Just Another Day in Panama...

Today I had to take a trip into Cristobel to see the head port Captain.  The drive into Colon was something I thought I should write about.
We drove out from Shelter bay through another really heavy rain storm, all the streets in Colon were flooded so we had to keep taking alternate roads, water was pouring off the roof tops like waterfalls (no kidding), the water in the roads was so deep in places it was right up over the wheels of the cars, I wondered how long it would be before we broke down and I would have to swim to safety, my biggest concern (don't laugh) was that I had the ships papers with me, a truly valuable possession, and I would not have been popular (understatement) had I lost them.
All the roads were jammed with heavy traffic, and the drivers here have absoutely no manners, they spend their driving time seeing how close they can come to impact with other vehicles, and leaning on their horns, (CAR horns)  no one follows the signs, and close calls occur about 60 times a minute.   There are no rules of the road out here, and even if there were no one gives a rats ass!
My driver doesn't speak a word of english, and my back is killing me from the jarring of the pot holes we have been driving through, not to mention the seat that is probably still in the laid back position from Heaven only knows what it was used for the night before (you know what I mean) and I can't get the seat up, it's totally jammed in the "laid back" position!  The area we drove through got poorer and poorer, even the driver locked his doors, I was not feeling comfortable at all.

I shouldn't really complain I was getting the ride into Colon for free, but somehow I just wanted to be back on the boat.
I was eventually dropped outside a building that looked as though it was probably still under construction. I followed direction and headed off across the road through the rain to the door that my driver pointed at.  Inside there was a desk where a couple of guys stood around chatting and laughing and another guy sat behind the desk, as I ran in they all stopped laughing and turned to look at me.  "Do any of you speak english" I asked.  One of the guys came towards me and said "what do you want little one?"  I was confused by the term little one, but chose to ignore the words and the creepy smile.  "I need to see the Head port Captain, please" two of the men laughed,  "I am the head port captain" one of them said with raucous laughter, a sudden chill ran down my spine as I suddenly pictured myself in a Panamanian Jail.

I won't go into all the details of the conversation that followed (it would bore and confuse you) just that I ended up climbing up two flights of stairs, and along creepy corridors to the top floor of a building without windows, and then opening a series of unmarked doors and peering into barely furnished rooms with random people, none of which spoke any english, eventually I came across a guard who had a few words of english and took me into another room where I was told to wait.  My driver appeared a few minutes later and he and the guard exchanged a few words and laughter, accompanied by curious glances in my direction.
After a few minutes I was called into a large room by a guy that I assume was the Head port Captain, he motioned to a chair next to a desk and I sat down, and tried in very bad Spanish to explain what I needed.
About 30 minutes later, after our meeting, in which the Port Captain was very nice, and had tried his best to be very helpful, despite the language barrier, I left, we shook hands and then I looked for my driver, I went all over the building, in all the offices, upstairs, downstairs, eventually I found the guard that spoke a little english and he helped me look for him, we looked everywhere, even outside.  I was beginning to get nervous, this was not a safe area for a woman alone.  I asked one of the guards to please call me a cab, then just after he called,  a couple of guys I recognized from the marina appeared, "are you going back to Shelter Bay?" I asked, "yes, in a bit we have some photocopies to get in town first, do you need a ride?"  I was so relieved, and bless them they brought me safely back to the marina.
Oh the joys of boat life are truly never ending...
As long as we have Daisy, I know I'll never in my life be bored!