Torti to Gamboa and the Canal accident

Outdoor breakfast Torti style

Niklas and our Host

Nothing like a cold morning
 shower to get the circulation
going

It was soon morning and time to depart Torti for Gamboa Rain Forest Resort.

After our outdoor breakfast we packed ourselves into our red bus, pulled out on the highway and headed for Gamboa. Many found cause to celebrate as there were high hopes that the comfort of Gamboa would exceed Torti, which was the case. However, I found the stay at Torti exhilarating! It is conditions at the simplest level which allow one to appreciate luxury.


We arrived at Gamboa around 1pm and it was like being driven right into Heaven itself. Our rooms weren't ready until 3pm so why not change into bathing clothes and have a swim? But first, how about a strawberry daiquiri at the Monkey Bar!

Arriving in Heaven: Gamboa

Gamboa was a real pleasure. It seemed like everybody enjoyed Gamboa. I ate, swam and participated in an activity everyday. I even had a 50 minute "relaxing massage". Most of us rode the aerial tram to the mountain top and many got to see the Monkey Island; but not everybody!

Aerial tram to the top (or the bottom)

Lars, Birgitta and Bengt
sitting on top of the world

The Canal from Gamboa tops

The pool area was "Nobel safe powder"
 (original name for "dynamite")

I loved the warmth, humidity and general ambience of Gamboa. The were also lots of daily activities.

One of the activities at Gamboa is a guided boat tour which crosses the Canal (one can honestly say he has passed through the Panama Canal) over to a so-called "Monkey Island". There, one can see the howler monkeys and perhaps a crocodile.

On Friday morning, the day before our departure, I had planned to go on the morning tour but got stuck struggling with the computer trying to inject photos into this blog. I missed the tour. I was booking a later tour when suddenly a large group of guests swelled into the hotel lobby, many looking upset and the babbling sound of the group signaled that something was not as it ought to be. The story went that as the boat was crossing the Canal, a police boat took up pursuit. The driver ignored the whole thing and just kept going. Finally the police swung in front of the boat causing a collision between the two boats. Luckily, no one was seriously injured. It turned out there was blasting activity in the Canal today and the police were trying to warn the tourist boat. The driver, having no commercial license nor any other kind of license, was an issue with the police as well as many of the passengers when that came to light. In any case the boat was "non servicable" and my tour was cancelled!

Me enjoying the top view
(The humidity curls my hair)