We flew to LAX, then overnight to Costa Rica, and on to Panama City. Between these four places, LAX, the plane, the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, and the airport in Panama City, which was the most awful for using the bathroom? I have not even finished asking the question and I can hear you shouting the answer - you are correct, LAX's Terminal 2 was by far the most awful. With the assistance of the iPhone and two street vendors the cabbie addressed as "General" and "Doctor," we eventually located the apartment we had rented. Just a few short hours later, we located the rental agent, who let us in. Who cares though, it was warm and sunny and a gentle trade wind was blowing - welcome to Central America. The view from our apartment, of ships waiting to enter the Panama Canal:
Before there was a canal, there was the Panama Railroad across the causeway, so it was appropriate that our geeking out over the canal started here:
The rail route was built to accommodate a crush of 49ers making their way from the eastern part of the US to California, making it a nice tie in to our gold country trip, which unfortunately ended in a puke-a-rama (see below). Construction of the rail route began in 1850 and was completed in 1855. If you could not afford the exorbitant $25 fare to ride the train, you could pay a much smaller sum and walk the 40 plus miles along the tracks through steamy, mosquito-infested jungles. Awesome. We took the train to Colon, on the Caribbean side of the canal, then hired a guy named Gibson to drive us back and take us to all the prime geeking-out spots along the way. We stopped first at the Gatun locks, the set of locks closest to the Caribbean. Here are the "mules" that move the ships through the canals. The ships are wedged in there with a few feet between the ship and the lock wall on each side and front and back, and they crank those babies through in about ten minutes. Really amazing. Mules (Tioga is cuter):
We stopped for a brief monkey interlude at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Capuchin monkey:
Back to geeking out. Two ships in the middle set of locks, Pedro Miguel. The locks are largely the original locks completed in 1914. They operate entirely by gravity flow - no water is pumped anywhere in the system. This works only because Panama gets about four metric shit-loads of rain every year, which fills Lake Gatun in the middle of the canal. It rained about half a metric shit-load while we were there, and that was during the dry season. Pedro Miguel:
Christmas day we got up late, enjoyed the warm breeze on our balcony, then hailed a cab for Casco Viejo, the old quarter of the city. A view of Panama's skyscrapers from Casco Viejo:
Noam and a church:
The president of Panama lives in Casco Viejo in the Palacio de las Garzas, the Heron's Palace. Herons roam the courtyard, it was weird:
On the day after Christmas, we resumed the canal geek-out with a cruise from Lake Gatun through Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks to the Pacific Ocean. Noam and I cruising through the Culebra Cut, an artificial valley excavated through the continental divide:
A ship passing under the Centennial Bridge crossing Culebra Cut:
Waiting for our lock section to drain:
The lock wall:
Our canal pilot leaving after successfully piloting the cruise boat through the canal:
On our last day, we hired Gibson to drive us to Panama Viejo, then to the airport. Panama Viejo is the remains of a city that was destroyed in 1671 by one of the most notorious and successful privateers and creator of your favorite girly rum drinks (okay maybe not the last part), Henry Morgan. After Panama was sacked by Captain Morgan (garh!!), the city was rebuilt in Casco Viejo. Panama Viejo:
On to Costa Rica!
Action shot:
We stayed at the lodge just one night. It was beautiful but it rained constantly the entire time we were there, a steady, heavy rain that let up for just a few minutes in the morning. Since everything was wet, we were asked to take off our shoes and go barefoot in the dining room, so the floor didn't get filthy from everyone's shoes. Using the restroom in the dining hall was a little weird, Jim and I both felt like we had pee foot for the rest of the night. One night turned out to be just enough, because the rain got old pretty fast. We returned to San Jose and flew to Quepos on the Pacific Ocean, where the weather promised to be better. 
The plane:
We stayed at the Mango Moon. I love a hotel with resident animals and this one had a herd. There were two big dogs who roamed around and sprawled on the tile floor in the middle of the entry way, forcing you to walk around. There were about three cats including an insane kitten who would attack your napkin during dinner. One of the more sedate cats, who demanded to be let into our room:
A frog in Manuel Antonio National Park:
Beach!
Sara and I prepared for our zip-line, Tarzan swing, rappelling jungle canopy tour:
Sailing and snorkeling on new years eve day aboard La Perla:
Laying in provisions for new years eve:
On new years day, we headed back to San Jose, then home to San Jose:
