I got a new camera! Can you tell?

Hi guys. This entry is going to be relatively short, though more pictures than previous posts. It’s really starting to hit me that it’s actually summer, which means I’ve been feeling super lazy. Still I’ll recount last weekend’s excursion.

So, two things were different about this particular excursion. One, the ISA Panama site specialist, Matthew, was visiting from Texas. Two, we were taking the train, a form of transportation we haven’t used yet. This also meant we had to be awake at a ridiculous hour.

Okay, I suppose it wasn’t that ridiculous, but we had to be at the station at 6:30 in the morning so we could get on 7 o’clock train to Colón. We were all pretty tired except for Matthew, who was pretty chipper for the whole trip.

I don’t have any pictures of the train station, because I was too de-energized to take pictures, and I assumed I’d get to take some when we got back (I didn’t). Still I don’t think you’re missing much. An empty train station at 7 in the morning isn’t really that exciting. And those of you who’ve actually read the earlier entries (that’s just you, Mom) have already seen the train. Though outside next to the train there were signs hanging from the ceiling saying welcome in at least 20 different languages. I do regret not getting a picture of that. Here’s this instead.

 

The train itself was pretty fancy. It was air conditioned and decorated. The seats were arranged in four around a table, like at a restaurant. So it would have been convenient for playing cards or something. This set up meant that Matthew had to sit at the booth across from us, but it also meant he got to chat with this very nice Japanese woman. 

The train was absolutely freezing. The two cups of free coffee helped with that a bit, though it didn’t make me feel any less tired. Not much to say about the ride up. I mostly just listened to music. The boys were otherwise occupied.

Took a few pictures. It started raining about halfway to Colón and pretty much didn't stop for the rest of the day. We got to see some pretty sweet lightening strikes from the train, but of course I didn't get any good pictures of that.

In addition to the free coffee there we also got a "snack box" when the train finally stopped, which was great since none of us had had breakfast. When the train arrived we'd agreed that the Japanese woman would accompany us on our tour. And I guess the Japanese woman had made friends with a German couple since they came with us too. After some negotiations we got two taxis to agree to take us around all day for just $40.

The first stop was of course the canal. It's a rule of thumb that if you're in Panama in a place near a part of the canal you have to go there and see the locks. Colón is home to the Gatun locks. This was our first time really visiting the Panama canal. I mean we'd see the canal on the bus tour and we'd been to the museum but this was the first in depth visit where you could actually see the ships and what not.

Seeing this was pretty cool, but I think we were there just a tad too long. Maybe, I would have appreciated it more had I not been so tired. The trivia was pretty much going in one ear and going out of the other, even though it was in Spanish and English. At some point I think I dozed off a little bit.

Then people started moving around, which alerted me to the fact that a ship was about to pass through. And then it did...for about 30 minutes.

Mechanism that operates the doors

Part of canal that is surprisingly not a roller coaster

Look a boat!

Oh hey, still a boat!

I think I'm actually kind of bad at sight seeing, especially when sleep deprived. Other people see a thing, take a million pictures of that thing, and sit there just soaking up the moment and scenery. I go and see a thing and then I'm like that's nice, what's next. I'm not completely uncultured, I can usually understand the beauty or majestic of something, I just don't think I have the attention span to dwell on it. We saw the ship coming from half a mile away. The first set of doors opened and it made a snail crawl to the second set. That was it. It was a foregone conclusion. It wasn't like it was going to be, just passing on through, strolling merrily along, la la la, then GIANT ENEMY CRAB!

Though if there was, I would attack it's weak point for massive damage.

But everyone else was watching intently and taking pictures. But it's okay I choreographed this really cool action scene in my head while I was waiting (it had nothing to do with crabs).

So after that the boys were hungry. We were set to eat lunch at around one but we decided to stop somewhere to get a little something. We drove around for a while, and then we found a fancy-ish restaurant that was on some kind of marina.

We ate outside. I’m not really sure why eating outside is a thing, but we were next to boats which are quickly shooting up my list of favorite things. Our waiter was an uppity sort of guy. I kept trying to speak in Spanish and he’d always respond in English like he was annoyed. I guess he just wanted to impress us with his mastery of the language.

After I ordered I noticed a giant sign which told me that a glass of wine was only $2. And although $2 wine doesn’t need rationalizing I told myself it was okay to get it since it was after 12 in the US and I am taking a wine class, so I needed to order for research.

Nothing much happened during our meal, which we eventually decided was lunch. We did have fun torturing one of the other students who had for some reason made a pact not to drink and was suffering because of it.
On my way to get another $2 glass of wine (or a $2 glass of rum) I realized the restaurant had a full bar. As I tried to think of a cocktail that wouldn’t set off the uptight waiter (who was also the bartender, apparently) I spotted a bottle of Hypnotiq. So I had to order that. I think it was partially fueled by the fact that it would be much cheaper in the states, and partially fuel by remembering when it was a big deal in the early 2000s. Also it’s a pretty color. While I waited to order I made conversation with a young waitress, who knew I was a New Yorker. And getting recognized as a New Yorker is just as cool as being mistaken for a Panamanian, I reckon.

Shortly after I got my glass of Hypnotiq it was time to go, so I didn’t really get to savor it, but it was still pretty tasty.

Product Placement?

Then we drove to the next site. The boys were still pretty tired, and wanted to nap, which was lame because I was finally getting energy. This made me go into brat mode.

The next stop was in Fort Lorenzo, where we went to a national park. And guess what I found?

I told my little buddy to wait for me as we explored the site. This place was pretty cool. I think the dreariness of the day actually improved the experience. It made the place seem authentically aged.

Also we got to see our good friend the Chagres River again, and it is indeed pretty massive. There were all sorts of nooks and crannies and thing to climb on and caverns to explore. Of course I avoided the climbing because I’m aware of how clumsy I am. Also look at this, it’s clearly full of monsters.
There were also a lot of cannons in all the places we went to in Colón.

One of many suspicious caverns.

Down the rabbit hole.

Obviously full of monsters...

Wait. What are you doing?

Guys?

See. This is what happens when you travel with white people.

You guys have fun. I'm going to stay down here, where I can't fall to my death.

When we got back, there was some crazy Jurassic park type sound, that we were told was a monkey. So we decide to explore the jungle bits some more (tourist logic is not like regular people logic). They found the monkey in a tree, and everyone stood around taking pictures. Since I’m bad at sight-seeing once I saw the monkey, I was done with the monkey. Also it was too high up for me to get a good shot. I went back to the taxi and look!

Then we left the park and took a very long trip to the Panama Viejo of Colón, to see some ruins and what not. I wish I’d gotten more pictures of the actually city of Colón during the drive. There were dogs everywhere again. Most of the houses seemed like they had a dog or two attached to them. And then as we got further into the countryside it seemed like every house had a chicken instead.

I liked Colón but I really felt it could have used more cannons. Maybe that's just me.

Me and Matthew. 

I liked this place, once again there were caverns and cannons and of course the river. This area was also known for its churches so there were a lot of religious symbols. There is this one statue that is particularly famous and has a fascinating back story, but I didn’t get a picture because once I went into the church there was this.

In this place there were actually dogs all over, just walking around, but Niño was my special little buddy.  Since it was obvious he wanted food I tried to give him some raisins from my snack box, but he was having none of it. So then I gave him a piece of a cookie, which he liked more.

Then we left the church and he followed me. He followed me everywhere it was the cutest thing. And even though I kept resolving not to feed him anymore I kept giving him cookie pieces because he was adorable. At some point there was another dog, that got to close and Niño barked and kept it away. This one was a girl dog who had recently had puppies. She looked old and one of her eyes seemed welded shut. I didn’t take a picture because it made me sad and I didn’t want to make you guys sad. I’m sure she was no threat to me and was just hungry, but I didn’t have enough food to feed all the hungry dogs around. I really wish I did.

Also there was a little shop here, selling the wares of the region. I saw a familiar looking woman. I think it’s a Nurse Joy/Officer Jenny situation. I think every feasible tourist area in Panamá has an old indigenous woman, with a gold septum ring, wearing traditional garb and selling overpriced things. Since it can’t just be the same one old woman I keep seeing at these things.

Then while Niño and I were in the shopping area, I saw something strange on someone’s porch and pointed it out to the other students.

And it turned out my eyes were not deceiving me, there was some sort of monkey chained there.

I, for the most part kept my distance, only getting closer because I wanted pictures for the blog. I know a lot of people like monkeys. I do not understand the appeal. I think they are really creepy, this one included. It must me some kind of uncanny valley thing for me. Anyway, everyone else thought it was cool. They gave it a cup of coffee, and tried to teach it to use a straw, which was entertaining at least.

Some sort of male bonding I guess.

What's all this now?

Get that weak mess outta here!

I got this.

This contraption confuses and infuriates me.

Then it was time to go. I bid Niño farewell. We took the taxi back which is why I don’t have picture of the train station.

I’ve  been gradually getting to meet my family here in Panama, so I also stayed with my great aunt Bobbi and her husband Clarence that weekend. Bobbi wouldn’t let me take a picture of her, because she thought she didn’t look good enough for the camera, but let me assure you both Bobbi and her house are adorable. I had such a good time with her and she never ran out of stories. She’s got a weird sense of humor. It’s like when life is a bitch, instead of getting sad or angry she laughs instead. It’s oddly contagious.

After spending the day listening to her stories and watching her cook, we watched TV. We were watching some channel called Studio Universal. I swear it played the same five commercials over and over. I’m also pretty sure it’s their version of the Lifetime or the Lifetime Movie Network. And just like our Lifetime the movies are dumb but once you start watching you can’t stop. The first few of them were American movies dubbed in Spanish. And it being Lifetime, they were formulaic and simple enough that I could follow and understand without subtitles. The last one was in English with Spanish subtitles and was called the Pregnancy Pact. It’s the sort of movie that I wouldn’t have been watching unless I was already in the Lifetime spiral. And even though I was dead tired I had to see how it ended. I still don’t quite know how I feel about it, but rest assured I will be inflicting it on my friends once I get back to the states.

Alright guy. Sorry this is going up so late. To make up for it I’m going to give you an extra post in the near future. Until next time here’s a picture of a puppy sleeping on a big dog.