This
morning, Feb. 17, 2002, two
twin engine airplanes took off from central California with seven guys
aboard --- this is a no chick trip --, in very uncertain weather, to head
for the Panama Canal. This trip will take this group of testosterone
laden guys from the Bay Area down through Baja, across the Gulf of
California, down mainland Mexico, over to Guatemala, Costa Rica and on
into Panama. After a
boat trip through locks, we will begin our trek back to California through
Central America. Along the way we hope to experience all that this
area has to offer---everything from white water raft trips through the
rain forest to riding ATVs along the many beaches that will dot our trip.
Your
cast of characters for this adventure hail from California, Oregon,
Alaska, South Dakota, and Germany:
From Left to Right
Tim
Whitney
aka el cardon
Russ
Kellum
aka el capitan
Doug
Howden
aka
sadim
Peter
Emde
aka el
Muncherer
Greg
Conklin--your friendly scribe
Lynn Bennett aka el grande
Marty
Coffee
aka
el bushbear
Todd
Young
aka
el geronimo
We
almost started our trip by not leaving at all due to bad weather, but with
the exceptional skill of our highly trained pilots (this is the only
bullshit that you will hear from me) we ended up leaving only a few hours
late. After a couple of tense hours of flying we landed just short
of the Mexican border in the little town of Brawley, California. We
were almost the only two airplanes on the airport, and after a quick
refueling and a last look at the good old US of A we blasted off for our
next stop at Loreto, Mexico. The trip took us down the coast of the
Gulf of California---it was absolutely beautiful, but there sure was a lot
of emptiness that went along with the beauty.
After
a non-eventful landing (the ones we like best) we began the bureaucratic
nightmare that is getting through Mexican customs, immigration,
agricultural checks and the commandant's office---each one asking for a
piece of our pocketbook. The guy in the immigration office actually
took the money and put it in his pants!!! I guess they have
their own retirement plan. Apparently a bunch of Gringos showing up
in twin engine airplanes suggests that we have lots of money, because we
were HIJACKED by the van driver. As
much as Tim and Russ tried, the
guy would not back down, so $40 and two miles down the road we showed up
at our hotel. Actually a very nice little place right in the middle
of town. Our first order of business though, was, of course, to find a cold beer.
Although
dinner was good, I have to say that the process by which seven hungry men
who haven't eaten all day leaves a lot to be desired. If we continue
our ways of indecision, we will all loose 20 pounds. Our only
assumption is that if we drink enough alcohol, we should be able to kill
any of the nastys that may be lurking in our food.
Loreto
is truly a neat little town with a lot of personality. I wish we
could have gotten here earlier to explore it more fully.
Our plan is to get up early, much to the chagrin of many, and
hopefully everyone is as happy with their Tequila in the morning as they
are now. We will fly across the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California)
in the morning enroute to Guadalajara, where we will be picking up
Peter---our eighth and final dude.
Fortunately
all seven us woke up none to worse for the wear. Lynn stumbled
around before sunrise waking up many of us to go for breakfast. We
were a little messed up at breakfast, since
Russ ordered a breakfast, then canceled it, but they didn't get the
message. So Lynn ate and to
top it off Todd paid for it---go figure? We regrouped and took
the same over-priced taxi back to the airport. It took over an hour
to get through the paperwork before they would let us out to the planes.
It was actually only 5 minutes of paperwork, but we had to wait an
hour for the proper people to show up---I'm sure this will be the recipe
for the rest of the trip.
Loreto
really was a neat little fishing/tourist village---definitely worth coming
back to. The cacti went right down to the water. We took off
on their downhill runway toward the Gulf, so if you don't pull back on the
yoke at some point you will end up swimming. We flew about 11/2
hours over the Gulf---as you get about halfway you become very glad to
have two engines on the plane. The first mainland city we came to
was Mazatlan. This is where my favorite beer is brewed---Pacifico.
It was then on inland toward Guadalajara. The scenery continued to
be beautiful but very arid---that will change in the next day or two.
As we got closer to Guadalajara, I felt the plane
bank steeply to the right. Couldn't figure out what the problem was
until I looked on a map. The town off to our right was the little
town of Tequila, Mexico. Any idea what they do there? Anyway
everyone on board was leaning almost out of their seat
drooling---unfortunately we did not stop---but if we run out of the stuff,
we know where there is more!!!!
Arrival
in Guadalajara was also uneventful. We didn't need to do any
paperwork, nobody wanted to talk to us, and we met Tim's brother, Paul at
the general aviation terminal. And
we all piled into his red
pickup, four in front and four in the back. I'm sure we looked quite
cute driving down the road. I
can only imagine what was going in the minds of the people around us.
Paul had picked out a shady spot off the road and had brought lunch for us
--- three dozen taquitos and a cooler full of Corona ---it was great!
We had a very relaxed two hour lunch under a very nice billboard
sign (it was about 90 degrees). Life
couldn't get any better than this----or could it?
After
lunch we all climbed back into the truck and sped off toward Lake Chapala
and our hotel, about 1/2 hour away. There
we met Peter and his wife, Sigrid, who had already been touring the area
for a week. (Sigrid will
return home tomorrow on the airline).
And now our octet is complete. After checking in and walking
the grounds we found ourselves up on a veranda overlooking the complex and
Lake Chapala, and in this beautiful setting we started our arm workouts
with 12 oz weights. A couple of the guys went into town to pick up
food for the next days flight and returned with a couple of cases of
cool-aid ----I mean beer. So we stopped buying the beer from the
hotel and started to drink our own ---- let me tell you,
that didn't go over well. We almost got kicked off the
veranda, but Paul’s ability to speak Spanish saved us.
He had a long and heated conversation with the waiter, after which
they were friends and we were allowed to stay and continue drinking our
beer. For appetizers we ordered up a plate of these little sardine
like fish, which had been caught in the lake, breaded and deep
fried---whole!!! And you eat them whole!!! Later we went out for a nice seafood dinner.
A free round of margaritas with dinner seems to be the custom here.
After dinner we retired back to the hotel for a few nightcaps.
I have a feeling we are going to return to the states with some very
abused---maybe a better word would be exercised---, livers!
We
are leaving in the morning for Guatemala City, and we would all like to
thank Paul for his hospitality and free taxi service. It made our
brief stay in Guadalajara far more pleasant and memorable.
Well,
it is very late and we had another wonderful day in Central America.
We needed to get up early again to get to breakfast so we could all load
into Paul's pickup for one last ride in the “gringo taxi”. We
ask the folks at the hotel's restaurant whether or not they would be open
by 7 in the morning and they said yes. We, of course, planned around
that and walked in at 7. I guess we should have been more explicit
and asked if they were serving breakfast at 7!!! They weren't
but they were open. Breakfast doesn't happen until 8.
Once
we got to the airport we went through another hour of bureaucracy to get
out of town, and we started on what I thought would be a fairly uneventful
day. It was to be about 6 hours of flying which would put us into
Guatemala City around 5:00 pm, and
with the paperwork and transfer get to the hotel for dinner and maybe a
drink. I was once again proved wrong.
The Mexican countryside was littered with
dozens of volcanic cones for as far as the eye could see---quite
impressive. We passed Acapulco and landed in Huatulco for fuel and
about an hour of paperwork to leave Mexico. Once on the ground
I realized that we were getting close to the tropics. It was hot and
humid and we were able to stretch that hour of paperwork and walking
from one office to the next to over 2!
(These
long delays in getting through the airports are due to the fact that there
are very few small airplanes passing through.
They are not used to it and they are not equipped to handle it
efficiently. All the
different arms of government have to approve each flight, and there could
be as many as SIX of these. They
all have separate offices, often in completely different locations on the
airport, and they all have to fill out their separate forms, either by
hand or on an old manual typewriter using carbon paper.
We often have to return to some of the offices a second time
to pay fees! It is all very
time consuming and frustrating, and we tried to anticipate it, but it was
far worse than we had expected.)
Actually
this was an airport serving several resorts along the coast and they are
definitely growing. Our first taste of excitement came in
the form of both Barons taking the active runway for a formation takeoff,
just like the Blue Angels. But my guess is
that you have never seen the Blue Angels make three lead changes as
they roared down the runway, trying to determine who should be lead and who should be
wingman -----pretty funny.
The
Guatemalan border was less than an hour to the south, and the flight along
the coast was breathtaking. Upon
turning inland we started to see quite a bit of cloud buildup and off in
the distance what looked like some pretty big mountain peaks. Once
we entered Guatemala the scenery changed dramatically.
These mountain peaks were all volcanic peaks---not formed as a
range but each as an individual peak extending from the ground all the way
up to over 11,000 feet! As we made our way through this jungle of
basalt, it became very evident that they were all not sleeping. One
in particular had quite a bit of smoke pouring out its top. The
other spectacular feature was the scattered to broken cloud layer which
obscured the lower 5-10
thousand feet of the peaks. These
large, steeply pointed volcanoes were only visible above that altitude and
watching the clouds finger their way up the slopes made for some very
primeval pictures.
Landing
in Guatemala City was no easy task, to
say the least. The city is surrounded by a dozen or more of these
volcanic peaks, and many of
them were partially or completely obscured by clouds. It was very
hazy, but luckily we had the sun at our six o’clock position.
You know how all of the communication towers in the US have red
lights on them so pilots can easily see them? Well, in Guatemala
that don't believe in this practice.
Also, there is very little radar in Central America, so finding the
airport and landing was pretty exciting!
After
landing (safely) we were once again met by the little army guys, some of
whom had obviously just gone through puberty last week, and who carry
machine guns. They checked out our plane and sprayed it with
disinfectant, for which we gladly pay ten bucks!! ---what a joke.
Then we get escorted to start the paperwork. After the first guy
finishes with us we have to go to another office---because at no single
location do they have everything together. The guy tells us to go
down three doors to your left. Well, there wasn't an office three
doors, or two doors, or even one door down. We start walking and
find ourselves being escorted by our army buddies up to the second floor
of another building. Oh, maybe they mean three BUILDINGS down. --NO!
We walk down an entire terminal and into the main terminal to a little
office---Don't know how these guys know what goes on under their on noses.
It almost becomes comical.
After
fueling up, the vans to our hotel show up. Very nice people and they
take us to a nice little hotel
only a few minutes away. This seems great---we should have enough
time to see some of the city. We walk in, only to be told that we
are the WRONG group of eight! So
this is not our hotel, and they have no rooms.
What to do? They are
nice enough to help us locate another hotel and they assure us it is a
good hotel and a good rate. And
they are sending a van for us which should be here in about 20 minutes.
Now
this little hotel is actually on a very small, dark street, like an alley.
So we are all standing around waiting, our bags stacked up on the
sidewalk. It is dark by now
and it gets to be 30 minutes---then 45 minutes.
We watch the REAL 8 people arrive and check in.
In the meantime I thought I would get out our satellite phone and
hook it up to the notebook and check for email. It looks very CIA
like and a couple of people came out of their homes, I think quite
nervous. It is 7pm, dark, in an alley, and 8 white guys are huddled
around this high-tech gizmo in a not so affluent neighborhood---what
would you think?
We
waited and waited and waited. Lynn remembered that he had brought
along three bottles of his own wine (Winter in Alaska drove him to
winemaking!), so he breaks them out and they are gone in about 15 minutes.
We have power in numbers! Then
someone digs out a bottle of Tequila, and then it is gone--- and we are
still waiting. We have long since called for a couple of cabs--- we
assume the van forgot about us. So
here we were in a dark alley on our only night in Guatemala City, drinking
wine out of the bottle, waiting for a stupid ride. Naturally, once
the cabs showed up, so did the van---go figure.
Our
REAL hotel was actually very nice, and in a good part of town, and we
quickly hit the streets in search of food.
Now your only night in the this fair city and where do you go to
eat? An Italian restaurant!!!! But the food and service were
just excellent!!. After dinner we continued our walk and found the
local version of Cheers. A neat little bar called Mr. Jerry.
We drank some very good Guatemalan Beer and told lies. But I have to
say, and I think everybody would agree, this is a very cool city.
Everyone we encountered had a smile and they have to be some of the nicest
people I have met. Our stay was short but very memorable and I would
love to come back and spend more time---mostly because of the people.
Tomorrow
we will leave early and fly to San Jose, Costa Rica for fuel and then on
to an island in the Caribbean where we hear they don't know the meaning of
time.
Just
to set the stage: I am sitting in a big chair with my feet propped
up on a second story banister looking out over the Caribbean as the sun
sets. To be able to put up with this awful environment, I'm sucking
down a few Panamanian cervezas. Life does not suck right now.
Today's
flying was exciting to say the least! We took off from Guatemala
City at about 10:30 after the normal two hours of bullshit, wasteful,
frustrating, paperwork, delay and spending unusual amounts of money to get
through it all...... are we having fun yet?
We
took off and picked our way around those towering volcanic cones, trying
to avoid any clouds--- they might be full of granite! I really
hope I get the opportunity to go back and visit. The flight down the
Pacific continued to be dotted with volcanic cones that would rise up
through the scattered clouds.
As
we continued, more East than South, along the Pacific coastline,
we passed El Salvador and Nicaragua. We unfortunately did not
have written permission to over fly their respective countries and not
wanting to see how fast their military jets were or become target practice
for any big guns on the ground, we elected to maintain our passage
offshore. Shortly thereafter we turned inland over Costa Rica.
Once again the country-side changed dramatically. Everything was
very green and we were seeing more and more trees. We landed in San
Jose after a very difficult landing at their small, downtown airport at
Pavas. The winds were high and squirrelly and the runway short with
a steep upslope. It was
another exciting moment! The
hour or so we spent their was uneventful--its purpose to refuel before our
flight to Bocas Del Toro, Panama, which
has no fuel.
After
taking off and heading toward the Caribbean we meet up with our friends
the clouds and once again they are hiding lot of terrain behind them.
This flight was planned to be only 45 minutes and the cloud layers
extended not only vertically as high as we could see, but also well out
into the Caribbean. However,
the cloud bases were about 3000 feet above ground level, so we elected to
stay in the clear below them and follow the river valley through to the
coast--- best choice we could have made. I love flying and have see
a lot of beautiful scenery from the air, but this short leg was above and
beyond. We cruised a couple thousand feet above the ground, at times
brushing up against the bases of the clouds, winding through the canyon.
At times with rain hitting our windshield and being tossed around at the
whim of the wind. People pay lot of money for rides like this at
Disneyland. About halfway through the canyon we entered the
Costa Rican Rain Forest. It was breathtaking---- I don't know how
else to describe it. It looked like a tree every foot and the canopy
that this formed looked like you could walk on it. The mountains we
covered with the jungle and only disappeared when the mountain vanished
into the lowering cloud layer. Very ethereal.
Once
we exited the canyon we saw the Caribbean for the first time. We
made our way down the coast toward Bocas Del Toro as the clouds continued
to push us down to about 1500 above the shoreline. From this vantage
point we could easily see the coral beds along the coast and the jungle
growing right down to the beach. Their was ocean, then sand, then
jungle---pretty neat. A short 15 minutes later we spotted the island
where we are planning to spend the next two days. This island is
about as big as a city block with what looked like a new runway carved
right out of the center. We landed, and as always, were met by the
welcoming committee wanting to spray the plane with a $5 puff of
insecticide. The customs lady
who wanted to inspect the plane must be married to the tower controller,
whose son is the guy with the bug spray.
This is a SMALL town.
It
was immediately obvious that we were in the third or fourth world.
Most of you out there could buy the homes here with the change in your
pocket. Yet this place didn't seem to know that it was in the third
world. The people were very nice, but they seemed more interested in
getting home for a nap than dealing with us. They did of course take
our money and they even doubled some of the fees, since we interrupted
their midday siesta with our arrival at 4pm. As a few of us walked
the dirt streets looking for a place to call home, it was very apparent we
were near the equator. It was hot and humid. All we cared
about was a room with two beds, a bathroom, a shower, and,
please God, an air conditioner! ---yeah, right!
Things got to be very worrisome when we got to the EIGHTH hotel and
still no luck---keep in mind some of these hotels only have a few rooms.
At the last remaining hotel, after loosing about 5 pounds to sweat, we
found our Eden. They had had a cancellation, so there were three
rooms each with three beds, a bathroom, a shower, and……
an air conditioner!!!!! ----there
is a God!!!
The
next couple of hours were spent sitting on this veranda drinking beer and
relaxing in the warm (but humid) tropical breeze. After searching
for a place to eat for twenty minutes with no luck (actually many places
had already closed at 8:15) we landed in a little Italian cafe. I
had pizza, of all things. You wouldn't believe what a big deal pizza
is in Central America. When we were in Guatemala City, there were
bill boards advertising pizza all over the place. In this very
little town, I found four little pizza places. Actually it was quite
good.
We
all were excited to have this day of fun in the sun. Nobody was up
early, but once we got going it was great. Russ and I were excited to
have, across the street from our deluxe accommodations,
a dive shop. We went over and they were more than willing to
take the two of us out from some underwater exploration. This really
made the day for me, an avid diver. I
never gave much thought to diving in Panama but a 10 minute boat ride
from our hotel was some pretty decent diving. Russ and I spotted
everything from spiny lobster and beautiful scallops to multi-colored
brittle stars wrapping their delicate arms around pillars of coral.
The water was calm, warm (about 81f) but the visibility was lower than I
expected---about 50 feet. On
my second dive the visibility dropped to about 20 feet.
Russ
wouldn't know about that because as we were riding back to shore during
our surface interval we met up with another boat carrying six very loud
and unsavory looking fellows. They were on their way out to explore
the islands by boat. They pulled up next to us and that darn Russ
just jumped ship on me! My
second dive was also pretty good with lots to see, then I headed back to
shore to eat and take a nap. A couple of dives, a few Dramamine ---I
don't go in a bathtub with our Dramamine---, and a lot of fresh air equals
about and hours nap, and I sure felt revived afterward.
Apparently
the group of seven had quite a time on their adventure. After
leaving me to fend for myself, they traveled at high speed to a secluded
bay with mangrove trees lining the shore. As they circled around the
bay the captain whistled a few times and just like at Marine World a
school of a dozen dolphins appeared---anxious to show for the group---and
they did. Next, as the boat
sped off for parts unknown, the boatman would steer directly at the
mangrove shore. Running at
that speed, going directly at the dense line of trees,
looked like a certain crash, but they were always snatched from
disaster at the last second when a narrow channel would appear and the
boat would zip through the narrow opening untouched, and into another bay.
Obviously our man had done this before.
They
tried a little place near shore for lunch, but there would be a wait, so
it was off to do some more exploring for a while.
After examining the lagoon floor with mask and snorkel, a first for
about half the group, it was
back for food. The guy
evidently now felt more comfortable dealing with this gruff bunch.
The little restaurant was on poles over the water, and they had several
pens below which held lobster, a huge grouper, and several turtles.
So it was lobster for lunch. Big
ones, too, for $6.00 including all the trimmings.
After lunch they went on a jungle walk and were shown tiny red and green
spotted tree frogs (you won’t find these on a French menu,
however---quite poisonous). At the end of the walk was a nice beach
with crashing surf. Now what
would a group of little boys want to do?---------body surfing, Panama
style!! I don't know if it is different from California style but
probably a little more exotic. Now, the king of the body curl had to
be Russ. Not only did he loose his bathing suit as he dove into a
wave, but it turned his pockets inside out, dumping his watch, credit card
and some cash into the churning surf.
I'm sure how good a ride it was, but
now there is probably some islander who just paid off his boat with
the help of MasterCard!!!
After
we regrouped Tim got out his blender (yes, BLENDER) and the drink of the
day became Fu-Fu. This is a
blend of whatever local hooch is available--- rum down here--- and
whatever local fruit is available--- bananas and oranges around here. I hate using that term hanging out with seven other
guys trekking through jungles of Central American, but what else do you
call them? Sweet and refreshing and all they lacked was a little
paper umbrella sticking out.
Also,
after severely limiting the amount of weight
each of us were allowed to take on this three week long trip (only
30 pounds each!), how does a blender
end up coming along? I guess
it just shows you where our priorities are. After our manly drinks
we walked back up the main street for a late night promenade and then to
bed.
Tomorrow
is a big day for us---we fly down the Panama Canal!!! This is the
focus of the trip and we are all looking forward to seeing what cost
30,000 lives and took over 40 years to complete. Although it is
currently overcast, by tomorrow we hope it clears up.
Well
the day started out early, as most, and unfortunately we did wake to
overcast conditions. This is the day we all have waited for---the
Canal! After breakfast on a pier out over the water we quickly
packed up and headed for the airport. As we got there the rain had
begun. Russ and Tim had left a bit earlier to start the dreaded
paperwork. We arrived about 30 minutes afterward expecting to load
the plans and take-off---NOT. The terminal area is about the size of
a standard house with 5 or 6 people working there. We had checked
into Panama two days earlier---or had we? It still took over two
hours! Aside from operating at their own pace and the language
barrier, they claimed we never had permission to be in Panama in the first
place---which we did (written)--- that we never completed the
customs/immigration two days ago---which we did, and that we hadn't paid
enough---which is always the case! I
know it sounds like we complain a lot about the bureaucratic process,
and we do!! Our days
are pretty full as is and it seems like such a waste---but we are getting
better with it, and we just keep reminding ourselves that it is part of
the trip and try to accept it for what it is. They were interested
in the start and end date of our insurance policies---what is that about?
This morning, which should have been quick---was just a big pain.
Now the one highlight, if you can say there was one, was Russ and Tim's
trip up to the two-story wooden airport control tower. As they
climbed the steps they had to bang on the ceiling, which was the underside
of a trap door. The tower person opened it, stood aside and they
climbed through the hole. After
closing the hole, the trap door became the floor. Barely room for
one, much less three! I'm
sure they don't hold many parties up there.
Anyway,
the rain ended and we're rid again of the bureaucracy---I'm sure it will
be back soon. We blasted off into wild blue yonder---- or white
yonder, if you consider the 3500 foot overcast. We tried to maintain
3000ft but the cloud layer kept exerting its influence and pushing us
down. That was fine with me. The flight along the coast was as
spectacular as ever, with lots of little islands offshore and little
villages comprised of grass huts cropping up wherever there was a river
emptying into the ocean. We were able to maintain 2000ft but the
coastline was so interesting that we had to drop down and finish the
coastline leg at 500 ft. What a treat! It was easier to see
the cliffs and beaches and we could even make out some of the small
village fishing boats out looking for dinner. At that altitude you
really get an appreciation for how vast the jungle truly is and you could
almost see the heat and humidity.
After
about an 45 minutes we took a hard right and there it was----The Panama
Canal. Within the first 1/4 mile was the first set of locks that
raise ships up to the lake level. There were a dozen large ship
waiting in the lake for their turn on what I suspect is not a cheap
ride between oceans. The
canal is only about 50 miles long, and our hope was to cruise its length
at 500 feet, but the flight restriction minimum is 2500ft---but guess were
the bases of the clouds were. The lateral limits of the flight
zone were 3 miles out on either side. Still a good view, but about
1/3 through the canal the clouds were gone and so we were forced up to the
2500ft minimum. This actually
gave us a much better overall perspective of this unbelievable wonder.
The lake begins to narrow and the canal becomes more apparent as it snakes
through the countryside. Two thirds of the way we come up to the
Gillard Cut, which is a huge passage through the rock at the
Continental Divide. We
continue on down and suddenly we run right into the pacific ocean,
and to our left was the impressive skyline of a vibrant Panama City.
After
landing, again at the smaller downtown airport, we actually got through the mess in short order---maybe ten
minutes. It took longer to fuel the planes. We grabbed a
couple of cabs---both of which had seen better days, and sped off to the
hotel, called The Las Vegas Suites. Once there we gave ourselves a
couple of hours to rest and replenish our cash reserves at the local
banks. Panama uses the U.S.
dollar for currency. The bulk of the group left for a drink atop a
nearby hotel with an outdoor rooftop bar overlooking the city,
Marty and I joined later after a walk through the busy, noisy
streets. We could have been in downtown New York. I was
pretty impressed by the city, and interestingly enough, prostitution is
legal here. Not, of course, that we were interested, but we surely
did get a bunch of offers. One young lady even came up to Marty and
rubbed his belly and asked if she could continue to rub Buddha. He
of course declined and we continued the march to the bar. The view
was nice, but we only stayed about an hour. We returned to our hotel
for dinner, where we found they had an excellent restaurant.
We all turned in early, since tomorrow we have our earliest morning
yet. We have to be dockside
at 07:15 for our boat trip through the locks.
I can't wait!
Well,
the morning did start out early---very early. We boarded our cabs
and took off for the Canal. We were all very excited for the day's
event. We boarded the tour boat about 7am and were greeted by very
friendly folk and, to our surprise and pleasure, breakfast. It was
pretty good considering it was on a tour boat. The Captain came on
saying that the boat could hold about 550 people---I have no idea how that
could be. It would be like sardines. But today's count barely
scratched the century mark---plenty of room. We launched on
time and rounded the corner of the peninsula and there it was---the big
Americas bridge spanning the opening to the canal. There were a
couple of dozen ships stationary outside the mouth of the canal waiting
for their number to be called.
As
we passed under the bridge the first set of locks came into view.
The closer we got to them the more apparent the size of the locks became,
and everyone began leaning out the boat in anticipation.
Well all but Tim---who felt the need to get some bread and feed it to the
gulls that were keeping pace with the boat. Of course this brought
more gulls fighting for each scrap of food and basically cleared that end
of the boat of all those not wishing to be dumped upon. Actually he
got several gulls to eat directly from his hand. After we tied Tim
up we started to enter our first lock.
The
first thing you notice are the mammoth steel doors that are several feel
thick but hollow and will actually float. Each door weighs about 700
tons and so precisely balanced they could be closed by hand, which is
exactly how they were originally operated.
As we entered what could be best described as a huge half-emptied
swimming pool, the doors would close behind us and the water would appear
to swell from the bottom as the lock began to fill.
It would take 8 minutes to add 26 million gallons of water to our
lock and raise our boat 27 feet. All of the water is fresh and is
derived from the Lake Gatun which in turn is fed by the Chagres River.
At no point are there hydraulic pumps, the entire water transfer is
powered by gravity!. In fact the only electricity that is used by
the system is to open and close the gates and to run the small cog
locomotives, on tracks on both sides of the locks, used to keep the ships
in position within the locks. All
ships use their own power to move through the locks.
This electricity is created hydroelectrically in the canal
itself. Very self efficient, I would say. We saw the entire
process work in the lock next to us as a huge car-carrying ship was lifted
a total of 85 in altitude. Each set of three locks has two
passages---not necessarily one for each direction.
Once
through the west set of locks we began our voyage through the canal itself which
is much like a calm river. The first nine miles from the west end of
the locks eastward is called the Gaillard or Culebra Cut. This was
the most treacherous part of the digging of the canal and claimed the most
lives. It took 61 million pounds of explosives to dislodge all the
rock from this cut. To put this into perspective, that is the entire
amount of firepower in all the wars that America had been in up until that
point. It was very impressive to say the least. We were served
lunch and I sent off yesterday's email---from the canal itself. We
came as far as the continental divide,
the lowest point on the divide between the two poles---about 300
feet! Shortly thereafter we turned around---about 3 hours into the
tour and headed back. Although the view was the same on the way
back, it was still just as impressive. In many cases the jungle came
right down canal. It must have just been miserable working
conditions.
Now
our trip back through the locks was interesting. We were brought
down through the locks with two tugboats and another of those huge car
carrier, all of us jammed in together.
I mean it was huge!
It would be like sitting in the back seat of a VW and have a 747 come up
from behind. It was so close you could hit this thing with a
rock---very intimidating. After doing this three times we were out
of the locks and on our way home. Without a doubt, this exceeded
every expectation I had of the trip and the canal. I would urge
everybody to do this---it is truly amazing. Once back at the hotel
several of us went out shopping for supplies for tomorrow's adventure.
We are going to take a canoe ride through the jungle to a Panamanian
Indian stronghold and see how they really used to live. I hope that
malaria medicine is working overtime!
We
have been on the road for a week now and we still like each other!.
There had been some discussion before we left about the length of the trip
and how well eight testosterone fueled, type-A guys would get along for
twenty three days in what could be stressful circumstances. Fortunately
things are going smoothly, so far.
We
booked an all day trip up into the Panamanian jungle, and we were
told we should not wear sandals, but tennis shoes. Why?
We were told it will be red mud, wet rocks and wading through
creeks. No one wanted to ruin the only shoes we had with us, so
there was a mad rush on to see who could buy the cheapest pair of tennis
shoes. The search took several hours, ranged all over town and
the prices came in from $7.99 to $15 (not counting the cab fares). We
had an 8 AM pick-up for the Native Panamanian Indian Experience. Little
van which could comfortably hold 6 normal sized men had to stretch is
ability to accommodate 8 guys averaging probably 225 lb. each.
It was straining!
As
we roared down the road our guide wanted to stop for some candy for the
Indian children, and he also mentioned that there would be a McDonalds at
our stop, so if there was a need to use the restroom this would be the
place. Once we get to the jungle there are no restrooms and the
solution would be a tree and a few palm leaves---ouch! After our
stop we continued to roar down the road---well roar might be a little
generous. The quality of the roads worsened as we drove further from
Panama City. The last third of the trip was on dirt roads with more
holes than Swiss cheese. We finally arrived and the Chagres
River---if you'll remember this is the river that feeds Lake Gatun.
There were several dug-out canoes each equipped with a small outboard
motor and a couple of Indians. We donned our life jackets and
carefully filled the canoe. This was a similar event as what we had
experienced in the van---except once we started up the river, the
overloaded, high center of gravity canoe began to take on a life of its
own. The first---and only---thought we all had was where were
we going to tip!
The
first 10-15 minutes was rich with beauty and looked like we were in a
Tarzan movie. The river sliced right through the jungle.
If we had flipped I don't know how we would have gotten out of the
water. We ended up taking a side tributary that was probably about
20 feet wide. Tree branches dipped into the ever narrowing stream
until there was not enough water to float the canoes and we got out and
walked the rest of the way. This is their dry season and the river
was down maybe 15 feet, and before the season is over it will drop another
7-8. During the wet season the guide explained it rains everyday and
at times it is common to rain up to 3 inches per hour. Fortunately
we had few clouds in the sky. Anyway we began walking up the stream,
in and out of it, for half a mile. Doug
ended up having to experience the tree and palm leaf scenario---should
have gone at McDonalds. We shortly arrived and a cascading waterfall
and swimming hole. Several of us jumped in and headed for the
waterfall. It was a lot of fun and I was surprised how cold the
water was---but it sure was refreshing in this heat. Thank
God we didn't get pulled down by any crocs or wrapped up by big
snakes like in the Tarzan movies.
When
we got back to the boat there were TWO of them---boy were we happy---much
more comfortable. We continued up the main river and at times it was
spread out over an area enough to drop the depth to about a foot or less.
You could hear the canoe grinding on the river bed and the Indian standing
in front would push the boat upriver with a pole. It made for
slow travel. Upon reaching our destination
we were met beside the river by about half a dozen native people
playing music on drums and flutes. We
could see the village up on bluff above the bend in the river. After a short climb we entered a village that could
have been here 500 years ago (other than the small school, the basketball
court (dirt), and the distant communications tower). The people were
dressed as you would see them in any National Geographic special---very
colorful garb and not much of it. You could probably do the laundry for
the entire village (about 85 people) in about 3 loads.
The
huts were all built on stilts and we were directed to the large, central
community hut. Up there we learned much more about the village, the
people, and their awkward transition into modern time. For instance,
the village is in a national park, so when the Indians want to cut down a
tree for a new canoe they have to have representatives from the government
come out and inspect it and do the equivalent of an environmental impact
statement. I guess bureaucracy goes even into the depths of the
jungle. They fixed us a traditional lunch, which consisted of fish
(whole) from the river down below, fried potato like cakes and some fruit,
all served on a banana leaf.
It was actually quite tasty. They showed us how they weave baskets
and bowls as well as the many different types of carvings, including small
ones made from a local nut that is call vegetable ivory. It does have a
similar appearance to regular ivory. Of course all these items are
for sale, and they make their money by doing these tours and
selling their creations.
After
lunch we were entertained by local dance and musical renditions of their
popular village hits. The last dance we were asked to join in.
Boy---did us white guys have the rhythms down. When we were
finished showing them how dancing is really done we had about 30 minutes
to walk around, take a siesta in a hammock or sit and talk with the
villagers. Some of us received tattoos from the women. The ink
is from a local plant and last for 8-10 days. I took pictures of the
Indian children with my digital camera and then would show them the
pictures---they thought that was pretty exciting. But I have to say
the hit of the party was Marty. He had brought along his CD Walkman
and headphones. The kids lined up for 20 minutes to hear the hits of
the 21st century. He also fed them Altoids,
which put big smiles on their faces.
After that we headed back for one last swim and the canoes for
home. The trip back was of course faster, but just as magical. It is very easy to get lost in this
yesteryear of civilization, I would love to come back and spend more time
with these people.
Once
we reached or van and boarded---it was late showing up---we had a very
noisy and bumpy ride back. Once back at our hotel we all went out
separate ways---most for a nap, then we later regrouped for drinks,
dinner, and then drinks. We have all enjoyed our days in Panama but
look forward to our next adventure. Tomorrow we leave for Costa
Rica. We plan to fly along the Pacific coast and up to San Jose,
where we will spend a couple of days before I have to return home on
Wednesday.
We
left our hotel about 9:00 this morning in two beat up cabs and made our
way to the airport. Without complaint we went through the 2:45
minutes to clear out of Panama and start our trek home. The take-off
was great. We flew a large arc around Panama City and over the locks
for one final view of this man-made wonder. We traveled over the
jungle and swamps of Central Panama just clearing the tops of many of the
hills. Once again the low cloud deck kept us around 3000 feet.
As we continued up Panama the terrain began to dry out and at times almost
looked almost arid. Our two planes once again flew near each other,
swapping leads and taking pictures of each other, and we soon crossed the
border into Costa Rica. Our
goal was to check out some of the airports and communities in Southern
Costa Rica, where the lucky seven who remain after I leave may be
interested in visiting. The little seaside towns of Golfito and Puerto Jimenez had
great locations and beaches and both looked very inviting---I am already
jealous.
We
shortly headed inland again, toward San Jose, which is at an elevation of
about 3,500’ in the center of the country. It looked for a while
like we might not be able to get through the mountains due to clouds, but
we were able to pick our way through and stay away for the hills---San
Jose basically sits in a bowl which can make for some challenging
approaches to say the least---and we did experience them.
This time the landing at Pavas was not so exciting, since we knew
more what to expect.
Once
on the ground we had our two hour check in, so that made it 2 hours of flying and 5 hours of bureaucracy. At
one point during this time the customs people asked us to line up all our
bags for inspection and step back. In
came a drug sniffing dog with an attitude, and he was quickly got right to
his business, smelling one bag after another.
This was the first time we had to go through this, probably because
we had just come from Panama. Anyway, the dog starts spending a
great deal of time at my bag. Now of course I don't have anything in
there, but when it is happening to you there are several thoughts that go
through your mind, such as: did
someone put something in there? And, I wonder how nice the Costa Rican prisons are not?
After a few minutes he lunges at the bag and retrieves my bottle of
Gatorade and started munching on it. The cop with him couldn't get
it out of the dog's mouth---I surely wouldn't want to try. Everybody
in the airport thought it was pretty funny.
I was greatly relieved as apologized and
led the dog away, with the bottle still firmly in his jaws and
Gatorade dripping from his mouth. What
is in Gatorade, anyway?
We
boarded a van and left for the center of town and our hotel. It was
actually a fairly long ride and through some very poor areas of the town.
After arriving at the hotel we thought we ought to check our rooms and
make sure they were ok. Marty and I were bunking together and we
walked passed the big double doors of the Presidential Suite and I asked
just to take a look. It was big and posh with four rooms and two
bathrooms. I jokingly asked the clerk if he would take
100 bucks a night for the suite and he said “ok”. Everything
here is negotiable. We are now the elite headquarters for our
group.
The
town itself was a bit of a disappointment. It is crowded, noisy,
with street panhandlers galore. This is a place that you wouldn't
really want to walk around alone, a wingman is a great idea---someone to
watch your back. Several
of us exchanged dollars for the local currency.
Up until now we had been able to use dollars almost everywhere, but
during the week to come we would be off the beaten track in Costa Rica.
At an exchange rate of 345 Colones per dollar we got back some
large bundles of bills. There
were also 10 and 20 thousand denomination bills. We all felt like
millionaires until we saw a used car lot and some of the old Toyotas were selling 2.5 million Colones.
After
our daily post flight debriefing session in the Presidential Suite, during
which we consumed large quantities of Fu-Fus and Pu-Pus, we walked a few
blocks to another hotel someone had recommended for drinks and dinner.
Now most of the hotels here have casinos in them and the Del Rey hotel has
not only a very busy casinos, but it was filled with working girls---no
doubt about it. We probably saw 60-70 women parading around. I
don't think any of them knew how to do laundry----must of their clothes
had shrunk at least 2 sizes! We wanted to look but we didn't dare
make eye contact, because as soon as you did they would come over to
strike up a conversation (the beginnings of a bargaining session).
Once
we all became dehydrated---due to excessive drooling, we left for another
recommended restaurant. A
block away we found a little spot which had obviously been there a LONG
time. Much history up on the
walls, and a waiter who had been
serving there for 50 years!. A great Costa Rican meal and back to
the hotel to turn in. Tomorrow is a big day---we are going to the
jungle to glide through the canopy on cables!
There was
some discussion about what to do while here in San Jose, some of us
thought it would be good to have a day to just decompress and plan
nothing, each of us doing whatever we want. Well, not Greg. It was to be
his last day and he was not going to let it go to waste..... You can rest
when you’re dead, right? So he went downstairs and worked out a deal on
a Jungle Canopy trip. His report back sounded so good that one by one we
all eventually sighing up. $70 each for a 2 hour drive through the Costa
Rican countryside, up over the mountains and into the rainforest, a climb
up onto platforms built high up in the huge jungle trees. Most everything
in the jungle happens up in the canopy, so it is important to get up
there.
So we did
this, but there is a twist. Since this jungle is on a hill, someone has
dreamed up an ingenious system of cables running from platform to
platform, and when you move about, it is via a harness and pulley
arrangement. We are dangling in a sit-harness attached to the cable with
carabineers, parachute style, 80 to 400 feet above the ground and up to 55
mph! And away we
go!!, down the next platform. Pretty soon you are a lot more interested in
how fast and how far the next cable is than in what variety of orchid you
are looking at. The thrill of speeding through the canopy hanging from a
cable just gets all of our attention! And, this place even takes it one
step further. Once they get you hooked on this adrenalin rush, they show
you the BIG cables. These babies are strung between TOWERS they have built
up on the hills and the cables cross entire valleys! Bring it on! By now
we are stoked! These ridge towers are 90 feet high and the cables are about
a half mile long, tower to tower. Now this is and E ticket ride!!
In all there
were 12 cables running a total distance of 2 Km (about 1.2 miles). Then we
had a great lunch, which was included in the price. Tikos eat a lot of
beans and rice and chicken and it is great. Then we had the ride back to
town and a nap. After cocktails and eats in the Presidential Suite we had
dinner right in the hotel restaurant, sitting outside, watching the hustle
bustle of the town square. Another great day!! . .
Well, it is
with great sadness that my trip comes to a close, and I leave these guys to
fend for themselves. I have really enjoyed bring you this tale for
the past 10 days. The group of guys I have been experiencing this
adventure with are great, we have all gotten along well, with no punches
thrown, and I am proud to have them as friends. There is a special bond
that grows among men when going out and seeking the meaning of life and
all that macho stuff. I know this because at dinner tonight I got toasted
and we all got sentimental with not a dry eye in the house. I hope I get
the opportunity to travel with this group again---it truly was worth every
penny. I was only kidding about the dry eye stuff..
Greg Conklin
aka El Scribe
(Greg!! Those
misty eyes were probably caused by Methane gas.
I will do my best to record the remaining days of our adventure.
Have a safe flight home ...Russ).
The Osa Peninsula extends out into the Pacific Ocean near the border of Costa Rica and Panama. It is shaped like a large hook, and on this remote finger of land lies the most pristine of the jungles of Costa Rica. The body of water between it and the mainland is called Gulfo Dulce, or Sweet Gulf, and I am, at the moment, sitting on the front porch of a very small, remote lodge overlooking this wonderful body of water. The temperature of the air and the water are both about 85f, and it is rather humid, but here in the shade, with a gentle breeze blowing and a cold cervesa next to me I will somehow get through the day.
We left the hotel in downtown San Jose at 09:30 this morning and the 20 minute ride back to Pavas airport was a snap. We had a pleasant surprise in that the airport formalities only took about 40 min. This is mainly because we are remaining "in country" for the next week, we are already fueled, and Pavas is a small, downtown airport. The folks here are getting to know us, and that helps some too.
Today's 45 minute flight is a bit of a backtrack, since we will go back south again, following the Pacific coast, 1,000 feet above the surf, to Puerto Jimenez, which is the only real town on the Osa Peninsula. Lynn and Todd are our pilots on this leg, and they are grinning all the way with this low level flight seeing. The airport is a small one, only 2,600', and just about minimum for a Barons. This was Lynn’s first landing in a Baron and he turned off at the half way point on that runway! We saw the proof of what 18,000 hours of Alaska bush flying does for a guy. When we shut down our engines we are a block from the center of town and parked right next to the cemetery.
Puerto Jimenez is at the end of the road and is the supply center for several important activities here about. The ecology movement is strong here, and the green people are trying hard to save every tree, there is gold in the ground around here, and the miners come to town for supplies, and tourism is growing. But it is a rather difficult place to get to, and one has to drive past many, many miles of beautiful beaches to get here, so we are in a rather remote spot
Within 15 min of alighting we have arranged to rent seven of the eight rooms in the Pearl of Osa lodge for $30 per room per night. It is about 4 miles south of town, and they will come and get us.. The vehicle of choice here is a small pick up with bench seats in the back, so off we go on our second pick up ride of the trip.
When we first dreamed up the idea of flying down here to Central America one of the images I had in my mind was what I am looking at and feeling right now. Warm air, warm water, bright sunshine, remote, pristine beaches, and a nice little lodge to provide great meals and cold beer. The beach here is one of those wild, pristine places with whole uprooted trees lying around, and all kinds of interesting driftwood. The sand is hot and fine, and its dark color makes for hot walking when the 8 food tide is out. One night while we are here we will probably have to have a nice big fire on the beach.
Today is Lynn's birthday, so we go back to town for dinner... local fish, beans and rice, great veggies.... and huge quantities of beer. With this weather it is very easy to get dehydrated, so one has to protect oneself. We are all looking forward to a day or two of nothing to do in this great spot. Well, as Brigham Young once said, "this is the place!!" and we have arrived..
Today is the first "do nothing day" we have had, and although it is great for us, it makes for pretty dull reading, so this days message will be a short one.
Everyone just did pretty much as they pleased. Most of us started our day with a post breakfast dip in the surf, and I think we all ended up walking into town, which is about three or four miles, depending on which route is taken. Doug and Tim took the jungle route and got lost, some of us took the regular road and some walked the beach, which is the longest and most challenging. We were up to our knees in Teva-sucking black mud as we slogged our way across the small river delta close to town. Luckily we had a low tide or this route would be completely underwater.
In spite of Puerto Jimenez being a tiny town of about three bocks to the side and only one paved street, they still have TWO internet cafes. Some of us took advantage of their two dollar per hour rates for a personal message home. Wandering through the streets we came across one house with about a dozen prime looking fighting cocks staked out in the front yard. I am trying to find out more about this, as I would love to go to a cock fight, which is supposed to be quite and event here in Central America.
Back at the hotel in the afternoon for another swim in the surf. The hotel dog, Chester, a Golden Lab, will follow you to the waters edge, and if you leave shoes or shirt or anything laying about he will grab it up and run away with it. Several of us have chased him trying to get our things back. Chester also likes to try and climb into the hammocks with us, which is interesting to watch. Tim and Lynn try their luck at sea kayaking, and Tim gets hammered. Paddle never to be seen again.
We all feel that our hotel, The Pearl of the Osa, is a real find. The American couple who own and run it are from the Boulder, CO area, and they are treating us like family. The little place is off the beaten track, so there are very few people around, and the Costa Rican lady who is the cook is excellent. The food is outstanding. And most of all there is the setting. It is hard to describe how completely this spot fulfills our expectations. Right on the water, with a great beach and view, open-air bar/dining room, and very reasonable prices. None of us knew just where this place was but we all had something just like this in mind. If anyone wants to check out the website of The Pearl of the Osa it is: www.thepearloftheosa.com And, by the way, the name of the bar here is "The naked Monkey".
During dinner we decide to line up 5 hour jungle tour for tomorrow. Just as we are finishing our dinner we watch a spectacular full moon rise above the mainland across the gulf. The moonlight dancing on the ocean is mesmerizing. Later, after another dip in the surf we decide to have a fire on the beach.....It seems like a funny thing to do when it is 85 degrees, but the atmosphere was nice, and it was fun,. After another dip in the surf it is time for bed..
Once again the day begins with a delicious (and huge) breakfast prepared by our Costa Rican cook, and followed by a morning swim in that beautiful, warm, gentle surf. Our days are beginning to run together, and we plan to move on up the coast tomorrow. Doug finds the people here will do laundry for us, so it becomes laundry day, with the second story balcony railing of the lodge is covered with our drying clothing. We are really getting adjusted to "island time" Watches are getting rare, and nobody seems to know or care what day it is..
Soon our driver and guide showed up for the jungle tour. They took us (again, in the back of a pick-up) down the rough dirt road leading south out of town. We made frequent stops for our guide, Juan, to point out various trees, birds and animals, only occasionally leaving the road for short walks through the forest. Some of the things he pointed out were: Cashew trees, Balsa trees, Cocoa trees and several of the other huge species common in the area. Birds included egrets, hawks, vultures, pelicans (we were never more than a mile from the beach), and the very colorful and loud macaws. He pointed out Howler monkeys, which were mostly taking their midday siesta, and a huge Sloth, best described as a large ball of coarse looking hair with huge long claws hanging out. True to his nature, he never moved a muscle. These guys were all pretty far up in the tree branches,. There were some elusive, Raccoon-like critters with long tails on the ground. And Tim had an up close and personal experience with Fire Ants. He acted like his feet were on fire, and his feet and ankles now look like they have the Chickenpox. There are two kinds of poisonous snakes in this area but we saw neither. And worth mentioning are the numerous large termite nests built in the trees.
Once, during our walk we come out onto the beach. It was the same beach our hotel is on but about 10 miles further south. Down here it is even more pristine and wild, with huge, interesting rocks and a pounding surf.
It got to be lunch time and we drove up hill for a while and entered the grounds of the Lapa Rios Jungle Lodge. I can only describe it as a very expensive (over $300 per day per person) and luxurious ecological hideaway. It sits on a ridge high above the sea with sweeping views of the surrounding ocean and jungle. The main building of the complex is a huge open-air, thatch roofed lobby and dining room . The steeply pitched interior leads ones eye upward and there, built right into the top of the building, is an observation platform. It is about four stories up and is accessed via a huge and beautifully made wooden spiral staircase in the center of the room. This is where we enjoyed a delicious lunch of cold zucchini and cilantro soup, Mahi Mahi, chicken, and the ever-present beans and rice,
The drive back to our lodge was excruciating after that great lunch. The hard wooden bench seats in the truck just beat us up on that badly potted and rutted road, with frequent rocky stream fording.
We spent the afternoon lounging around the lodge and occasionally drifting over to the beach for a dip. Our dinner tonight was an amazing pasta buffet. There was a 25 lb lasagna, Marybeths home made meatballs, hearts of palm salad with avocados, spaghetti Bolognese, eggplant parmesan, fresh baked Italian cheese bread and when we thought we were full there was Marybeths double chocolate brownie cake with Macadamia nut sauce. We enjoyed this feast to the accompaniment of a live trio playing a combination of mambo, meringue, and salsa. It was a happy, festive atmosphere. Our host and hostess were singing and dancing, the Four Bobs from the next door lodge were in rare form with jokes, magic tricks and big lies about catching fish. I'm not sure where all the people came from.
After dinner some of us decided to ride into town for a few drinks. That didn't last long. We walked the streets and ended up standing in the street outside the local disco, watching it vibrate. Lynn tried to talk me into "borrowing" a couple of the mtn. bikes parked around the place for a quick ride thought the town, but I was able to restrain him.
Our midnight cab ride back to the lodge thought the night was very refreshing. Keep in mind that the temperature here is always about 85 degree, day and night, and this night there was no breeze. Being in the back of an open truck felt great, but the temperature must have dropped a degree or two because there was fog on the road and fields. A strange thing to see at these temperatures, but a beautiful sight in the moonlight.
Some of us were up before the sun. It is the absolute best time of the day, not only for flying but for walking on the beach. It is cool, still and quiet, and Lynn spotted a three fool long Iguana also waiting for the sun to warm the sand. After we enjoyed another delicious, leisurely breakfast and a last dip in the Golfo Dulce we reluctantly said goodbye to our host and hostess and their great staff. As we checked ourselves out of The Pearl It was interesting to watch the reactions of the guys when they got their respective bills. Our average bill was $150 per person!! That included three nights stay in separate rooms, all breakfasts, some lunches and most dinners and a very large number of adult beverages. It was the best bargain of our trip, I am sure.
Our departure was the same as it would be in the States. In other words, we drove the airport, got into our airplanes and took off...... no flight plans, no airport fees, no paperwork, no running to opposite ends of and unfamiliar terminal.... in fact, no terminal at all! It was quick, easy and efficient. As you are aware from most of our previous flights, this is an exceptional thing on this trip.
As we lifted off the runway we banked southward for a low pass along the beach and over The Pearl, as a goodbye salute. We then climbed as quickly as we could, knowing that the higher we climbed the cooler the air would be. At 6,500 feet it was 60 degrees and it felt wonderful! This leg north would be only about an hour long, so we drank in that cool air while we could.
Our destination airport today is to be the small airport at Samara, which is a tiny town on the Pacific coastline on the Nicoya Peninsula, in Northwestern Costa Rica. We picked it because it is in a another area which is somewhat inaccessible by road, it is on the ocean and it looks from the map to have a good runway near the beach. We don't have much information available on some of these places we are going, and no reservations of any kind, but if it does not look good when we land, or if we cannot find a place to stay after we land, then we will just take off again and continue on up the coast line until we find another place that looks good.
So we follow the Costa Rican Pacific coastline Northward, quickly crossing the Gulfo De Nicoya. The weather is fine. The only clouds are a scattered layer of puffy cumulus between four and six thousand, and we are topping them all. In the distance we can clearly see the high mountain range down the spine of Central America, with its impressive volcanoes.
Lynn and I both have Samara cranked into our GPSs, but when we get over the point where the airport should be (these units are accurate with 30 feet!), well, there is no airport there at all! This of course is a big surprise, since we take for granted such things as accurate maps and verifiable information. Oh, well, we must remain flexible and always expect the unexpected, so we back track five miles to an airport we had just flown over, one which we KNOW exists.
This turns our to be Carrillio, and it is one of the most picturesque approaches I have ever made. The approach is a sweeping, descending turn around a beautiful bay. Landing toward the land, the runway starts just on the other side of the road which runs along the beach. The beach itself is on a wide, half-moon shaped bay, about a mile across, and with steep rock formations at each side.. We have to land a little long to avoid touching down on the road.
As some of us get the airplanes tied down others secure a taxi and start the hotel search. Our division of labor is working like a well oiled machine, and this process goes smoothly. Peter, Lynn and Marty head off in the direction of Samara. Todd, Tim, Doug and I concentrate. on unpacking and securing the airplanes. It is during this time that a SANSA Caravan landed, taxied up and just SANDBLASTED our babies (the Barons). Tim did go over and give him some words, but no effect.
The hotel committee gets us rooms in Samara at the hotel Casa Del Mar, which very neat and clean and right in the middle of the small town (even smaller that Puerto Jimenez). In the interior courtyard, next to a parrot in a age, is a cooling tub.... like a hot tub only the water is cool and it does refresh!
After exploring the town we all gravitated to a little outdoor bar on the beach under the Banyan trees. With our feet in the sand and cold cervesa in hand we watched the tide slowly recede.
We all know we have the whole day free, so we sleep in and take our time eating breakfast. Then Marty goes out an finds a place where we can rent four -wheel ATVs for $45 for two hours, and five of us decide to give it a try. The country side looks interesting and we will have a guide to show us around. We motor our way, single file, out of the village on the paved road going south, back toward where our airplanes are parked, and when get there we stop to check them out.
Neither Tim nor I has ever had a problem with anyone tampering with our airplanes in the many years we have been flying south of the border, but it still makes us a little nervous whenever we leave them unprotected, with nothing around, and this little gravel strip really has nothing around. Just the road and the beach. Most of the places we stay have some facilities, and the big airports are very secure, with some even having armed military guards around. Even Puerto Jimenez had a lean-to where people waiting for the daily small plane service could get out of the sun, but not here. Todd carefully checked the tape he had put over all the fuel caps and fuel drains... at least we would be able to tell if anyone has tried to get at our fuel. No one had.
So, we continue our ride past this beautiful beach, up over the hills to the south, and this is where the pavement ends. It looks to us like what pavement we have seen around here is all brand new, but there is still none in the little village of Samara. Many of the residents and shop owners wet down the streets with water several times a day to keep the dust down.
And you can imagine how six ATV can kick up dust on a dirt road. Major dust!, and everyone but the rider in front is eating it. This means there is a constant battle for the lead position just behind our guide, and whoever is not vying for this relatively dust free spot must hang back a hundred yards or so just to be able to see. We were given helmets and goggles, but they don't help much. Up and down we go, winding our way through the hills and generally paralleling the beach. The small valleys have streams in them, which we blast through, spraying water everywhere. Then back into the dust, climbing the next ridge. And each of the ridges has a spectacular vista of the coast line. After about a half hour we came to another beach, this one with a luxury resort. We are dust covered desert rats! What a sight. Our guide has brought along a cooler, and the only way I can get the dirt out of my eyes is to lay down on a log and pour club soda into my eyes. Well, better that than beer!!
We drank all the beer out of the cooler, stripped down and went for a swim in the surf. Naturally it felt great, but when we put our clothes back on for the ride back they got all wet...... now we're going to do the dust thing again, so it is not going to be pretty. And the ride back is the same. Fast, exciting, thrilling!!. Speeds you would never consider legal, much less safe. We all almost lose control of our machines more than once. The road is deeply rutted, with wash-outs and sheer drop offs everywhere. And of course the beer helped remove and inhibitions we once had. Todd and I are pressing our guide hard, and after a few miles he turns off the road and down to another beach. This one is ok to ride on, and we tear up and down, betting some pretty good air, and racing each other. And the donut thing. Great fun. Then, after tearing up the beach, we get back on the dirt road and take it faster than ever.
I did not personally see Peter launch his machine over the embankment and into the ravine, but I will try to relate what the others did see. He was charging hard, like all of us, but his wheels on one side caught in an 18 inch rut, and when he corrected back the front wheels dug in and at that speed she just launched over the side. Peter quickly rolled off the opposite side, escaping with only a few scratches. Lynn and Marty roar up at this point and here is Peter standing in the road, and no 4-Track. After confirming he is ok they park and bail over the side to retrieve it. It had impacted, nose first, after a freefall of about 15 feet. They get it up righted and started and Lynn tries to ride it up the embankment. Too steep, and it rolls up onto its back wheels and does a complete loop over his head. Luckily his is too much of and Alaskan to be hurt by a mere 350 lb. machine going over his head. They almost got it back up onto the road before the guide came back to check on them, so he did not actually see "The Gringo Show", but there was no way he could miss the damage to the 4-Track.
The ride back went well, with no further problems, but when we did arrive back in town the negotiations are hot and heavy. Finally we leave them to taking the machine apart and go back to the hotel and spend and hour getting cleaned up and soaking in the pool. Finally the guide shows up at the hotel and wants $150. More negotiations. Everyone puts in their opinion, some high and some low. but Peter finally settles for $120 and everyone is happy. We're all just happy that no one was injured.
The rest of the day and evening were very mellow, with a great meal in the best restaurant in the village.
We had a leisurely check out after eating our included breakfast at the Casa Del Mar, and the van was waiting for us to take us the 5 miles or so back to the airplanes at Carrillo beach. The weather was clear and fine and we found the airplanes still secure and undisturbed.
By the time we had the birds loaded with our bags and ourselves the wind was kicking up pretty good, and since this is a one way strip we would be taking off with a quartering tailwind, a pilots nightmare. Also, there was a tree line parallel to the runway with tops at about 50’. This all adds up to a challenging takeoff, calling for getting airborne, retracting the gear and flaps while remaining in ground effect, accelerating down the runway and then pulling up through what would probably be a wind shear and then a sinker. Challenging, but great fun! We crossed the road and beach accelerating through 100 knots at 10’ of altitude. And at 120 knots I pulled her up into a steeply climbing, steeply banked turn over the bay, trading some of the airspeed for altitude, and it was spectacular! I live for moments like this!
Our first leg today is a short 30 minute hop up the coast to Liberia, Costa Rica, where we will refuel and clear out of the country. It was a pretty rough ride up the coast, with the wind the way it was, and we landed with a 25 knot headwind, but luckily it was not gusty and it was right down the runway. Our first priority was fuel, and we found it to be the cheapest of the whole trip. This was because we were leaving the country and the did not charge the tax. We did not ask questions!
The formalities were actually pretty quick, compared to what we have become accustomed to. This airport is a full blown international airport of entry, but they have only TWO arrivals and departures each day! Must be some kind of a government make work project, since it is fully staffed, with all the same offices and personnel as a busier airport. We file for Roatan, Honduras and get underway. We again fly off the coast line, since the next country North is Nicaragua, and we have neither landing or over flight permission from them, in spite of my repeated faxes for three weeks prior to our departure. As soon as we can we make a 30 degree turn to the North, over Honduras, and as we proceed inland we see that the clouds over the cordillera are starting to build. This we had expected, and by the time we reached the Caribbean coast we had climbed to 12,500’ to stay on top. Roatan, our destination, is small island about 30 miles off the coast, and we had been lead to believe that the weather would be clear over the Caribbean.. Wrong!! The weather briefer in Liberia had told us “totally clear”, and we were foolish enough to believe him! We found ourselves at 12,500’, barely on top and about 10 miles from Roatan. After a long conversation with Radio Honduras we found out that the weather at Roatan, and all the close by mainland airports was less that two miles visibility, mist and rain. Tim and I have a quick conference on our air to air frequency and decided that our best alternate for a diversion would be Belize City, about 130 miles to the Northwest (:45 minutes) and every stinking mile of it over water.
So off we go, and now the problem becomes how to get down through this stuff. Finally we decide, since we are over the water and off any airway, to just punch down through it. Remember, no radar, and since Belize City is reporting 4,000’ broken and better than 10 miles visibility, we figure we will break out at about that altitude. Wrong again! By the time we are within 20 miles of Belize City we finally break out in the clear, still over the water, at 1,500’. And then we both had to hold before we were able to get a special VFR clearance to approach the airport. When we finally landed the visibility was down to about five miles and light rain.
So, here we are in a country we had not intended to be in, on a weather diversion. We thought it might be a problem, but if it was it was not obvious to us. The procedures to clear into the country still took us about two hours. We did not really want to stay in Belize City, but instead to continue over to San Pedro town, on Ambergris Cay, which is about a 15 minute flight off the coast. And this we eventually got permission to do, but it was not easy, and it was not quick.
It was still raining lightly when we finally took off, and by the time we arrived over the airport at San Pedro the ceiling had forced us down to 500’ above the water, the visibility was down to about a mile, and the surface wind on the 3,500’, narrow runway was a direct 90 degree crosswind at 25 knots! So, needless to say, we were all VERY alert in the pattern, and it was a good thing, because there were about four other airplanes inbound at the same time, mostly Caravans bringing tourist over from the mainland. Tim had a pretty close encounter with one of them as he was turning final. We put the Barons and their pilots to the test on that landing, but all worked out well, and within a few minutes we were on the ground and looking for a hotel.
The streets of this little town are all white sand, and the rain had turned it into and interesting kind of sticky goo. We walked over to one of our old haunts, the Mayan Princess, and found three rooms, and then one more room in a little dive next door. It had been a long day, and after some drinks and dinner we all collapsed rather early. Someday, maybe on our next trip, we hope to get back for a visit to Roatan.
Doug writes:
Ate breakfast at Lilly's Restaurant, next door. Met girl from Switzerland traveling by herself and invited her to join us that evening. Weather was lousy with an overcast and no one was motivated. I took a walk encompassing the whole town, beaches and the airport. Tim indicated that a siesta was in order and then he also was indicating that he was going to meditate and take a walk. The weather is overcast but no rain. Temperature about 75 degrees.
San Pedro is a typical 3rd world Caribbean beach town with a lagoon protected by a Barrier Reef, second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, which makes it one of the best SCUBA diving destinations in the world. The streets are sand and the economy is basic, depending totally on the tourists. A good hurricane would undoubtedly level the whole town… urban renewal. Boredom set in about 15:00 and the cocktail hour was initiated with the blender, beer and snacks. The group split up for dinner and most gave up and turned in early since we had 07:30 morning rendezvous in the Lobby for the next leg of the trip. Since the girl from Switzerland was a third grade school teacher we thought we identified with her pretty well, but upon meeting her that evening she indicated that she had a better offer. So much for San Pedro
We left sunless San Pedro at 07:30 for Belize City, A short 15 minute flight. Hazy conditions prevailed, with light rain and a scatted layer at about 800'. Tim decided to go up to 1800' and I took the low road at 600'. Belize city was reporting a 4,000’ scattered cloud layer and 10 miles visibility. Well, not exactly! I spotted the airport only because I was continued my descent to 400', but Tim has to circle back over the water and drop down below the layer in order to land. And this was all VFR! Lynn was flying co-pilot for Tim and he accidentally keyed his mike during their little turn back, and all we heard, along with everybody else on the frequency, was " Four thousand F_ _ _ ing Feet My A_ _!" We all cracked up.
So we land and immerse ourselves in another round of
bureaucracy to exit Belize. After filling the tanks we were airborne in
about 2 hrs, filed for Flores, Guatemala to take in the Mayan ruins at Tikal.
We took off straight West into a solid overcast, and it stayed that way all
the way to Flores, about 100 nm. But when we arrived overhead the weather
had gone down to 1 mile visibility with fog and rain. We were all looking
forward to a visit to these ruins, but it would not be good in the rain, and
we were all ready for some sunshine, so we convened another air-to-air
conference decided the best course of action would be to divert again, this
time to, Villahermosa, Mexico, which we had named as our alternate.
This turned out to be a mistake. We should have filed for Oaxaca as our
alternate, since that is where we next wanted to go, and we think the hassle
of diverting across international borders would be the same in either case.
Well, too late now. Villahermosa did have good weather and it was a green,
lush, pretty place, but the officials and the paperwork and the runaround
and the fees just drove us nuts!! I guess everyone is pretty tired of
hearing about this problem, and we keep thinking we will get used to it, but
not so. Part of the problem is just being back in Mexico, which is known to
be about the worst when it comes to this kind of bureaucracy for private
pilots. Oh, well, at least this is the last time except for getting back
into the U. S. The hour and 30 min flight to Oaxaca at 10,500' kept us
above the clouds and the last 50 miles were through the mountains. We landed
at Oaxaca’s 6,000’ elevation runway in clear, sunny weather and a nice dry
75 degrees. Very refreshing after the tropics, and after minimal
formalities and fueling and we were are on our way to the Zocolo, or town
square, to find a home for the night. After a short reconnaissance by our
hotel experts we book into a nice old hotel right on the square. Clean,
spacious, double rooms for $55 a night. We spent a pleasant evening
sitting outside having snacks, drinks, and eventually dinner, while watching
the people go by. This was all interrupted twice by afternoon and evening
thundershowers, and we all turned in early. Tomorrow we are planning a
morning tour of the pre-Colombian ruins at Monte Alban and then a two hour
flight up to Leon in the afternoon.
Today was a travel day but we did have time in the morning for a three hour tour of the Zapatec Ruins at Monte Alban, near Oaxaca. We left our hotel at 09:00 with Miguel, our English speaking guide, in a very nice van. The 20 minute drive up to the ruins took us through the interesting suburbs of Oaxaca.
This ancient site is situated on top of a mountain, some 1500' above the surrounding terrain and offers a 360 degree panoramic view of the entire Oaxaca area. It was the most holy place for the Zapatecs, who inhabited it between 800 B.C. and 800 A.D., and occupies 22 acres on the leveled mountain top. The main plaza is a huge flat open space with three pyramids in its center. This plaza is surrounded on all four sides with large buildings with wide staircase leading up fronts from the plaza. These buildings were all constructed of large stones and once had temples atop them, which would have made them twice as tall as the are now. They were once palaces, temples, astronomical observatories and homes of the nobility. There are also many cisterns, patios and ball courts about. This part of the site was used for large gatherings of all types; everything from market days to religious ceremonies, and the acoustics are amazing. Someone standing atop any of the surrounding tall buildings, and speaking in a normal voice can be heard throughout the plaza.
This particular site has been partially reconstructed, so it is easy to imagine what it must have looked like 2,000 years ago, but all the surrounding hills have obvious piles of rubble on them, which, we were told, are the ruins of other cities and towns which are yet to be excavated. Mexico has literally thousands of unexcavated sites like this, but the expense of this work is so great that they just cannot afford to uncover, reconstruct and research them. For various reasons, many of which are controversial, there is little known about the people who once lived here.
We were back at the hotel a little after noon, and after a quick lunch we checked out and crammed ourselves into two tiny cabs for the airport. Our airport check out was relatively quick and we took off for the 2:30 minute flight to Leon. This flight offered some very nice and unexpected scenery. The tall mountains surrounding Oaxaca, many of them above 10,000', soon gave way to the lower mountains of the coastal ranges as we flew at 11,500 to the East of Acapulco and Zihuatanejo. As we approached the area West of Morelia the landscape became crowded with volcanic cinder cones, hundreds of them! The lakes and mountains of the area are spectacular, with pine forest and beautiful lakes. About a half hour before our landing in Leon the terrain changed again, this time to arid, high desert with irrigated agriculture. On our final approach we flew over a new General Motors Truck factory.
Our cruising altitudes on this leg varied from 10,500' to 12,500', and these altitudes kept us just below the bases of the cloud build-ups, so there was some thermal action. Lynn used it to his advantage to gain 1,500' for free, but Todd, on the other hand, obviously was in a dive for the entire leg, since the ground speed for N747S was at least 20 Kts above N831D for the leg. He paid the price at the fuel pump, however, since N831D took 11 llitros less fuel than N747S after we landed at Leon.
The weather, when we landed at this 6,000 ft. elevation airport, was warm and dry, about 80 deg. Our fueling and formalities took about an hour, and we got into the van for what turned out to be an hours drive up to the town of Guanajuato.
This is a very interesting old silver mining town built up a hillside, and there are still some active mines working. The main driving streets here are in tunnels running under the town, with smaller tunnels running off them surfacing into the small winding cobblestone streets above ground streets. There are literally miles of these underground streets, and the history on them is fascinating.
The town itself has a very European feel to it, with narrow, hilly, serpentine streets and alleyways. There are many very inviting little plazas and squares with their open air restaurants and bars. There are dozens of strolling musicians, and street vendors galore. The town is picturesque, clean and crowded..... tourists and students, and there must be five or ten churches, since they seem to be having continual bell ringing contests between them.
By the time we arrived and checked into our very unique hotel we were tired and famished, so we dropped our baggage in our rooms and immediately retreated to the lobby bar for beer and pizza. The hotel, The Hosteria del Frayle, is an old, colonial, Spanish mission style building with multiple stairways, archways, sitting areas and courtyards. It is at least three stories high but it is hard to tell, since there are so many staircases, some circular and some otherwise, but none with the same number of steps. It is being variously described as: Funky, quaint, maze-like, with tile floors and brick ceilings, heavy wood furniture and ornate ironwork. With rooms at $65 per night for a double we are very happy. It is a unique place!
Over dinner we decided that we like the town and the hotel so much that we will stay here two nights instead of the one night we had originally planned.
We are getting to be short timers on this trip, and we all are beginning to think more and more about getting home. Our best estimate at this time for our arrival back in the Bay Area is Sunday, the 10th. It is just and estimate, and all depends on the weather and as always, how the mood of the group ebbs and flows.
So far we are all still RELATIVELY healthy. Our digestive systems are doing fairly well. Lynn is the only serious problem so far, and reports that he can squirt through the eye of a needle. Some of the others report less serious cases, and Doug has a bad case of Cheese Foot. It looks like we will make it home intact.
Lynn writes:
Guanajuato was the fulfillment of the image of Mexico I have carried with me for years. We were immersed in the old Mexican culture. The City is laid out around the public squares, where, at twilight the young people promenade in the squares. This seems to be a very innocent activity for young people to socialize. NO TV, IMAGINE THAT!! The streets are absolutely full of regular citizens. We toured the city in full with all of the cobbled streets, narrow alleys, with internet cafes on every block. Late in the evening some of the group joined a procession of strolling minstrels as they guided an hour long tour of some of the steep, narrow and lighted streets and buildings of the town. We took in the culture!
03/08/2002 - DAY 20
I am writing this from beach side in San Felipe, Baja California Norte, which is some 120 miles South of the U.S. border. The temperature is about 75 degrees, which is somewhat cooler than what we have become accustomed to. Today we clicked off over 1,000 nautical miles of Mexican terrain, and it was some of the most spectacular of the trip. Today's flight also had some of the most unusual things I have ever seen in Mexico. We departed on time (almost), we had a smooth ride all day, and we had a tailwind coming Northbound out of Mexico, something I have never seen. It was great!! Tonight we are going out on the town in San Felipe. Food, drink and good friends on the last night of a trip of a lifetime.
Our last day went well. There were surprisingly few hangovers at breakfast, considering the size and number of margaritas that were consumed the night before. None of us really slept in, and we were all ready to go before our agreed upon time of 09:00. I suppose we were all anxious to get home.
We had chosen San Felipe as our last overnight stop because of its proximity to the border and because it is a Mexican Airport of Entry, where we could check out of the country. We also knew from previous experience that the formalities here would be minimal, and they were. It actually took us longer to get a phone call through to San Diego Flight Service to file our border crossing flight plans than it did to do the local paper work and pay our landing and parking fees.
We were airborne by 09:30 for the 45 minute flight to Calexico. Getting back into the U.S. can easily be the most challenging border crossing of a trip like this. The flight plan has to be properly filed, and the estimated border crossing time has to be met within 5 minutes. As the border is approached and radio contact is made we are assigned a special transponder code. This is so the drug enforcement spooks, who’s radar sees everything coming at the border, will know we are friendlies. Once on the ground we can’t leave the airplane until U.S. Customs comes out and checks it over. First the paperwork. Registration, airworthiness certificate, pilots license, medical certificates, passports. Then the actual physical inspection, which can be anything from a peek in the windows to a complete breakdown of everything we own. This time we get lucky, and we get off with only the peek. Tim and I had all our forms filled out ahead of time, which they like. It tells them we have done it before and we are trying to make their jobs easier.
After fueling again we were airborne within an hour. Our flight plans called for 2 hrs 15 minutes to San Jose and 3 hrs to Novato. Weather had been a concern up until this time, since it had been raining all morning in the bay area. It was moving through quickly, however, and our respective arrivals at Reid Hillview and Gnoss airports were delayed only by the 30 knot headwinds we encountered en-route. In fact, this was the ONLY headwind we encountered on the entire trip. This is pretty unusual considering the out and back nature of our trip and the prevailing winds. (I am certainly NOT complaining, however. There is nothing more satisfying than having a tailwind in BOTH directions!).
When we landed back at RHV in N747S we had covered over 6,500 nautical miles and put 39.3 hrs on her Hobbs meter. We made 21 landings in 6 different countries in 22 days. By today, the 12th, I think everyone is either back home or on their way home. Peter left for Munich, Todd for S. Dakota and Doug for Portland, all this morning. The two Alaskans, Lynn and Marty, have gone their separate ways, and the rest of us are already wading through our backed up mail and starting to put our normal lives back together. It will take a few days of normal eating to get the old digestive track stabilized. It will take a few good nights sleep in our own beds to feel rested, and I don’t know how long the alcohol poisoning will last. I, for one, put my name on the list for a new liver even before we left!
It was a great adventure. Our detailed planning paid off, and we saw most of what we had set out to see. Our airplanes performed flawlessly. Our engines started every time and purred along for uninterrupted hours as we enjoyed the varied and ever changing scene from two miles up and 200 miles per hour. No one was put in jail or got badly hurt, and we all remained pretty healthy, considering the kinds of abuse we subjected ourselves to. We made some new friends and bonded with old friends. The experiences we had will make us all wiser and more appreciative of how lucky we are and how great it is to be alive.
CENTRAL AMERICA TRIP SUMMARY
ADDED
DATE FROM - TO TIME FUEL
2/17/02 San Jose, CA Brawley, CA 2.2 71.5
2/17/02 Brawley, CA Loreto, MX 2.6 75.0
2/18/02 Loreto, MX Guadalajara, MX 3.1 85.5
2/19/02 Guadalajara, MX Huatulco, MX 2.6 84.7
2/19/02 Huatulco, MX Guatemala City, GM 2.2 62.9
2/20/02 Guatemala City, GM San Jose, CR (Pavas) 2.8 43.0
2/20/02 San Jose, CR Bocas Del Toro, PA 0.9 0.0
2/22/02 Bocas Del Toro, PA Panama City, PA 1.3 64.5
2/25/02 Panama City, PA San Jose, CR (Pavas) 2.0 76.3
2/27/02 San Jose, CR Puerto Jimenez, CR 0.9 0.0
3/2/02 Puerto Jimenez, CR Playa Carrillo, CR 1.1 0.0
3/4/02 Playa Carrillo, CR Liberia, CR 0.5 109.3
3/4/02 Liberia, CR Belize City, BZ 3.4 0.0
3/4/02 Belize City, BZ San Pedro, BZ 0.3 0.0
3/6/02 San Pedro, BZ Belize City, BZ 0.2 102.0
3/6/02 Belize City, BZ Villahermosa, MX 1.4 0.0
3/6/02 Villahermosa, MX Oxaca, MX 1.5 84.7
3/7/02 Oaxaca, MX Guanajuato, MX 2.4 70.5
3/9/02 Guanajuato, MX Los Mochis, MX 3.0 79.7
3/9/02 Los Mochis, MX San Felipe, MX 2.5 0.0
3/10/02 San Felipe, MX Calexico, CA 0.6 56.0
3/10/02 Calexico, CA San Jose, CA 2.6 116.2
40.1 1181.8
Total distance flown, N747S: 7,502 nm
(N831D would be approx. 120 nm further)
Total Landings: 22, in 6 different countries
Ave fuel price: $2.40 per gal,
Ave fuel burn: 29.5 gal per hr
Average per landing cost of airplane related expenses:
(landing fees, parking fees, airways fees,
entry and exit fees, overtime fees,
bug spray fees, etc, etc,) $39 per airplane per landing.
Estimated total time spent at airports while transiting?
(19 non-US takeoffs & landings,
average 1 hr for each landing and
average 1 ˝ hr for each takeoff) =
2 ˝ hrs X 19 = 47.5 hrs, or TWO FULL DAYS!!
