I’m a little sad because this will be the last post about my travels in South America, but as they say, “all good things must come to an end”. 🙁
I know the title of this post implies that I was in Panama for only one day, but I was actually there for a day and a half. That half doesn’t count though, because I arrived late in the afternoon from Colombia and was so exhausted from the rest of my trip all I managed to do was read by the pool, and even then I could barely keep my eyes open. Which was probably a good thing because my next day started early in the morning. Well, early for a vacation anyway — 7am was the time I was told I’d be picked up by the bus.
And I was ready, if still a little sleepy, at 7 and armed with some extra croissants and fruit I may or may not have snuck from the hotel breakfast buffet and into my bag.
You can’t come to Panama City and not see the Canal! Or so I was told when I booked my tour. So that was the first stop of the day once everyone was loaded onto the (air conditioned, yay!) bus.
Before we set out, we stopped to pick up some more passengers at various hotels. One couple was staying at a place called the Bristol in the financial district of the New City. We were told that M from James Bond fame (Dame Judy Dench) stayed here one time. Naturally I had to hop off the bus and snap a quick photo. Because Judy Dench is awesome. Sadly, she wasn’t around for me to take a photo of her so I had to settle for the plaque on the wall outside the hotel. Good enough.
When we finally made it to the visitors center at the Canal it was about 9 o’clock and practically empty, but I wasn’t complaining! Crowds of (sometimes rude) tourists are just not my thing. I suspect they’re not a thing for other people either. Anyway, we were led upstairs to an observation deck where we saw a huge ship in the water directly in front of us waiting for the locks to open. Another ship was passing through the Canal headed towards the Atlantic Ocean.
It takes about ten minutes for the first set of locks in the Canal to open and for the resevoirs to be filled so that the next ship can rise to the next level and pass through. While we were standing on the deck watching the ships cross the canal at a snail’s pace, a man on a PA system gave us tourists a play-by-play of the ships passing through in both Spanish and English. It was pretty hilarious because he made his announcement every couple minutes, and would end up repeating himself in both languages because the ships were moving through so slowly. I’ll never forget you and your journey, Clipper Moon. No really, I never will. I heard it about a hundred times.
I’m not going to lie, it’s a pretty cool sight to see, but after you see the locks open and close once, it kinda ceases to be exciting. Unless you like big ships, which I don’t… Well, they’re okay, I guess. There is however a pretty interesting museum that explains the history of the canal and it’s construction, how it impacts interational trade, and randomly displays some of the wildlife in Panama (like turtles, butterflies, etc.).
Also random: this toy (bracelet..??) in the gift shop. I’m not sure what it had to do with the canal, but it sure was cute.
Our next stop was Ancon Hill, a strange jungle-like place right in the middle of the city. Literally, there are high-rises and other kinds of buildings and then this hill covered in trees, right smack in the middle. There we did some hiking until we reached the top of the hill and found… a set of TV towers.
Disable the scrambler. Any Far Cry 3 fans out there?? No? Just me then.
A little anti-climatic after all that hiking, but the views into the city and beyond more than made up for it. The vegetation on the hill is supposed to be a prime spot to find sloths and other wild animals but I guess our group was unlucky. Either that or the animals were in hiding because all we saw were a few birds.
After a quick water break, we went back down the hill and from there we drove along the Amador Causeway, a road connecting mainland Panama to a set of islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Causeway and the islands were originally part of a military complex the US put in place to protect the entrance to the Canal, but now it’s a tourist area packed with restaurants, bars, duty-free shops, and hotels settled along marinas filled with yachts and other fancy-looking boats. We stopped to eat lunch on Isla Flamenco, admire the view and visit an artesanal market before moving on again.
After everyone was full of lunch and tired of shopping for souveniers, we moved on to our next destination, the ruins of Panama la Vieja (“Old Panama”). It was once the original city of Panama, but after being destroyed in a pirate attack it was abandoned and a new one was built. Now it’s a peaceful park surrounded by trees and a gravel path that leads you around the crumbling buildings and walls. Signs explain in Spanish, English, and by illustrations what the city was like before it was totally destroyed.
The tower is the only structure left fully standing, and after being restored you can climb the stairs to the top and get a better view of the ruins below.
Finally, we drove to Casco Viejo, or the Old Quarter, which reminded me a little of Cartagena, albeit a version that wasn’t nearly as colourful or well-kept. Many of the buildings I saw were under restoration, so hopefully the city will regain it’s former glory soon!
There were tons of police officers walking the streets here due to the presidential palace being nearby (I was never able to get close enough to take a picture, nor would they let us off the bus *sadface*), but it was otherwise quiet and I felt very safe. My tour ended here and I opted to stick around with some people I’d met to have dinner and drinks in the neighbourhood. Very touristy, but most old cities are!
And thus my South American trip came to an end. Was I sad to go home? You betcha. But I learned and saw so much, met some fantastic people, and I got a ton of reading done on all the various flights I took as I traveled to and from Colombia and Ecuador.
Oh, and was able to escape some of the Toronto winter that is almost over now. Hooray. Now I’m stuck trying to come up with more things to blog about… with the exception of one thing that is pretty awesome but I don’t want to mention until it’s “complete”, life at home just isn’t as exciting. So what’s a girl to do? Plan another trip, that’s what.
-C
