Comments on: Through The Panama Canal And Other Travelogues https://www.neonbubble.com/blog/through-the-panama-canal-and-other-travelogues/ Cruise Blogs, Travelogues, Photos Thu, 03 Jul 2025 15:22:21 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 By: Penelope Ann Rice https://www.neonbubble.com/blog/through-the-panama-canal-and-other-travelogues/#comment-98049 Thu, 03 Jul 2025 15:22:21 +0000 https://www.neonbubble.com/?p=55957#comment-98049 We lucked out in that people in Panama were taking a break from protesting while we were there. We didn’t stop in Nicaragua. We didn’t see protests, but we did see a lot of trash and traffic, especially in Colon. Costa Rica was a lot cleaner. Belize city is rough outside the tourist area near the harbor. We’d been there before in 2013 and knew enough to stay close by the piers.

Definitely looking forward to getting away from here. I don’t recognize this place anymore. I’ve been homesick since January without actually leaving home. I don’t expect to come back to the US again unless it’s for a funeral. I’m glad you got to see Alaska before it got logged out and drilled. I wouldn’t recommend traveling here from overseas right now.

]]> By: Mark https://www.neonbubble.com/blog/through-the-panama-canal-and-other-travelogues/#comment-98048 Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:51:37 +0000 https://www.neonbubble.com/?p=55957#comment-98048 In reply to Penelope Ann Rice.

That’s great news about the new job and relocation away from all what is happening elsewhere in the world. After the initial stress of the relocation and settling in I imagine that’s going to see a massive improvement to your life. Think how much closer you are to Antarctica and the Pacific nations too.

It wasn’t bureaucracy that we had issues with but rather with political unrest and mass protests against the government. That stopped us hitting Nicaragua before we’d set sail and then prevented us from getting off at Panama too. It happens. We encountered protests in Argentina years before too, but the ship was okay with us getting off then and one of the friends we made on the cruise even joined in with one of the protests just to say that he had.

]]> By: Penelope Ann Rice https://www.neonbubble.com/blog/through-the-panama-canal-and-other-travelogues/#comment-98047 Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:31:21 +0000 https://www.neonbubble.com/?p=55957#comment-98047 We went through the Panama Canal last Xmas on the Viking Mars, followed by stops in Colon, Costa Rica, Roatan, Belize City, and Cozumel. We didn’t have any issues with Central American bureaucracy or red tape, but we did have one of the passengers die on board.

Hubby is getting to climb Mt Kilimanjaro and go gorilla trekking this September, but I get no vacay. I’m starting a new position in Wellington, NZ on August 4th, and I’m relocating there this coming Monday. New job = no leave built up yet.

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