Panama Canal

 Today was our Panama Canal partial transit. We had wanted to do the full transit (Pacific to Atlantic) but it wasn’t offered on the dates we were in Panama City. The tour started at 3:30 am with a transfer to the docks at the Amador Causeway, then we boarded the Pacific Queen and set out for the Panama Canal. It was raining lightly and Panama City could be seen through the haze in the distance. The entrance to the canal is crowded with ships waiting to get in, and there is a bridge along with a shipping port with lights towers and cranes. The entrance is also surrounded by lush green hills and there were no end of pelicans and frigate birds flying around us. The juxtaposition was striking.

Panama City through the haze

The Pacific Queen

The first set of locks (Miraflores) came up pretty quickly. We took on a pilot (captains of ships going through the Panama Canal relinquish control to pilots who guide the ships through)then watched as a gas tanker, the Nord Vulcan was meticulously guided into the locks by tugboats and mules (small trains that run on tracks parallel to the ship and guide it with cables). The process was slow and meticulous but fascinating. In the end, there couldn’t have been much more than a foot on either side between the ship and the canal wall. Once the ship was secure our ship along with on of the tugboats entered the locks and the enormous lock doors closed behind us. There was a churning in the water, we started rising up, and 10 minutes later we were 28 feet higher. We moved into the next set of locks, repeated the process then headed off to the next set of locks (Pedro Miguel).

Entering the locks

The mule aligning the ship

Water entering the docks

Leaving the docks

Locks closing

Canal traffic jam

What a thrill. The Panama Canal is truly a wonder of the world, and to experience it firsthand was for me anyway, a bucket list item. I think madeleine appreciated it, but let’s just say she was glad we only did the partial transit. Her favorite part of the day was pelicans and the gelato we got afterward.

The rest of the day was pretty low key. We had a snack at our hotel’s garden then hung out on the roof. The sun even popped out for a bit (and it got extremely hot). I have to say I’m not usually into hotels, I like cheap clean and quiet, but this one was pretty cool.

Early morning chat

Madeleine’s favorite chair

Wait, that’s a real bird?

Coolest tree in a cafe ever

Rooftop views to die for

Up early again tomorrow for our light to David, then we pick up a car and drive to Boquete.

Michael

Finca Lerida

Boquete

Rain Delay

The day started off with rain, lots of rain, so instead of walking tours of the ruins of the old city and a visit to the outdoor metropolitain bio park as we had originally intended, we decided to start the day off with a visit to the Panama Canal. So we had a quick breakfast at the hotel then an Uber out to the Panama Canal Miraflores locks visitor center. We didn’t get to see a ship go through (no worries, we’re going through the same locks ourselves tomorrow), but we did get to see one of the chambers fill up with water, pretty impressive. We also got a really good primer on the Panama canal’s history and how it all works. There was a 45 minute movie that really gave a good idea about what it’s all about. I think Madeleine especially got a lot out of it. It really is an incredible piece of engineering. 14 thousand vessels use the Panama cal each year, (1 million since it opened), and it accounts for 5% of all global trade. Fun fact, the canal charges its tolls based on tonnage, so the smallest toll ever charged was 36 cents to Richard Hamilton for swimming the length of the canal.

Miraflores locks -Panama Canal

After the locks we headed back to the hotel to freshen up. By this time the rain had stopped (I guess that’s the deal with the rainy season here, you rarely loose a whole day) so we headed out to explore Casco Viejo, the neighborhood we’re staying in. Casco viejo is the old part of Panama City dating back to 1673. It was established after the pirate Captain Morgan (of rum fame) sacked the original city. It’s a weird mix of renovated old colonial and turn of the century buildings housing cafes shops and boutique hotels next to dilapidated abandoned architectural treasures with trees growing out of them, all with the skyline of the new town’s shiny skyscrapers as a backdrop. The gentrification process is definitely mid stream. Lots of charm though, and lots to see. Definitely worth the walk. The highlight may have been Granclement for gelato. Dulce de Leche gelato… I think Madeleine is a fan.

Dilapidated treasures

Architectural gems

Gelato!

We finished out the night with dinner at the Mercado de Mariscos, basically a fish market surrounded by a bunch of casual outdoor fish restaurants. Ceviche is one of my favourite things in the whole world, and apparently it’s a thing here. Living as far as we do from the sea,I don’t get to have it often, so I was pretty excited. The ceviche was amazing, but the highlight was Madeleine’s dish. She ordered the sea bass in a coconut sauce. It came out whole, something she had never seen before. Her face when it came out was priceless. That only lasted a second though. She tore into it and devoured the whole thing. Had someone given me a fish with the eyes still on at her age there is no way I would have done anything other that’s push it away and beg for McDonald’s.

Dinner looking back at you

Mmmmm

Tomorrow we do our partial transit of the canal. Going through those locks and cruising the canal is going to be pretty special. The van picks us up at 5am…

Michael 

Hotel las Clementinas

Casco Viejo

Good Morning from Casco Viejo

 We made it. Flight was a little uncomfortable (I feel like seat space / legroom is shrinking every time I get on a plane). Landed at 7:00 last night, sailed through customs and immigration, then a short taxi ride to town. Hard to get a great sense of Panama City from a taxi at night and in the rain, but what I saw looked pretty cool. Lots of shiny skyscrapers and tons of street level activity. First impressions were of a vibrant city. 

Panama at night(not my pic)

 checked in to the hotel. What a hotel. Built in the 1930s by “the first woman in Panama to wear pants” (that’s what the website says, I swear). It was a pawn shop during the boom years of the canal, then later a refuge for artists intellectuals and free spirits. It was abandoned and fell into disrepair before being restored in 2010. It is amazing, we have a suite with 3 balconies. High ceilings, massive doors and windows, original architectural details, rooftop patio, garden courtyard, you really feel like you’re living in a different time. 

Las Clementinas Hotel

We took a short walk around town. Casco Viejo seems pretty cool. Lots of high end restaurants and boutique hotels, but also plenty of ramshackle rundown buildings too. From our balcony I can see as many rusted tin roofs as I can terracotta ones, and there seems to be a bit of a local vibe, so maybe tourism hasn’t entirely taken over. it was raining though (I guess the rainy season is a real thing), so we headed back to the hotel for a quick bite. Then off to bed. We’ll explore more today.

Goodnight

Lots planned for today, a nature preserve, old Panama, Explore Casco Viejo, and the fish market for ceviche (sounds like that’s a thing here). Unfortunately all those things involve walking outdoors, and it is pouring rain. If only there had been some way of knowing the rainy season in Panama would be so rainy…

Good morning from Panama 

Michael

Las Clementinas hotel

Casco Viejo Panama