Adios New Beige. Panama Canal Railway

Taking the Railway from Colon to Panama City

Susan-our Dutch friend in the snack car

Rain, rain, rain

Classy cars

New Beige is over there somewhere

 

Monday, April 23 2012

Today we bid adieu to New Beige and Joey.  God seemed to also be sad that we were parting ways because he cried rain drops on us all day.  It seemed like the rainy season started all of a sudden.  It had rained a little yesterday while we were snorkeling but today it rained a tropical downpour on us all day.  First we drove from Portobelo back to Colon to go to the Barwil Shipping Co’s office.  Luckily for us after we met with them they assigned a young guy from their office to accompany us to the other places that we needed to go (customs for paperwork and the port for inspections and loading) and he guided us thru the process.  I don’t know how we would have done it with out him.  There were at least three inspections, dozens of forms, and meetings with three different officials, all in Spanish and all during a deluge.  Finally we got it done and had the Barwil rep drop us (Marcie, our friend Susan from Holland and I) off at this tourist strip mall called Colon 2000 that services cruise ships that come to port.  The place was definitely cheesy, with 2 casinos and a Radisson Hotel (where Marcie talked them into letting us leave our backpacks) but we found a sushi joint to kill the four hours until our train so at least we were not out in the dirty deluge of Colon. 

We got a surly cab ride over to the train station and boarded the Panama Pacific Railroad to Panama City.  The train was a “luxury” class (only one available) and had really nice seating, canal viewing with glass ceilings, and a bar car.  It was also $25 US a ticket for the 1 hour ride.  It downpoured the whole ride so it was tuff to see any wildlife with water streaming down the windows but it was still relaxing and a very fine way to travel.  We are going to have to get used to traveling without the convenience of New Beige, but the train seemed like a good way to go. 

Later in the evening we arrived at the station on the outskirts of Panama City and tried to get a taxi back down to Casco Viejo, this time to Luna’s Castle Hostel.  The cab driver was so fat that he had to have his seat really far back in order to fit his belly behind the steering wheel.  This left Susan who was sitting behind him with the predicament of where to put her legs. 

A cramped half hour later we were back in Casco and the three of us checked into dorm beds in a shared sleeping area with 3 or four other bunk beds.  Luna’s is a very popular place with backpackers.  They do a good job of providing everything that a young traveler needs with out a lot of luxury.  They have wifi and computers for you to use, a laundry service, included pancake breakfast, a kitchen for guest to cook their own meals, a convenient location in Casco and a great bar called Relic in the basement/courtyard of the building.  Marcie and I booked a ride out to and a room in the San Blas islands for the next day then joined Susan at a restaurant next door for a healthy dinner of salad and patacones.  The three of us walked around down by the waterfront afterwards before coming back to Luna’s Castle.   I went downstairs to the Relic Bar and then to read my book in a hammock.  When I came back Marcie and Susan where chatting away again in a room full of people trying to sleep.  People kept shooting over dirty looks and finally one French guy had to ask them to be quiet.  It was a little like the hike we took in Gamboa when a guy from Belgium wouldn’t hike with us anymore because Marcie and Susan were talking so much that they were scaring away the wildlife. 

~Jon