What a Difference a Day Makes
10/30/09
Last night, as we sat overlooking the Chagres river, I thought to myself, I sure am going to miss this place. The views were spectacular, the climate perfect, the chirping of birds divine.
Chagres River
Much to Jessica’s initial dismay, I awoke up and at ‘em at 6am. We took advantage of the dawn with birdwatching and a walk up to the observation deck atop a hill in Gamboa. This rewarded us with excellent views of the canal, the Chagres and Gamboa town along with numerous first sightings of brightly colored birds.
Up and at ‘em!
Panama Canal, Gamboa rainforest and Chagres River bridge
Rufous Motmot
A mere 24 hours later, as we sat on the same patio, my thoughts were, get me the heck outta here!
We drove off to Colon at 9:30am in hopes of clearing customs and passing the next step in our shipping process. Things started out well, as we were able to locate Seaboard Marine’s offices and customs desk. The first paperwork was stamped through in less than ten minutes which seemed like a good sign. However, at customs, we were told we needed to go to a different customs office. Shuffling of paperwork ensued, various people got involved, and soon we were on our way to Panama City (!!!) to get a specific piece of paper needed, of course totally unbeknownst to us. Without getting into the tedious ridiculous details at the moment, suffice it to say, we returned to our hotel no less than 10 hours later at 7:30pm. While we do have this particular piece of paper in hand, we still need to clear customs on Monday when we are scheduled to drop the van and boxes off at the port. We hope to relax a bit over the weekend as all offices are closed, and then, well….wish us luck!
On the way to the office in Panama City (yes, those dumpsters are on fire)
The official building for vehicle exit paperwork in Panama City
Jessica’s excellent parking lot view guarding the vehicle, while I spent countless hours waiting for signatures
Last night, as we sat overlooking the Chagres river, I thought to myself, I sure am going to miss this place. The views were spectacular, the climate perfect, the chirping of birds divine.
Chagres River
Much to Jessica’s initial dismay, I awoke up and at ‘em at 6am. We took advantage of the dawn with birdwatching and a walk up to the observation deck atop a hill in Gamboa. This rewarded us with excellent views of the canal, the Chagres and Gamboa town along with numerous first sightings of brightly colored birds.
Up and at ‘em!
Panama Canal, Gamboa rainforest and Chagres River bridge
Rufous Motmot
A mere 24 hours later, as we sat on the same patio, my thoughts were, get me the heck outta here!
We drove off to Colon at 9:30am in hopes of clearing customs and passing the next step in our shipping process. Things started out well, as we were able to locate Seaboard Marine’s offices and customs desk. The first paperwork was stamped through in less than ten minutes which seemed like a good sign. However, at customs, we were told we needed to go to a different customs office. Shuffling of paperwork ensued, various people got involved, and soon we were on our way to Panama City (!!!) to get a specific piece of paper needed, of course totally unbeknownst to us. Without getting into the tedious ridiculous details at the moment, suffice it to say, we returned to our hotel no less than 10 hours later at 7:30pm. While we do have this particular piece of paper in hand, we still need to clear customs on Monday when we are scheduled to drop the van and boxes off at the port. We hope to relax a bit over the weekend as all offices are closed, and then, well….wish us luck!
On the way to the office in Panama City (yes, those dumpsters are on fire)
The official building for vehicle exit paperwork in Panama City
Jessica’s excellent parking lot view guarding the vehicle, while I spent countless hours waiting for signatures
Girls, no way I need your cite !!!
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