Canal - East turned 5! Part II

Taking in all that life has to offer! We had so much fun having the kids down here in Panama with us just taking one day at a time.

This is Part II of my blog entry from Bonnie & Mom's trip down to Central America. It was a very busy 16days trying to see as many great things as we could. I think we could take on full time tour guides now : -)

After a very late start one morning we headed out to Gamboa to go on the Monkey Island Tour with everyone. I missed the turn off on the highway and I was truly driving like a Panamanian (I think I had everyone hanging on for dear life)..... racing is in my blood :- ) right Mom!

I talked about this tour before in a previous blog but this time was even better because I came equipped with more fruit and there were more monkeys this time. The kids were going crazy because the little guys were coming right onto the boat to take the fruit so gently out of our hands. One monkey came right into the middle of the boat and took Harlow's granola bar... I wish I had a picture of that but we were all so stunned that we just sat in shock.

The monkeys are so cute, even my mom who does not like them at all said they were so adorable. I hope one day our kids truly understand and appreciate all the amazing things they have been able to do all over the world (a wish for every parent!) Bonnie & Harlow were so excited about the monkeys that this was one of my favorite activities we did with them.

(here the monkey is on our boat & is taking fruit from Emma & Everett's hands... they are so soft & gentle)

The Monkey Island tour is on the canal along side the ships that are passing through Gatun Lake. All mom wanted was to see a cruise ship so she would wave to all the people.... we cruised by two of them. Bon & Mom thought it was pretty fascinating to be right down on the lake with the ships,.... not all visitors get this chance when they are on a weeks vacation down here in Panama.

(Harlow & Bon waving to the huge cruise ship passing by)

What did you think of Monkey tour?

Mom - loved to watch the kids get sooo excited. The monkey were way more cute than I thought they were going to be.

Bonnie - Was awesome, it was very cool to be close capuchin wild monkeys. It was so fun to hear the kids ohh and ahhh over the monkeys.

Having Bonnie & Mom here was a great excuse to make the time to go to the most visited tourist spot in Panama.... The Miraflores Locks Panama Canal being one of them.... I have been on the canal and drive over it lots but I have never made the time to go to the tourist centre.

The morning we went it was over cast so it was perfect for Bonnie & Mom. The Miraflores visitor centre has three observation decks to watch the ships come through the canal.

The Panama Canal is a lock-type canal, approximately 80 kilometers long, which unites the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at one of the narrowest points of both, the Isthmus of Panama and the American Continent. The Canal officially opened its doors to international trade on August 15, 1914, and instantly shortened vessel voyage times and fuel consumption, while dramatically improving the delivery time for the world's goods. The waterway also provided an immediate stimulus to the global economies by giving a major boost to international trade. Since that date more than 900,000 vessels have transited the waterway. The Canal was built and operated by the United States until noon, December 31, 1999, when it was transferred to the Panamanian government, in accordance with a Treaty in 1977.


The Canal's three sets of locks, each of which has two lanes, operate as water lifts to elevate ships 85 feet above sea level to the summit level of Gatun Lake, where they cross the Continental Divide, and are then lowered back to sea level on the opposite side of the Isthmus. During these lockages, which use water obtained from Gatun Lake, the miter gates seal the locks chambers and gravity drains the water to the lower levels. Approximately 197 million liters of fresh water are used for each lockage and ultimately flushed into the sea. Each set of locks features a Control House on the center wall of its higher chamber, from which this entire operation is directed. Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks are on the Pacific side where tidal differences are more significant and the Gatun Locks are located on the Atlantic side, where tidal differences are minimal.

Though most vessels use their own propulsion throughout their transit of the Canal, they are assisted when passing through the locks by electric locomotives, which use cables to align the ships to avoid contact with the lock walls. The locomotives also serve to assist vessels by providing towing and braking during lockages. Working in pairs, locomotives move on rails and keep the vessels centered within the locks chambers. Depending on its size, an oceangoing vessel can require assistance from four to eight locomotives.

(the Panama Canal was fascinating but a slow process... This is truly one of the Wonders of the World)

(here is a huge container ship heading to the Atlantic Ocean... there is only a foot on each side of the ship for wiggle room through each of the locks)

(the large doors that you see above open to allow ships to enter the next phase of the lock system. These are the original doors that have been here since the completion of the canal in 1914... Amazing how long ago the ideas they created have not been changed and still function in our ever fast paced changing world)

(here is a ship entering the Miraflores locks in the first phase. The large doors are now hydraulic)

(Now this ship is in the first phase... take note of where the ship is- it is parallel with the sides of the locomotive track explained above)



(you can see here the little locomotive pulling the ship into place so the ship can be raised to enter the next lock)

(Now note how the ship has been raised... the gravity of moving water is how these enormous vessels are lifted... fascinating stuff. I have attached a link below that can show you a quick video of how the locks work if you are interested... copy & paste the link)

http://www.weblo.com/property/Regular/The_Panama_Canal/412084/

The illustration above shows the profile of the canal. Three locks lift the ships 85 feet to the artificial lake at the top of the canal. Then three at the other side return the ship to sea level.

(two cute little trouble makers)

(good thing the babysitter came! You did excellent uncle Trent)

As you can imagine having 5 small kids together all the time made for some very interesting times. We were always trying to come up with activities to keep them busy and out of trouble. Or in Everett & Harlow's case... stop teasing eachother :- )

(me and my baby girl... finger painting is so much fun)

For Bonnie & Mom's last weekend we took them to Playa Blanca, the all-inclusive resort. This is the resort we went to a few months ago and felt it would be great to get away for some R&R.

Bonnie loved it here, the resort is nice and small so no worries about the kids and Harlow was a little fish. Bonnie said that it was the most she felt relaxed on the trip because the kids were so content playing away in the water.

(the kids playing with their big lovable toy... DADDY. Harlow was Trent's shadow, wanted to be with him all the time)

(everyone waiting for the nightly show to begin)

(Em's friend from school was at the resort... Nicole)

(Bon & Harlow splashing in the water)

(us girls loving being together)

(my kids have my mom eating out of the palms of their hands...)

What did you think of Playa Blanca?

Mom - very nice, beautiful nice small resort… food ok… weather was gorgeous, pool was wonderful with the kids and adults.. We had a great time, everyone got burned, loved watching the kids on stage dance. Entertainment was really good.

Bonnie - I loved it here, it was my first time I felt I was on vacation on my vacation. It was nice and relaxing. Beautiful, clean, friendly, awesome for the kids. The shows truly entertaining , pussy cat dolls and all.

(a picture of everyone all cozy in the truck on the way home from the beach)

(oh my precious little Harlow... Aunties loves you... a cute picture of her)

(East & Mom out for dinner... the kids loves to eat out)

(Em & Harlow - the girls trying to get away from all the boys)

Easton has turned 5yrs. old... WOW I can't believe my baby boy is 5. As I have mentioned before we have been to some very elaborate birthday parties here in Panama. There was no way we were going to even come close to putting on a spread like those ones so we decided to have a party at school for Easton. East's teacher was great she helped us get pizza ordered and booked the morning off for the party.

I told Easton maybe next year we could do a big birthday party but this year would not work because Mommy & Daddy could not talk to the other kids, parents or clown.... pretty much everyone else very well. East did not mind he thought it was great to have the party at school.

I found a version of Cakeworks here and I got an awesome Spiderman cake. It was great! My mom thinks the cake here was better than Cakeworks in terms of decorating (this information is really only for Jodie & Ginger who can appreciate my kids birthday cakes..haha) The taste however my mom said was not as good as Cakeworks.

(I like this picture as it gives a clear picture of the brotherly love the boys share :- )

(SPIDY birthday this year)

(Easton and all his Amigos (boys) in his class)

(all the Amigas were fighting to get close to the birthday boy... it was funny. Don't they look so cute in thier uniforms!)

(East got spoiled for his birthday... for 2 days he got presents from the kids in his class, we are so thankful for how nice everyone has been... one lucky little guy)

(honored guests to the party)

Eastons birthday – it was lots of fun… cute to see all the kids in there uniforms. The Panaminan kids are partiers. The Spanish now how ot party and it starts at a very young age.

What did you think of Easton's birthday?

Bonnie - It was very sweet. The kids were very kind, Easton sticks out like a sore thumb. His teacher seemed very westernized.

What was your favorite part of your trip down here?

Mom – seeing all the grand kids.. neat to see panama as a local instead of a tourist. Still trying to figure out the panamain people.. ordinary people. Favorite part was when the kids went to bed.

Bonnie - Monkey island and playa blanca.

As I finish this entry I think back at our two & half weeks and I am sad that they are gone. I had a great time having my family here and I can't wait for them to come back... crying kids and all. Poor Keidis was sick when he was down here and had to make a trip to the doctor which cost Bonnie $10.00 We had a lot of fun just hanging out and evening trips to Arrocha (like our London Drug)

I am looking at one more adventure before we head back to Canada in no time soon. Hopefully I will have something exciting to blog about. Everett will be turning 3 on Friday... can you believe it 3yrs. old... For his birthday we will be having cake and maybe some balloons, nothing Panamanian style :- )

I want to say Congratulations to my cousin Alicia who recently became engaged and who will be getting married this summer. Happy be-lated birthday to Jackie Pearce, Happy Birthday to Jodie Drew, Harry & Gingers Anniversary will be celebrated very soon, JJ & Auntie Pat's, Christina Dezall, Falon & Uncle Ray's birthday also my Grampa Galbraith's birthday all for the month of May..... and HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all you wonderful moms out there for surviving each day with a smile on your face.

All our love and see you soon when we head back to Canada!

xoxoxo Trent, Jody, Emma, Easton & Everett

They have arrived... Part I

Well Bonnie, Harlow, Keidis & my Mom left on Wednesday and it is now way to quiet around here :-)

It was so fun having them here and they really liked Panama so I am very happy about that. Bonnie & Mom both said they would come back YAAA!

The moment they walked off the plane here in Panama all they could say was "oh it is so hot here" (for the most part it was not as hot as it has been here)

So I asked Bonnie & Mom questions about Panama and I will put them through out this blog as we go. I do have to say that it was great to have our first visitors who really liked Panama. I was a bit worried what they would think and the report is way better than I expected.

I asked them...

What were your first impressions of Panama?
Mom – it is clean and Americanize which I found surprising… Also I was very surprised that the roads were in such good shape, I expected Panama to be more like Mexico.

Bonnie – people really don’t speak much English here like I expected. I was surprised how clean and westernized Panama was way more than I envisioned it to be. I expected the people to be walking down the streets with jugs of water on their heads & they really don't.

How do you find the driving?
Mom - not in a million years would I get behind a wheel in Panama City. I would not own a new car here, you could not pay me enough to drive here. The driving is insane.. I just can't even explain how crazy it is…

Bonnie - It is ridiculous, insane, maniac, while using all of the swear words. No organization, no rules, no lanes, lots of horn honking & yet no road rage.

It is funny to hear them describe driving here because it has became so normal to us. Bonnie asked "how are we ever going to be able to drive when we come back to Canada this summer?" It will be very nice to drive where people use signal lights and they actually stop at stop signs. I think I will most definitely love that there is organization and people follow the rules. Trent most likely will have a hard time driving in a civilized country again, since he as adapted to the Panamanian way of drive a little to well. :- ) Mr. Richards I think you would go crazy in traffic here :- ) I really don't think driving here is that bad, you just have to drive defensively and not be in a hurry.

(Bonnie and the kids cooling off in the refreshing Summit pool)

(mom & emma enjoying the warm rays of sun)

On the road again... I was waiting for Bonnie & Mom to get to Panama before we ventured on our road trip for the weekend to the town of El Valle. A picturesque little town 2,300 feet above sea level in the crater of a gigantic extinct volcano. The drive to the town was a bit eventful but well worth the drive.

We stayed at a little place called CRATER VALLY. It was the perfect place for us with our five little munchins, we had the inn all to ourselves. The service was amazing, we picked our rooms and the grounds of this place were breathtaking... very peaceful & beautiful. The weather in El Valle is at times 10 degrees less than the city because of the elevation, so it was a nice break for Mom & Bonnie from the heat. This weekend was all about relaxing and moving at a snails pace (as much as you can with kids)

(the amazing view from the pool... this place was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l)

(the pool area where we ate lunch around the pool each day)

(this pool was fun to play in and VERY refreshing (to cold for me)



(Trent teaching the kids the true meaning of CANNON BALL)

(everyone loved chilling out in a hammock by the pool)

(Emma and her little buddy Keidis... the kids took such great care of Bonnie's little ones)



(Bonnie went for a two hour well deserved break for a massage & pedicure. The massage hut was tucked away for peace and serenity)

(I found Bonnie ... very relaxed and enjoying the peace & being pampered)

(All of El Valle is stunningly beautiful)

One of the biggest reasons for our trip up to El Valle was I was waiting for my baby sister to partake in some adventure with me. I have been waiting for months to go on another zip line tour like I did in Thailand. Trent is above the safe weight limit so he could not come with us (a good excuse for him... there is no way he would do it)

A company by the came of THE CANOPY ADVENTURE is a well known company that I checked out prior to our arrival. The president of Panama has used this company so how bad could it be : -) While Bonnie and I hiked 45min through the rain forest seeing square trunk trees and the most beautiful blue butterfly, Trent took Emma, Easton, Everett & Harlow for their own nature hike. Keidis and Mom opted to stay at the hotel for Keidis to sleep and Mom would of been sick crossing over the well worn draw bridges.

Bonnie & I had a guide that took us on our trek up the mountain and pointed out all the natural beauty that surrounded us. We saw seeds from trees that the locals make jewelry out of. Like I mentioned before a HUGE blue butterfly... it was amazing, we also saw cocaine trees... we are not entirely sure how the how process works but I know the leaves are grounded up and mixed with some substance and then who knows from there. That was pretty interesting.

Trent gave both of us big hugs and told us he loved us.... His good-bye was heart felt even when he asked if we had enough life insurance on me. :- )

(Bon & I with all our equipment ready for the unknown adventure)

(the rickety bridge over a river at the beginning of our hike, pretty cool)

(this picture does no justice to the surroundings, all Bonnie said was "this is so amazing, this is so beautiful")

We finally reached out first platform on the zip line. I looked at how long the zip line was and how far down the earth we walk so safely on was... the zip line was long & high. Bonnie kept asking me if I was nervous, I wasn't at the time because of the rush I felt inside... but looking back at it, it looks crazy.

(here is Bonnie a bit dizzy and trying to catch her breath... we were at a high elevation and it was pretty freaky up there)

(here is Bonnie coming towards me on the next plat form... On this zip line we are about 100-150 feet high passing over a waterfall....THIS WAS AMAZING!

(Trent was below taking pictures with the kids. Here is Bonnie... the real scary thing with this zip was that they stopped us mid way to take in the surroundings and for the kids to see us... I did not like just hanging there. Easton was upset he was scared for us)

(as you can see by the expression on Bonnie's face... she loved the zip!)

(here is Trent with the munchkins... Trent took a guide along with him for the hike to have extra hands... smart move)

After our very adventurous morning at the zip line we headed back to our hotel. Trent found this climbing wall and Emma was all over that. For $5 we all climbed and played around for a few hours.... Emma my dear Emma, she was sooooo determined to get to the top of the wall UNASSISTED to touch the sign that said Climbing Wall. Em worked really hard and I am so proud of her for not giving up. It took her many tries but she finally did it and was so proud of herself. The climb was about 30 feet high and I have to say it was not to easy. I needed to climb the wall to show Emma it can be done.

(Emma getting all her gear on)

(the wall Emma had to conquer)

(Em on her way up... way to go babe)

(Everett wanted in on the action, so we suited him up and he went for a ride)

(Ev got hiked way up for a ride... he loved repelling down)

(watch out Easton is now a flying boy)

In El Valle there are natural water springs & mud springs... the locals swear by them. We did a quick tour of the water baths and opted to buy the mud to apply back at the hotel. For a big tough guy my husband loves the finer things in life.. ie.. special mud for his soft skin & lets not forget pedicures for his mammoth feet :- ) Everyone tried the mud and it made the skin feel silky soft.

(here is my DIVA with wet mud)

(Trent was scaring the kids with his mask, they all ran from him but Keidis loves Uncle Trent)



(this is pure beauty if you have never seen it before)

(and the beauty continues with Mom... good thing I am the only one who writes on this blog)

(Ev's & Harlow's very very cute bums at the fish pond... The kids spend hours feeding these fish and watching the lizard dive into the water to steal the fruitloops from the fish... pretty gross I thought)

(this is a cute picture of all the kids... including my overgrown big boy Schmu) : -)

(RELAX * RELAX * RELAX) I don't want too but they make me ...haha

(mom & keidis - enjoying our last day in El Valle)

At the CRATER VALLEY they had a great things for the kids. Lots of swings, a small version of a zip line for kids.. alot of great stuff. It was perfect for the kids to burn off all their energy.

(I LOVE this picture of Harlow... she walks around and says "AUNTIES" whenever she wants something)

(Trent showing the kids what it takes to train - he only fell on his face a few times... JUST KIDDING)

( Harlow & Everett can be so sweet when they are not teasing eachother)

(here is the Sunday market... cute place)

Thoughts on El Valle?

Mom – very beautiful, tranquile, I would hightly recommend it. Would love to go back! It’s a place you see in the movies where you just want to go read your book… the perfect place to do that. At the resort we stayed we were treated like royalty. You know paradise is out there but never thought I would experience it… El Valle is paradise.

Bonnie - I thought the resort was so cute...very unique. The canopy tour, it was awesome! I didn’t realize I was nervous but I was. It went by to fast but I loved it and I would do it again. The zip lining was very professional and safe – I was surprised. I loved the market - it had a big variety of things to look at. It was good.

It has been great to have Bonnie, the kids & Mom here to experience some amazing things together.
This blog is part 1 of their trip down stay tuned for part 2...

Until next time, Thumbs up to all.

Easton our fashion pot of the family is now styling his own hair and dressing himself. Good thing they wear uniforms to school because some of his outfits are just to cool for school : -)
All our love to you all.
xoxoxox Trent * Jody * Emma * Easton & Ev!