Panama

Okay, not much time to write the last few days. The girls have been pretty tired and clingy after all our Caribbean fun.

Cartegena was nice - We spent the day wandering around with the girls, sampling local food and doing some touristy shopping. The outskirts of the city where we found some marketplaces reminded Noel and I of the villages we went in China... very different food and dress, but kind of the same atmosphere or something.

Now, the Panama Canal! Wow. I was so blown away by the whole thing. Noel and I watched a doco on the making of the Canal last year some time, so all I could think of as we passed through it was of the men who built it, the accidents and problems they had, the sheer number of people and equipment and trains and everything! It truly is an amazing thing to see. Going through the locks was just so exciting. 26m up, 26m down! I was rushing around the decks for most of the day, bouncing around and trying to see everything. I don't think other people really got why I was so excited, but really! The Panama Canal! It's awesome!

Okay, enough about that. Today was pretty busy too. Gemma and Meridith came along with Noel and I and the girls and we explored the city. We saw some interesting things! The people are beautiful and everyone we met was very welcoming. Meridith and I found a beautiful clothing shop and each bought a very colourful dress, similar to what a lot of the locals were wearing, with gorgeous embroidery and prints on them. Noel hassled me for going shopping - "you can buy clothes at home!!" tee hee.... but it's not the same, is it?

Anyway i'm off to change into my new dress now for dinner, and then Noel says he's going to bed early so perhaps I can hit the bars with one or two of the others.