Shopping Panama Style

Well we are still waiting at the Carribbean end of the canal waiting for Jimmy our new crew member to turn up with the new water maker.

Thankfully the marina here lays on a minibus to the local shopping mall (well their version of a mall - a supermarket and 2 small department stores). Our trip involves a 15 mile journey through the jungle into the otskirts of Colon, this is a really great trip as most days you are likely to see some wildlife. On our way back from the supermarket yesterday we came across a sloth making his way VERY VERY slowly across the road, apparently they only come down out of the trees to go to the loo. We haven't seen any anacondas or aligators yet but they are there. Our minibus driver says he drives round everything but snakes, he runs over them as they kill people - aligators he can't run over as they're would ruin his exhaust (muffler) and suspension.

Most days we get held up at the Gantun locks as one of the huge Panamax ships goes through. They literally have inches to spare either side, if we are really unlucky we will have to share a lock with one of these monsters. Nigel and Ted had quite an experience taking a yacht through the other day, the yacht they were on broke down with a Panamax baring down on them. Luckily the pilot onboard managed to get a tug to push them out of the way in time - if not 'asta la vista Moonshiner'. They spent a disturbed night in the holding lake, its in the middle of the Panamanian jungle which is full of howler monkeys who called to each other all night long.

Shopping here is sooo cheap! good shoes can be bought for about $5, swimsuits about the same. So today I hit the shops and bought myself a new wardrobe for about $50, even Nigel treated himself so you know how cheap it is!