Advertisement
Published: February 4th 2018
Edit Blog Post
After Bocas del Toro and Chiriquí province I was back in the bustling, cosmopolitan capital:
Panama City. With about one million inhabitants and besides its famous Panama Canal it's also known for its skyline with many skyscrapers. You could already guess: The traffic often gets ugly but fortunately the city has a new metro-system (subway) which opened in 2014. It currently has one line and the second is being built. There is also a more modern bus-system which made the majority of the typical coloured "diablo rojo" buses disappear from the streets. For many in Curaçao, Panama City is well known for its many shopping malls such as Albrook, Pacifica, Los Andes, MetroMall, Los Pueblos etc. What I like about Panama City is that you can get into the rainforest and do some hiking very close to the city. History, adventure, nature, nightlife, fun: there is something for everyone in this city!
I stayed at one of my longtime friends, Eybis. While she went to work, I went wandering on my own since I already know my way through most of the city. I took a bus and stepped out at the Cinta Costera. This was a project started in
2009 during which a part of the Gulf of Panama was filled up, the main road was widened and they built beautiful parks, walking paths and sports facilities. Nearby I met with a former colleague, Nivola, from Curaçao and her friend Ednella. We slowly walked along the coast line of Avenida Balboa while talking, catching up and taking pictures of course. We walked into the direction of the old city and passed along the "Mercado de Mariscos", the place to be if you're a seafood lover. We walked along a part of the "Peatonal" (Avenida Central), one long street full of shops and only for pedestrians. This street takes you straight into the old city, to which I went another day. We went back towards metro station "5 de mayo" and went all the way to Los Andes mall. It was my first time on Panama's metro. At the mall we had some food before going back to the city centre.
Another day I made my way again to 5 de mayo and visited the old, colonial city better known as "Casco Antiguo" (or Casco Viejo). It's a part of the city you definitely cannot miss! This area used to
be a no-go-zone because of crime but nowadays it's very safe to visit, there are many policemen on the streets and many cameras all around. The Casco Antiguo, just like historic Willemstad in Curaçao, is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The city consists of narrow streets full of colourful, colonial houses with their balconies which makes you feel like stepping back in time. Do not miss the Panama Cathedral and surely not the golden altar at the Iglesia San José. There are many cafe's and bars which are opened until late in the evening with music, keeping the old city well alive for the whole day.There are also museums such as the Panama Canal Museum. On my way back towards 5 de mayo I "accidentally" discovered the "Museo Afro-Antillano de Panamá", a museum dedicated to the black population of Panamá. They make up about 15% of the Panamanian population and are mostly from Caribbean descent. Most of them migrated to Panama in the end of the 19th century and early 20th century to work during the construction of the Panama Canal or on the many banana plantations. Today the afro-Panamanians concentrate mostly in the capital, the city of
Colón and Bocas del Toro. The museum was small but interesting to visit.
My friend Eybis took me to Gamboa one day, an area just north of the capital which I have just driven through in the past but never had a chance to really visit sites. We stopped at the Parque Municipal Summit, a more than 90-year old botanical garden located within the former Panama Canal Zone which used to be a USA territory. The most beautiful part was the so-called "Bamboo passage" which was like a tunnel made of tall bamboo trees. The park also contains a zoo which was more interesting than I thought it would be. You'll be able to see Panama's national bird, the "águila harpía" (harpy eagle), two species of native jaguars and more! The park was worth visiting, although I believe the park needs an upgrade to be able to attract more visitors. Nearby we made a short hike in the Parque Nacional Soberanía and went to a small waterfall where many children were playing. We drove past the Pedro Miguel locks of the Panama Canal and a over a small bridge towards Gamboa Resort. Here we just had a quick look
around and the hotel has stunning views over the rainforest and the Chagres River. Not very far from here, we went to the shores of the river from which the locals offer transportation to the native Embera indian villages. Many people visiting Panamá visit these villages but I have never done it yet. It is definitely in my list for next time.
After 14 years I visited the
Panama Canal again, the Miraflores Locks to be exact. The visitors centre changed completely and looks way better now compared to how it was in 2002. It is a must when visiting Panamá. This impressive engineering project opened in 1914 and belongs to one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Go and watch how the locks work, how the ships get lowered or risen inside the canal...it's impressive if you think about how hard it was to built this canal more then 100 years ago. Just a few weeks before they finished the Panama Canal expansion project which consisted of building a wider set of locks to allow the much bigger ships to pass through; the so called "post-Panamax" ships.
For the first time I went up the
top of Cerro Ancón, a 200m (656 feet) high hill overlooking the city. The views were amazing and gives you a good impression of how fully built the city is and the contrast between the old city, the poorer parts of Panama City around Curundú and El Chorrillo, and the skyscrapers in Punta Paitillia and surroundings.
The next day Eybis and I met up with Luis, my other long time friend. We bought a few things at the supermarket, including beer and ice, and we drove to the north to Colón province. We did not visit Colón city, but went to
Portobelo instead. It was my first time in this area and I enjoyed the drive along several little beaches and villages at the Caribbean coast. Portobelo has ± 5000 inhabitants and is well know for its historical fort. The well-preserved Batería de Santiago Fort was built mid-17th century by the Spanish and is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Portobelo was a very important harbour for the Spanish. All the stolen silver, gold etc. from the Inca's among others, were temporarily gathered here to be shipped to Spain. Once in Portobelo you'll get several offers from locals
to bring you to the beaches off shore. We were five people in total (including Luis' girlfriend and a friend of Eybis) and we divided the costs. The boat brought us to Puerto Francés, a small but charming beach surrounded by a lot of forest. Once there we simply relaxed, had some drinks, snacks, chatted etc. I snorkeled a little bit in the bay too. Just before sunset we were back in Portobelo and then drove back to Panama City. On my last day in the country I went eating with Eybis and two of her friends at a local restaurant where we had fried fish with patacones (twice-friend plantain slices): delicious!!! In the evening I got a chance to meet up with Hernán and Carlos for a couple of beers, two acquaintances who used to work aboard a ship bringing cargo to Curaçao. They know other friends of mine and that's how they got in touch with me a couple of years ago. When they stopped in Curaçao I used to go pick them up at one of our harbours and go out with them.
Of all the 4 times I visited Panamá, this was the shortest visit.
I really did not want to leave that quick, but unfortunately I had to leave to go to work. A nice country, nice people, a second home and it's economically doing well at the moment but the income inequality remains at one of the highest levels in Latin America which is a pity.
More travelblogs coming up soon! :-)
Advertisement
Tot: 0.153s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 10; qc: 27; dbt: 0.1027s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Love this photo.
Very cool