Panama-Friday

This morning we went to a simulation where all of the boat pilots were go through the Canal have to train. There were large screens (floor to ceiling) around us… 360 degrees. The scene was the Panamal Canal. The instructor would put various obstacles in the way of the pilot in order to test how well he did in stressful situations. The obstacles consisted of other boats, which the pilot had to maneuver around; rain; fog; darkness and of course every pilot has to navigate the lock systems. It was a very interesting experience … they didn’t let us drive the ship, though! The simulator is now located in the high school where Ken went to school.
After the simulator we went to visit the APC (Authority of the Panamal Canal) administration building. We were able to see the large rotunda with murals of the building of the Canal. We also drove and walked up Cerro ancon (Ancon Hill), a large hill that overlooked the city. It was beautiful! After the hike we went to the mall and shared a platter of food. The platter was HUGE. It consisted of french-fries, ham, steak, pork, onion rings, and plantain chips. It was supposed to feed four people but it probably could have fed eight! Then we went back to Ken’s house and took a “siesta”!

This evening we went into Ken’s office where they were having a reception for a couple who was just engaged. We were able to meet Ken’s colleagues. They are a great group of people… lots of laughing! They take care of Ken very well! Nathan and Ken decided to get some mangoes out of the tree outside his office. They were able to knock down quite a few. We brought them home and cleaned them.

This evening we went to an amazing seafood restaurant. The chef came out and took our order and came back several times to make sure we were doing okay. The food was great! We came back to Ken’s house and watched a movie.
We are having a great time!