 15 °C

    Another foggy morning. Scored a window seat on deck ten forward.

    DarrylBit : Spotted a whale quite close to the ship while we were in the lounge. Just a quick glimpse but a whale it was. Don't know what type, could not read the label.
    Took stroll outside. It's cold. Not surprising since we are about 47degrees south, which is the equivalent of 500km south of Hobart.
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  • Small Look at the Falkland Islands

    March 10, 2024 in Falkland Islands ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    Lovely sunny day in the Falkland Islands. 14 degree Max with a wind chill factor that made the penguins happy.

    We were not able to get on to one of the wildlife tours so we did a tour that visited some key sites of the Falklands War in 1982. Interesting but sobering at the same time. At least we could get a decent cup of tea at the Fitzroy hall.

    The Islands are stark and beautiful, similar to how I remember northern Scotland. Hardly any trees, beautiful bays and inlets. A wind!

    Stanley (Port Stanley) is a tidy and pretty place. Went into the very comprehensive general store to see if I could get some reading glasses. No luck. Splashed out on a fridge magnet instead.

    Tomorrow is a day at sea on route to er, Punta Arenas I think. That will be our first taste of the fjords of Patagonia that I have been pining for.
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  • En Route to Punta Arenas

    March 11, 2024, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 8 °C

    Heading from the Falkland Islands back to the mainland and the Strait of Magellan. Lumpy trip across the 700km. Decks were closed this morning due to 70kmh+ winds. Swells were only 3m so not too bad. Our cabin is in the middle of the ship so we don't move much.
    Having a wine today to celebrate almost a week on board. Up in the top lounge playing 'spot the whale'.
    Weather is calming down as we get closer to land so might be able to go walkies later. Want to see if I can photograph an albatross.
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  • Found the Penguins!

    March 12, 2024 in Chile ⋅ 🌬 9 °C

    In Punta Arenas in Chile, and it is too! 12 degrees Max. Sunny morning but overcast now. Town reminds me a bit of Geraldton. Quiet, some shops a restaurants, not a lot here. Lots of brands of Chinese cars I have never heard of before.

    Took a boat trip to the Magdelena Island Penguin Sanctuary to see (surprise, surprise) Magdalena Penguins. Interesting spot. Saw Kelp Gulls, Skuas, dolphins, sea lions etc.

    The island is in the Strait of Magellan and in the distance is Terra del Fuego. The water is cold and crystal clear. Would be a good fishing spot for Darren & me as it is famous for all the sardines.

    Off tomorrow to Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.
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  • Practising to be Antarctica
    Italia GlacierHolanda GlacierUshuaia, town at the (southern) end of the worldView is not badCruising the Beagle ChannelTeeny weeny railwaySome old guyNice boat but I'll stick with the one we are onName says it allUs!

    The End of the World

    March 13, 2024 in Argentina ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Arrived in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world and the southernmost point of our trip. A compact little place on the shore of the Beagle Channel surrounded by serious,rugged mountains. There is still a fair bit of snow around.

    Got up early-ish and managed to see two of the glaciers that come down off the Darwin Range. That was a bucket list item for me. There are six glaciers in all but we passed the first four in the dark.

    The landscape is bonkers. Huge, snowcapped mountains with great lumps of snow and ice hanging off them. They are often jagged and broken in the most amazing way.

    Did a walk around town. Interesting but did not take many pictures. Still have our afternoon excursion to do, a trip on a narrow gauge railway through I hope some of the dense Patagonian forest. Stay tuned!

    Well did the train. Angela got a better picture than anything I did plus I got nothing much on the phone. The forest reminds me of the beech forest in Tasmania.

    Off tonight to Puerto Montt via the maze of channels through all the islands. Calling by a glacier on the way. It will take a couple of days. I don't mind. The scenery is stunning.
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  • Cruising the Strait of Magellan

    March 15, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    Sort of a day at sea but mostly back tracking up the Beagle Channel to the Strait of Magellan where we chuck a leftie and head out to the Pacific Ocean.

    The mountains and fjords off the strait are unbelievable to flatlands like us west Aussies. Froze my buns off looking and getting pix on deck while the weather held. Have given up now as it is raining with the occasional snowflake (not me!).

    The good news is that the winds are well up and likely to get worse as we enter the Pacific. What bill called it that! The better news is that we will sneak up the coast to another fjord and start the trip to the glacier. Scheduled to arrive 6:30am tomoz.

    Now for some pictures. If you don't like snow and mountains, look away now!
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  • The glacier - looks small - it aint
    It really is that blueWe was closer than this!Snow capped peak number 1000Water, mountains,snow = patagoniaWe lapped the island in an 82,000 tonne shipWho is this dodgy character!There's two of them!One of 1000 waterfallsLook at the blue at the water level!We'll have to go around!Acting calm, freezing my ass off!

    Brüggen Glacier - Auditions for Frozen.

    March 16, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ 🌫 6 °C

    Still wiggling our way through the Chilean fjords. The scenery is unrelenting. Hour after hour of snow capped peaks, waterfalls, forest etc.

    Highlight of the morning was a visit to the Bruggen glacier. This is bigger than the two we saw before and where they cascaded down the side of the mountain range the Bruggen blocks the fjord and the ship can be driven right up to it. Doesn't look much from the deck of a large ship but it towers above the surrounding forest. Caught hints of the gorgeous blue of the ice but the sun refused to do its bit and show the ice off at its best.

    This is a 'live' glacier coming down from the Patagonian Ice Cap and it cracks and groans and bits fall off every time you fiddle in your pockets or point the camera somewhere else.

    Then we were off down more fjords to check out more waterfalls and snow capped peaks plus seeing how narrow a space you can fit a 82,000 tonne cruise ship through. I was hoping we could get through past Port Eden but nope, too shallow up that way.

    Currently heading through the maze to the Pacific Ocean were it is reported windy AF and rough. Bleah! Then back into more channels to Puerto Montt the day after tomorrow.

    I will be sad to leave Patagonia. It is eye wateringly beautiful.

    Oh PS. It's very wet here. In this area there are on average 18 days a year it does not rain.
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  • Heading for the Darwin Channel
    Clouds and mountainsMore clouds and mountainsIslands in the channelSqueezyWiggling throughOut of the skinny bitNice and calmPacific huh!Our own personal rainbow

    Northern Chile Fjords

    March 17, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Spent the night on a lumpy Pacific Ocean. What fool called it that! Mid afternoon we nipped into the Darwin Channel to cut through to the big Bay, lagoon, whatever to the south of Puerto Montt.
    The channel gets pretty narrow between Isla Luz and Isla Quemada. Similar feel to the southern fjords, but the mountains are not as high, no cascading waterfalls and no snow. The weather is as normal,overcast. There are some snow-capped volcanoes off to the east towards the main range of the Andes, but I can't get a decent photo.
    Day spent reading, veging and taking a few photos. Flat calm at the moment, but expect some Ocean Commotion when we cross the gap that connects the body of water we are in to the ocean. Should be in Puerto Montt in the morning.
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  • The big fish!
    Nice, robustThe drift boats

    Puerto Montt- we split up

    March 17, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Today we spilt up with Angela off to see volcanoes and rapids etc and me off to do a bucket list item of fly fishing in Chile.

    Have not seen the main bit of the town as we were both off on our tours fairly early.

    Fishing Report
    Only 6 people on this tour which was drift fishing the Maullin River. This is a style of fishing I have not done before. The trip to our start point was only about 30 minutes.

    Did some gear and technique coaching before we set off. I thought I would be the chump when it came to fly casting but there were at least two people worse than me. Anyway long story short it's a beautiful small and fast flowing river. We set off on our pontoon boats, 2 people per boat. Took a while to get the hang of the technique but I missed one medium large brown trout, hooked and lost three small trout and hooked and landed two brown trout, one small and the other one medium small. Very satisfied with that result. I will leave the 20kg Salmon to someone more deserving. Got rained on, cold, drank some Chilean red wine, caught fish. Who could ask for more?

    Not many photos. Too busy fishing! Expensive but good value. Had about 4 and a bit hours of fishing.

    Volcano was clouded in and waterfalls not much to write home about. Lunch was wonderful. Scenery fantastic.
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  • Just Cruising - day at sea

    March 19, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Day at sea cruising from Puerto Montt to San Antonio in Chile. No fjords 😞
    Pacific is living up to its name today. Also saw a big bright thing in the sky. Evidently it's called 'The Sun'. Getting warmer as we head north. Our chances for a speccy aurora are now passed. More sad faces.
    Doing a 5km charity walk in 20 min so Angela is prepping with a cocktail. Then will be reading, offloading pictures from cameras to backup drives and all the day at sea stuff.
    Oh and checking if you can do drift fishing in New Zealand.
    PS my 'stripping' finger is red raw from yesterday. Non fly fishers won't understand.
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  • San Antonio n Valparaiso

    March 19, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    A lot of graffiti. Went to Valparaiso on a coach trip. Rode the Funicular to get a wonderful lunch.

    Darrylbit : about 90km from San Antonio to Valparaíso. Into a dryer part of Chile now with a lot of scrub country, dry creeks and gum trees.

    The two notable features of Valparaíso were the steepness and the graffiti. There is a lot of good street art but the beautiful city centre is spoiled by all the graffiti. 😔

    The city is stuck on the side of steep hills around the harbour and the houses are so close together. In earlier days when people walked more there were 32 funiculars to get up and down the hills. Now there are only 16 with 7 still operating. We got to ride a short, super steep one up and down to lunch. Would have loved to get a video from outside but there is no clear spot to stand and see it. Anyway that was a minor bucket list item for me.
    Oh they have trolley buses as well. Blast from the past. They had trolley buses in Perth when I were a wee lad.
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  • Coquimbo

    March 20, 2024 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Just chilling on board ship today.

    Darrylbit : did not manage to book an excursion for here, so looking at staying on the ship all day. Does not seem to be anything to see. Maybe the big giant cross and a couple of beaches. Seems like more a a resort town on the Chilean Riviera. I don't know where the town centre is and the shuttle buses just drop you at the port entrance. I'm too old and grumpy to negotiate with taxi drivers, etc. At least on our Cunard cruise you could get dropped in the town centre.
    My inner geek is appealed to because there are three astronomical observatories at the base of the mountains about 100km away. A tour out there would have been nice. This part of Chile must have the altitude and dry climate astronomers like.
    PS: there must be a strong tide or something. We are tied up to the dock but we have the thrusters running and the ship is rocking gently as if we were at sea. Weird.
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  • Another day at sea.

    March 23, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Yes, another day on the briny deep. Ensconced in the deck 10 lounge shuffling around photos, doing crosswords and reading. Supposed to be whale season but we seem to be in a whale free zone.
    Tried some cryptic crosswords yesterday. Nah. Could not figure them out. Gave the book away.
    Pisco and a small boat ride tomorrow to see wildlife. Getting quite north now, about 18degrees north. Weather is notably warmer but still overcast.
    Oh might have my weekly wine today.
    PS : got buzzed by a helicopter earlier. Have no idea why. Also just saw our first flying fish!
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  • Kinda dryFishing fleetAaawww, old folks!Island trip boatLooks familiar!Desert CliffsColoursCandelabra, cactus, ufo guide, who knowsHoley IslandPelicans are all wrong, oh plus a Penguin!Wet look

    Pisco, Peru - had the spa treatment

    March 23, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Well technically not in Pisco. We are docked across the bay and got the bus around to Paracas where we took a boat trip to one of the Ballestas Islands to do some wildlife spotting.
    The trip included a free massage (50kmh over choppy water), free hydrotherapy with water fresh from the Pacific and aromatherapy as the islands are a major source of guano. Basically we got bounced,soaked and stunk out but in an enjoyable way.
    I'll have to see what pictures I got. The boat was rocking wildly in the swell, people were standing up get pix. It was a trial.
    The town is in the Atacama Desert and would be a good spot if you don't like rain. Average is 26mm per year with zero days classed as 'rainy'. There are two rivers that come down from the mountains here. They are generally dry but the aquifer is used for drip irrigation like Carnarvon. Evidently grow a lot of grapes for winemakers and liquer here.
    Oh there are flamingos here and just outside of town is a big 'off limits' site where many 'natural' Peruvian human mummies have been found.
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  • A main road
    Not sure who this isEnclosed BalconiesAnother onePosh building with touristsThe big hill + beachAngela days his name is TomFancy churchClosed off streetBuzzards on a fountainPosh doorLovers Park. That's what's it's called!

    Lima, Peru

    March 24, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Short trip up the coast to Lima from Pisco. I thought that Lima was up in the mountains far from the coast but no, it's on the Pacific Ocean. Big place with 11 million people.

    Did a combination tour of a bit of the city centre and the posh suburbs along the coast. The city is a bit like Buenos Aires with a lot of old buildings, squares with statues etc. Some of the very old buildings still exist and they are lightweight construction, cane with mud plastered over and painted. Why? Massive earthquakes.

    The city is located in desert and like Pisco it basically never rains here. There are some decent mountains on the outskirts of the city and the suburbs climb up them to a fair degree. Can't get good pix on the phone.
    The coast is very up market and a lot of people at the beaches today. A lot of surfing, a few people fishing and lots of things to do. Saw go kart tracks, an archery park, tandem paramotor flights and a lot of eateries.
    We have been looking a fuel prices as we go around. Diesel here is about 19 new Sol's a litre which is about $8 aud. Ouch!
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  • Some stone headsGrrrr!An unamused water jugA jug that can't figure out how he wound up like thisA Quipu. Basically Samsung Notes but it workedBottom of an engraved silver dishNow that's some gold trinketsOne of the shanty towns. Not very geographically dodgy.Gold gloves and cup. You can hear the Spaniards drooling.Somewhat dodgy site for housesOne of several weird local plants in the gardenJaguar CupSomehow she had to get a dog in...Not pre spanish americanAhem. You can get into trouble for this kind of thing.Evidently a slight rehashing of the Christian creation story as the locals saw it. Makes sense reall

    Lima Day 2

    March 25, 2024 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Still parked in Lima while people do extended excursions to Machu Pichu, Cuzco and the Galapagos Islands. Yes we did look at doing one of those but the prices were, how shall we say, somewhat elevated and not good value.
    We went off today to a couple of museums to see some artefacts from the different early cultures in Peru. Everyone knows about the Incas but there were others such as the Mochicas and Paracas.
    Museums were interesting as was the drive. We saw the up market part of the city while today we saw more ordinary suburbs and some of the shanty towns.
    Traffic here is a bit crazy. A lot of aggressive drivers. Took 40 minutes to get across the city from one museums to the other. So far I rate the Falkland Islands as the most chill drivers, then Chile, Argentina and Peru. Argentina and Peru both rate as iffy places to cross the road.
    Bought a wall hanging to remember the trip by. Probably made in China but it wasn't expensive so I don't care.
    Leaving here tomorrow at 6:30am to head for Manta in Ecuador. Cruise is almost over 😔. Still have the Panama Canal to look forward to.
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  • One of the 400 pictures that actually got dolphins in it!
    The other one 😀We are here! Google Maps is confused. We are going directly north.Sexy babe that keeps turning up in my cabin!

    At Sea - Lima to Manta, Ecuador

    March 27, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Proceeding at a leisurely pace in a northward direction towards Manta in Ecuador. Only about 1,100km south of the equator now but still not as hot as would be expected. Mind you if you stand in the near vertical sun it's a tad warm.
    Getting to the northern limit of the cold Humbolt current so the temps should ramp up soon. Sea is calm and there is fish, bird and dolphin activity everywhere. Not big pods of dolphins like last cruise but lots (and lots) of smaller groups, often right up the the ship, playing in the wake then shooting off for a snack. Not easy to get pictures on the phone.
    One grump I have to have to have is the apparent willingness of people on this ship to share their germs. The coughing sounds like a seal colony and extends to the excursion buses to the extent that the guide yesterday asked if the AC on the bus was too cold. A few people have masks, but they are not the coughers, some of who give you the stink-eye treatment when you mask up. We are avoiding the deck 10 lounge which we have dubbed the 'Sick Bay'. You would think that a boat load of Seniors would have learned something from the pandemic or at least have a bit of consideration. Guess that's too much to expect.
    Tomorrow we just have a 'see the sights' excursion. Have to cover up as it is likely to be hot and sunny. I'll file a report when we come back.
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  • This mornings location. Rounding the bum of South America.
    CalmThat chicky-babe againCoast near BayovarBig pod of dolphinsNeed to stay hydrated!

    At Sea - Lima to Manta Day 2

    March 28, 2024, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    OK yes I said we would be in Manta today. Wrong! It happens when you get old and don't check your itinerary.
    Calm day, still cooler than I thought as we are closing rapidly on the equator.
    No dolphins, whales, etc. A few birds and small fishing boats. We can see the coast in the haze at the moment.
    Passed through some fog earlier, complete with fog horn. We probably have to do some more crosswords.
    Update: I take it back about the dolphins. A huge pod just went past. Too far away to get anything on a phone camera. I was able to tirelessly transfer an image from the 'proper' camera. Hi tech stuff!
    Update 2: diesel was $8 a gallon in Peru, not $8 a litre. Seems they use the metric system, but fuel is in gallons. 😕
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  • The new had made hat.The thing that makes the string into the start of the cloth for the bags.El Chorrillo town centreEl Chorillo Main Street. Manta in the distance.Da shipTuna boats and Montecristi in the distanceFishing boats and townWe are here!Panama Hat market and my 👉

    Manta, Ecuador

    March 28, 2024 in Ecuador ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    In Manta, our only stop in Ecuador. Warm, about 35 degrees but with a nice breeze. We are about 100km south of the equator, so will be in the northern hemisphere by tomorrow morning.
    Had a morning excursion that included a place where they process Ivory Nuts which are palm nuts that have a core that looks like and is as hard as ivory. They make buttons and stuff out of them. The nuts look like rocks. Also went to a place that makes real Panama hats from a type of palm fibre. Expensive for a good one ($500) but you can roll them up and transport them in a small box or tube. Angela bought a budget end ladies Sun hat. The weaving process looks hard on the back and chest. It looks like having big boots helps. See pictures.
    Finally to a place that makes Hessian cloth and bags but out of agave fibre. The machines they had to make the thread and weave the cloth were amazing. All hand made out of steel angle, hardwood, regard etc. Genius!
    Did also go to a museum but we didn't go in.
    Still amazed at how many people get on the tour bus coughing there lungs and other vital organs up. Not giving a single eff about other people seems to be a big trait on this ship.
    Anyway just had lunch and a strong bow each. Last one was a 500mil can. This was a 330mil bottle. Same price. Who knows?
    Off to Panama City tonight. A day or two at sea. That is our second last stop. I'm beginning to stress about US immigration and airport security but I'm looking forward to the Panama Canal and Aruba where we have some mystery hi octane action in store.
    Geek Fact : A few hundred km east of Manta in the Andes is Mt Chimborazo. Due to the fact that the earth bulges at the equator due to its rotation the peak of Chimborazo is the furtherest land point from the centre of the earth. So if you were on Mount Everest you would be further above 'sea level' but closer to the centre of the earth.
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  • We are here at the moment
    CalmThat chicky- babe again. Not that I mind 😀See! I take her out to posh places occasionally!

    Day at Sea - Manta to Panama City

    March 29, 2024, North Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Crossed into the northern hemisphere last night. You could tell the exact moment by the sound of all the sinks swapping from the water going down clockwise instead of counter clockwise (joking).
    Seriously though, the water in the swimming pool is sloshing gently too and fro where yesterday it was the other way around.
    Dead calm. I mean a complete glass off. I don't expect any dolphins or whales as we are out of the confluence if the cold Humbolt current and warm El Niño currents. No Drashigs so far. Also quite warm. I hope they open the roof over the pool soon.
    PS - they did. Life saved :) Otherwise turned out to be a quiet day.
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  • Miraflores Lock Control House and the second lock.The first of the Miraflores set. No ships. 😞Old Panama CityThis altar was hidden from pirates by making it look like dirty old wood.The old town squareNew Panama City. Very high rise.

    Fuerte Amador : Panama City

    Mar 30–Apr 3, 2024 in Panama ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    Second last stop on the cruise. The city is very high rise, most of which has popped up since the USA handed back the canal zone in 2000.
    Went and had a look at the Miraflores Locks at the Pacific end of the canal. No ships 😞 They went through early in the morning and no more expected while we were there. Oh well, we will go through tomorrow so I guess I'll see a ship go through then.
    Did a walking tour of the old town. It was getting run down as there was no tourism much in Panama until 2000. Been mostly renovated and is very nice. Bought a shaved ice with coconut as its hot and humid. Got an indigenous embroidery called a 'mola'. Small but a good souvenir as the guide said the lady makes them herself.
    It's been interesting looking at the cars in different places. Most are the same as Oz but in some places with more Chinese brands I have never heard of. Saw a Chevy corvette zr6 parked during our walking tour. Tolerably interesting. Not something you see every day. Then I saw a couple of Polaris Slingshots. Drool! Very unusual and interesting. Unlike the Chev they rated some photos 😀
    We will be going through the Panama Canal tomorrow. Waiting to hear what time our slot is. I am going to try and get a time lapse of the whole trip. Its funny to think that 'América' is only 80km wide here.
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