Panama 2008 - The Wedding

Panama City

2008-04-23T14:18:00.001-07:00

Bocas del Toro - simply gorgeous!

2008-04-23T12:36:00.000-07:00

Some pics from our trip there...

Landing in Bocas - you know it makes sense!!

2008-04-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

Accomodation...

2008-04-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Afternoon all,

We really need to get you guys into a hotel or apartments soon. The stuff that is available is going extremely quickly. I recommend you all get together or go online to the various travel sites and start checking for hotels, apartments, etc.

We also need to get cracking on places to stay while we're all in Bocas - the hotels there are filling up quick too.

So if you don't all want to sleep under the tropical starlight on a bench somewere, let's get booking places.

I need feedback from all of you what you want to do...

Cheers,

Ricardo

Dress Code

2008-03-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

I think we may have put this in an email, but we just want to remind you that although the wedding will NOT be in a church, but rather a lovely tropical garden, this does not mean flip-flops, shorts and t-shirt!

We'd like you all to be smart - the boys in a suit or at least a jacket, tie & pants (shoes of course), and the ladies in, well, not sure, but something girly.

We know it's gonna be hot & humid - but you can manage for a couple of hours. There'll be plenty of refreshments to replace lost body fluid!

Flight details - Jimmy

2008-03-24T03:27:00.000-07:00

KLM

Madrid - Amsterdam - Panama: 25th June 2008 (Wednesday)
Panama - Amsterdam - Madrid: 6th July 2008 (Sunday)

Mobile phones

2008-03-24T01:50:00.000-07:00

Morning chaps,

A quick note on mobiles. If you have a tri-band or quad-band mobile (which I'm sure most of you do), then your Spanish/English mobile will work over there. However - the charges are extortionate, though a little better if you're with Movistar - which is the local mobile network.

Seeing as there's gonna be quite a few of us, it might be easier for a few of you to just buy a pay-as-you-go mobile, you can pick them up for as little as 20 dollars, and they come with Minutes.

Anna did mention that Movistar were trying to allow foreign phones with Panamanian chips in them, though not sure if this is in place yet.

Possible daytrips...

2008-03-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Whilst in Panama City, we should take advantage of places in and around the City. I'm sure you've all had a look at places of interest or will do, but here's some suggestions about where we could all go for daytrips;

1. Gamboa Rainforest Resort

This place is awesome!! As the title says, it's embedded within the rainforest on the banks of the Gatun Lake (the artifical lake created for the Canal), and has some incredible wildlife there, from 3-toed sloths to giant Crocs and turtles. There's a rooftop canopy tour which I've heard is lovely (ask Tom - he did it and raved about it), not to mention a quality bar overlooking the lake where you can feed the crocs! Anyway, take a look at the website for more detailed info - defo worth the trip though.

2. Canal Tour

Again, a 'must' trip after flying all this way! You can't not see the Canal whilst in Panama, it would just be rude. The half-day trip (lasting anything from 2-5 hours) takes you through 2 locks and into the Pacific. It's not cheap, about 50 Euros per person, but definitely something to remember. If you don't want to do the boat trip, you can always go to the Visitors Centre at the Miraflores Locks and watch the boats as they come in.

3. Taboga

This is a Pacific Island, known as La Isla de las Flores, and lies about 1 hour by boat from Panama City. I've heard it's got stunning beaches, good food and all-in-all, a nice way to spend the day. The return is approx 10 dollars and leaves early morning returning late afternoon. It's a very secluded island and there are chances of seeing dolphins and other marine wildlife on the way there and around the Island.

4. Casco Viejo

This is the old quarter of Panama, and you can really see the difference between rich and poor. Over the last few years this area has begun to benefit from restoration, and some of the buildings are delightful. There's the Canal Museum there and also some great little bars and restaurants, so we can go daytime or evening. Cracking Ceviche Frito there by the way!!

5. Apparently the Mall counts as a 'day trip', though I seriously doubt that. For all the lads going over, this is a cool place for about an hour, some great clothes shops at stupidly cheap prices, not to mention electrical goods like ipods, cameras, etc. The one other good thing about the Mall is the food hall there, there's a place called 'Leña & Carbon' - great steaks!! However, after you've done an hour or so there, you'll be requiring a cold beverage. So, as we let the ladies continue shopping, we'll go for cold beers on the terrace overlooking the City, or down to the Greenhouse - my little drinking hole where they give you the remote to the tele! Brilliant.

Panama Taxis - Update

2008-03-23T13:20:00.000-07:00

I was apparently misinformed about the reliability and safety of the 'Panama Taxi', they are SAFE to catch, I repeat - SAFE TO CATCH.

A few pointers however;

1. There are no meters, so before you get in the taxi, tell the guy where you want to go and ask him how much it'll be. If it's over 5 dollars, tell him to stuff it.

2. Taxis can and WILL stop to pick up other people on the route, so don't freak out (like I did!).

3. Safety is really a non-item over there, so don't expect seatbelts or soft music. More often than not they'll have Reggeaton at full blast.

4. No taxi will ever be the same colour.

5. They can't be that bad - look, even famous people catch them.....

2008-03-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

The Bar at Ramon's. We'll all be there in a few months suppin back some cold one's!!

Air Panama

2008-03-18T08:28:00.001-07:00

To get to the delightful islands of Bocas del Toro, we need to start checking out flights with Air Panama, which flies from Marcos A. Gelabert aiport (Albrook) just outside Central Panama City next to the Canal (not Tocumen Intl. where we'll all fly into).

It's a decent airline with decent planes, so not to worry chaps (either Fokker Friendships or Dash 8_Q300's). Runway at Bocas is insanely short and narrow though - great fun!!

There is one other airline we can try, also very good, called Aero Perlas.

We'll get some links on here soon re hotels in Bocas - and the one's to avoid.

P.S. We should get cracking on booking these too. It's a hugely popular place and flights run out quick.

Flight Details - Barry, Nads, Sandra & Lucy

2008-03-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

KLM

Madrid - Amsterdam - Panama: 25th June 2008 (Wednesday)
Panama - Amsterdam - Madrid: 6th July 2008 (Sunday)

P.S. Great deals with KLM guys - worth checking out.

Flight Details - Richard & Anna

2008-03-18T07:33:00.000-07:00

IBERIA
Madrid - Panama: 21st June 2008 (Saturday)
Panama - Madrid: 08 July 2008 (Tuesday)

What Panama looks like chaps....

2008-03-18T07:06:00.001-07:00