Costa Rica to Panama, TICA bus again, took 17 hours. Another hairy mountainous journey initially, through various national parks down the spine of the country. Very lush green jungly countryside. Very 'eco', I suspect.
Left: Some of the 'lush' countryside. Difficult to get a good pic from the bus because of my slow reactions to capture the more spectacular bits.
We crossed into Panama sometime during the night which involved much bothersome baggage off-loading after which it was not searched, and a payment of $1. The Panamanian customs officials were very scruffy ( like the British ), but cheerful ( unlike the British ).
Panama is a long narrow 'S' shaped country running generally east-west and Panama City is another of these ex-Spanish places of two halves; an old and a new half. The old town on the west side of the bay, the Casco Viejo, is very quaint and pleasant, if surrounded by slums. The new part, to the east, is modern and still very much under construction. It is the home to many banks and financial institutions due to being a 'tax friendly' place. Photo: New part on the right and the old town to the left of the hill, Cerro Ancon, in the background. The canal, Pacific end, is behind that.
Left: Some of the old town near the sea. This original town was much abused by pirates notably, in the 1760s, by the notorious Henry Morgan. The Venezualan, Simon Bolivar, was responsible for liberating the area from the Spanish. For a long time Panama was part of Columbia.
Right: Plaza Bolivar, with statue of himself in, uniquely, civilian clothes. Some Jesus-like character is about to throw himself off the roof of the church in the background. There are many good restaurants and cafes around the square, and in the area.
Left: Lots of narrow streets around here.
Right: The Plaza Catedral. Opposite the Cathedral, and inevitable bandstand, is the ex-Hotel Central ( under renovation ). President Teddy Roosevelt stayed here when he visited the making of the Canal in 1908. He was photographed wearing a large brimmed white hat with a black band. This type of hat thence became known as a 'Panama' hat, even though they are made in Equador. Did you know that ?
Left: An indigenous Kuna indian lady selling handicrafts. These people have their own local 'franchise' organisation ( some might say mafia ) which has a monopoly on selling stuff and a semi-autonomy to look after their own interests. There is also a large proportion of black Carribean folk ( Chumbo ) who came over as slave labour to cut rock to build the city and later to dig the Canal, and Chinese who arrived in the late 19th century to construct the railways ( now defunct ) and also to dig the Canal. Thousands of immigrants were employed to build the Canal, and many died doing so.
Right: A poor example of one of the state owned tenement blocks in the slums surrounding the old town. There are many worse, and make the area somewhat prone to prowling gangs of 'bandidos', especially after dark. This area is near the Government buildings which were heartily bombed by the US during their attack on Panama City, or President Noriega to be more precise, in 1989. The US government did not approve of Noriega's involvement in the drug cartels. They badly damaged the old town as a result of their typically delicate approach to the situation. I don't think there is much love lost between the Panamanians and the US even though the local currency is the $ ( which is called a balboa here ) and there is probably a lot of US investment in the area.
Right: A pic of a local dancer in national costume.
It would appear that she has no arms or legs. Her dance routine must be somewhat limited as a result. She looks surprisingly happy nevertheless.
( A nice change from the Oirish 'Riverdance' routine for which this lady is particularly unsuited ).
Left: The Panamanian flag which is recognisable on many ships throughout the world. I know nothing about financial 'tax free' zones but Panama ranks alongside Liberia and the Cayman Islands as a place to register businesses to avoid paying tax.
The traffic in Panama City is diabolical, especially in the rush hours. There is a high percentage of car ownership which spends most of it's time static. I found it quicker to walk.
Left: The Canal at the Miraflores Locks towards the Pacific end just west of Panama City. There are 3 sets of locks along it's 50 mile length which raise the ships 87 meters up from sea level at one end, the Pacific, then down again to sea level at the other, the Atlantic, and vice versa. The whole lock system is 'powered' by a large artificial inland lake ( Lake Gatun ). Between the locks the canal passes through expanses of lake. The ships are towed through the locks by special tractors which are made in Japan and cost $2m each! At the locks a 32 metre wide ship, the maximum the Canal can take and known as a Panamax ship, has 2 feet to spare either side. New locks are under construction to accomodate ships 50 meters wide!
The French made an attempt to construct this canal at the end of the 19th century, but failed. The US completed the task in 1914 and 'owned' the territory along the canal known as the Canal Zone until handing it over to Panama in 1999. They had been confronted by strong protests by Panamanian students which they rather brutally suppressed and, as a result, stirred up even more trouble. Typical. There is an excellent museum at the Miraflores Locks and so I am now an expert on the history and workings of the Canal. I won't bore you much further.
Right: A ship/canal simulator to practise procedures for moving a large container ship through the locks.
Much of the rock removed to make the canal was used to reclaim land from the sea to form the present day city sea-front. All the rubbish produced by the canal's construction was collected by a US company called TINACO. As a consequence the peculiarly Panamanian word for 'rubbish' is 'tinaco'. You can always tell a Panamanian when he uses this word. Useful info? I should think so.
Left. A local scorpion. Bugs and beasties grow to enormous size in the well watered Panamanian jungles and forests. It is, presumably, another 'eco-touristy' area.
Right: A view from the causeway linking islands south-west of the city. Expensive yachts. It has an affluent boating community but not, perhaps, on the scale of Fort Lauderdale. Several duty-free shops as well.
Right: Hotel room view. Trip over when you are doing up your shoelaces and every chance of going head first through the window.
Left: An example of a new construction ( the F & F building ) in the city. An up-and-coming place.
As expected, I have run rather short of time if I wish to travel further south into South America and catch my ship from here on 24th June. It would have been possible, indeed amusing, challenging even, to go by bus and boat to Columbia. There are no roads through the 'Darien Gap' in the south of Panama and the sea journey to Cartegenia, Columbia, can be a little adventurous I was told. Basically the journey through Columbia and Equador would take too long. I have an appointment to meet an old colleague for a game of tennis in Lima, Peru, SO I will, reluctantly, break my self-imposed rule and take a flight to Lima. At least I will then have plenty of time to see the sights there and get back with some lee-way.
Off we go again. I expect I will have a few 'Basil Fawlty' moments at the airport which I will thoroughly enjoy. Next report from Peru to follow in due course.
Off we go again. I expect I will have a few 'Basil Fawlty' moments at the airport which I will thoroughly enjoy. Next report from Peru to follow in due course.
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