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Thursday 2 April 2020

Moving..

Hi All.

I am leaving this blog up, and it will still be available at this URL for at least the next two years. But I've been wanting to have a slightly different vibe for a while now. So, I've created a new blog at https://www.judytravels.ca. I hope I will see you all there.

The Great Rift Valley 2016

Friday 27 March 2020

Panama - Jungle Hike

The jungle hike was great, and a great workout, what with all the up and down hill climbing. The first thing we saw when we got to the entrance of the path, was a sloth chilling in a tree. (Caveat: my good camera was out of service for this trip, so I only had my iPhone camera).








Thursday 26 March 2020

Panama - The Resort

Dreams Playa Bonita is a lovely resort. It has several pools, including a heated one exclusively for "VIP" guests. As a fan of upgraded service levels, I went for this, knowing that AMResorts, of which Dreams is a brand, does very nice things for VIP generally.






All rooms are ocean front, so there is no bad view in the place. The back of the open air halls looks out at the rainforest. Use your mosquito repellent wipes, people.





Usually, there is a private lounge, upgraded premium drinks, better service, and canapés. Often there is a private pool, and exclusive section on the beach.












The best thing this Dreams had was a French restaurant that would give VIP guests lobster, or other wonderful choices, every night with no up-charge. The lobster was delicious, and the appetisers were also choice. Also, the welcome glass of champagne wasn't to be sneezed at.








They did something a little fancy for my final dessert.







Wednesday 25 March 2020

Panama - The Gambio Reserve

I went on an excursion to the Gambio Reserve. This was an excellent excursion. After a van ride across and along the Canal, we came to the reserve. There we did a boat tour to see some wildlife on some islands, an aerial tram tour which ended at an observation tour, and some wonderful natural exhibits, including a sloth rescue (no, not one of those places where they let you handle them: an actual rescue).



First was the boat ride. Life jackets were mandatory. We saw monkeys, including an adolescent male jumping onto another boat, and attacking a child. This is why feeding them, and allowing them onto the boats is forbidden.







Next was the aerial tram, and observation tower. Confession time, folks, I am afraid of heights, and could not make it to the top of the tower.









Next were the "exhibits". They had tiny frogs and iguana in the first section. Then orchids. Then they had butterflies. And finally sloths and an anteater.













We finished off with a buffet lunch with scenic views, and pescatarian friendly offerings.