Panama

Our stay in Panama was brief, but superb. We crossed the border on the Caribbean side through a small border town called Sixaola. As with all of our border crossings, we first have to clear with the departing country, and then clear with the entry country. But, in between, there is about a 10 minute walk. This particular border walk was beautiful, as we had to cross an old bridge set over a river with nothing but trees surrounding the area. In the distance, you might even catch a glimpse of the ocean. I say glimpse because as you attempt to inhale the surrounding beauty, you have to watch your steps in between the wooden boards, as nothing but air was between you and the river!

After clearing the border, we took a brief taxi ride through Chinguinola (home of the Chiquita banana, where we saw thousands of banana trees with blue bags of pesticides attached) to Almirante, another small town, mostly known for it's speed boat connection to Bocas Del Toro. For $5 a person, you enjoy a fascinating speed boat ride, never dull on the scenic aspect, as we zipped by locals living in elevated homes (for rain purposes, as it rains 9 months out of the year in Panama) off the river banks with their dogs barking at us and children waving to us, and views of ocean and surrounding shores as we left the river and entered the bay/laguna. The total ride time was 45 minutes.

We ended up only staying in Bocas Del Toro for one day, but we easily could have spent more time. Ami and I were pretty beached out during a recent stretch of water activities in Nicaragua and Costa Rica, therefore we spent our one day relaxing in town. We found a hostel in town, that appeared relatively quiet, but in reailty we did not fully learn from our experience in Antigua (El Gato Negro). Given it was Semana Santa, we figured it was better off to have a place and begin to enjoy exploring the town. I can't tell you how many times we have 'shopped' for a place (which is good to have for a more thorough selection process) and been exhausted by the time we decide on a place, primarily because we are lugging our heavy bags through the entire process....back....and forth. Nonetheless, let me leave the night in the hostel at this.....the smell of weed on the front deck, which was next to our room, seeping through the window cracks, the out of nowhere sound of guitars and singing going on, again on the front deck outside our room, the drunken roommates coming back from an '80's party at 4 in the morning. It's all good, what you expect from an affordable hostel.....we just fell prey to it a second time. No more, that is for sure.
After our short stay in Bocas Del Toro, we were off to Panama City via air, as we wanted to avoid the 12 hour bus ride and spend more time in the city. I don't know why, but I was extremely excited to see this city. We went back and forth on whether to skip Panama this time around and focus our time in the northern countries. But, in the end, we decided to focus on a couple of highlight spots in the country, including Panama City. Perhaps it was the Panama Canal that initially attracted me to the city, but in the end, the city was amazing for several other reasons. Here are the highlights:

1) Panama Canal (Miraflores Locks): An informational, touristy viewpoint for the Canal was opened in 2000, after the U.S. turned over operations to Panama. The site gives you awesome views of ships (both large and small) working their way through the locks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. There are a total of three locks in the Canal that are open 24 hours for ships to go both ways. Including wait time, it takes a boat approximately 24 hours to cross the 50 miles of the Panama Canal. There also is a great museum, providing a historical construction breakdown, an operations breakdown, and an impact on the wildlife living in the area. A brief movie brings to life the ongoings of the Canal from the beginning to present day operations.

A couple of interesting notes:
a) The Canal officially opened on August 15th, 1914
b) The fee for passing through the Canal is based on weight. One gentlemen, Alfred Brown, swam through the Canal in 8 days for 36 cents!
c) According to our taxi driver, the U.S. does not pay for any ships passing through, as part of the agreement in turning over control to Panama. Panama officially took operations control over on December 31, 1999.

For more information, here is a site on the Panama Canal.

2) The Amador Causeway: this stretch of road connects 4 small islands, creating magnificent views of the ships entering the canal, and of the downtown skyline in the distance. The area has been somewhat modernized with several restaurants, and construction in process for stores, condos, and perhaps hotels in the future. The main strip of road however has bodies of water on both sides, with a wide strip of sidewalk perfect for jogging, biking or walking to take in the views. We went each evening because the views combined with the slight breeze made it one of our favorite spots in the city.

3) Casco Viejo (the old city of Panama): The downside to this area is passing through two of the most dangerous areas of the city, but by taking a taxi you avoid the shady areas. Casco Viejo is where the President, Martín Erasto Torrijos Espino, resides. The particular area he resides in is blocked off to locals, but foreignors can procede. So we did. His house overlooks the city skyline on one end, and the Causeway on the other. We got a glimpse of him, by chance, while being 'detained' by a security guard. The guard came over and mentioned the President was coming out briefly and we had to step back, waaay back. We didn't care, as we weren't looking to see him, but the situation was funny, as we walked back until the guard said that was enough, and he just watched us until he felt he could leave us.

So, this area has a lot of security. However, beyond this, the area is set on a area of land that juts into the sea, with the Causeway on one side and the skyline of downtown on the other, both only separated by water. As you can tell, the city had plenty of areas for great views, which added to the attraction of the city for us.

4) Hindu Temple & Sikh Gurdwara: You know you are getting older when you stop seeking out the best nightlife spots in town and start looking for temples. But anyways, the Hindu Temple was simple yet elegant, perched upon a hill. The Sikh Temple, also elegant and simple, was set within the city. The Baiji was extremely polite, including providing us a light snack. On a side note, it was very very interesting communicating with the priests at both temples in Spanish, although Ami was right at home at the Hindu Temple conversing in Gujurati. Both priests indicated that there are approxinmately 3 to 5 thousand Indians in Panama City.

5) Parque Natural Metropolitano: This park is a national park, protecting a wild area of tropical forest within the city. We spent 40 minutes (we hired a driver and we were on a time limit) in this park and that was more than enough time to climb to end of the trail and take in views of the city and Canal. We also witnessed a titi monkey, anteaters, white tailed deer, numerous trails of leaf cutter ants with leaves on their backs and the famous Morphis Butterfly.

6) Downtown is entertaining as well, littered with casinos for the gambling types.

7) Another notable landmark which catches your eye, especially at night when it is lit up, is the Bridge of the Americas, which you can see easily from the Causeway, Casco Viejo, and a viewing platform dedicated by China.

Overall, a city we both enjoyed!