Rob and Anna's travel adventure

Panama City, Panama Canal, Isla Taboga

Anna´s entry

We took a boat from Bocas del Toro island to Almirante (mainland), and then a bus from Almirante to David city, abnd then a night bus from David to Panama City. The bus ride from Almirante to David was an absolutely the most beautiful ride I´ve EVER taken. The scenery was breathtaking! The nature we´ve seen is what one could imagine be a National Geographic cover story, or nature documentary. We did not expect it to be so stunning. Words can not give justice to describe it, so I will only attempt to give some details. In a distance we could see dark blue color of the Caribbean sea and islands, then we would go up into the highlands with clouds sleeping among the mountains and rolling skills, we start with a rain forest at the bottom of the hills, and it would transition to ever green forest at the top of the summit; rivers and lakes could be seen in the former volcanic craters, with a sunset on the background of the mountain cones and a dark blue forest in front of it. I think the pictures will forever stay in my mind...

We reached Panama City at 5 a.m., and were very surprised to see such a modern city with numerous skyscrapers and very modern infrastructure - this is yet another contrast of the gap between the rich and the poor part of Central America. We stayed in El Cangrejo district which is more of a financial and nightlife part of town. After traveling for two months in very poor countries, staying there was our retreat. Our main reason for coming there was for Rob to get some medical advice on his persistent condition, and of course to explore the area of Panama Canal and islands in the area.

There are actually three Panama Cities - the modern one - Panama City, the old one - Casco Viejo, and the original one - Panam Viejo with ruins dating back to the 16th century. The modern Panama City is VERY cosmopolitan, and was surprisingly enjoyable compared to other capitals of Central America we´ve visited. This is probably the first big city in C.A. we would consider living in. It is a kind of New York-Miami mix if I could compare it that way. Casco Viejo on the other hand - the old distrcit- was very interesting. The contrast of expensive mansions and shacks without windows was surreal. We walked by the President´s home - modern palace - which was right in the neighborhood with gritty falling apart ghetto homes. The contrast was something else! Panama Viejo (the old original Panama City) had interesting ruins and history. Like many other Panamanian cities it was attacked and destroyed by the notorious captain Henry Morgan - the pirate who terrified the areas of the Pacific in the 17th century.

We also visited Panama Canal and watched the ships go through Miraflores locks. The Canal history of design is very interesting, and incorporates French and American involvement, with thousands lives lost while building it. In 1999 the US officially passed the ownership rights to Panama, and currently it is a very profitable business for Panamanians. The largest passenger ships passing through the Canal are charged around $150,000 USD per transit. The lowest fee ever assessed was $0.36 paid by Richard Halliburton, who swam through the Canal in 1928.

Besides the Canal, Rob and I also took a ferry to the Isla Taboga - the famous pirate island of the 16th-17th centuries. The infamous Henry Morgan (mentioned above) used the island as a base to attack ships and towns. Nowadays it is a peaceful island with gorgeous scenery. Unfortunately we had only a few hours for hiking and exploring it, which was not enough, but the time spent on the island recorded beautiful seascapes and historical points.

Panama City is our turn-around point. After it, we are heading back north, and exploring more of Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, as well as also hoping to visit our new destination - El Salvador.

posted by Rob and Anna @ 9:15 AM