Back on land in Panama

When we arrived in Panama we anchored at a place called Isla Grande. In a small town about 30mins away we were supposed to get our passports stamped coming into Panama, but of course the customs office was closed. Frank then had to come with us to Panama City, about 2 hours away by bus, and make the round trip back to Portobelo the next day to get our passports stamped. A few of us weren't comfortable entrusting our passports to someone we didn't really know, so we discussed one of us going along with Frank to make sure he didn't disappear with them. But in the end Frank ended up going alone and we all breathed a sigh of relief when he returned later that evening, with all the passports safely in his possession and stamped into Panama.  

We only spent 5 days in Panama City, mainly just chilling out and getting used to being back on land - it was a very weird feeling and it took a few days for the swaying sensation to fully disappear. As luck would have it, we were able to meet up with Sam again, an American girl we'd met on the W trek in Patagonia. She was living in a small village a few hours out of Panama City but was in town for a couple of days, so we walked around for a while catching up on everything then went to the seafood market to have some fresh prawn ceviche. 

Of course, the most touristy thing to do in Panama City is to visit the famous canal. It's been around for a while - construction started way back in 1881 and was finally finished in 1914, and while we were there they were expanding it to build a third set of locks. Even if you're not particularly interested in mechanical feats of engineering like this, it's still fascinating to watch the ships come through the locks and see how it all happens right in front of you. While we were there a couple came through, and it's quite surprising how fast it all happens considering they're such huge vessels being moved through massive amounts of water. And it all happens so quietly and seamlessly.  It's not exactly cheap for ships to pass through the canal however - the average toll is $54,000 but the most expensive toll charged to date was for a cruise ship which paid $375,600 in 2010. And I bet that was all covered by the stupidly expensive cruise fees the passengers willingly paid. 

After a few days we had to start the big trek up to Mexico by bus, so we said goodbye to the others and went our separate ways.