Blogs from Panamá, Panama, Central America Caribbean

Monumental feats of engineering have always fascinated us and this artificial canal splitting the American continents is one such marvel. A must-see destination on almost every tourist’s bucket list, the Panama Canal opened in 1914 fulfilling a dream over 400 years in the making. How is it possible that what appears to be a simple 51-mile-long waterway can generate such interest, excitement and wonder in all who view it? It may indeed be just that, but the answer is far from simple! Let me explain…… A Little Bit of History: The idea of creating a water passage across the Isthmus of Panama to link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans dates to at least the 1500’s. After explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa realized that a narrow strip of land separated the two oceans, King Charles I of ... read more

Our first destination on the original itinerary for Holland America’s 75-day Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage aboard the MS Volendam had been Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands but had been changed to Ocho Rios, Jamaica a week or two before the cruise began. I had not yet signed up for the Dolphin Encounter & Cayman Turtle Centre shore excursion offered in Grand Cayman but was planning to do so after I had had a peek at the weather forecast. Instead, our first port of call was now Ocho Rios, Jamaica. I had been to Runaway Bay, Jamaica (less than twenty miles from Ocho Rios) twice before and had seen most of the area’s tourist destinations, so I had decided to save my “shore excursion dollars” for something new and different. Cruise Day 2, ... read more

After the bag incident, I woke up ready to explore Panama City. I was staying in Casco Viejo, the old part of Panama City. Panama City which was built in early 1500s was burnt to a rubble in response to a pirate attack in the late 1600s. And the new Panama of that time that was built is Casco Viejo. So I was visiting a place roughly 350 years old and recognised as a world heritage site. Casco Viejo streets are best explored early morning when people and traffic is light and you can get good pictures of the empty streets. It's an area with many street art, lots of restaurants, cafes and nightclubs. But most importantly, it has the old world charm. Casco Viejo also has many rooftop restaurants from which you can see the ... read more

Patrick Twomey took time out of his in-person group tour to show heygo voyagers parts of Panama City. Always plenty of interesting facts to learn from Patrick. Portobelo, meaning beautiful port, due to its natural beauty, was discovered and named by Christopher Columbus in 1502. By 1597, the beautiful bay of Portobelo had become the main crossroads for merchandise between Europe and the Americas. With so many valuables passing through the area, Portobelo became a frequent target of pirate invaders, including such historic names as Henry Morgan and Francis Drake, who attacked the city and took the port several times throughout the 1600s. http://www.heygo.com... read more

Today is the highlight of my trip and it doesn’t disappoint; we are doing a partial transit of the Panama Canal. It’s a southbound transit – ships travel northbound through the locks north in the morning and south in the afternoon - so we are picked up by a minibus around midday. First, we have time to watch some of the Panama Ironman, with the cycling discipline passing by our hotel. The event started with a 1.2 mile swim in the canal, which really doesn’t look like the right colour for water you’d want to immerse your face in. Then a 56 mile cycle up and down the flyover – by the now the temperature has reached 32 degrees - rounded off by a half marathon up and down the causeway. That’s quite a feat – ... read more