We Never Really Felt Safe

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Geo: 9.55, -79.65

Actually, Portobelo itself was safe enough, it was Colon that was scary. But more on that later.

We rode the luxurious Panama Canal train to Colon. It was punctual, smooth and had a wonderful glass dome for observing monkeys in the trees overhead. You sit at tables of 4 in the chilly air conditioning while the jungle and canal sweep by. They served coffee, but no snack as some bloggers have mentioned, so we ate breakfast in Colon.

A couple at the table next to us had a very knowledgeable guide with them who talked the entire trip about the canal and Panama in general; it was fascinating and very informative.

We learned for instance, that the material being dug out of the canal for the expansion project is being dumped into the Pacific to make an island where they're planning to put the tallest building in the world--outflanking Dubai.

We left the luxury of the train, an expensive train, too, at $88 round trip for the two of us (for only 50 miles). But then where else can you go from Pacific to Atlantic for $22?

And then there's Colon. We asked our taxi driver to just take us where we could get breakfast. We didn't want the Free Shopping areas and no, we didn't want his fine array of expensive tours--we just wanted breakfast.

So he dropped us off where, apparently, all the grandmas ate. It was nearly empty but those who were there were Sun Lakes-old. We entered past a guard with a shotgun at the door--that should have told us something.

After breakfast we headed off to walk the streets. This is truly a town time forgot. Gracious colonial architecture gone moldy, crumbled, faded and filthy.

Fascinating.

I started snapping pictures as we headed for the bus station for our trip to Portobelo. We could take a taxi for $25 or a bus for $1.30. Hmmmmmm. Which to take?

We pass a shoe repair kiosk where they're PAINTING old shoes. Bright blue, vivid green, even plain old brown. Why buy new? Just get out the kids' paint box and take after them.

At the bus station Bob makes friends with a tall skinny guy who's...how do you say it? Between jobs. The guy's all solicitous and friendly and I'm suspicious as hell--even the cops are wanting to know what he intends as they stop and question him, looking at Bob & I and telling us to be very careful. But the fellow successfully helps us find an umbrella, escorts us back to the bus station and tells us which bus to board.

Bob slips him a dollar.

And we head off on a gaily colored bus that pinches our butts, breaks our backs and cramps our knees. The brakes screech, gears grind and we're just praying it gets us there. Did I mention we're the only white people on board? But 2 hours and $2.60 later we arrive at what has to be the most beautiful location in Panama--Pirate's Cove where the "town" of Portobelo sits.

It's lunchtime and Bob has to pee.

I don't even know where to start with the description of this place. The "restaurants" are pretty grim. To find a place to eat that has a bathroom too is getting impossible, so we zero in on the bathroom first.

It starts to downpour.

We go to church. Literally. The church is the only place of refuge. It's open, dry and we sit inside waiting for the thundering on the rooftop to abate.

We start the bathroom search again.

We end up back in the church. The church is the only place with a bathroom? That taken care of we look for lunch again, but just can't handle what we find and end up buying crackers at the market.

I didn't drink anything all day for fear of having to pee.

See, around the main square where the church is you go in a "restaurant" or "soda" (which is what they call a little lunch counter) and there are no menus. You have no idea what's for dinner. I asked one lady and she said, "comida tipica y pesca". That's typical Panamanian food and fish which would end up being rice, beans, plaintains maybe and fish. That's would be fine and we'd love it if we could trust the place, but there's just too many flies and we just don't know.

So we err on the side of caution and skip it. Dang it. If it were clean we would love the fresh fish. But we've been warned about the water in these areas and also to eat only food we see being cooked and that's served hot. So we abstain.

There are remnants of several forts guarding the cove and townsite, as Portobelo was the gateway for gold and silver transport from the new world back to Europe. Pirates such as Sir Francis Drake and Henry Morgan broke through their defenses too often though and by the end of the 17th century Portobelo had been abandoned. It's been a simple fishing village ever since.

But when it's discovered and somebody dumps some money into it, it will be a destination of note. It is so beautifully situated. Better come see it now before McDonalds ruins it.

The buses run every 30 minutes between Colon and Portobelo until 6:00pm, so we rode the 2:00 back to Colon in time to roam the streets some more. I was looking forward to taking more pictures, but on the bus a large black lady across from Bob was so insistent that the area we were going to was "very, very dangerous" and his wife (me) needed to put the camera away in the bag, that we didn't try any more pictures.

Walking around Colon later a cab driver stopped us as we were crossing the street and said, "I don't want you to take my taxi...I just want to tell you to be very careful. This area is full of robbers. Be careful," he warned.

We felt like we had targets pinned to our flanks. If we're making Colon out to be a nest of thieves and vipers, it is.

But we made it out without harm so hope the pictures I took that morning can tell the story.

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Photos

Fort
Imagine how hard this would be to see from the sea.

Fort Digging Out
The side of the mountain has washed itself into the fort. They're hauling it out in wheelbarrows.

Comments

[Paul (L.)]

Was the place really as bombed-out, devastated, run-down as it appears? It looks like some of the post-earthquake pictures of Haiti that I've seen. I envisioned Panama as culturally interesting and diverse and modern, but this just looks li
ke a place of destitution (if that's a word).

[bobnkaren]

Colon, yes--everything you said. But Panama City is a vibrant, modern extremely successful city. It's a shopping mecca with a wide variety of goods and enviable prices. The kind of prices that makes you buy it whether you need it or not, un
fortunately ;) Panama City seems to have it all and everything centers around the Canal.

[Allen & Judie]

Good you made it this far safe & sound. Pic's are great.

[Violeta P.]

I am from Panama and once a beutiful city is now a dump. I am so glad that you guys made it back home safe. It is dangerous, even for me. The safest way to visit Colon, is to travel with one of the locals. Beaches are some of the most beaut
iful in the world. Portobelo is a safe town to visit, did you guys go to the black Christ church?, is very interesting.

[brynababy]

We will be in Colon one day on a Cruise stop. Can we get safely from Colon to a partial transfer ferry at the locks. We don't want to take the expensive, (and not so faborably reveiwed) ship excursion. Can we do it on our own? Thank you
to anyone who knows.

[bobnkaren]

Sure you can. Just take a taxi, but be very aware of everything and everyone around you. Beware of anyone trying to be too "helpful", as there will be many offering. And good luck. It's a very beautiful country.