4/23 - Panama City! We stayed at Fuerte Amador Marina on Flamenco Island. It is on the end of the Amador Causeway which is a wonderful walkway-bikeway-roadway that affords lovely views of the city and of the freighters and other boats lining up to go through the Panama Canal. This area (like many in Panama City) figures in the building of the Panama Canal as it was built up with some of the earth moved during Canal construction. On the 24th, we spent a good part of the day going to the Port Captain, Customs and Immigration - all in different locations. Ralph also checked in with the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to get the process started for our transit through the Panama Canal. So, we went through a huge ACP campus. The whole area, which also contained many neighborhoods with houses built for workers associated with the U.S. operation of the Canal, had previously been off-limits to Panamanians. We felt there was plenty of residual anger from this time if the Panamanians we met were representative of Panamanians at large.
The next day we needed a boat part and hired taxi driver, Luis, to take us there and point out places of interest along the way (predominately a large shopping center and a large warehouse like area where Noriega stored military items). He also drove us through the very large and jungly Municipal Park which has many walking trails, gardens, and a zoo. Luis said he had never been on a boat before so we invited him to come see our boat and have a beverage. He enjoyed that and walking through the docks and seeing the really big power yachts. He especially liked the three story ones!
Ken and I walked to the Smithsonian's Punta Culebra Nature Center which is just up the Amador Causeway on Naos Island. This tropical interpretive center informs visitors about beaches, shellfish, turtles, fish, and sealife. It also has a path through it with signs that identified indigenous plants and trees and wildlife. We did not see the three toed sloth, but we did see several huge iguanas and heard lots of birds.
On 4/26 we went sightseeing. First stop was Colonial Old Town (not to be confused with Old Panama Town). On the way, our taxi driver locked the doors when we went through one neighborhood close to Old Town. He said that Panamanians do not feel safe there and for sure, we should not walk in that area. I don't know if some of the hostility had to do with the fact that some of the people who lived there had been relocated when the city decided to renovate Old Town...or if it was because it was a very poor area. However, Colonial Old Town is a work in progress. Some of the buildings have been restored and others are in disrepair. It is a lovely spot with great views of the water, streets with pretty plants, two story buildings with wrought iron balconies, a Cathedral with a gold altar, and nice center square.
That's us in front of the Presidential Palace. We also toured the National Theatre and an outdoor monument to the Panama Canal that was built on top of embankments from WWI and WWII. The Panama Canal Museum is located in a beautiful Colonial Building and we spent quite a bit of time viewing its excellent displays. We had lunch in a store that featured crafts from throughout Panama which we learned about in talking with its South African owner.
4/23 - Panama City! We stayed at Fuerte Amador Marina on Flamenco Island. It is on the end of the Amador Causeway which is a wonderful walkway-bikeway-roadway that affords lovely views of the city and of the freighters and other boats lining up to go through the Panama Canal. This area (like many in Panama City) figures in the building of the Panama Canal as it was built up with some of the earth moved during Canal construction. On the 24th, we spent a good part of the day going to the Port Captain, Customs and Immigration - all in different locations. Ralph also checked in with the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to get the process started for our transit through the Panama Canal. So, we went through a huge ACP campus. The whole area, which also contained many neighborhoods with houses built for workers associated with the U.S. operation of the Canal, had previously been off-limits to Panamanians. We felt there was plenty of residual anger from this time if the Panamanians we met were representative of Panamanians at large.
The next day we needed a boat part and hired taxi driver, Luis, to take us there and point out places of interest along the way (predominately a large shopping center and a large warehouse like area where Noriega stored military items). He also drove us through the very large and jungly Municipal Park which has many walking trails, gardens, and a zoo. Luis said he had never been on a boat before so we invited him to come see our boat and have a beverage. He enjoyed that and walking through the docks and seeing the really big power yachts. He especially liked the three story ones!
Ken and I walked to the Smithsonian's Punta Culebra Nature Center which is just up the Amador Causeway on Naos Island. This tropical interpretive center informs visitors about beaches, shellfish, turtles, fish, and sealife. It also has a path through it with signs that identified indigenous plants and trees and wildlife. We did not see the three toed sloth, but we did see several huge iguanas and heard lots of birds.
On 4/26 we went sightseeing. First stop was Colonial Old Town (not to be confused with Old Panama Town). On the way, our taxi driver locked the doors when we went through one neighborhood close to Old Town. He said that Panamanians do not feel safe there and for sure, we should not walk in that area. I don't know if some of the hostility had to do with the fact that some of the people who lived there had been relocated when the city decided to renovate Old Town...or if it was because it was a very poor area. However, Colonial Old Town is a work in progress. Some of the buildings have been restored and others are in disrepair. It is a lovely spot with great views of the water, streets with pretty plants, two story buildings with wrought iron balconies, a Cathedral with a gold altar, and nice center square.
That's us in front of the Presidential Palace. We also toured the National Theatre and an outdoor monument to the Panama Canal that was built on top of embankments from WWI and WWII. The Panama Canal Museum is located in a beautiful Colonial Building and we spent quite a bit of time viewing its excellent displays. We had lunch in a store that featured crafts from throughout Panama which we learned about in talking with its South African owner.
1 comment:
Panama City has sure grown since we were there in the 70's. One of our cab drivers also locked the cab doors. We were headed for Salse Puedes, not sure of the spelling. Some things don't change I guess.
Cheers,
Patty
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