Day 272 : Paris – City of Love

They don’t call Paris the City of Love for nothing – Looking out of the window as I woke up this morning, I saw this love note on the floor, and it brought a smile to my face.  Ahh…. how sweet and romantic!

Off to explore more sights! 

Day 271 : More Paris Sights & Familiar Faces

Taking a VERY long walk from the apartment, I made my way towards Hotel National Des Invalides, as this path allows me to get towards Place de la Concorde and the Louvre.

On the map, it didn’t seem that far away, but it took me about an hour to walk over!  I found it a great way to experience the city and seeing the sights. 

Day 270 : Paris City Sights

I took a long slow walk from the apartment towards Avenue des Champ-Elysees to catch the main sights such as Arc du Triomphe, Grand Palais, Petit Palais and Louvre. 

Along Avenue des Champ-Elysees, there were also a number of car showrooms with some car designs which I had never seen before and wanting to take a closer look, I stepped into a couple of them. 

While visiting the sights, I got a call from Fabien and we arranged to have lunch together since he was near the area. 

After lunch, he brought me to the auction houses of Drouot.  It was the first time I visited an auction house and was an eye-opener!  The building was filled with numerous rooms, almost all with live auction happening at the time of my visit, varying from paintings, artefacts, decoration, statues etc.  I was so afraid of making any sudden hand movements in case someone thought I was bidding on the items!

Day 269 : Arrival in Paris

My original plan was to fly out of London after visiting Betty, but seems the airport tax for flights out of Heathrow airport was a couple hundred dollars more as compared to my original flight out from Barcelona.  After speaking to Singapore Airlines, I decided that it was better to fly out from Paris since both cities are easily connected by rail and the difference in flight cost was able to cover for my train ticket to Paris!

I took the 4.01pm train to Paris and within 1hr and 16 mins, arrived in Paris.  After numerous email exchanges, I finally met Fabien for the 1st time after 3 years!

Fabien had offered to put me up at his place during my week in Paris however due to some complications at his home, he put me up at his sister’s city apartment, which she uses as a layover when she travels back to France to visit family.  The apartment was lovely and being so close to all the key attractions, it was perfect for visiting all the sights with total freedom.

 

After settling me down at the apartment, Fabien brought me to a cozy French bistro walking distance away from the apartment which served fantastic French cuisine.  People were really friendly at the bistro too!  Knowing that I was a foreigner, the table next to ours even made the effort to speak in English.  I was pleasantly surprised as I have heard often the contrary from travellers, that Parisians are extremely unfriendly and will never speak English even if they could.

Looking forward to the rest of the week’s stay in Paris!

Day 263–268 : London

Hello London, we meet again!  This is the first city on this big trip that I had visited previously.  The last time I was here was in 2004, when Betty just moved over for work, and had went over to visit her while on way back from a business trip in Germany and to also spend Xmas and New Year’s holiday in Scotland and London.

Having seem most of the key tourists sights the last time round, the main purpose of this trip was just to spend some time with Betty before heading back to Singapore.  It’s good to be able to chill rather than pack the day filled with sights and activities.  Still I managed to see some new attractions (and old), visited the nearby parks and even managed to watch a musical “Blood Brothers”!

 

Day 263 : Goodbye Morocco…

After a late night out, I struggled to pull myself out of bed, before quickly packing up my bag to check out.  My luggage was absolutely full to the brim and bulging from its seams!

While waiting for the airport bus at the medina, a taxi driver approached to offer me a ride to the airport.  I told him I couldn’t afford to pay for a taxi and only have enough to pay for an airport bus at Dirham 30.  He tried to ask for more, but seeing that I wouldn’t budge, he agreed to send me in a taxi for the price of an airport bus.  I guess competition is tough! 

Goodbye Morocco!

Night Out in Marrakesh

I met Jamal at the main square, and before we went for a night out in town, he showed me around the 2 hotels he is managing, one of which is recently completed renovating and meant to be rented out as an entire house, while the other had rooms themed in different colours and furniture completed in the same.  It was all very nice! 

We stopped for an ice-cream while walking in the twists and turns of the medina.  I was surprised that while halfway through our ice-cream, a guy walked up to him and asked if he could have his half eaten ice-cream and Jamal just gave it to him.  Jamal must have caught my surprised look and he explained that it’s typical for Moroccan to share food or similar with the less fortunate – this perhaps explained why one old lady looked at me in disgust when she approached and spoke to me in Moroccan while I was in midst of finishing my orange juice earlier in the day!

 

Day 262 : More Marrakesh and Moroccan tea ceremony

After having a quick overview of Marrakesh yesterday, I zoomed in on the highlights closer to the old town which was worth a closer exploration.

Palais Bahia

This place is completely breath taking!  Comprising a number of courtyards all nicely tiled and decorated Moroccan style and extremely lavish.  It was built in the late 19th century,with a 8000 sq.m garden with rooms opening onto courtyards, and was intended to be the greatest palace of it time.

Day 261 : Exploring Marrakesh

With only 2 full days to explore Marrakesh, I decided to check out the explorer bus, which goes on both an “Oasis” route as well as a “Historic” Route, while allowing you to hop on and off at numerous fixed stops. 

I paid 145 Dirhams for a 24hr pass and was given a set of earphones which can be plugged into a audio console on each seat, providing various language options to listen to the tour narrative as well as description of the key highlights along the route.  Most of the seats on the Explorer Bus were located on the open air upper deck, and with the blazing Moroccan sun and a burning 38 degree celsius, I was very hot!

Day 260 : Enroute to Marrakesh, the vibrant city of Morocco

It’s off to Marrakesh after my last minute shopping in the morning!

I made my way to the train station and got ready to board the train.  Standardisation doesn’t seem to be the norm here in Morocco, as the train that I took seemed extremely run down, as compared to the nice comfy train I had taken from Casablanca to Rabat.  With no seat assignments, I was lucky enough to get a seat in one of the cabins which holds 8, of which half was occupied by a family of 4.

Day 259 – 260 : Rabat

Rabat is a 2hr train ride from Casablanca and is the capital of Morocco. 

The train ride to Rabat was very pleasant in a modern looking train, and upon arriving into Rabat, was greeted by clean and modern looking town. 

As usual, accommodation was challenging.  Prices were much steeper here as compared to the other cities, and most of the more affordable ones were already taken.  I visited a few hotels, before finally settling into a room at Hotel Central, located a short distance from the train station.

Day 258–259 : Casablanca

I arrived into Casablanca yesterday and it was the 1st time I experience cloudy weather since arriving in Morocco.  It got worse towards the evening, such that I wasn’t sure if it was due to the weather or if it was actually dirt or fog. 

Casablanca is the largest city of Morocco, and probably made famous by the 1942 romantic movie named after the city.  I was expecting more out of this city when I arrive, but it turned out very different to what I expected and everywhere within Casablanca seems to be under construction of some kind. 

Day 257 : El Jadida

I packed my gear and got ready to leave Aziz’s apartment in the morning.  Aziz suggested that I take a Grand Taxi to El Jadida, which leaves almost every 30 mins, rather than relying on a bus, which comes through Oualidia 2 times a day. 

A Grand Taxi is an old school Mercedes car, and for the route to El Jadida, it was usual for them to squeeze 7 people including the driver – 4 people in the back and another 2 in the passenger seat in the front.  I had previously took one for the route from Ouarzazate to Ait Bin Haddou, but that was just a 20 mins ride and without luggage. 

Day 256 : Last Day in Oualidia

I spent some time with Carmen in the morning, and explored some of the roads we have yet to explore around Oualidia, before Carmen made her way to Casablanca at noon. 

I have decided to stay an extra day to relax in the pleasant town of Oualidia, and also to spend more time with the company of interesting and hilarious people such as Aziz and Hissham. 

Day 255 : Oualidia and Seafood

Carmen and I woke up in the morning and decided to explore the town of Oualidia while Aziz went to work.  Oualidia is an extremely modern town, very clean and absolutely empty.  It’s located along the coast line and has a beautiful lagoon in the vicinity. 

Unfortunately it was too windy and as the wind blows, it was really chilly, that there was no way to spend anytime by the beach.

Enroute to Oualidia

I got in touch with Aziz, a friend whom I was staying with in Oualidia.  He suggested that we take a bus to Safi instead, a town next to Oualidia, as he will be going towards Safi that afternoon with another friend, and will be able to travel together to Oualidia from Safi. 

Carmen and I arrived much earlier in Safi than expected, so we found a place near the bus station and had an enjoyable conversation over a meal.  Both of us had similar impressions of Morocco – from the locals and the behaviour and their concept of time.  We also exchanged a number of funny stories, based on our encounters we had so far in the country, and it was interesting to finally hear a female’s encounter and impression. 

Day 253 - 254 : Essaouira

I had originally planned to stay 2 nights in Essaouira and this was shortened to 1 night due to my extended stay in Agadir, and was I glad it worked out well, as there was not much to offer in Essaouira.

Essaouira is a 4 hour bus ride along the coastline from Agadir.  The town’s activities are centred around the small medina, with a big fishing port located next to the medina.  The fishing port is characterised by the numerous blue fishing boats in the waters, and is bustling with activity during the day. 

Day 252 : Extended Stay in Agadir

Many whom I have met along the way, have said they did not like Agadir because it is a modern city.  But after experiences in the desert and the gorge , it felt good to be in a modern environment again.

It was also a huge reprieve to have no one hassling you continuously, or the feeling of being cheated by strangers along the way. 

In fact, people in Agadir are much nicer – I had put up my guard a few times at the beginning when people offered to show me the way, as I thought they would take the opportunity to ask you for money.  But all they wanted to do was just to help.

Day 251 : Agadir Beach and the Souk

While at the coast, I wanted to check out the beach of Agadir and took a 15 minute walk to the beach.  The shoreline was extremely wide and long, and I decided to walk from one end of the beach to the other. 

As I was walking, one guy approached me and started speaking in French.  I replied in English saying I don’t speak French.  He subsequently asked “Spanish?”, and although I could speak some, I said I couldn’t and can only speak English. 

Day 250 : Coast of Morocco – Agadir

Finding accommodation online outside of the main cities of Fes and Marrakesh was challenging, and it was even more challenging when there were no internet access in the places I had been over the last few days.  Not wanting to be caught in a homeless situation, I flipped through the travel guide at Hotel Marmar and took down the address of a hotel in Agadir (Hotel Tiznine) which looked decently priced, before catching a taxi to the bus station to catch the bus to Agadir.  And I was right, I had been ripped off by the taxi driver yesterday, as the taxi back to the train station only cost 4 Dirhams!

It was a 7 hour journey, and the view along the way although was rather barren, there were some impressive landscapes.  There was also a really beautiful sunset as we approached the city of Agadir. 

Day 249 : Ouarzazate & Ait Bin Haddou

I got up early and checked out to catch a taxi back towards Tinehir, in order to catch my 8.45am bus to Ouarzazate.  As I reached the bus station, guess who I saw!  The same irritating guy from yesterday waiting at the bus station.  I happened to catch a glance of him and immediately just ignored him, and caught him saying something smirk about going off without him.  He gives tourists a bad impression of Berber and Morocco, such a disgrace!

The bus journey towards Ouarzazate was about 3.5 hours, and on the way, I met a lady from Netherlands who had spent the last few years travelling in Morocco whenever she has leave from work.  She shared with me about her experience in Morocco and the people – very similar stories of what I have heard from others as well as my personal experience till date.  The locals will constantly hound you and will rip you off where they can, which is a huge turn-off for tourists. 

We soon arrived in Ouarzazate, and hopped on a taxi and asked the driver to take me to a hotel which I had pulled off from a travel guide.  I was surprised when we arrived that the taxi driver demanded 10 Dirhams for the short distance as the people at the bus company had told me that it should cost only about 5 Dirhams.  Being in a foreign land without the ability to argue my way through, I had to pay him the 10 Dirhams. 

Day 248 : Torda Gorge

My alarm woke me up at 5.30am while I quickly packed my stuff and got ready to leave the camp site at 6am, so that I could catch my bus at 8.30am.  Everyone was still asleep when I got out of my tent.  My guide got my camel ready and walked me back to the lodge.

While enroute, the sun slowly peeked out from the sand dunes and started warming the atmosphere, and in the distance, one can see tiny figures on top of sand dunes eagerly waiting to watch the sunrise.  Other than the sound of the camel trotting away, there was dead calm in the desert.

Day 247 : Sahara Awaits

I have seen many famous movies set in the Sahara desert, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would visit the Sahara desert in person. So it was something I had no intention to miss when I am in Morocco.

My trip to the Sahara along with the travel plans for the next couple of days had been arranged by the Fes Riad owner, and all I had to do was to get my bus tickets to each of the towns.

After a 10hr overnight bus ride from Fes to Rissani, I finally arrived at 6.30am, and boy… was it cold!  Rissani is the bus point closest to Messourga, one of the entry points to the Sahara desert. 

Day 246 : Ripped off!

My plans in Morocco has been changing on an almost daily basis.  Up till this morning, I was still undecided if I will head to Chef Chawan or to the Sahara desert, but since Betty leaves in the evening, and I wanted to time my departure from Fes around the time she leaves, the best option was to take the overnight bus trip to Sahara! 

Day 245 : Discovering the Medina of Fes

It is back to the hustle and bustle of life in Medina, lined with opened shops and crowds in the narrow streets. 

We headed out in the morning with a key destination in mind to visit the famous tanneries, visit the sights along the way and to see what the shops has to offer. 

 

 

Day 244 : Day Trip to Meknes

We were informed by the owners of the Riad that shops are closed within the Medina on Fridays, and we were advised to hire a driver and take a road trip towards Meknes and visit some of the other nearby attractions along the way, such as Volubilis and Moulay Idriss.  So we got the owners to make arrangements yesterday night for our day trip out.

We woke up and headed downstairs to have our breakfast that was included with our accommodation, before heading out.  What a spread!!!  This is perhaps the largest breakfast spread I had so far on my whole trip! 

All the various types of bread and pastries, and as much as we tried to give each of the item a try, we were completely stuffed before we could savour every single item on the table.  We thanked the owners and headed towards the Blue Gate to meet our driver.

Company Finally!

Betty arrived briefly about an hour after I checked in, where we gave each other a big hug. 

It’s been a while since I saw Betty, and I felt relief on my part to finally have some familiar company in a foreign land after travelling for 8 months! 

We quickly helped her settle in, before heading out for dinner near the Blue Gate, and settled at a cafe overseeing the traffic of the Medina.

We ordered each a set meal, comprising of a soup, a main (I ordered a Chicken dish, while Betty ordered a lamb kebab) and ended off with dessert, while we took the opportunity to catch up on each other’s lives over the last few months.

Food was average (it definitely look better when we were there, than in pics!), but what I love most was perhaps the dessert, even though it was just a simple dish of cut oranges with a sprinkle of cinnamon… the combination was just yum!  I should do this when I am back in Singapore!

By the time we finished our meals, it was already about 10.30pm.  The streets of the Medina was almost deserted, as we made our way back to our Riad – a total contrast of the hustle and bustle I encountered during the day!

Tomorrow we shall start our travelogues together! :)

Day 243 : Unexpected Adventures or Culture Shock?

It’s the 2nd day in Fes, and I can’t wait for this evening, when Betty arrives in Fes and joins me for a Moroccan weekend. 

Having more that 10 hours before Betty arrives, I decided to first check out what Fes has to offer.  Armed with a map, I was keen to take a different route from yesterday (despite warning from the riad staff to stick to the other route, since it looked shorter on the map), and try my luck walking through the complicated and windy narrow roads of the Medina – hopefully without getting lost!

1st Day in Fes

The 1st day in Fes has been rather interesting and a little intimidating. 

Arriving in Fes just before night fall, I made my way to the hostel first via an airport bus, before switching to a taxi.  Unfortunately, the taxi driver seemed to have stopped me at a different location from where I needed to be dropped off, and I found myself lost in the narrow streets of the Medina.  It doesn’t make it easier when there doesn’t seem to be any street names in English.

Day 242 : Escape 2 Africa (not the movie)

It is the first time I am taking a budget airline in Europe as I boarded Ryanair bound for Fes, and OMG!  Did I feel like I was in a marketplace!

The overhead storage compartment was packed with suitcases and not even space to squeeze anything else.  It was also free seating and with numerous Moroccan family travelling with young kids, it got rather chaotic.

Day 241 : Dali & Surealism

The last highlight of my trip in Spain… Dali Museum.  Dali is known for its eccentric art, and I was strongly recommended to visit the museum by Konstantinos when I first when to Athens and it was also the first time I heard about the concept of Surrealism. 

Located in Figueres and about 30 minutes by train from Girona, I had woken up much later than I had hoped for (perhaps it was because I was still trying to recover from my flu).  I quickly got ready and headed off to buy my train ticket, and by the time I reached Figueres, it was about 1.30pm. 

Upon leaving the train station, I followed the signs towards the Dali museum, and after about a 15 minutes walk, I reached the museum and paid for my admission. 

Day 240 : Girona

Girona is a small and compact medieval town, and worth staying at least a day to visit the beautiful sights the city has to offer.  Most of its sights are centred within the Old Town, enclosed within the ancient walls. 

Day 239 : Typical (or not so typical) Catalonian lunch

I was invited to join Miquel and his friends for a Sunday lunch at his friend´s place, which he says would generally last through till evening.

We arrived at his friend´s place (Mariona and Fernando) at 12noon, and both of us couldn't believe that we ended up staying till 10pm before walking home!  Miquel shared that this is not common, as they usually meet at a restaurant and will typically be chased out by around evening, but this is the first time they do it at someone's house and lasted much longer than he expected.

Wrap Up : Barcelona

Dates : 2nd – 3rd September 2011 & 28th February – 3rd March 2012
Highlights :

• Gaudi Influence Architecture eg. Sagrada Familia, Park Guell
• Parque La Ciutadela
• La Rambla
• Montjuic
• Montserrat

Day 238 : Last Day in Barcelona

After spending 3 days here, I had not had the chance to visit downtown Barcelona, as there are just so many other things to do in this city. 

Since it is my last day here, I decided to make a day trip to the downtown area and re-acquaint myself with the city scene such as La Rambla, the port area, and get lost with the crowd.

 

Day 237 : Cirque Du Soleil

I have never seen a Cirque Du Soleil production before, but have heard rave reviews about their production from others who had seen previous productions such as Saltimbanco and Allegria.  So when I chance upon a brochure about their performance in Barcelona for a production called “Corteo”, I was excited and quickly looked online to check seats availability.

Tickets were pricey, and better seats were already taken.  So after some contemplating, weighing out the price and seat allocation factor, I decided to buy the cheapest ticket at €48.00, and hoped that I would still get a fairly good view even though my seat was in the last row. 

The show was taking place in El Grand Chapiteau, a special tentage set up at the Zoo Marino Platform, located next to the sea.   It took me a while to find the venue, and had to ask for directions in one of the nearest mall.  I barely just made it to the venue about 5 minutes before the show was due to start. 

Day 236 : Montserrat

Located 1.5 hour from Barcelona, I took a day trip to Monserrat, where it is well-known as the site of the Benedictine abbey, Saint Maria de Montserrat.  

There are a couple of ways to get to Montserrat, which often involves changing from a train to either a cable car or Funicular.  I opted for the Funicular version, and took a train from Placa Espana to a station called Monistral - Central, before changing to the Funicular.   

Dinner at a Catalunyan Restaurant

Just got back from a late dinner (late in my normal dining hour, but eating at 10pm is a usual time in Spain!), and had a great meal at "Taverna Can Margarit" which Davide told me was typical Catalunyan food.

Located in Poble Sec, the entrance was filled with wine barrels in all shapes in a long corridor.  We were each given a glass and was asked to help ourselves from one of the 4 barrels a glass of wine.

The options were between 2 red and 2 white, and I chose a dry red wine to start, while Davide and I sat down in the corridor to finish our drink before being seated inside in the dining area.  Davide shared with me that staff employed at the restaurant are gays. 

Day 235 : Montjuic

Montjuic is a hill located in the south-west of the city centre and I heard that it commands a great view of the city from the castle at the top, and also houses a few interesting monuments. 


Palau Nacional

I took the metro to Placa Espanya and upon arrival, there was great crowds as it seemed there was a Mobile World Congress happening at Palau Nacional, thus blocking one of the pathways. 

Wanting to be sure I got the right route, I approached the tourist information counter and asked for directions.  I was extremely appalled by the service of the staff though!  A summary of our conversation as follows :



Day 234: Park Guell

Barely after touching down in Barcelona after only a 2 hour sleep (9.5hr flight), I was whisked off by Alain on his motorbike to visit Park Guell, a park that was designed by the infamous Gaudi.

The weather was cold, and being on the motorbike with the cold air blowing as we drove by, made me feel the chills through the layers of clothes on my skin.  It was nice to be back in Barcelona again, and view it from a different view - on motorbike.

Day 229 - 232 : São Paulo

Feeling small around the
tall buildings in the centre of city

In my final days of Brazil as well as in South America, as I find myself back in Sao Paulo, the 1st place where I first arrived in South America about 6 months ago.  Time flies, as it is just about another 1.5 months before I return to Singapore.

The few days in Sao Paulo allowed me to catch up on my house-keeping of travel plans and planning for the next 1.5mths on the road; the opportunity which I never had over the last couple months without a proper computer access after my netbook got stolen.

For that reason, and since having been in Sao Paolo previously for a couple of days, I did minimal sightseeing.  My impression of this city when I was first here was nothing exciting, and that didn´t change much on my return of this trip.

Day 222 - 228 : Carnaval in Rio

World´s Greatest Show!

When I left Rio a few months ago, I had the feeling I would once again return.  Just because it is such a beautiful city, and there were still a few sights I have yet to see (eg. Pao de Azucar and Niteroi, which even after my 2nd trip I still have not visited!  Perhaps there needs to be this feel of unfinished business in a city if I want to come back again!).

At that point, I never imagined it would be this fast; I only decided in the last couple of months to extend my trip, just to attend Carnaval, and here I am!

This time round, the feeling of Rio feels different from before.  It is still a beautiful place to be in, and with better weather too (i.e. much warmer and no rain).  However, the crowds on the street is incredible!  It seemed like the whole world is here (at an estimate of about 800,000 tourists, in addition to the locals, packed in the main streets of Rio) just to attend Carnaval too, which is said to be the World´s Greatest Show!

Tijuca National Park

We needed to seek some reprieve from the crowd and blockos (street parties), and so decided to take a drive to the Tijuca National Park, where one can find a waterfall, and spend a few hours relaxing.

If not for Torsten, I wouldn´t have known that there was a waterfall in Rio so close to the city!  Located about 20 mins drive from the apartment, we saw a lot of people around the area as we approached and tried to find a place to park.

"Greatest Show on Earth"

The Carnival in Brazil is a big part of the Brazilian Culture, and it is sometimes referred to by the Brazilians as the "Greatest Show on Earth".


I had of course returned to Rio hoping to watch the parade, when I found out that the parade is held in the Sambodromo, and one has to buy tickets to watch it.  By the time I checked for tickets availability, they were already sold out, with most of the seats exorbitantly priced.  

Day 217 - 221: Final Days in Panama

Modern sky scrapers in one part
of Panama city

My trip to Panama was never part of my original travel plans, and was only included after I decided to extend my trip.  The only thing I knew about Panama was the Panama Canal, and it was the main thing I wanted to see.

Also briefly heard about the San Blas islands while planning, which came about when sourcing for ways to get from Colombia to Panama, since travelling by sailboat will often travel through San Blas.

San Blas Islands

San Blas islands is an archipelago consisting of approximately 378 islands and cays, and located on the north coast of Panama.  They are home to the Kuna Yala Indians, another group of indigeneous of Panama.

There are a few ways to get to San Blas : By sailing (my original choice of travel, and probably the most recommended), by air or by 4x4 jeep.

Mishap at Sea

I wasn´t planning to include this post, however Niklaus insisted that I should, as I almost destroyed his laptop... ooooppps!!!  It wasn´t intentional!

What happened was we were heading to Han´s, since Niklaus had promised to buy Olivier dinner for helping him fixed his boat.  Since the only internet connection that is available is at Han´s, we thought we will bring the laptop to shore and take the opportunity to check our emails as we had not checked it for some time.

Day 215 - 216 : Boat Motor Fixed

After much hardwork by Olivier and Niklaus, we finally managed to get the boat motor fixed.  But as there are only about another 5 days before I leave Panama, it seemed that it would be insufficient time to sail out to San Blas and back, in order for me to catch my flight to Rio de Janeiro.

So the alternative way to seeing San Blas would be to take a 2-hour 4x4 jeep ride from Panama City to a jetty and then a speedboat ride to one of the islands.  Someone we met in Bocas had provided us a contact of a guide (taken out of Lonely Planet), who would be able to arrange the 4x4 jeep pick up and the accomodation on the island, inclusive of meals.

So Niklaus being able to speak fluent Spanish, made the arrangements with the guide and we will be heading to Panama tomorrow afternoon to stay the night, before being picked up early morning on Monday by the jeep.

Day 214 : Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is one marvellous human creation, where a waterway route is created through one of the narrowest points of the Isthmus of Panama, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The interoceanic waterway uses a system of locks with two lanes that operates as water elevators and raises the ships from sea level to the level of Gatun Lake, 26 metres above sea level, to allow the crossing through the Continental Divide, and then lowers the ships to sea level on the other side of the Isthmus.

Day 213 : Drive Back to Boat

Well barricade?

We woke up early this morning and quickly made our way to the ferry terminal to catch the speed boat back to the mainland and collected our rental car from the garage and drove towards David.

Within an hour after we left Almirante, we must have come across at least 3 other signs of blockades different from the earlier few we were caught in, as we saw debris of sawed off tree trunks (I pity the number of trees that were destroyed as a result of the protest!), and at one of the them, a huge well barricade in the middle of the road, which I had no idea how it was moved in the first place.