Panama Adventures in April 2012

An 11 day trip to Panama included not only the incredible canal passage, but a ride on the Panama Railway to Colon, kayaking on Lake Gatun, a walk in the rain forest at Gamboa and a side trip to the beautiful cloud forest of El Valle de Anton and to an Embera village where I'm sure at least some beaded clothing was doffed the moment the last tourist left!
We went through the canal on a 120' catamaran which looked insect-size compared to the biggest cargo container ships that were going through at the same time. The canal is an incredible piece of engineering as it celebrates its 100th anniversary next year and is still going strong. New larger locks are being built adjacent to the original ones and are on schedule to open in 2014.

Panama City is a booming town. Even Donald Trump has invested in building a towering skyscraper.The skyline looks like Miami and it is the banking capital of Latin America. The canal, of course, has spurred much of this development. The Caribbean side is another story and looks totally third world. We were told that 10,000 people from Panama City commute to the Caribbean side each day (50 miles) to work in the trade free zone in Colon. Why not employ locals?

"Red Devil" buses sport vivid colors

It seemed strange to use U.S. $$ everywhere yet hear Spanish spoken. Occasionally we'd receive balboas as change, but all the coins are the same size as US coinage. The old Canal  Zone housing which was exclusively for Americans working in the Zone has been sold to locals and the great network of roads is a legacy of the US era. We didn't get far from the old Canal Zone, but Panama offers a wealth of countryside to explore for birders, beachcombers and general tourism. We went on to visit friends in Costa Rica and found most items more expensive there. My friend said that Ticos now go to Panama City for shopping splurges as it's closer than Miami, requires no visa and has a vast array of goods.

See more photos  on my Picasa website: https://picasaweb.google.com/117619508186210444760/Panama?authkey=Gv1sRgCLz42Z2P6b-R8gE#