Is it a big ditch or is it one of the greatest engineering feats of human history? The answer is yes. There are several ways to experience the Panama Canal. You could hire on as crew of a giant container ship, which would entail months at sea and hard labor. You could spend several thousand […]
I have been in Panama City or simply Panama as Panamanians refer to it for almost a week. I have been exploring the city by bus, by foot and by taxi. Taxis are typically US$2-3 to most parts of the city. Panama is a global crossroads and was long before the Canal was built. […]
DUSK FALLS ON BOCAS TOWN AND THE MERRIMENT REACHES IT’S ULTIMATE CONCLUSION Music, rum, cervesa and dancing are in the air and everywhere. The locals are definitely having a great time and are quite out of control. The gringos are running a close second. I am feeling a little hungry so I pause to […]
AS CELEBRATED IN BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA I arrived in Bocas del Toro on Monday, just in time for the last two nights of Carnaval. This is definitely not New Orleans nor is it Rio. Bocas is an archipelago of several islands just off the Panamanian mainland. The main island contains the airport and “Bocas […]
Posted in Panama City, Panama Since my last post, I have spent a week in Playa Grande, Costa Rica, celebrating my birthday with old friends. I really did not do much in the way of photography. Following that, I was in Bocas del Torres, Panama, for the end of Carnaval plus a few more […]
Leon, Nicaragua has a reputation for liberalism, intellectualism and independence. There are three major universities and several smaller ones, the largest cathedral in Central America and a World Heritage Site, a dozen or more ornate churches (think baroque and neoclassical) and an art gallery hosting the largest collection of Central American artists anywhere. […]
I really enjoyed my time in the Ruta de las Flores area of El Salvador. Juayua was the perfect base to explore this diverse region of small towns, volcanoes, lakes, waterfalls, festivals and very friendly Salvadoreans. Now, after seven weeks in Central America without one look at the Pacific (since leaving Northern California) I was […]
Ahuachapan is a bustling colonial town of 38,000 inhabitants just 16 km from the Guatemalan border. I passed through it’s busy bus terminal and traffic choked central market when I first arrived in El Salvador. I returned for an afternoon while staying in Juayua. A walk around the lovely Plaza Concordia and a pita lunch […]
It was time for another volcano hike. The destination this time was Volcano National Park home of three very large volcanoes. The tallest, Vulcan Santa Ana with last eruption in 2005, was the goal. Although the park is not too many kilometers from Juayua where I have been staying all week, it required catching a […]
El Salvador is a wildly colorful place. A bright palette is in evidence everywhere. The following are some examples of the many murals, paintings and other art media I have been enjoying this week. Next is a small section of the front driver’s side windshield of a chicken bus I was riding in today. I […]