Panama Exploration and Canal Transit (March 2018)
Tuesday, March 6: First day in Panama City. Claim is one of the most developed cities in central-south America. The new section, mostly built since the mid oughts’ measures up pretty well – literally, 43 skyscrapers (more than 50 stories). The center piece is Pacific Point which had Trump Tower until yesterday when the outcome of some argument renamed it Ocean Tower. Most striking is the twisted building (F&F Tower). Actually there are quite a few such, towers but Panama City’s is visible from every room in my hotel, Las Americas Golden Tower. The striking SOHO Tower just left of it also visible. Panama City Album
Panama literally uses American dollars. They have unique coins at values below $1, but no paper money. I wonder where they get them? Seems they can just go to the Federal Reserve or the US mint an put in an order.
The Spanish Colonial Section became a UNESCO Heritage site in 1980 and many of the old buildings have been restored under stringent preservation rules, making the area very attractive and prosperous in support of the tourist trade. However, during this section’s period of decay many earlier owners abandon their properties and in many places squatters moved in. Many squatters remain and somehow claim a right to stay. Our guide tells us that an “agreement”, presumably between city government and squatters stipulated that alternate housing would be provided. Face it, this is stealing! It is common in South America that if you leave your home for a period you must have it occupied or guarded to prevent confiscation by a “squatter”, sometimes even the squatter will bribe officials to change ownership of a property.
Yesterday drove ~150 mi south to Chitre. There is a significant range of food from excellent to mediocre or less. In Chitre I had the best steak I can remember. Panamanian food is generally plain and not spicy. On a visit to nearby Las Tablas we visit a couple that makes bolleras, a guy and spouse making leather sandals primitively by hand, and an entrepreneur (laborer?) crushing sugar cane to molasses one stalk at a time in a turnstile pulled by a tired horse. The bollera is a very elaborately embroidered dress requiring many hours of hand work, sometimes taking a year or so. Cost can run to ten thousand dollars or more, so only the rich own them, middle class rent, and poor do without. Las Tablas is location of Panama’s most elaborate Carnival celebration, with queen competition from “up street” and “down street” sections of town, but in the end there is no decisive winner.
Friday, March 9: Drove to Pedasi, our launching point for a boat ride to and swimming and hiking on Iguana Island. On another excursion from Chitre we visit Parita, site of some very old, but preserved, colonial homes and artisan of an old custom of devil masks and costumes used to “scare the Indians to Christianity. At Pedasi and north farther at Coronado there are significant numbers of expats from US and Canada who choose to retire living in Panama. A grocery we visit in Coronado, Reys, is much like a Safeway in both quality and prices. A good reference for when I take my Winnebago trip from Redondo Beach to Argentina down the Pan American Highway. Prices of most things we are exposed to on the trip are quitew comparable to US – perhaps real estate is significantly lower.
Sunday, March 11: Short ride from our hotel in Cuidad la Saber, to Camino de Cruses NP, a morning, 6:15 am, hike in the rain forest with 1,500 ft. climb yields good views of canal and traffic thereon. Also toucans calling in the distance and a sloth high in a tree and howler and spider monkeys.
Monday, March 12: Today we drove to Colόn on the north end of the canal, boarded the vessel Discovery and began our north to south transit, passing through the three north locks to Lake Gatύn.
The canal[1] in brief: The French attempt in 1880 to build a canal failed for two reasons, a) insistence on a sea level canal (as in Suez), which is not possible because of the large difference in tide levels on the Pacific, 15 ft. and the Atlantic, 4 – 5 ft. and, 2) failure to confront the disease (Malaria and Yellow Fever). The Americans (1904 – 1914) first necessarily identified and fought the diseases, largely postponing canal work until disease was under control. Then they damns to create built Lake Gatύn at an elevation of 85 ft. between the two oceans. All vessels entering from either ocean are raised in three steps (locks) to the level of the lake, then lowered in three steps to the level of the exit ocean. On somebody’s list, one of the 7 Wonders of the World. Canal Album
A large source of water is required to run the locks as some water is drained to the ocean through each set of lowering steps. This is supplied by the lake which is fed by the Charges River. An additional dam and reservoir was built up stream in the river to manage and preserve the water. Panama in general has an 8 month wet season, May through December and the remaining 4 month dry season. The canal can actually be closed for too little or too much water (2010).
Awakening Tuesday am we observe a several thousand guest ocean-going cruise ship, Caribbean Princess, that has come south through the locks from Colόn in the early am hours, perhaps while the thousands are sleeping! This ship immediately turns in preparation to descend northward through the same locks. A couple hundred perhaps disembark to see the visitor center, then go by bus back to Colόn while the ship returns through the locks. Many of our travelers note the sterility of the cruise ship 5 hour canal experience compared to our 3 day adventure on Discovery– thanks OAT! Can you even detect that the water in the locks is rising or falling from seven stories above.
Tuesday was spent exploring the north end visitor center and newly opened larger locks and the islands around Lake Gatύn. Wednesday we finish the canal transit dropping down through 3 locks to the Pacific. Then a couple hours roaming around Taboga Island (not to be confused with Tobago in the Caribbean). This idealic island is quite like Catalina off the Californa coast, except population of only about 500, no dance pavilion, and warm all year – of course rainy for 8 months.
Disembarking on Thursday, we briefly visit the Gehry Biodiversity Museum, and the Panama Canal Administration building and grounds, the former unremarkable with little but printed placards, while the latter quite worthwhile with neat art, symbolism of the canal present in both interior and architecture.
[1] Some references about canal construction: The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914, David McCullough, How Wall Street Created a Nation: J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt & the Panama Canal, Ovidio Diaz Espino: A Man, a Plan, a Canal, Panama, NOVA Video