Panama: Day 2--Sunday

Ok, please let me begin by saying...I finished a week of EFY at 10 AM and left for Vegas at 10:30 AM. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it and would've just thrown in the towel if my roommate, Kristen, didn't let me vent of my emotional breakdown while being exhausted and packing all in 2 minutes. She is seriously so good to me. With that said, The guys/Galke's made fun of me sleeping ALL the time. Isn't that what vacations are all about though?!


Erik and Derrick at the Panama Canal.
Sister Galke, Julia (my roommate for the week) and Me

I was probably pondering this:

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, naturally...)

"The history of the Panama Canal goes back almost to the earliest explorers of the Americas. The narrow land bridge between North and South America offers a unique opportunity to create a water passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. This potential was meeee by the earliest colonists of Central America, and schemes for such a canal were floated several times in the subsequent years.

By the late-1800s, technological advances and commercial pressure advanced to the point where construction started in earnest. An initial attempt by France to build a sea-level canal failed, but only after a great amount of excavation was carried out. This was of use to the U.S. effort, which finally completed the present Panama Canal in 1914. Along the way, the nation of Panama was created through its separation from Colombia in 1903.

Today, the canal continues to be not only a viable commercial venture, but also a vital link in world shipping."

Brother Galke, Derrick, and Erik
A boat going through the canal. We watched it from the entrance of the canal, watched the locks fill/empty, and watched it travel through. It's truly amazing...

The locks.

And here it is...our walk.

We have lots of fond memories from this Sunday walk: Frogs, Video Frogs, Cutter Ants, Fireflies, and The Jungle

We walked from the Galke's home to the US Embassy. That is where Brother Galke works. The coolest thing is that he rides a bike there!!!! It is a beautiful building up on a hill that provided easy access to the canal back when the US owned it.

That night we went back to the Galke's and celebrated Decker's birthday! (And Julia's...)
The Galke's were seriously SO generous and inviting. They made us feel just at home as early as day one. They are such a wonderful family. We are so grateful for them! On to day 3!

More memories of the day (from the guys):
Julia, Amber, and THE frog
Niche
Sunday Night
Amber sleeping on the couch


Here's a clip of the canal...