Bangkok view from Mariott Spa and Resort

Well, after staying here in Bangkok for some days, the impression is – the City has it all. Spicy food, sparkling nightlife, cultural art exhibitions, spa´s and endless amounts of ancient monuments and buildings to see.

Wat Arun at Sunset

Our plan was to stay in Bangkok for two nights since our goal this time is to dive as many good dive spots as possible in Thailand. But heavy rain and cheap luxury hotels changed our plans into a four nights stay in the Big City. So what to do, when we had some extra time in Bangkok? We’ve been in Chinatown, shopping, eating and watching the busy everyday life of the locals.

Tuk Tuk Chinatown Bangkok

It is crowded and busy, and in Chinatown you get the impression that they have put maximum amount of shops into every singel street. Slightly different traffic rules is fun and entertaining to watch. Scooters and Tuk Tuks challenge the maximum amount of drop load on their way through the tiny streets close to run down people and shops. However, it all floats pretty lean and nobody got hurt on our little visit.

Helene China Town

If you pass through Bangkok even for one night only, we highly recommend to visit Lebua and have a drink at the Sirocco Bar on the 64th floor, or splurge at the Breeze restaurant with sky view in 52nd! The view is fantastic, but remember to wear decent clothes – no entrance with shorts or flip flops!

Bangkok by night - Sirocco Lebua Skybar

It can be hard to navigate in Bangkok, but we found the Skytrain the most convenient way to get around in town. You can also use riverboats to get around and walk, but it may be a little confusing to navigate in these streets. Add some unpredictable traffic, and you might prefer a ride. Taxi and Tuk Tuk are cheap, but expect to get stuck in traffic.

Bangkok River

Bangkok truly is a great city to explore!  If you give it some days instead of just passing by on your way to somewhere else, expect to be surprised! Ranging from crowded and noisy markets to cheap luxury, it has something for everyone.

We’re off for a cooking class followed by a drink on top of the world… Look out for the next update from a dive spot somewhere…:)

Kob-koon,

Tore and Helene

Bocas del Toro - Panama

If you ever get stranded, I hope you will get stranded in Panama Bocas del Toro and Changuinola area. Welcome to Paradise and be prepared to stay longer than you planned!

It’s hard to leave a place like Bocas del Toro when you first have arrived. Christopher Columbus explored this area in 1502 searching for a passage to the Pacific Ocean. However, we find it strange that Columbus actually wanted to continue his search for new places after finding Bocas del Toro.

Chilling Out in Paradise

Bocas has numerous fantastic dive spots and remote islands that look so isolated that you would not blink your eyes if Robinson Crusoe came out of the jungle and asked you for a bottle of fresh water.

Zapatillas = Paradise

Zapatillas – the name will have a special sound if you have been to these dream islands. To get there you need to rent a boat or join the daily boat trip from the dock in the main street. The boat trip will take one hour each way from Bocas del Toro town. If you want to play Robinson Crusoe for a day, Zapatilla is the perfect spot to hide. Isolated, crystal clear water, smooth sand and a beautiful view are some of the ingredients waiting for you.

Local Water Taxi´s

We are not the kind of people who like to stay at luxury resorts, nipping Margaritas and lying on the beach all day. We like to explore and immerse with the local community, and this is exactly what makes Bocas del Toro so special. You will find all the things that you would expect from a typical Caribbean atmosphere in Bocas, but the warm people and the local atmosphere is somewhat special.

Sunset Bocas del Toro

Earlier on our trip we visited Utila and Roatan in Honduras, and these islands have clearly become our favorite dive paradises. However, Bocas del Toro has numerous spots with beautiful corals and underwater life that makes the diving exiting and fun. You can find 74 of a total of 78 types of coral in this area, and big fishes like Barracuda, Sharks, Stingrays and Dolphins are usual to spot during a dive. Add the most experienced dive shop in the area, and you have the perfect combination!

Helene, Tore, Kevin and Anna diving at "The Wreck"

Restaurants and food are important factors when you are traveling in this part of the world, and this town will not disappoint you. The amount of different fish and seafood courses definitely made us smile!

Tore and Helene enjoying a remote Island

As our trip came to an end here in Panama, we could not have picked a better spot to end our journey through Latin America. We hope you have enjoyed some of our stories here at www.utetime.com!

Maybe and hopefully we have inspired you to take a timeout and some time off in Latin America yourself?

Hasta Luego!

Helene and Tore

Miraflores Locks - Panama City

Seeing a super tanker being lifted 16 meters up with only the power of water in a lock is quite a sight! The Panama Canal is truly a spectacular engineering job that makes you think about the length of the project and the story of those who made this connection between the Pacific and the Caribbean Ocean possible.

During the late 16^th century the idea of the Panama Canal was whispered between the leaders of the most powerful countries in the colonial period. They had just realized the enormous amount of treasures that areas like Peru, Ecuador and Asia possessed.

Sailing in that time was a hard job, especially around the Cap Horn. A trip could end in disaster if the weather was hard, resulting in a loss of all treasures they were carrying on board.

Route around Cap Horn vs Panama Canal

A canal through Panama connecting the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea) could shorten a journey by 28 000 km  sailing from San Francisco to New York. This meant more or less a 50% reduction in travel time from the ordinary route around Cape Horn.

The Miraflores Locks (16,5 meters in difference between locks)

One of the biggest challenges the engineers had to figure out during the work with the canal was to find a way to solve the difference in altitude and tidal water between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. (The Pacific Ocean is more salt than the Caribbean side and by this it takes less water to fill because of gravity). The solution was to build 3 different locks that could raise and lower the ships 25.9 meter in total when they sailed through the canal.

Even though the plans for the canal started back in the late 16^th century, the work did not succeed until 1899 when USA bought out the French and signed the Hay-Bunau-Varilla treat that would guarantee Panama independence and secure the area of the canal.

Helene in front of the Miraflores Locks

During the construction of the Panama Canal many countries were involved and hired in to work on the project. It is estimated that more than 20.000 workers lost their life during the set up. This tells us about the risk and the level of difficulty the engineers and workers met during the work process.

Today the canal is open 24/7 and shuttles more than 14-15 000 vessels through the locks every year. The price a big container ship has to pay depends on its weight and size, but in average they pay about 150-250 000 dollar. The time it takes for one ship to pass through one lock is about 20-35 minutes. It is not hard to understand that the amount of money involved is considerable.

Ship entering the Miraflores Locks from the Pacific Ocean

USA handed over the canal to Panama in 1999 after Panama gained their independence in the late 20^th century. With the shift of ownership and the rapid growing industry in Panama, this gives the Panamanians big hopes for the future.

Hasta Pronto

Tore

Whale Montezuma

After hiking in the jungle, horseback-riding on the beach and enjoying beach life for some days is was time again to see if we could succeed to catch some fish.

Our Dutch friends Ivo and Yvonne was quite eager to go out fishing again since our last fishing trip in San Juan Del Sur didn’t pay off at all…  So after some snorkeling and exploring remote beaches with local guides, we headed out at sea trying to catch the very tasteful and enormous Mahi Mahi.

Isla de Tortuga

It is not allowed to fish close to shore, so we needed to head out for the deep sea. On our way out we got (again) company of a big groups of Dolphins, following the boat for 20 minutes.

Our faithful friends - .... whistle blowers;-)

However, from earlier we knew that this was not a good sign when it comes to catching fish… After a long period cruising around the fishing field we finally saw a big group of Mahi Mahi’s in the water, and we got him on the hook for about 30 seconds before he disappeared under the boat.

Powernap - waiting for the big fish

In spite of our non-exsisting fishing luck, we were lucky in other ways. Suddenly in front of the boat we saw water being thrown and blown high up in the air from a big whale breathing out on the surface. Our disappointment of having black sea when fishing disappeared quickly, and everybody was now watching for more whales around the boat.

Our crew trying to catch dinner

We got around twenty beautiful views of these amazing creatures, and surrounded by dolphins and jumping manta rays we felt like being in an movie.

So again – we got no fish. But what more can you ask for when the whole ocean jumps up from the water and shows you all it’s beauty from the inside…

Hasta Pronto

Helene

After what you can call a rather hazardous trip from San Juan Del Sur in Nicaragua to the border of Costa Rica, we decided to head for Nicoya Peninsula and the small town Montezuma.

Again we found that most travel books spend too little attention giving good directions when crossing boarders and travelling to smaller places. When we finally reached Barranca, we only had 15 minutes to reach the ferry from Puntarena that would take us to Paquera. Luckily we made it and avoided a 6 hours shuttle ride on bumpy roads.

Map Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

Montezuma is located on the southern tip of Nicoya Peninsula and close to Mal Pais and Santa Teresa. This region is also known as Surfers Paradise in Costa Rica. The towns are small, but far more charming than the tourist machine Tamarindo if you are looking for a hideout from the tourists traps.

Montezuma, Costa Rica

Since price also is a big issue on a trip like this, it is easier to find better accommodation and places to stay out of the big resorts and tourist destination. This will probably change in the near future, but today you will find yourself more or less alone on many of the beaches if you walk for 20 minutes.

Helene and Pinto on the beach

Since Costa Rica has several good beaches for going horseback riding, Helene was fast to book a 4 hours ride so we could explore some of the remote beaches from the horseback. It’s not that I don’t like horses, but I do not think they like me. Having a Norwegian amateur rider on my back would probably scare me too.

Tore looking for Whales

However, we had a really nice trip exploring and finding beautiful beaches, most exiting was to look for whales near the beach, the Coast of Nicoya Peninsula is well known for having big numbers of whales visiting at this time of year.

To be continued…

Hasta Pronto

Tore

Sunset in San Juan Del Sur

We have now stayed in a country so beautiful, that is was hard to leave. But as pictures tell more than thousand words, just look at the fantastic experiences Nicaragua gave us.

Some keywords; dolphins, whales, horses, surfing and fishing!

Border Nicaragua

The only thing not recommended is the boarder crossing between Nicaragua and Costa Rica – but the pictures will speak for themselves! Enjoy:)

Tore, Evo and Yvonne waiting for the border crossing

Tore keeps up the speed crossing the border

Helene waiting for the second luggage check at the border of Costa Rica

Hasta Pronto

Helene and Tore