Panama City, Panama
February 3-8, 2012
Panama City was an unexpected change to our itinerary. While in Boca Brava, we got news that local protests were heating up. Local native indians were protesting against mining rights on their lands and had began to set up road blockades at the exact intersection of where we were staying including blockades along a huge section of the main panamerican highway bringing all traffic to a stop. We were advised that we should "walk through" the blockade and get to the other side. And so we did. We walked quietly through the blockade and protesters, and in return, they were very respectful of us and did not bother us at all. Once on the other side, we decided to fly out to Panama City to continue our vacation and wait for news about the protests. Thankfully, after 5 days, the protests ended and travel was restored and we continued with our planned stops within Panama.
Our Hotel
When we arrived, it was very busy in Panama City because the protests had forced travellers to stay in their current locations. We wanted to stay in the historic district of Casca Viejo since it was the most touristy and a safe location. Luckily, there was a brand new hotel that just opened called Magnolia Inn. A beautifully restored colonial house and run by a very friendly American couple. They had one room left, the "penthouse suite" and they offered it to us at a really great discount.
Photo's of Casco Viejo
Th area of Casco Viejo is still in transition with a mix of old colonial buildings that have been lovingly restored with streets that are still relatively poor. There is a lot of character here and its becoming a very popular tourist area. They even have "tourist police".
Panama City Sea Wall
Just a few blocks from our hotel was the sea wall that you could stroll along for great views of downtown Panama city and see the ships coming into the Panama Canal.
The Causeway
The causeway is a long narrow road that stretches between the main land and nearby islands. We rented bicycles at the beginning of the causeway and drove across for some chicken kabobs and finished it off with a scoop of fantastic ice cream. Now that is living!
Video's Cycling the Causeway
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The Panama Canal
We paid a visit to the famous Panama Canal. We decided to go to the Miraflores Visitor Centre where there is a viewing platform to watch ships come into the first set of "locks" called "the miraflores locks". Locks refer to the compartment the ships enter which close off and fill with water then open to move the ship along to the next set of locks. There are three sets of locks in total which cross from the Pacific ocean to the Atlantic ocean.
Video of Ship in Miraflores Lock