Author: Will

We started today with another visit to the Casco Viejo area.

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Of course our visit would not be complete without a church. This is the San Francisco De Asis Church, one of three churches in Casco Viejo.

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On the tip of the peninsula there is plaza/memorial called the Plaza de Francia. This area was the town square when Casco Viejo was the center of the city. There are twelve slabs of marble around the edge of the memorial that outline the history of the Panama canal. France was the first country to attempt building the canal and 22,000 people died during this phase of the construction, mostly from yellow fever and malaria.

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While the French completed a good portion of the canal, they were unable to successfully complete some of the more technically challenging areas. The United States acquired the canal from France in 1903 and completed the project in 1914. The US operated and profited from the canal until 1977 when the canal was turned over to Panama. The canal is one of the primary sources of income for the country of Panama and is a major employer. Canal jobs pay good wages and there are wait lists for jobs along the canal.

I was concerned visiting the canal might be a bit boring, but I could have stayed for hours watching the large ships go through. There are special classes of cargo ships specifically designed to fit within the locks on the canal. In 2016 a third lane of the canal was opened to support even larger cargo ships. I was shocked by the fees charged to use the canal. The fee is typically based on the size of the cargo. We watched one of the larger ships go through the original locks and they announced the fees associated with that one ship exceeded $900,000 for a single trip through the canal. Insanity.

Ship captains are required to relinquish command of their ships so canal staff can pilot the ships through the canal. That has to be nerve-racking the first few times.

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We left as they were closing down the observation deck and ultimately were stuck in a traffic jam caused by employees leaving at the end of their shift. We shared an Uber back to Casco Viejo with another couple. As we were chatting we discovered they were also from Minnesota. What are the odds?

Once back we grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to the apartment.

More tomorrow.

Will

We have one day left in Panama before the final flights home. It’s been a great trip, but I’m not ready to be done yet.

The main stop today is the Biomuseo, which focuses on the natural history of Panama. This Frank Gehry designed structure opened in 2014 and while I find the architecture interesting, it felt a bit out of place given it’s surroundings.

Outside the Biomuseo there is a statue called Pillars of the Nation. The statue is intended to pay tribute to the contributions all Panamanians make to the success of the country.

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The Biomuseo sits next to the Panama Canal, and if you look north along the canal you will see the Bridge of the Americas. This is one of a handful of bridges that connect the sections of Panama that are separated by the canal.

As a goodbye to Panama I am including some extra photos that did not make it into previous posts. We can’t leave Panama without dining on some fresh fish. In particular it is “necessary” to sample the local ceviche.

One of the more unique building architectures we came across is Revolution Tower which stands in the financial district of downtown Panama City. I am still curious what the inside looks like.

And, of course, I need to pick up a few gifts before we fly off.

The next morning we get up early to catch our ride to the Panama City airport and board our first flight of the day to Dulles. The flight and our trip through customs are uneventful, as is the flight back to Minneapolis. This is a notable change as my previous return from South America in the winter resulted in a multi-day delay in sunny Miami due to snow storms in Minneapolis. I’m not complaining, please note the word sunny.

As a fun exercise I attempted to generate some “stats” related to the trip. While on the trip we experienced:

6 Countries (Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina) 

8 Unesco sites 

18 Lodgings (Hotel, Airbnb, Hostel)

10 Airports 

13 Flights 

3 Rental Cars 

1 Persnickety Van 

1 Train 

1 Cable Car 

6 Gandolas 

3 Hillside Cable Cars 

5 Ferries 

I can’t wait for the next adventure. Thanks. for coming along on the ride.

Signing off!

Will