A trip through panama
Day 1:
We arrived at Omar Torrijos airport via American Airlines early in the
afternoon. We purchased our required tourist cards (3 balboas, as US
dollars are called in Panama) at the airport, then caught a taxi for the
18 mile ride to our downtown hotel. The ride in the battered, un-airconditioned
car was rather expensive (30 balboas), but the driver spoke English and
was very friendly. We arrived at the hotel and checked in. While my dad
was checking in I bought a guidebook in the hotel lobby and read up on
the history of Panama City. The original city was founded in 1519 by
Pedro Arias Davila, known as Pedrarias the Cruel, because of his
eradication of all but three of the local Indian tribes during his
tenure in Panama. Davila used the city as a place to store Incan gold
before it was shipped to Spain. The original city was sacked and burned
in 1671 by a group of buccaneers led by Henry Morgan. The city was
rebuilt within a year, this time on a peninsula 18 miles away and
surrounded by a strong wall. This old Spanish city is now the in the
middle downtown Panama City.
Panama City is an international melting pot and its eating choices range
from American fast food to excellent internationall cuisine. Eager to
begin our sightseeing, we grabbed lunch at a nearby McDonald’s after
checking in then caught a bus. The buses in Panama are a tourist
attraction in themselves. They are brightly painted, hung with fringe,
and have constantly blaring Salsa and Caracas music playing. They are
cheap (50 cents a ride). but are very crowded. After asking several
drivers “Donde va este autobus?” we finally found one going to the Plaza
Independencia. This plaza is the main square of the colonial town and is
bordered on one side by a cathedral with twin mother of pearl towers
that took 108 years to complete. On two other sides it is bordered by
the Archbishop’s Palace, now a university and the Central Post Office.
While in the old part of Panama City we also visited the Iglesia de San
Jose and saw the Golden Aaltar. This altar was in the original Panama
City and was saved from Henry Morgan’s pirates by a monk who painted it
black to disguise it. When we finished touring we returned to our hotel
and then ate dinner at El Pez de Ora, one of the city’ famous seafood
restaurants.
Day 2:
We woke early and headed out for a morning of shopping at the Mercado
Publico. I bought some jewelry and some small wooden figurines as
souvenirs, but when I asked “Donde esta los sombreros de Panama?”, the
vendor told me Panama hats were made in Ecuador. The hat most commonly
worn in Panama is the “pita”, a narrow brimmed straw hat with black and
white stripes. The most important phrases to remember when shopping in
Panama are “ Cuanto cuesta esta?” and “ Acceptas tarjetas de credita?”
After shopping we had Chinese food in one of the local restaurants.
After eating we went to visit Panama’s most famous attraction, the
Panama Canal. The Canal was completed in 1914, and is considered one of
the greatest engineering feats in the world. We took a shuttle from our
hotel to the canal and then went on a 90 minute train ride all the way
across the isthmus along the canal. The railroad we were traveling on
was built in 1855 to transport ‘49ers who were on their way to the
California gold rush and was the first “trans-continental” rail link. At
one of the train stations we got off and walked to the Miraflores Locks,
sat on bleachers, and watched the ships go through the canal. After our
tour of the Panama Canal we returned to our hotel to get ready for a
night of dinner and theater. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant then
went to the Teatro National for a performance of the Folkloric Ballet.
The Folkloric Ballet features native folk dances and costumes and was
very entertaining.
Day 3:
We rented a car and left Panama City headed southwest along the Pan
American Highway. First we visited the Parque Natural Metropolitana, a
zoo on the outskirts of Panama with monkeys, deer, sloths, and iguanas.
We then drove toward El Valle, about 75 miles away. El Valle is located
in the center of a dormant volcano. There we saw hot springs, botanical
gardens (with square trees which scientists have been unable to
explain!), and golden frogs found nowhere else on earth. We continued
down the highway passing through the towns of Penonome, the geographic
center of Panama, and Nata, on of the oldest towns in Latin America. The
Interior of Panama is mostly farmland and grazing land for cattle. We
even saw some cowboys! At night we arrived at Baquette, a village on the
side of the dormant Baru Volcano, where we spent the night.
Day 4:
We began our day by visiting Volcan Baru National Park and taking a
short hike to see the beautiful plants and birds. The volcano is the
highest point in Panama at 3475 meters. After our hike we ate lunch and
then drove to Chiriqui Grande where we dropped off our car. We then
caught a ferry to Bocas del Toro where we visited Bastimentos National
Park. The park has pristine white sand beaches where sea turtles nest.
The coral reefs off the coast are home to more than 200 species of
tropical fish. While there we also got to visit caves containing the
largest population of fruit eating bats in the world! Later we went
snorkeling of the coast of Almirante Island where we spent the night.
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