Riding the Rails Once More

The locomotive for the passenger train
This RR ferried thousands of '49ers across Panama
to get to the gold fields in CA faster

Panama Canal RR and the NEW Canal

Since the Visitors Center for the New Panama Canal is inconveniently located clear across the country (fortunately Panama is only 80 miles wide), I decided to get there via the very special Panama Canal

The Observation car - beautifully maintained

RR train. The train is mostly used to haul containers and materials. But, once a day, they add on some beautiful antique passenger cars, which have been meticulously maintained. Indeed, the faint but sweet smell of fresh varnish was in the air, along with the aroma of some freshly brewed Panamanian coffee. I was in the observation car, but made frequent trips to an open air platform, which allowed respite from the ultra-cold AC and some noisy Germans, as well as better photo and video ops.

Here's a short video clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8vbiKJ3xO4

The RR allowed beautiful views of Gatun Lake and Canal

The train trip is infinitely better than the bus, travelling through dense jungle as well as allowing vistas of Lake Gatun and the Changres River. It also allows close up views of the construction and maintenance parts of the Canal operation, which its gigantic lifting cranes and pile drivers that can hammer down 4 giant pilings at a time, enormous dredges and many tugs , as well.

The new locks are so big , they slide into a pocket

While the New Visitors Center is remote, it is nonetheless worth the trip. The scale of the new locks is hard to grasp without being there – kinda like the Grand Canyon or mountain vistas. But it is MASSIVE. Due to its width, the lock gates don’t open at the center like the old canal.

A monster Neo-Panamax container ship in locks

Rather they slide side-to-side, like a pocket door. A very large pocket door. And the “Neo-Panamax” vessels, as they are called are a sight to behold. It is hard to believe a ship could possibly be that big.

Now that we can make virtually unlimited quantities of chlorine in Iptei, we begin the process that will lead to daily chlorination of the water supply for the village. We’ll start by cleaning the water tanks. Like Pueblo Nuevo, this has not been done for some time, though there is only about an inch of slime in these tanks, since they capture the mountain spring right where it leaves the rocks. Then we’ll scrub the tank with chlorine and flush.

Meanwhile, we’ll be using this new measuring stick to calculate the daily water use. We measured today at 9am and then cut the water supply. Tomorrow at 9, we’ll measure again and calculate the volume of water, based on the tank dimensions and depth of water. Then we calculate the approximate number of drops of chlorine per minute needed and adjust the regulator (shown here). Next day, we’ll test the chlorine level in the village and adjust accordingly. The chlorine flow will be stopped whenever the water supply stops.

I fought hard for this IV drip kit

Tale of Two Drip Regulators
Sometimes it is just a little harder to get things done in the 3rd world. As we are setting up the water chlorination system in Ipeti, we discovered that the old drip controller (aka IV regulator) had been out in the sun too long – not unlike the way I feel sometimes – and kinda crumbled when I tried to adjust it.
In Peru, I just went down to the Centro Salud and asked for one. They gave me two. So I went over to the Torti Health Post and was told that they had some, but could not spare any. They even re-use them if they start to run short. Their major complaint is lack of supply from Panama City.
Next, I tried the medical staff at Peace Corps. No joy, but they said I could buy them at a farmacia. Nope, even with a picture, 5 pharmacies turned me away. 
So, I tried a hospital. Yes, they had them, but did not sell them. Stubborn bastard that I am, some would say tenacious, I went to the Administradora, who was amused by my tale of woe and that I was going to use the device to regulate chlorine instead of IV solutions. Her pity won me the sale. 
First, I had to take her note to the internal pharmacy. Then I walked way across the building to pay for the device. When I presented the receipt, I then had to go to a nurses’ station to get the $3 device.
I then wrote detailed instructions for my Water Committee, in case they ever need another. Though this one will be sun protected by a cover.
The only good part of this rigmarole is the delightful sense of satisfaction upon completion of the task.

My first breadfruit - It was OK

The breadfruit got sampled today. Here's what I got. It was still pretty firm, so cubed and boiled and mashed it. Added olive oil, salt, pepper. While it was cooking, there was a faint smell, which, with a little imagination could be baking bread. Very mild flavor. I tasted mostly the oil, salt & pepper. I'd prefer a nice camote. But breadfruit is OK. This one was "green". Next one is going full ripe, for the "pudding" effect.

Alicia, my new friend from the bus - what a smile !!

This is A-LEE-cia. She is four, going on 10. We met on the bus today on my way home from working in Pueblo Nuevo. We started smiling at each other, then advanced to sharing peanuts and giggles. For some reason the Mexican name for peanut "cacahuate" made her laugh. It makes me smile, too. And she LOVED seeing her picture "in" my camera.
She gets her smile from her grandfather, Ted, who worked with Americans in the COPEG project (elimination of screw-worm in cattle) for 20 years. The worm was considered eliminated in Panama in 2012, when Ted retired.

They are just 2 of the many reasons I love riding on the bus.
Yesterday, I had a chat with a handsome young Kuna man, whose Spanish was not much better than mine. He told me that only the Kuna women wear bright colors because "they are beautiful. Men are plain." When I asked him about Kuna families having only 2 children, he said "good for the land". I'm not sure he understood my question about HOW they limit the number. All he did was laugh and wag his finger "no".
I also noticed that the Kuna women constantly touch and stroke their infants. Seems like a really nice way to grow up.