Category: Trip Home

When planning the trip, we intentionally flew on Copa Airlines because of the stopover in Panama City. The thinking was if we’re flying through Panama City, we might as well stop for a few days. We flew out of Paraguay at 1:00am this morning and arrived in Panama shortly after 6:00am. Unfortunately, we couldn’t check into our Airbnb right away as there was someone checking out later in the morning. So, we had to kill a few hours at the airport before heading to the apartment.

After checking in we both crashed for a nap. I have never been able to sleep on airplanes so the overnight flights can definitely take a toll.

We were staying in a loft apartment on the edge of Casco Viejo, also know as the old quarter. Panama City has a very interesting history.

In 1519, the first Panama City was established just outside the location of the current city. Over the decades the city survived multiple fires, pirate attacks, slave rebellions, and earthquakes. Then in 1671 pirate Henry Morgan (the namesake for Captain Morgan rum ) lead a force which sacked the city and then destroyed it with fire. Today this location is a set of ruins called Panama Viejo. We attempted to visit but when we arrived it was already closed for the day.

After the defeat at Panama Viejo, leaders realized it was necessary to build the new capital in an easier to defend location. The second incarnation of Panama City was constructed on a peninsula a few miles west of Panama Viejo. In more recent times the city has migrated to a modern downtown area and the peninsula has become know as Casco Viejo. Both Panama Viejo and Casco Viejo have been designated UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Our first night out we we wandered Casco Viejo a bit and tracked down a grocery store to stock up for the next few days. The area is an eclectic mix of historic buildings, abandoned buildings, trendy restaurants, gift shops, and community stores. Because it’s a UNESCO site, progress on renovating some of the more dilapidated buildings moves at a snails pace.

We had dinner at a restaurant called Diablicos, which displayed a large collection of devils masks used during celebrations throughout the year, but most notably the religious feast of Corpus Christi. We heard multiple explanations as to why the masks exist in the first place. Some claim they were introduced by Christians attempting to teach the concept of the devil. Another told us the masks represent slave owners and yet another indicated they were introduced to promote discussion regarding the battle between good and evil. I’m not sure which is true, but I can say they are fascinating to see in person.

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When we were hunting for a grocery store it didn’t take long to get out of the more touristy area and into the poor neighborhoods surrounding it. I never fell unsafe, but these areas are not anything you would ever see in a tourism brochure. We picked up some food and made our way back to the apartment for the night.

More of Panama City tomorrow…

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