Log Date: February 3, 2005

Location: Colon, Panama

Our last port of call before approaching the Canal is Portobelo, Panama.  What a roaring metropolis it is compared to the secluded San Blas Islands. The hillsides surrounding the harbor are so verdant.  It rains everyday, sometimes very hard for minutes. Yet, this is the dry season - so naturally everything is lush. We can hear the "Howler" monkeys squawking just before the rain.

Portobelo is very historic - this is where most of the gold that was mined locally was exported to Spain. There are 3 major ruins of forts with cannons that were built in the 1750's. (No fee to walk around and no security - what a refreshing change from the states.) Pirates were a major problem in the 1700's so I can only imagine the bloodshed that happened in the harbor.  Christopher Columbus is reported to have been the first to land here.

They actually had restaurants! As well as cars, buses, and even pavement was here. We ate out at a local joint and it was pretty good.  Two chicken dinners with rice & beans, fried banana, coke and one beer cost us $5.50. Pizza for two the next day with 2 sodas was $4.50.  The flies were free. I can see why Americans own property here - if you want to live a simpler life you can live here very cheap.  The town was old, but very clean.  The problem with this climate - nothing dries so everything gets moldy and the white wash on the buildings turns gray quickly.

So now we are now in Colon, Panama – armpit of Panama.  This is a major shipping port with high crime.  We travel by cab with an English-speaking driver who acts as our interpreter. Looking forward to getting to Panama City - which has only the usual major city crime.

The Panamanians we spoke with tell us they would like the American troops to come back. The poverty that the US created when it pulled out of here is phenomenal. Many of the local people who worked on the US Bases are now out of work. Is it a US problem or Panamanian? Did the US leave them "high and dry" without the infrastructure to maintain a decent living? This is a different type of poor than the Kuna Indians.  These people had some money at one time, and are now angry. They are mugging people for a living. Lucky us to experience different types of poor.

The Panama "Canal Zone" is controlled - (like air traffic control at airports) which means you need permission to enter and move your boat around the harbor.  When we approached the Canal Zone there were 17 large freighters anchored outside waiting to get clearance to enter.  We were allowed to come right in and anchor in what is known as "the flats". Don't know why they call it "the flats" because it is anything but flat - very rough in fact - not good for sleeping.

The fact that I know the day of the week and the date of the week is unusual. It’s because our date to transit the canal is Monday Feb 8, 2005. The paperwork shuffle was easy because we used an agent - although those who didn't use an agent saved themselves a ton-o-cash and had very little headache.

Enjoying Life Onboard.

Laura and Susan

SV Mystic Traveler