2 Week Winter Break 2011

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It was 2 week winter break from school, and we were so excited to go to Panama again. Panama is easily accessible from Toronto. We booked our tour with Sunwing, direct flight to Tocumen Airport to stay one week in Panama city and one week at all inclusive Playa Blanca Resort.  Our host Jaswant Singh picked us up from the airport, and we stayed with him for a week. 


Panama Canal Full Day Tour


We booked our Panama Canal Day Tour online that started from Gamboa Rainforest along the canal from the Panama side of Gatun Lake. We enjoyed watching the enormous ships rise skywards as the locks fill with water and the 7 foot thick gates open and close. When we waited, people shouted, "Hola!" or "Bienvenidos!" (Welcome) to other crew members.


Miraflores Locks


Gates Opening

Building of New Locks

Traditional Dress

It was one of the most spectacular learning and viewing experiences of many years of travel. Also we had the opportunity to see the building of new locks too.



2 Day Trip to Pedasi

Pedasi is on the tip of the Azero Peninsula in the province of Los Santos on the Pacific Ocean. We found an ad that offered one way taxi ride and one free night stay at the hotel, but we had to  pay for one night of the hotel and one way for the taxi ride to see the new construction of a gated community. Our taxi arrived and the driver didn't speak a word of English, and we didn't speak a word of Spanish either. Our host was so worried and was calling the driver every 30 minutes. It took us around 4 hours to reach Pedesi. The hotel was really a 3 bedroom small bungalow converted into a hotel and a restaurant.



Pedasi is a small town, and it took us only few minutes to walk in the town centre.  We passed by the local houses with open doors, and were greeted with friendly smile. The church and the sitting area of the town was beautiful.

We had a tour of this small but charming town. There are many things to do, including beautiful beaches, world renowned fishing, surfing and snorkeling and restaurants. Also we saw fishermen catching fish in small wooden boats. Overall, it was an amazing trip.



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