Another Colonic Interigation
Zepher
Chris & Lyn Darch
Sun 23 Mar 2008 13:32
|
Another Colonic Interrogation
Date 23:03:2008
Hi Folks ,
Well it was our turn for the rubber truncheon
treatment , same scenario , went to leave the Yacht Club and got stopped by the
Immigration Lady who was appropriately dressed in red , we were not directly
asked for money , I had pre-emptied the situation and bought along copies of our
passports , after a few grunts , she indicated that this was not good enough and
that we had to produce our original passports , so it was the 2 nm trek back to
the boat to collect the little red books , on returning she looked at them , it
was all in order so she said " no problem " I suspect though that the taxi
driver who we had hired to take us to the Supermarket thinking he was going to
loose his fair had been talking to her , as we stood there people were coming
and going through the gate , yachties with no passports , so who will be next
for the Panamanian inquisition ...
More urban myth's were also abounding today
about the Aussi who was shot outside the yacht club , a rumour from one of the
taxi drivers who is an ex US marine , I suspect they have to keep there taxis
gainfully employed so keeping the rumour control stoked up is to there
advantage ..
The trip to the supermarket , this one is on
the outskirts of Colon was a pleasant one , they still have armed guards
inside the store though ! ! ! .
On the transit dates we have good news , we
have been moved up tothe 16th of April now , Ike has been ringing in every
two days and progress has been made on shifting dates forward , we intend
to transit the canal two days apart so we can use two crew from each boat as
extra line handlers , Ike is due to go today on a German yacht so we will find
out more on Monday or Tuesday when he returns .
We have started storing ship for the trip to
the Galapagos as once through we intend tostop at the Las Perlas Islands thirty
Five miles from Panama city before moving on to the Galapagos , it seems
that we can expect more of the same once we get there as some of the agents
brochures we have picked up show towns with seventeen thousand population
at Academia Bay the main entry point to the Galapagos , boats are not allowed to
roam , you can only go on organised trips from the central tourist
areas but anyway it will be a dam sight cheaper than if we had to fly there
on a special trip , and it on route to our final destination .
All ashore last night to the Yacht club
restraint for another excellent meal Chinese style , that the one ray of hope in
that place .. plus its 75 cents a beer !
We are still on the search for decent postcards ,
the norm here seems to be a photo stat , a poor one at that for sale in the shop
outside the supermarket , there must be some , somewhere !
Veg - Man , the lockers filling with big spuds
at the moment !
|