February 16 We were so close to the border that we decided to cross. So Panama here we come...
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| Valerio assured us that | the crossing bridge was safe... | Hello Panama!!! |
February 17 Changuinola to David, through the pesticide ridden banana plantations, clouds and dams.
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| Blue bags? Full of pesticides! | Maybe barrels mean roadwork ahead... | An anonymous dam... |
February 18 Playa Santa Clara...It is a hard life but someone has to live it...
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| Hammocks by the sea... | and while we ate, | the Honda was well taken care of... |
February 19 Penonome is very hot...
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| The local people opt | to cool off under the hoses, | we opt to stay in the shade... |
February 20 Panama City is more modern than Toronto.
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| Bridge of the Americas, across the canal | Downtown Panama City | Modern shopping malls |
February 21 The older side of Panama City
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| Large old houses | really large... | old houses! |
February 22 Panama Canal trivia and odd building:
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| The earth dug out to make the canal | was used to make three islands. | Odd building |
February 23 Panama Canal joins the Pacific to the Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, over the mountains.
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| It is quite impressive to see the water | lift and lower the gigantic ships | across the locks. |
February 24 Panama City is full of contrasts, see 20, 21
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| Some areas are crowded | poor | and badly maintained. |
February 25 Near Panama City at Rick and Dee's place
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| Cashew nuts and | a rickety suspended bridge | R and D didn't dare to cross... |
February 26 Portobello near Colon on the Caribbean side
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| Beautiful scenery | too bad about the plastic. | Luckily it is not everywhere... |
February 27 Fuerte Santiago, partly dismantled to construct the Gatun locks on the Panama Canal
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| Still standing: a sentry box | some cannons | and the kitchen sink... |
February 28 Carnival in Panama City, not even close to a Brazilian carnival but we had fun anyway...
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| People came prepared to wait. | Kids love the confetti | The main float. |
March 1 We'll spend the day driving back to Penonome, so some more carnival photos to pass the time
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| The devils | the drums | the little boy... |
March 2 Goodbye Panama...
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| A small detour through the mountains | just to see the flowers. | At the border, lots of Canadians |