2retire2: Chargris River

We took a trip

There into the forest bordering the canal. there is a sloth hiding in this tree

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I think the guide was sayin you can make everything you need from this plant and you can eat it something like that I was more distracted by the soldier ants marching by

That dark thing by the sandbank is a crocodile. I said it was a jungle and don't forget the canal and all those ships are not to far behind me whats that about civilisation and one meal , mind you on a cruise ship a meal is the main reason some of these people go. At least that's the way it seemed to me .

I think there is a line of soldier ants behind this plant , cant think why I took the picture otherwise

This may not look much but this is one of the most evocative pictures I have ever taken. The first attempt at the canal was the scots of all people , more an overland route than a boat trip. Fast forward a few hundred years and the French had a go. Ferdinand de Lesseps of Suez canal fame . For many reasons one of which was malaria the attempt failed the company went broke de Lesseps ended up in prison and here is the worst bit - thousands died trying to dig the canal. The reason this picture is so evocative is because the bit of water you can see through the trees is the end of the French canal thousands died to get here and then it stopped.

more ants probably

a jungle trail

jungle

and onto the river , there were monkeys in the trees screeching and chattering

and I was enjoying myself

but it began to rain

Not unnaturally it being a rain forest it began to rain

Our fellow travellers complained , they demanded for the trip to end and to be taken home. Only my wife and I the only Brits on the trip wanted to go on ,

we were out voted , we made them wait whilst we chatted to the locals which annoyed the other tourist as they were afraid they were missing lunch (honestly) so we had to go and it was a great shame. I think they thought it would be like a Disney tour and when they had to walk and get wet they moaned. I still find it unbelievably that you would pay for the canal trip , pay again to see one of the worlds great rivers , to have all that history all that grandeur and to want to go because its raining. They (everybody else on the tour and there were 3 buses) complained to the Captain !! Next day he came on the Tannoy and said I have had complaints that it rained on yesterdays tour , its a rain forest , it rains , get over it , two lonely Brits were heard to cheer .
Thing is though I wont ever do this again and because of a selfish bunch of overweight spoilt brats we had to miss out, I should have complained.

When we got back we couldn't get on the boat until it was at a place where you can board so I took these pictures to show how tight it all was

if I ever win the lottery , an event looking ever less likely , I will take another cruise only this time I will have one of these cabins.

We see some friends , before the cruise we weren't friends , we didn't know each other, we were all on the same table for dinner and we became friends. Really good company. The thing is and although its a boat for someone you know to be standing on their balcony looking out just as you are walking along the canal in the middle of Panama in a jungle on a journey you have looked forward to for months is somehow strangely exciting and unexpected and I don't know why .