I am thinking of going to see the canal. I have a rough idea to go through on a boat one direction and come back by car or train.

Anybody been there and done anything like that? I am thinking of over the christmas holiday.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Not me but that sounds like an interesting trip. My ancestor, Captain Henry Morgan, the Welsh pirate, sacked the Spanish city on the west side of the isthmus by taking canoes up river from the east side. The inhabitants heard he was coming and fled the city before the pirates arrived. Drink some rum in his honor while you're there. He was a brutal bastard who ended up as governor of Jamaica after his pirate days.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Ill ask my mother, I know she lived there for a while.

__________________
1984 300SD Orient Red/ Palomino
1989 560SEC
2016 Mazda 6 6 speed manual
1995 Ford F-150 reg cab 4.9 5speed manual

The Panama Canal makes the whole trip to Panama worthwhile; it is just outstanding. As I remember there are a number of trips that you can take - many of them day trips. You can ride up and stay overnight at one of the hotels on the lake after passing through the canal and ride the train back. That makes it a two day trip but that gives you an opportunity to enjoy the country itself. I believe there is a walkable jungle with paths - it is located between the canal zone and the northwestern part of the city; forget the name but it is well known. Do not recommend the highly advertised late night dinner atop the building which overlooks the canal; pretty much a tourist trap. Be sure to look at everything inside the building, movies, exhibits, artifacts. Really makes the trip to Panama worth it.

It reminded me a bit too much of Nam but other than that Panama is pretty good. Make sure you get out of Panama City because the beaches there are just mud.

I used to have a hat from there . . .

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

A coworker bought property in Panama and plans to retire there. We are considering visiting the area in the near future. Enjoy your visit!

A Panama hat or just Panama is a traditional brimmed hat of Ecuadorian origin that is made from the plaited leaves of the toquilla straw plant (Carludovica palmata). Straw hats woven in Ecuador, like many other 19th and early 20th century South American goods, were shipped first to the Isthmus of Panama before sailing for their destinations in Asia, the rest of the Americas and Europe. For some products, the name of their point of international sale rather than their place of domestic origin stuck, hence “Panama hats.” The 49ers picked up these hats in Panama, and when President Theodore Roosevelt visited the Panama Canal construction, he wore such a hat, which increased its popularity. They're also known as a Jipijapa, named for a town in Ecuador once a center of the hat trade. The Oxford English Dictionary cites a use of the term as early as 1834.

__________________
'86 300E 5 speed
'71 Triumph TR6
'46 Cushman Scooter
'41 Ford 9N tractor

Oh yeah sure! Next I suppose you'll be trying to tell us that "Irish coffee" isn't imported from Eire, or that "French fries" aren't a Gaullic recipe and that "Mars" candy bars are made in Pennsylvania! Sheesh!

My wife, daughter (5yrs old) and I visited the Canal this past March. I was only sorry we didn't stay any longer. We took a nature walk in the jungle (as describe in one of the posts above) - it was well worth it: we saw birds, sloths, giant termite mounds and millions of leaf-cutting ants criss-crossing the paths that will amaze you.

The Gatun Lake - formed between the Pacific and Atlantic sides is a fresh water lake that's home to an abundance of marine life - birds, lizzards, crocks and lots and lots of fish. If you like fishing then you should not miss a fishing trip for Peacock bass for which the lake is famous for.

Panama City is rumored to have some of the most beautiful 'Latinas' around - if you're into people watching.. It was interesting to see and hear some of the stories the local guides tell about their land: the land there is cheap so it's being 'consumed' by foreign interests - like a closed Arab community - yes, you have to be an Arab to be allowed to live there... Jewish markets and jewelery exchanges - something about very favorable exchange rates and huge incentives for trade (low or non-existent import/export tariffs). Chinese are making large purchases of swaths of land there. I got a feeling that the locals are slowly losing control of their own country - seemed kind of sad. Overall though, I felt really great there and have heard from a friend who'd lived there for years while in the Navy that living there was just peaceful wonderful as can be. Goods were cheap, beer was cold and the souvenirs from a large indigenous Indian market were hand-made, unique and of very good quality.

Do some more research on the area and enjoy!

James

__________________
1987 Mercedes 300SDL; SOLD
1985 Mercedes 300D; SOLD
2006 Honda Pilot - wife's ride; 122K;
1995 Toyota Land Cruiser - 3X locked; 182K

Did I say it was a Panama hat? No, I don't THINK so . . .

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

I know Panama hats actually come from Ecuador. I actually have one of those hats, too.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

The proper Panama hat comes rolled in a small wooden box. You purchase different hat bands to give the hat different looks. It does not wrinkle in the box. And the accent is on the last syllable of Panama.

Without consulting a map, tell me what direction you'd be heading if you were in the canal traveling from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

__________________


Behind every great man is a great woman. Behind every great woman is a great behind.

I knew that YOU knew where they came from.

Honestly, this fact was something I recently learned and I felt compelled to take this oppurtunity to pass it on.

__________________
'86 300E 5 speed
'71 Triumph TR6
'46 Cushman Scooter
'41 Ford 9N tractor

Northwest, iirc.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

It's a trick question! The canal connects the Pacific with the Caribbean Sea!