03 Panama: Sailing from Ocean to Ocean...

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart..." - Helen Keller

(A cargo ship vrissing the Panama Canal)

Day 03: 21/06/15 (Saturday)

Tour: Panama Canal Cruise and Gamboa Tour
Hotel: Hotel Casa Miller, Panama City

(Waiting for the Tour bus)

This morning we skipped breakfast.

Mr Alonso, our tour guide and Mr Manuel the driver, picked the four of us around 6.00 am. The bus made its round to fetch other tourists from their hotels for the Panama Canal Tour.

Panama is a country on the isthmus linking Central and South America. The Panama Canal, a famous feature of human engineering, cuts through its center, linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to create an essential shipping route.

(One of the locks in Panama Canal)

(Overloaded cargo ship)

The capital, Panama City is a modern town with skyscrapers, casinos and nightclubs contrast with colonial buildings in the Casco Viejo district and the rainforest of Natural Metropolitan Park which we visited later of the day.

(Bridge iver the Chagres River)

(The train track along the river)

(Gamboa Rainforest Reserve)

We travelled to Gatun Lake in Gamboa located about 45 minutes drive from Panama City. From the jetty, we board a boat for a cruise through the Panama Canal and Gamboa Rainforest Reserve where we visited the Monkey Island.

(A small jetty at Gatun Lake)

Monkey Island is famous for its vibrant monkey population. It is also a sloth sanctuary. The small islands in Gatun Lake are home to birds and several monkey species, including capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, and tamarins among others wildlifes.

Gatun Lake is an artificial fresh water lake which is 27 m above sea level. It was created by damming the Chagres River, the largest river in the Panama Canal's drainage basin.The river is dammed twice, and the resulting reservoirs are Gatun Lake and Alajuela Lake forming an integral part of the canal and its water system.

After the Gatun Lake Cruise We had coffee break at a nearby Chinese Restaurant.

 We had the opportunity to watch a cargo ship passing throught the three levels of locks at Agua Clara Panama Canal Locks and sails into the Atlantic Ocean. Tourist could view a 10-minutes video before watching the locks in operation.

 We travelled to Forta Bello located at Cristobal passing through the town of Colon.

It was raining very heavily when we were at the fort. We were suppoaed to have a picnic lunch but because of the heavy rain we had buffet lunch under the shade in the tourist centre building instead.

It was not fun to visit the fort drenched wet in the rain. Because of poor visbility we were unable to take photos.

The drive back to the capital city was unevenful. We reached our hotel by 3.30 pm. The rest of the afternoon was spent napping.

02 Panama: Spanish Colonial Influences...

"Kilometres are shorter than miles. Save gas, and take your next trip in kilometres..." – George Carlin

(My boarding pass to Panama)

Day 02: 20/06/25 (Friday) Red
Flight: TK903 IST 1410/PTY 2000 (Turkish Air)
Route: Istanbul - Panama City
Hotel: Hotel Casa Miller, Panama City

We performed Subuh prayers an hour before arrival. The plane touched down at Istanbul International Airport at 5.40 am Turkish time. We while away our time during the eight hours layover with window shopping, Quran reciting or reading e-book. But if you need some rest during a long layover, a comfortable Sleepods or Recharge Cabins are available on an hourly charges.

(Arriving at Istanbul International Airport)

(A beautiful new airport of Turkey)

Buying a decent meal in the airport is quite expensive. The Istanbul Airport is renowned for its top-tier dining, voted World’s Best Airport Dining by Skytrax in 2024. But it also leads Europe in some of the steepest food and drink prices. We make do with having our brunch at the food court.

(Recharge Cabins at Euro25/hr)

(The Airport Museum, a new attraction)

Our flight to Panama City was at 2.10 pm. We have ample time to change. It was going to be another long-haul 13h 50m flight, a challenge to our already tired bones.

(Resting our tired feet)

The flight to Panama City was not full so were able to stretch our bodies at the unoccupied seats. We spent most of the time on board napping in between meals.

Landed at Panama City Tocumen International Airport at 7.57 pm.

(First glimpse of Panama City)

01 Istanbul - Love is in the air...

"Travelling is like a chocolate box. It Doesn’t matter what you get. All is good..."

(Istanbul International Airport)

Day 01: 19/06/25 (Thursday) Blue

Flight: TK061 KUL 2345/IST 0520+1 (Turkish Air)
Route: KL - Istanbul

All our bags are packed and we are ready to start our adventure trip to Central America.

By 5.00 pm we were already on our way to Putramas Apartment. Booked a grab car to KLIA. The after office hour traffic was quite heavy and it was raining slightly. When we reached the airport it was already Maghrib. Performed our jamak prayers at the arrival surau level 2.

(Departure Hall KLIA)

(Speedy check-in)

Met Hazimin and Che Nan at Departure Hall Counter J. The four of us will be travelling together on this trip. Completed check-in process in a jiffy.

(Our travelling buddies for this trip)

(The crowd at the boarding hall)

The long haul flight to Istanbul was full. The 10 h 35m on board was spent napping in between listening to Mark Knopfler. Meals were served two hours after departure and two hours before arrival. 

(On board of the long-haul flight)

Exploring the Mayan and the Aztecs Civilisation...

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered..." - G.K. Chesterton

(Chichen Itza, Cancun, Mexico)

I am in for a treat and unforgettable adventure in Central America.

Central America is a vibrant and diverse region full of natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. We will be visiting Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico and Cuba.

Panama (20 - 22 June 2025)

Panama is a mix of modern cities and wild rainforests. We will be visiting the Panama Canal and try a boat tour through the canal and visit Embera indigenous villages.

Costa Rica (23 - 25 June 2025)

Costa Rica is an eco-paradise with "Pura Vida" lifestyle. We will be expecting wildlife, rainforests and lots of tropical rain.

Mexico (26 June - 01 July 2025)

Mexico is a lively, colorful, and deeply historic country, incredible food, vibrant street life and diverse climates. The highlight of our trip will be visiting one on the Seven Wonders of the world, the Chichen Itza in Cancun which is the last in our list.

Cuba (02 - 05 July 2025)

Cuba is a timeless soulful country, classic cars, salsa music, and warm hospitality with vintage charm.Top highlights are Havana and a day trip to Viñales Valley.

I don't know whether I will be able to update my travel blog as we are expecting limited internet coverage at some of the places we visit.

2025 Thailand Route 12 Trip

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success...” – Alexander Graham Bell

(The 16-day journey)

We will be on a 16-day road trip. The main part of the trip is to cover the whole length of the 710 km newly extended Route 12.

Route 12 or Asean Highway 12 is a part of the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC), a route which links four mainland Southeast Asian countries, from Myanmar in the West to Vietnam in the East. The final phase of the expansion of Highway 12 which links Thailand with Myanmar and Laos in Tak and Mukdahan, respectively has been completed.

We will enter Thailand via Bukit Kayu Hitam and will exit via Sungai Golok, visiting the major towns along the routing.

Route 12 itinerary:

(18 April - 5 May 2025)

Day 01: Kuala Lumpur - Hat Yai

Day 02: Hat Yai - Tha Sae

Day 03: Tha Sae - Kanchanaburi

Day 04: Kanchanaburi

Day 05: Kanchanaburi - Tak

Day 06: Tak - Phitsanulok

Day 07: Phitsanulok - Khon Kaen

Day 08: Khon Kaen - Mukdahan

Day 09: Mukdahan - Nakhon Ratchasima

Day 10: Nakhon Ratchasima - Hua Hin

Day 11: Hua Hin - Chumphon

Day 12: Chumphon - Hat Yai

Day 13: Hat Yai - Narathiwat

Day 14: Narathiwat - Kota Bharu

Day 15: Kota Bharu

Day 16: Kota Bharu - Kuala Lumpur

Next Trip: Central America in June 2025

RT 01: Kuala Lumpur - Hat Yai👉

Route 12: Day 01 - Hatyai

"Logic will get you from A to Z. Imagination will take you everywhere...”

(The start of our Route 12 trip)

Day 01: 18 April 2025 (Friday)
Route: Kuala Lumpur - Hatyai
Distance: 530 km
Hotel: Hatyai Golden Crown Hotel

We had roti canai breakfast at Restoran D'maju. By 8.30 am we started driving northbound and stopped at Petronast Simpang Pulai to refuel.

(A heavy Mamak breakfast)

(A clear sunny day)

Earlier we planned to have an early lunch at Warung Ikan Bawal Kelapa Sawit in Juru. Unfortunately, the queue was long and the seats under the tent were too crowded. As it was near Zohor time, we drove direct to Masjid Muhajirin Seberang Jaya, a short distance away. While hubby performed his Jumaat prayers, I took a light nap in the car.

(Masjid Muhajirin Seberang Jaya)

After, we drove to Ida Mee Udang at Sungai Dua for a late lunch of nasi and mee goreng udang.

(Ida Mee Udang Sungai Dua)

(A late lunch of mee and nasi goreng)

As I was yet to performed my solat, we stopped at Hentian Plaza Toll Hutan Kampung for prayers and comfort break.

(Hentian Plaza Toll Hutang Kampung)

We refuelled full tank in Changlun and changed some Ringgit into Bahts. By 5.30 pm we were at the Bukit Kayu Hitam/Sadao border. Malaysian border crossing was smooth eventhough there were many Malaysian cars. At the Thai border, passengers had to get off the vehicle and had their passport checked and stamped at the counters in the Immigration building. There was a long queue at the Custom Clearance counters as there were many Malaysian vehicles entering into Thailand at this time of the day.

(Malaysian Immigration Checkpoint)  

(Thailand Immigration Checkpoint)

Arrived in Hatyai around 7.00 pm Thailand time. Checked in Hatyai Golden Crown Hotel at Rm120/night. Walked to the phone shop to top-up our local Thai sim card. We had murtabak daging for dinner at Khaled Restaurant next door. Later we went for an hour of strong foot massage at Four Season Reflexology. Met a group of eight Malaysian from Segamat having their foot and body massages too. They travelled all the way from Segamat to Padang Besar by ETS.

(Tasty beef murtabak)

(Hatyai Golden Crown Hotel)

After a good refreshing shower, we had a good night sleep to relieve tired muscles.

👈2025 Thailand Route 12 Trip

   RT 02: Hatyai - Tha Sae👉