November 30, 2008

The rains I had read about weren't exaggerated. I arrived in Panama City to rain and, from travelers in my hostel, listened to tales of endless downpours. But yesterday wasn't bad... had a nice walk-about in the old quarter and pretty much relaxed at the hostel. Lots of people were going out to the clubs, but being that I (a) don't like clubs, (b) didn't feel like wearing shoes and a nice shirt, and (c) was dog tired, I decided to call it an early night in order to have a full day today.

After waking up, I hit up the Balboa Yacht Club to see about getting hired on as a line handler on a sailboat going through the canal. No real luck there. Then, I ventured over to the Flamenco Yacht Club to try the same. This marina, however, was where all the really nice boats come in. Thus, not too many of them need a line handler (as they have their own crews). And speaking of nice boats... lo and behold, right there in the harbor was none other than the Maltese Falcon, the world's largest privately owned yacht. Perhaps you saw the 60 Minutes interview with billionaire venture-capitalist, Tom Perkins, who own the Falcon. Seeing this vessel was an amazing treat for me, as I had just finished his autobiography a couple of weeks ago. The last part of the book tells of the creation of the Falcon.

From there, I went to the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal. The museum, there at the locks, was Smithsonian good, and it was nice to get out of the humid heat and into the air conditioning. At around noon, I was able to see my first vessel go through the locks on its way to the Pacific Ocean. It was actually a tiny sailboat, and I was shocked at how much effort went into getting this one boat through the canal. At 3pm I saw a big cruise ship pass through. The canal locks are funny... they are a technological wonder and what they actually do is quite remarkable. But there is no "wow" moment. It's slow. Nevertheless, it's impressive. And having just finished a book on the history of the U.S. getting the rights to the canal, it was cool to finally see the end result of all the political and military madness.

Things are hot in Panama City, and I'm planning to move on tomorrow... either to the San Blas Islands or Boquete. Basically just heading to the airport in the morning and goign to wing it. On that note, I gave up on the idea of getting hired on as a line handler. I was told by a captain at the Balboa Yacht Club that it is easier from the Colon side (read: Carribean side) of the canal, as boaters will go with the trade winds. However, I didn't see too many boats passing through today, so I question the merit of wasting a day going to un-safe Colon for the CHANCE of getting on a boat. With only a week, I'd rather see some of the country and either get in the mountains or capture a sea breeze.

New Hardwoods for the Master Bedroom