a little lie in....
off to brekkie in this unbelieveably gorgeous hotel.
checked out details of a tour leaving for Panama's old town, new town, canal and the islands. Booked myself on it.
FANTASTIC! Panama City is breathtaking! The new town is basically a brand new skyline...we're not talking a building or two, we're talking a whole new skyline of a stack of buildings.
The old town included stops of the several squares in the city. Amazing architecture. The old town is enjoying a renovation to bring it upto a high standard. The property is creeping up considerably in value.
The canal was just mind-blowing on so many levels. The sheer scale is amazing. The ships that come thru are just enormous. I saw two container ships, one of which paid $123,000 as a toll to use the canal. Yes, it's a lot of money but not when you consider how much time and effort they save in not going around Cape Horn (about 10 times what they would have paid). The museum and movie theatre were superb too. We also went to onto the islands (via the casueway which was built using the displaced earth from the canal). Breathtaking views of the new town across the bay. Saw the QM2 which is too big for the canal and was moored out in deep water with a small ferry bringing people into the marina. Home again.
Drinks with Terry, Larry, Jeff & Craig and then onto dinner.
Checked out the casino with Bobby and played $5 hand BJ. Couple of tables later and I'm $25 up! Superb!
6.30am call tomorrow so off to bed, Central American style! zzzzzzzzzzzzz