Panama City Buses

These buses could easily be my favorite part of Panama City. I believe they are independently owned like the taxis are, but I am not sure. Either way, these puppies are freaking amazing. The really good ones will have about 25 random hood ornaments on them and sweet bumping systems. I believe a one-way ride costs a quarter.

L-I-V-I-N

Back in Panama City we had a few things of business to attend to in the AM but the majority of the days were spent in this position. It didn't feel totally right after spending the last 3 days in such a poor part of the country but it did give me a little time to reflect and think about how lucky I really am on this planet we call Earth.

What?



We did check out Parque Natural Metropolitano for a little hiking action in what we thought was going to be a rain forest. It was more like the woods across the street from my apartment here in Houston but it was an "up" hike so we gained some altitude and I always like that. Honestly though it was nice 2 hour hike and we enjoyed ourselves.

The end result was pretty nice and I saw a monkey!



We even hired a driver for the whole day for $20 each (well, he hired himself as our driver for the day). He was really old and drove down a few streets the wrong way but the bottom line is finding a Buick in Panama is like finding a diamond in the rough.

Nothing the beats the cush ride of a Buick.

Gettin' Out of Puerto Armuelles

Our last day in Puerto Armuelles was a quick one. We had to check the data from the previous day and fly a quick little 30 minute mission to acquire a few photos. That was all completed pretty quick and by noon the banana workers had cleared the roads so Lucero could make his way back to Panama City with all our gear. We had to bring a little bit of equipment in the helicopter so lean mean me was the lucky one who got to fly to the airport to pick up Mike. I am lighter and the take off out of the refinery was a little confined. This is the flight where I took the footage for The Ultimate Aerial Survey Part 4. So we land at the Puerto Armuelles airport and mike jumps in the back and we are off. Since we were so heavy he had to fly real low down the runway to get enough speed to climb. Some local idiot decided to ride his bike down the runway at the same time and refused to move. We all gave him the "international wave" and we were out of Puerto Armuelles and still alive!

See in Panama they don't have 100 LL gas everywhere so its pretty common for aircraft to use 93 octane premium gas. This causes the engine to burn a little hotter and in return the cylinder head temp reads a little spicey. Not really cool and Thomas was getting a little concerned so we had to land back at the heliport we landed at a few days prior. Pilots do not take any chances when flying. At this point your kinda worried but your not freaking out b/c the pilot isn't suicidal and was in no rush to get back to the City. As we're approaching the heliport the wind was really picking up and there was a nice fire 30 ft from where we landed. Its common to see fires but this was a house fire. So here we are sitting in this 100+ degree helicopter wondering if we are even going to make it back and there is a HUGE fire brewing right next to us. Little intense/awkward.



So Thomas calls his chief mechanic and they both decide its ok to fly back just do it a lower power setting meaning a lower air speed. That's cool, I just wanted to get back and relax in Panama City. So to get out of the heliport with such high winds in the wrong direction I had to be lifted over a few farm fields and dropped off. So here I am surrounded by cows and heat for 10 minutes waiting on Thomas to go pick up Mike so we could take off, it was funny. So the helicopter didn't forget me and I jumped back in and Thomas had enough room to take off. Back in the air, the temp gauge was looking a little better and our minds went to ease as we traveled along.

The first hour was uneventful



Thomas wanted to stop off at a friends place before we landed in Panama City. His friend (i forgot his name) is originally from Canada and had been living in Panama for about a year. He worked in the oil & gas industry and was bought out so I know he had some mula. He lived on a small airstrip about an hour from Panama City. His house was attached to his hanger. We arrive and he comes out to greet us and his lovely wife had tea on a tray, how lovely. He had a pretty sweet plane in his hanger that I guess was really fast. So we set down and chatted it up with his wife and daughter while they went to get gas. They were really interesting people. They had spent two years in Ireland and then decided to move to Panama and were loving it. His wife and him actually lived in Houston for 4 months and they said was "That was an eye opener". Hmmmm... I don't think they are Astros fans! There daughter was about my age and was going along with their parent's experience and loving it as well. Its always fun to meet random people like that on the road.

I just wish I could remember their names!



So we lifted off from there and headed for the beach b/c Thomas wanted to show us some pretty scenes from the ocean. We flew near the Presidents home and there was a huge helicopter sitting outside. The last hour was really nice as we blasted across the beach full throttle to Panama City. As the sunset we arrived back to Panama City and it was a good feeling although it would of been nice to spend a for more days in Puerto Armuelles which would produce a few more good stories.

Day 2 in Puerto Armuelles

After surviving the first night of fear I awoke to Thomas banging on Lucero's door which worked out great for me because my cell phone once again decided to turn off in the middle of the night without my permission. So I brush my teeth with a bottle of water weenie gringo style, did my morning rituals, and headed outside for another day. There was a little chatter going on and I soon found out there was a huge protest involving upset Chiquita banana plantation workers, they were blocking the road a mile away. We weren't really worried b/c Lucero would not be driving back for another day or so.

We headed for a place Lucero eyed the day before for breakfast. We soon found out everywhere he chose was because of the muy caliente chicas. Did I mention Lucero likes to honk at every girl he passes just like our first drive in Panama City, Lee? It rules! So we roll up and get a real corn tortilla, a piece of cheese, and coffee. It wasn't bad at all but it didn't do the trick so we stopped off at the local grocery to pick up some snacks. One thing of note/funny, even in Puerto Armuelles Asian people run the grocery stores. Everything is so cheap, if I had to work a few months in a place like this I would save 90% of my per diem! I think by this time I was starting to understand the town a little better, at least for my own sake and piece of mind.

A little beach view and possible honeymoon site



So we hustle on over to the refinery to start flying. Security is completely different here, back in the states getting into a refinery is like getting into the Pentagon. Here its show em' some ID and be on your way. So I get the system ready and we are off. There was tons of talk on the radio about the protests, but it was all in Spanish so I have no idea what they were saying. Most of the project was over a dense forest type jungle type area. There were a few little huts with only walking paths to them. That means no electricity, no car, just land and family. One guy found it necessary to burn down his side of the mountain right in the middle of the project. Lidar does not like smoke or clouds. We got lucky though and were able to beat the big smoke.



If you are ever able to fly around Panama you will see how many people burn their farm land. Supposedly its something they have been doing for ages and that is why they do it. However, Thomas was saying its really stupid and actually doesn't help that much. Its really a site to see though, everywhere you look there is smoke coming from someone's land off in the distance. Maybe it was just that time of year. Thomas would yell at this guy from the helicopter, it was awesome. Sometimes we needed to cool off and catch some waves. Its Panama... you can do this kinda of stuff.

Since it was so hot we took both doors off the helicopter, I just tried not to lean over too much.



So we did a full day worth of work and even found a local little restaurant that we decided we would goto for the rest of our meals. I guess the trick is to find that has healthy meat and people you can trust. For lunch I had some kind of chicken soup with rice. I don't know what I was eating but my stomach never went sour on me. The thing with this soup is something would constantly be hard and gross and I would have to pull it of my mouth. At one point I pulled some kind of eyeball out! Yummy. I believe it cost us 4 dollars TOTAL to eat lunch. We came back for dinner as well. Dinner was better, I suggest the fried chicken. They don't put any spices or flavor on their meals though, they keep it natural.

It was Saturday night and Thomas really wanted to go have a beer at a local bar. I wanted to go out but was a little intimidated by the whole idea. We drove around the town that night trying to find a nice bar. We found one with loud music and a sign that said "No Minors Allowed", they chose this one. We were the only car on this road and we parked right in front of the door. There were a few people standing outside but I starred at the ground and walked right on in. The bar was really dark and only a few people were at the bar and the sweet Latino techno music was screaming! Beers there were 3 for a DOLLAR! This made my night! We sat down and watched wrestling and chatted it up. The bartender was giving me these dirty grins and I couldn't help but to grin back and see where it would go. I had NO intentions or goals but just had to play along. I mean this doesn't happen in the US and its so cool being viewed as a white piece of meat! So anyways we finished our beers and left b/c Lucero was looking for women and there were none except for the bartender who was eye-raping me. By the end of my 2nd day in Puerto Armuelles I finally felt comfortable in the town and had opened up to it. It was still awkward and I was still 100% a traveling gringo but it was a good feeling... a feeling of adventure. (ooooooooh, that was deep.)

Puerto Amuerlles and The Koko Inn

The bosses decided to pass on the free rooms at the refinery and go for the Koko Inn on the outskirts of town. I think the drive to town from the refinery is what provided the most culture shock. Anytime you travel to a part of a foreign country that could possibly be labeled 3rd world or just really really poor, a little culture shock will be present. I didn't know anything about this town, but I had my shallow stereotypes which is all you really have to go on at first. With that said, I thought it was the end of the road from me that night at the Koko Inn.

Right after you leave the gates of the refinery, a whole new world hits you. First, it's a few miles on a dirt road where many people are walking and riding their bikes to their own destinations. It was about 5 pm when we hit the town the first time and I just could not get over the amount of people in the road, there were hundreds. People on bikes, walking, wild dogs, and one old crazy man swinging a machete at air. Most of the cars in Puerto Amuerlles were independent taxis, we had a newer rental truck, so big stares into our tinted windows were very common. You put this all in a yummy dish at one time and it's quite the experience. It really felt like something out of a movie.

So we finally made it to the edge of town and arrived at the Koko Inn. A group of people were just hanging outside staring at us and all you can do is just give em a "Buenas Noches!" with a accent they have probably never heard before or you could just let loose a friendly nod. Anyways, we were shown to our rooms and we all decided to take a quick shower before dinner. Both Mike and I just sat in my room chatting instead of showering. I know we both had the same thing on our minds, but we just beat around the bush with work talk. I wasn't ready to take a shower yet. Thomas and Lucero had talked to the hotel owner and she had offered to let us follow her to the a local restaraunt.

The Koko Inn



The rooms took some getting use to. I like to think it's all apart of the great adventure I call life.


El Bano



The TiVo on this puppy broke a week before. Bummer.





So the hotel owner let us follow her to a little restaraunt she knew of by the beach. We roll up and Lucero, the helicopter mechanic and the driver, told us to put everything in the the truck and we had to park right next to the front door. It's not that we were in any dangerous situations, but the point is you just don't take any chances. So we grabbed a table by the window outside and sat down. Soon after that I noticed a few heads popping out from around the corner. Slowly, they made their way to our window begging for money. Thomas and Lucero each gave them some change and bluntly said don't come back and to leave us alone. Anyways, I had not eaten all day long and could barely see straight. I got a little fisty and orderd a small pizza for myself thinking I would have no problem eating it, wrong. I had like two slices and felt full and not so good. When I go long periods without eating I need to warm up I learned. The problem is in this part of the world it's probably not too kosher to order a decent size meal and not finish. With that said, I have never had to force down food like that in my life, oh well, lesson learned. After a couple "3 for a dollar" beers, we called it a night and I was just glad to lay down.

So the night went pretty smoothly except for everytime I would here a scream or an odd noise I would jump out of bed and look. Looking back on it, I was being quite the wuss, but the second night I held it down, fo real. The next morning as we all gathered outside we found out there were some pretty serious banana farm workers protesting down the street and blocking it. Sweet. Then, of course, the Policia came flying by with huge M-16s on their shoulders, this didn't help the awkwardness.

Getting to Puerto Amuerlles

The install of the system onto the Helicopter went smoothly and we made plans to head for the project site early Thursday morning. We also met the pilot, Thomas, who was born in Austria but has spent the last 15 years in Panama. He says it's the best country in the world. Thomas was really a good guy and pretty much saved our lives b/c throughout the entire project he is the only that could speak English and Spanish. In Puerto Amuerlles no one speaks English. We were supposed to have escorts and a driver in Puerto Amurelles set up by the client but of course that didn't happen.

The flight over took about 3 hours and started out pretty great being able to see Panama City from the sky.

Thomas pointed out this one yellow tree of some significance that was all by its lonesome. I guess in the wet season this whole area is full of them.



The beaches on the Pacific side of Panama are stay very shallow for hundreds of yards into the ocean. These ships were just laying on the mud because of low tide. On the way back to Panama I took a pic of this same area during a High tide, kinda cool.

Tide on the down low



high Tide



As we neared the city of David it was time to top off on a little go go juice (In Panama they use regular 93 octane gas instead of aviation fuel). We landed at one of Thoma's buddies heliport (if you can call it that) and filled up. The wind wasn't really working with us on takeoff so we had to fly at 5 ft up to a fence, then jump it, and then fly thru a few fields and until we had enough room to lift off. Helicopters don't really work without a headwind. It was sketchy but it worked, its Panama you can fly thru people's fields.

After a interesting take off we had a quick 20 minute flight to the Puerto Amuerlles airport, a concrete strip in a field. We did a little beach run to spice things up. As soon as we landed I new things were going get interesting. Right when I got out of the helicopter I noticed there was a crowd building outside the fence. This is a very poor part of Panama and everyone was on bikes or walking. I doubt helicopters land there too often. So we topped off Panamanian style with 5 gallon cherry cans.

Gotta havethat's thats Lucero topping her off.



Airport?



So we headed for project site to get in a mission. The project area was right over a pretty thick part of the forest and beach. The water looked great but never got to test it out. In the area was random huts where people lived. No car paths just small little trails. These people lived off the land and worked really hard to survive with no assistance from the government. Everything went semi smoothly except for the hotel accommodations, there weren't any. So here we are in the middle of nowhere and no where to stay. The terminal offered a few temporary trailers to stay in but some of the other guys went into town and find another place to stay... the Koko Inn.

Panama Canal

The beginning of our day was spent with Don Julio aka Jorge our initial escort from Htown. Our equipment had not arrived due to some missing paperwork. Jorge yelled on the phone until he got it done (Jorge gets it done in general). So we spent the next few hours in our hotel rooms until Lee, our Driver arrived. He was supposed to speak English...Negative. (Just like the rest of them, but that will be discussed later). I know a little Espanol but not enough to take care of any serious business. Anyways, he had a pretty sweet SUV and was instructed to take us to the Panama Canal while we wait on our packages to arrive. The Panama Canal is the biggest thing to see in Panama. The tourist trap we went to was the Miraflores Locks. The locks raise and lower ships in two huge channels, it'’s all done by gravity and hydraulic doors. We were lucky enough see two ships heading different directions through the locks. There are 3 sets of locks throughout the Canal and takes the average ship 8 hours to make the voyage. Using the canal saves the ships about a weeks worth of travel and tons of money.

Videos are cooler so I will post this link first! (I hope Mike the CEO of Netpimpz doesnt mind! I should of thrown in some hot Panamanian women into the vid to make up for the space. haha )

http://pace.netpimpz.com/video/pan_canal.MPG

Here is a fairly large ship about to leave the locks and hit the Pacific.



The "doors", the water level is controlled by underwater pipes and gravity.



Shipsmanuervingg towards the locks from the South.



If someone from work is reading this, we are scouting for control in this pic.That'ss me and Mike the project manager.





The canal from above

The Ultimate Aerial Survey Part IV

You better buckle up and put your helmets on for this one!

Gettin' Dirty in Puerto Amuerlles




The Classics a.k.a "The Vault"


The Ultimate Aerial Survey Part 1


The Ultimate Aerial Survey Part Duex


The Ultimate Aerial Survey Part III

I'm Alive

So I made it back alive from the far corners of Panama and now I am sitting in a really fancy hotel blogging some great stories and pictures. However, I can't seem to upload anything of decent size, so the blogs will just have to wait.

More importantly, I just completed the 4th installment of The Ultimate Aerial Survey, it's the best one yet. Trust me.

A Teaser...

Panama City, Panama

Yesterday I flew into Panama and have very little to report. However, we did go out for some good sushi/pasta and had a few Coronas. The weather feels like a mild summer day but I know its going to be a little spicy on the beach and in the helicopter. This morning we had breakfast downstairs and of now we are sitting and waiting because our equipment has not arrived. We walk over to the local Farmicia to find me some contact solution. I always feel like such a goober trying to speak Spanish, "Donde Esta contact solution?". I mean it worked but I know I phrased it wrong and my Texas accent didnt help. However, I just love to use common phrases like "Buenos Dias", "Hola!", "de nada", "gracias", and the other common ones. The city from what I have seen is very lively, there are no crosswalks so you just have to sprint across at any opening. Horns are constantly going off just like any other huge city. Its seems like the economy is really thriving here and there are many people dressed in business attire roaming about the streets. Our escort Jorge is all decked out in his suit and I am wearing pants and a Pour House t-shirt. Hey, it is what it is!

Throughout this trip we are going to have different escorts which will relieve a lot of the stress. I don't think the area the project site is in will be very sketchy but you never know, it will probably more scarce than anything. Jorge flew with us from Houston to Panama today. He flew first class and I swear he is related to Fabio. He is really cool and so is everyone I have met so far. He pointed out a place where we could enjoy a few cocktails, Cuban cigars, and "friendly" girls. Every time I walk downstairs to the lobby the bell boys call us by name and are super friendly when helping us out, and the Panamaian women?... Mmmmm Drink it in!

Anyways, here is a pic I took from the plane before we landed. It is a bunch of ships waiting on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal to get in. I read that it costs the average commercial ship $30,000 to get through and for the biggest ship ever ~ $150,000.



Panama City waking up.

Equator... It's Calling

I feel that I need to be closer to the Equator and Tuesday I am heading that way. Then Wednesday I suspect I will be driving across a foreign country straight for the jungle. I am just thankful my partner will be Canadian. Right now I am back in Houston and my Sis is too.

Earlier this week I had to go to Dallas once again to pick up our system from the helicopter, One Tango Victor. The night before I opted to drive to Waco to hang with Eric and make the drive a little shorter in the morning. We went to the new Hooters in wonderful Waco, ate some good Hooter's food, and drank some good Hooter's beer. We watched a pair of hillbilly father and sons give a nice little waitress a $-2.00 tip. They did it b/c she wouldn't go out with one of the sons.
It was awesome, I bet that they had some sweet mudflaps on their trucks.

The Wacoian Chateaux



Right now, I am watching Apocalypse Now. It's really really good, I am little disappointed I have never seen it. The one scene where Kilgore cranks up the music and leads his Helicopters into battle to go surfing was incredible. I think it has inspired me to create a new installment of The Ultimate Aerial Survey.

A Bird's Eye View

Clouds love to get in the way, but its ok when the Olympics are chilling in the background.



Port Angeles Airport



Whooooaaaa



Deception Pass, I actually wrote a blog about it last time I was here from a land-based perspective! Check it Here.



This pic reminded of the saying "work hard play hard". Oh yeah, that is Mt. Baker in the background. We actually flew some High Range stuff really close to there a year ago. Check it Here, but you may want to scroll down a few entires first.



This Navy EP-3 was a little too close for comfort. Don't worry though, ATC was all over it.



Mmmm... Drink it in Port Angeles.

Bathroom Mirrors and Lighting

Is it just me or can bathroom lighting totally dictate your hotness level. The lighting in the last hotel was definitely better than this one. It was a little darker and every time I stepped in to the bathroom I was like "WHOA! Brad Pitt, where did you come from?" and in this present bathroom which has a brighter light it looks like I got whacked with the ugly stick. Go figure.