The Big Trip: Ecuador Part 2 - Cotopaxi and The Bag Snatchers

After flying high since our Galapagos experience we have now been brought down to to earth with a painful bump.

Having spent a couple of chilled days sightseeing the old town of Quito we made the decision to escape Quito and head south on an excursion to bike ride down the volcano Cotopaxi. On the day of the trip we packed our bags and awaited the bus outside the agency at 7.30am. The bus duly arrived we met with what we thought were the guides for the day. They helped us on with our bags, including Mels daypack, but alarm bells were ringing in my head as one of them was acting very suspiciously and wouldn't seem to speak any English. It transpired that he had been misdirecting us whilst his accomplice got away from the bus with Mels bag stuffed under his shirt. The clever part of it was that no-one really saw him or could describe him and he had disappeared around a corner before we knew we had lost it. Mel was angry both at the thieves and herself for letting them take her bag that included, amongst other things, her passport.

We had to abort the trip and spent the day at various police stations getting reports filed. The next morning we visited the Canadian embassy (as there's no Australian embassy in Ecuador) and were informed about a 5 day pass that, when activated, would get us over the border to the nearest Aussie embassy in Lima to get an emergency passport. We had to postpone the bike ride until the following week as the tour agency would not refund our money so that left us with an extra week to spend in Quito.

The following day we took a ski lift called the Teleferico 4100m up the side of Rucu Pichinchu, one of a few 4500+ mountains overlooking the city. As we arrived early morning we attempted to climb the remainder 600m of the mountain and after a tough scramble at altitude up a 200m scree we finally made the summit 3hrs later. On the way down we met these nuns.

After this acclimatisation climb I made a decision to attempt one of the most beautiful peaks in South America, the 5900m volcano of Cotopaxi. Early next morning I was picked up by Patricio, my guide for the climb. We drove 3hrs (picking up another climber Jason on the way) to the carpark perched on the slopes of the mountain at 4500m and began a slow ascent to the Cotopaxi refuge at 4800m. I could feel the altitude with every muscle in my body and the weather was unhelpful, we could not see the summit from here or the approach. This was not a god sign.

After reaching the refuge an hour later we were shown a bunk where after a basic dinner at 6pm we tried to sleep until midnight when the climb would begin. The midnight start is necessary as the glacier becomes too dangerous after daybreak when it starts thawing. After a few cold hours of broken sleep at 4800m we kitted up and started traversing slowly up the glacier, the three of us tethered together using idepicks and crampons. Although I was feeling warm and comfortable the ascent was long, laborious and extremely exhausting. The weather was closing in and as we gained altitude the going got tougher and tougher with frequent breaks required. We were progressing at a mindnumbling slow pace with stops almost every twenty steps and it was only getting more painful. The cold winds were biting now and the visibility reduced to just a few feet in all directions. The conditions must have been bad because at 5600m we met another group of climbers returning having decided to turn back. We pushed on to the top of the glacier and could see why. The icy winds were joined by sheet snow that had covered the path with a foot of soft powder which the icepicks just sank into. Above the glacier and up ahead the path steepened sharply through a narrow gulley between two large crevices. It was just too dangerous to continue and although I was disappointed not to have made it to the summit I was glad to be turning back as I was exhausted and freezing cold. After a couple of photos we made our descent back to the refuge where after an short rest was driven back to meet Mel at the Hacienda Papa Gaya, hostel just off the Panamerican highway an hour south of Quito.

This place was exactly what my body and mind required, a beautiful farm retreat in a stunning location with apddock ful of horses and llamas and a bunch of rabbits and dogs and puppies. I took a shower, chilled and went early to bed for one of the best nights sleep of this trip so far!

The next day we caught a local bus to the nearby town of Machachi for their annual running of the bulls fiesta. There were some really good runners but mostly it was spotty adolescants being stupid. No bulls are harmed in this event. In fact, the worst casualty of the day was a nasty goring to the groin for a drunken fool who thought he could outrun a bull.

After a tranquil evening playing chess and drinking wine we headed out the next morning for our Cotopaxi bike ride that had been postponed form the week before due to the theft. The first part of the day was a scenic train ride where we all crammed on to the top of an old locomotive for a short but sweet jaunt through the countryside and local communities. We were then all picked up by our guide and driven towards Cotopaxi where we were afforded specactular views of the mountain on the approach road, so different from a few days earlier. Up at the carpark, where we began our ride, it was still very cold though and it was hard to squeeze the breaks as we hurtled down the switchbacks. 45 minutes later and we at the bottom where we were taken back up to the refuge to view the glacier at close hand. The sky cleared to show us perfect views of the summit with beautiful wisps of cloud pasing by overhead. As the glacier started to creak we decided to head back to the bus to begin our journey back to the hacienda. Pictures of the day here.

The next morning we headed back to Quito to catch a 36hr bus ride to Lima where we arrived today at 2pm. It was much less painful than we expected as the scenery of the Peruvian coast is fantastic with the sea to one side and desert. Also, our travelling companions kept us entertained all the way and we made some good friends.

So, we are now in a hostel in the Miraflores area of Lima where we shall be staying for a few days in order to collect Mels emergency passport. It wasn't our intended plan but shit happens!

Another country, another adventure...

Stuff:

Cotopaxi climb $160, 2 days

Papa Gaya $6 for dorm

Eurobackpackers, Lima $17 per night

The Big Trip: The Galapagos

Wow!

And wow again!

It is almost impossible to describe the wonder that is the Galapagos Islands. We have just spent nearly two weeks in paradise amongst some of the most the most amazing animals in the world both above and below sea level. We have laughed at boobies, dived with hammerheads, played with sealions and frolicked with penguins all amidst the most amazing and varied landscapes I have ever set eyes on.

Day 1 - Welcome and first tour
On touchdown we were met by our guide Jorge and taken by bus to Baltra Harbour. There we were met by a welcoming committee before being transferred to our home for the next 8 days, the cruiser Guantanamera. Following a short briefing and after being shown to our cabin we had a small lunch and met our fellow passengers. There was 15 of us in all including an Aussie, some Germans, some Americans and a Swiss couple but most were young which was a relief as the nightmare was to have been stuck with a bunch of German OAPs. Whilst we ate the Guantanamera sailed to our first destination Las Bachas on the North Coast of Santa Cruz island. By this point we had all been forced to endure an 18 mix CD of the song 'Guantanamera' in all languages and styles which would for the remainder of the cruise be the theme and call-sign to other vessels for the passengers and crew alike.

After a 'wet landing' (jump off into water as opposed to 'dry' landing where you use a jetty) we started a small walking tour along the beach. The Galapagos immediately lived up to it's reputation. In the space of one hour we saw marine iguanas sunning themselves on the rocks, beautiful red crabs and pink flamingoes in a lagoon not to mention a turtle orgy (sorry...no pics)! It was evident that our guide Jorge was a comedian and also a little obsessed with the mating rituals of the various animals he was talking about including a graphic description of the turtle's mating habits which he elegently put as a 'turtle gang-bang'. His pièce de résistance was his take on the wooing and mating rituals of the Blue Boobies (to be seen on a later island in large numbers) complete with perfectly mimicked sounds and actions.

After the tour, we had some free time to go for our first swim but it didn't last long as no sooner had I jumped in I got stung by a bluebottle jellyfish - very painful but luckily not long lasting. This put me off for some time but I was soon back in and enjoying some supersized parrotfish and crystal clear snorkelling!

We returned to the boat where we recieved our nightly briefing for the next days tours and activities before the buffet-style dinner (the food was great for the whole cruise). We were then invited to a 'welcome party' on the top deck where we were introduced to the 6 crew members and a bucket of caipirinha (a Brasilian cocktail) which Mel and I looked after. By the end of the evening it's fair to say we had broken the ice with everyone.

Day 2 - Santa Cruz & Santa Fe Islands and also first dive...
We awoke at 5.30am for our first dive out on Gordon Rocks, one of the supposed best sites in the Galapagos. We kitted up and took the dinghy out to the rocks. There was quite a swell and current so Jorge (also the divemaster) was very keen to get down as quickly as possible. However, I couldn't descend due to too little weight. Jorge gave me a spare weight to get down but it was still not enough. By this time he and Mel and the other two divers had descended leaving me struggling on the surface! I looked to the dinghy for assistance but there was no further weight. I couldn't believe it! My first dive in the Galapagos on one of the best sites was going to be spent on the surface whilst Mel and the others were down below playing with hammerheads or whatever. I remained livid and cursing up above for about 20mins before having the idea of removing my wetsuit to make me less bouyant. After this I did just manage to get down but I was so angry that I was sucking a lot of air and was quite stressed. I found the others and signalled to Mel and Jorge that I was really unhappy about being left stranded by them and then tried to enjoy the remainder of the dive which turned out to be 20mins more. We did see some nice Parrot and Picasso Triggerfish and a Galapagos Shark but I was too late. I had missed a lone hammerhead idle by and the fact that Mel saw it and I missed it made things doubly as worse for me. After a rushed and narked (first time, very weird) ascent we clamboured back into the dinghy where I proceeded to give Jorge a dressing down on what it means to be a dive master. Not that he listened. Anyway, I was even more determined to encounter the hammerhead now!

It was then back to the boat for breakfast before our next walking tour on Santa Cruz island. Each walking tour would take place on a different island with sometimes two tours on the same island in one day. A typical day would consist of two walking tours with some time allowed for snorkelling or relaxing on the beach. After a wet or dry landing we would follow a strictly marked path around the island that we were not allowed to stray from at risk of upsetting the animal habitats. The walks tended to be very easy and quite short with none lasting more than about 1hr 30mins each and we were requiresd to stay in a group. Although in any other part of the world this would have seemed to restricting and an experience I would have found frustrating it was more than made up for by the abundance of wildlife, that seemed completely unbothered by human proximity and, I'm sure of it, had been somehow encouraged to display their classic behaviour just as we came upon them! Sealions would pose for the cameras, the blue footed boobies began their intricate courtship rituals, the Frigate birds inflated their chests and the iguanas fought, and all it seemed, right on cue.

In an attempt to avoid getting too boring or repetitive with detail I am just going to decsribe the highlights of each day followed by a list of the flora/fauna observed on each of the island locations. The list is for our benefit more than anything such that we can remember what we saw and did.

Santa Cruz Island
Sealions, Land Iguanas
Fantastic snorkelling in bay where we saw a Diamond Stingray, a 20 strong group of Eagle Rays, Black Turtle, surgeon fish and a lovely play with the sealions where I tried to keep up with them underwater.

Santa Fe Island
A small island SE of Santa Cruz characterized by an amazing Mars-like landscape dotted with numerous cacti. Highlights of the walk included observing a newly born sealion pup and proud mother.

Also Spotted: Land Iguanas, Sealions, Galapagos Hawk, Galapagos Dove, Pelicans, Swallow Tailed Gulls, Frigate Birds, Red Billed Tropic Bird, Yellow Tailed Mullets


Day 3 - Dive in Gardner Bay, Española Island (Punta Suarez)
After some snorkelling from the boat we took our second dive and I saw a HAMMERHEAD albeit some distance away but it was still a hammerhead all the same. I was so happy after the shambles of the day before although we did emerge well into our reserve supply (but who cares about small safety precautions like air supply when you're diving in the Galapagos?). In the afternoon, a dry landing at Punto Suarez for an excursion of which the Blue Footed Boobies were the star of the show once again!

Also spotted:
On the dive - 3 turtles, eagle rays, sting rays
On the walk - Sealions (once again), albatross, Nasco Boobies (all 3 species of boobies are found on the islands), Galapagos hawks


Day 4 - Floreana Island
We had a good dive and two interesting tours today but the highlight was snorkelling at Devils Crown just off the island. It was abundant with life including giant colourful starfish, whitetip reef sharks and masses of fish. Also, there were some nice currents and swim-throughs too. In the afternoon we went ashore and took a short walk to the famous Floreana post box. Here you can post unstamped cards and letters and the idea is that a visitor to the island from near the address you have provided takes the card and personally delivers it in that country. This tour was also marked by a visit to a really cool lava tube which two of us swam to the end and a football match between the crews of the various boats in which I unsuccesfully played a part for 5mins before being substituted.

Back on board we set our course for the Santa Cruz port of Puerto Ayora where many of the 5day passengers would be spending their last night. We began our farewell celebrations in a local bar (Cafe Limon) and stayed their until we were kicked out at around 1am before returning to the boat to play cards until 4am. It was going to be a hard morning...

Day 5 - Change of passengers and Lonesome George

We spent the morning at Charles Darwin Station where we met Lonesome George, the famous Giant Tortoise and, the suspected last member of his particular species. Efforts have been made to pair him up with a female from a closely related subspecies but he just doesn't seem to want to get it on with the ladies. Well he is about 80 years old.

After saying our farewells to the others we returned to the boat to await the new passengers. Our worst nightmares were confirmed when a bunch of German OAPs turned up in the dinghy. Our new guide Harry seemed nice though. We spent the rest of the afternoon visiting the giant land tortoises and trying to make the Germans laugh.

Day 6 - Islands of Rabida and Bartoleme

A visit to 2 islands, a dive and some snorkelling. The walk in Bartoleme was the highlight with the classic view from the top. I had great fun playing with a sealion whilst snorkelling.

Also spotted: Penguins, turtle, barracuda, Galapgos Hawk

Day 7 - Genovesa Island

We dived here in then hope of seeing hammerheads.

The highlight of the walking tours were the red footed boobies which unlike their blue footed counterparts nest in the trees.

Also spotted:

Day 8 - Last tour on North Seymour

After the final tour on North Seymour (more boobies and sealions!) we headed off back to the boat and sailed to Puerto Ayora where we said an emotional farewell to the crew.
In the afternoon we took a high powered launch 3hrs to the island of Isabella where it kindly started to pour down on arrival. After finding a bed for the night we chilled out reading. It was nice not to be sleeping on a boat for once.

The following day we took a horseriding tour out to Volcan Sierra Negra, the largest caldera in the world with a 9km diameter. After driving to the volcano by 4x4 we met our horses and began a shaky ascent to the crater rim. The horses didn't seem to happy as the going was very soft but we made it to the top where we had spectacular views of Isabella and walked across lava fields to the site of previous eruptions. In the afternoon we visited a fantastic colony of giant marine iguanas and went snorkelling in a nearby lagoon with sealions and penguins.

The next day saw us diving around Tortuga Island where the first dive was the best dive I have ever had. After dropping in, we moved towards what looked like a large black rock which turned out to be the large and very dense schoal of black fish. It was possible to swim into the mass, stop breathing and be in total darkness, it was an awesome feeling. Later on into the dive we saw turtles and various rays but on our decompression stop we looked below to see a group of five hammerheads circling around a few metres below!

Our final day in Isabella and the Galapagos was spent in the blistering sun on a 16k walk to a local mirador and one last hour of snorkelling to say a proper farewell to one of the most memorable trips ever.

After a stomach turning journey back to Puerto Ayora in the pouring rain we got a taxi and bus to the airport and back to Quito where we are now shacked up in a hostel deciding on our next move...


Books
The Bush Dyslexicon, Mark Crispin Miller

From Publishers Weekly
Miller, a New York University professor of media studies, has fashioned a devastating compendium of President George W. Bush's grammatical gaffes, syntactical shipwrecks, mind-boggling malapropisms and simply dumb comments. Page after page (after page) of quotations, suggests Miller, reveal that Bush is a man who, while not stupid, is prodigiously illiterate and woefully uneducated. Further, and compounding the problem, Bush could not care less about these shortcomings. How then, Miller asks, and this is his larger concern, did someone in Miller's opinion so obviously unqualified to be president convince so many voters that he was? Miller's answer is, in a word, television: Bush succeeded on TV not despite his "utter superficiality," but because his superficiality blended seamlessly with the vacuous culture of the tube. It was not simply that Bush's handlers were able to manipulate his image, attempting to construct out of his ignorance an anti-intellectual "good ole boy" persona, but that news professionals in the medium were all too willing to go along with this ploy. They went along because the pundits of TV have become, according to Miller, increasingly right-wing, thus natural Bush allies, but also because they no longer care to talk about substance, preferring instead discussion of "likability" and other attributes of pure image. While Miller is sometimes vague in his arguments, he has produced a sharp-edged polemic questioning the wisdom of how we elect our leaders. As President Bush has said, "It's not the way America is all about."

Primary Colors, Joe Klein aka Anonymous - A brilliantly written fictional account of a presidential primary campaign (obviously Clintons). Read first chapter here.


Facts
Flight $400 return from Quito to Baltra
Galapagos Park Tax $100
Volcano tour and snorkelling booked through Hotel San Vicente - can't remember the price
Hotel San Vicente $20pn with bathroom and breakfast
Otavalo Huasi inn Quito - good but a bit noisy at weekends $15pn for double

The Big Trip: Ecuador Part 1 - The Middle Of The World

From the very forgettable Panama City we flew to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, a beautiful city nestled in the highlands in a corridor of snowcapped volcanoes. We headed straight for La Mariscal (New Town) or Gringoland as the locals refer to it and have found a cosy little hostel away from the hustle and bustle . From here, we have spent the last few days exploring and researching our Galapagos trip.

The first thing I noticed about Quito is that it is far more modern city than I imagined. The transport system is cheap, quick and well-managed and it is very clean. It also has a healthy mixture of the old and new combining the Old Town traditional culture of street markets and musicians alongside swanky bars, hotels and high-end out-of-town shopping malls. This is so refreshing after the polluted, claustrophic and sanitised Panama City. However, like any Latin American city it is not without problems and crime is high, especially opportunistic thefts, pickpocketing and sophisticated scams. A consequence of this is that in some areas, the more touristic areas, it almost feels like there are more security guards than people with at least two on every street corner and one in every store.

Knowing that we are to return to Quito after the Islands we have concentrated on finding the right cruise and left exploring the sights until after. After a day spent in agencies we eventually found an 8 day cruise (you can also take a 4 or 5 day cruise) at a fair price which visits the islands we wanted to see and that caters for divers. We will then visit the island of Isabella for 3 days which we've been told is one of the most beautiful and not an island on many cruise itineraries. The cruiser is a 16 passenger vessel named the Guantanamera which, departing in two days, left us just enough time to do some last minute shopping and to visit the equator.

The equator is 1.5hrs north of the city by bus and marked by an interesting museum and ethnic tour highlighting the customs and costumes of the various ethnic groups in Ecuador. And you get to take the obligatory photo of yourself straddling the equator of course!

Bored of the gringo nightlife we also took the opportunity to go and see the latest Bond movie which we both enjoyed. Even though it is overlong (2.5hrs?), with more plot holes than a sieve, lazy direction and yawn inducing romantic scenes we both felt that Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Connery (maybe better, only time will tell). Which was surprising as up until now I've found him dull in almost every roll he's played. So, 7/10 for the film but 9/10 for the Bond.

Anyway, as I write this now, we are tomorrow flying to the place of Darwin's finches, Lonesome George and plenty of Boobies!

Facts
Cerviche (a seafood dish) is an Ecuadorian speciality although it seems that every South American country claims theirs is better.
Panama Hats are made in Ecuador

Books
The True History of the Kelly Gang, Peter Carey - A fantastic novel told in the form of a journal as though penned by Kelly himself charting the life of the famous Aussie outlaw
Even Cowgirls Get The Blues, Tom Robbins - I think I have just found one of my favourite authors. About the life of Sissy Hankshaw, a girl blessed/cursed with oversized thumbs, this book is wide ranging in it's themes and full of hilarious observations and metaphors.

Films
Casino Royale - see above

The Big Trip: Panama - Crimbo and NYE

Happy New Year everyone!

Or should I say

Feliz Año Neuvo todo!

It's been an interesting couple of weeks although I don't think we made the best of Panama. It didn't help that the weather was not kind to us but on the whole I was disappointed with our experience here and especially with Panama City which didn't meet expectations.



It began with a stop in David the second city of the country and nothing to write home about. It's a dirty and depressing city and the only purpose it serves is as a stop-off before hitting the highlands of Boquete or the islands of Bocas del Toro. It was a culture shock too having just come from the jungle too the hectic pace of a city. The first thing we noticed was how rude everyone seemed to be. We hoped this was a city thing and characteristic of Panamanians in general! We spent one night here and got out as quickly as we could heading for Boquete in the highlands.

Boquete is a beautiful town in the Chiriqui region overlooked by Volcan Baru the highest volcano in Panama. The clean air and crisp climate were a welcome relief from the sweaty humidity of David. We checked into a lovely hotel called Pension Marilos and then went to check out the town. We booked some white water rafting for the following day and a trip to some thermal springs that afternoon with an eccentric 65yr old Feliciano who was one of those older people who just never stop and seem to have an endless supply of energy. He drove us in his 4X4 to the springs and joined us as we alternated between the increasingly hot pools and the cool waters of the Chiriqui Viejo river.

The next day we went white water rafting. This is something I've wanted to do for years and it didn't disappoint! Five hours on the Grade IV Chiriqui Viejo river with over 90 rapids, most of us fell out more than once, Mel was the only one who managed to hold on and stay in the boat. Luckily the boat never completely capsized but we came close to it more than once. Our guide Ivan was a nutter and it seemed to me that he was trying to enter the rapids such that we would be thrown out! It was a brilliant day that I will never forget and a fantastic introduction to rafting. Some pics here.

Rather than go all the way back to Boquete we had arranged to be dropped off at La Concepcion so that we could begin the Los Quetzales walk the next morning from the other side of the volcano and return to Boquete in the afternoon where we had left our packs. We stayed at a fantastic lodge called Los Quetzales and had the whole dorm to ourselves.
We awoke early and took a taxi to the start of the walk and began a steep walk to the top of the ridge where we had stunning views of the valley all the way to the pacific. We trekked all day through dense rainforest stopping once for lunch but we never did find that elusive Quetzal!

We left Boquete early in the morning for Bocas Del Toras where we were to spend Crimbo. Bocas is an archipeligo of islands on the NW of Panama with a distinct Carib vibe. Bocas itself is the main town on the island of Colon where we stayed but there are many other islands that are more chilled out hosting some very expensive ecolodges. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived, the weather caught up with us and it started to rain heavily. According to the captain of the boat which took us to Bocas the weather had been fine for the precedding two weeks without one drop of rain! Our hotel was Los Delphines just off the waterfront and was our first taste of luxury this trip. That night we drank rum at the local bar and ended up in a club (Hundido).

24 Dec - Xmas Eve
We awoke to a heavy rainstorm. Luckily, we went on a diving trip to a couple of local divesites (my Crimbo prezzy from Mel) called Hospital Point and Crawl Cay. We were also dropped off at Red Frog Beach where surprisingly enough there were some red frogs. By this time the weather had improved enough for me to hone my body surfing skills (no film unfortunately!). We got back just in time for it to start raining and this time it didn't stop all evening. So, we had no choice but to retreat to a bar (Mundo Taitu) for the rest of the evening before heading back to the hotel for a very good nights sleep.

25 Dec - Xmas Day
Of course it was raining today but that didn't stop us from enjoying a champagne breakfast! After making some calls to parents and friends we found a good place (Hotel El Limbo) for Crimbo lunch where I had steak and Mel had lobster. We spent the rest of the day wholed up in the bars talking with locals and other travellers. As Xmas Days go it was fairly quiet and it was fair to say that I missed my friends and family today.

26 Dec
We had to vacate the hotel today as we only had it for three nights so we spent the morning looking for another one eventually finding Casa Max on the main street. Later in the afternoon we made our way by taxi to Playa Del Drago where we chilled on the beach before rerturning back to Bocas.

Panama City
After a dull day updating the blog and avoiding the weather we left Bocas by plane for the city of Panama. After finding out that the hotel we had chosen was a brothel we took the taxi drivers advice and agreed to be taken to Hotel Montreal, a far better proposition near the old town.
Our first impression of the city was of heavy pollution and humidity so we made our way to the old town to escape from it all.

The next day after visiting the embassy to pick up my credit cards that had stolen in Guatemala we took a bus out to the Panama Canal and Miraflores locks which was absolutely awesome. Read here for a history of the canal, it's too much to go into right now but there's some good pics here.

30 Dec
We checked into La Estancia B&B in the Cerra Ancon area on the western part of the city. It is a smart B&B perched on the side of a hill and is in an area that used to belong to the Americans before they handed back control of the canal in 1999. Although we liked the monkeys and sloth outside the balcony window the place was full of English and Americans and a bit stuffy for us. That evening we ate at a local restaurant with the owners and their very drunk daughter.

31 Dec - NYE
We spent most of the day looking for somewhere where I could get my hair cut and eventually found a hairdressers in a shopping mall the other side of town. After stocking up on supplies from a supermarket we made our way back to begin our NYE festivities. We decided it would be a good idea to aim for an ex-pat pub in town where we thought we might obtain some info on what was going on town later. However, on arrival we found it was closed and the city pretty deserted! At 9pm on NYE! After walking around for about an hour we eventually found a place to eat. After more fruitless searching for a party we eventually decided to hit the casino and it was here that we saw the new year in. What was even more bizarre was that as the clock struck midnight no-one apart from Mel and I flinched, they just continued gambling at the tables!

So, there we have it, NYE a complete washout. We returned to bed about 1am tired and drunk. We found out the next day that everyone spends NYE at home with their parents and only come out to party at around 3am by which time we were tucked up in bed!

1 Jan 2007
I woke up fully clothed this morning with a hangover, had breakfast with the monkeys and drank some more wine. We went for a short walk this afternoon and saw a baby sloth.

Tomorrow we leave Panama for Quito in Equador and the beginning of stage two of our big trip, South America !!!




Facts
Currency: US dollar
Hotel Iris (David) - nice hotel in centre only $10/night
David to Boquete 1hr by bus
Pension Marilos $15 per room
Los Quetzales Lodge dorm $13 per night
Los Delphines Bocas $60 per night for double room en suite
Casa Max $35 per night en suite
Hotel Montreal $30 for double with pool
La Estancia $49 per night for double
Panama Hats are made in Ecuador