Panama, crossroads of the world

For the last three months, we have been travelling through Mexico and Central America with our last stop being Costa Rica’s capital and Caribbean coast. Leaving there, we crossed the border into Panama, known as the crossroads of the world because it links central and south America, and provides access to two great oceans.

Starfish Beach, Isla Colon, Panama

The Republic of Panama is a small country, and home to 4 mil people. Although it’s known as a developing country, it packs a punch in terms of its rich biodiversity, diverse cultural heritage, and stunning collection of islands and beaches. Our first stop in Panama was one of those islands.

 

Isla Colon, Boca del Toro, Panama

It was on Isla Colon, part of the Bocas del Toro archipelago that sits on the Caribbean in Panama’s north-east. To get there, we caught a shuttle bus to the Costa Rica-Panama border, then boarded a ferry to the island. We were headed to Boca Town on the main island of Isla Colon. All went well up to the point where we caught the ferry.

A ferry to Isla Colon, Bocas del Toro, Panama

It was actually a speedboat with a light roof that carried more than 30 people. Being low tide, we had to board the ferry by squeezing in between the wharf and the roof of the boat. The ride should have taken 30 mins but it took 20 with the cowboy captain speeding across the choppy water while we all had a white-knuckle ride, bucking and rearing on hard plastic seats.

View from our Boca Town hotel, Isla Colon, Panama

After the worst 20 minutes of our life, we and our bruises squeezed out onto the wharf at the other end, then huffed and puffed with our cases along an unmade road to our nearby Boca Town hotel. The hotel was great because we had a lovely corner suite, with great views of the water out of two sides, and it was close to everything we needed.

Marg (far left) relaxing in Boca Town, Isla Colon, Panama

After we arrived, we unpacked, changed our cellphones to the Panama time-zone and relaxed, with no plans to do anything else. That night, we had a look around town before settling into our evening meal. Boca Town is the main town of Isla Colon. It is a small quaint town that is surrounded by water, piers, platforms and boats.

Waterside restaurants and cafe, Isla Colon, Panama

Practically every restaurant and café has its eating area overhanging the water with its own dock. We ate at these places on a regular basis, enjoying dishes that included traditional tropical fruits, seafood, rice, plantain, beans and yucca (cassava). Most dishes are seasoned with chili and cilantro (coriander) and are especially tasty alongside the local 0.0% alcohol beer.

Boca Town buildings, Isla Colon, Panama

Panama’s culture is influenced by Afro-Caribbean, American Indian, North American, and Spanish cultures. This mix was evident on Boca Town which has a variety of architectural styles, food types, arts, and music where we heard calypso, reggae and Latin sounds. It was very vibrant.

El Istmito Beach, Isla Colon, Panama

While there, we took a walk to one of the beaches finding golden sand, and not many people. We walked through some of the poorer parts of town to get there, but felt safe. Walking back later, we used a different route, arriving back into town in time for sunset drinks at a waterfront bar.

The interesting path to Starfish Beach, Isla Colon, Panama

The next day, we caught the local minibus to the northwestern part of the island. After an hour or so, we reached a beach at the end of the road, then had a longish but pretty walk along the golden sands past crystal clear waters. The track dipped in and out of verdant jungle and through swamps until we reached Starfish Beach.

 

Starfish at Starfish Beach, Isla Colon, Panama

The beach name comes from the resident galaxy of bright orange starfish that can be easily spotted in the water. Once there, we discovered a cluster of temporary outdoor restaurants set up along the water’s edge. We chose one to have lunch, then enjoyed the next couple of hours, wading and watching people, and interacting with the locals. 

Bridge of the Americas, Panama City, Panama

After a relaxing time on Isla Colon, we headed to Panama City. We flew from the small Isla Colon aerodrome on a wet windy day in a tiny plane, but the views of Boca del Toro as we left, and of Panama City as we arrived, were wonderful. A highlight was flying over the Bridge of the Americas, a road bridge in Panama City spanning the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal and joining North and South America.

Skyline of modern Panama City, Panama

As we taxied from the airport, we noted the impressive skyline of modern Panama City, the capital of Panama. The city sits on Panama Bay in the Pacific Ocean and is home to around 1.1 mil people. It consists of three cities seamlessly joined together: the modern Panama City, Panama Viejo (Old Panama), and Casco Viejo (Old Town). 

 

At the end of our street in Casco Viejo, Panama City

We were staying in Casco Viejo, Panama City’s old town. Arriving there bought a big smile to our faces as it is a very beautifully town, sitting on a spur of land surrounded by the Pacific. It is a compact area full of artistically restored historic colonial buildings, including the AirBnB that we were staying in.

Colourful and vibrant Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama

Casco Viejo was built in 1673 after the original city, Panama Viejo, was destroyed by the pirate Henry Morgan. It’s rich history, colonial town planning, and colonial architecture, have earned it UNESCO status. We found it vibrant, colourful, and teeming with history.

A non-restored building and restored building, Casco Viejo, Panama

We loved it there. We had six days to wander its interesting streets, marvel at the excellent restoration efforts, admire the bones of buildings not yet restored, try its many international and local dishes, and wallow in its wonderfulness. 

 

Buildings in Casco Viejo, Panama

At the end of our street was Plaza De La Independencia, and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Around the area we visited several other churches and ruins including the impressive golden alter of the Church of Saint Joseph. We wandered through the seafront Artesian Market, and found rooftop restaurants and plenty of places to buy food.

Marg at the fish market, Casco Viejo, Panama

Exploring a little further took us beyond the compact Casco Viejo area, past street vendors and Chinatown to the main food market. After a look around there, we crossed the road to Panama City’s famous seafood market where we saw lots of beautifully fresh fish. They have restaurants there and we visited it later and enjoyed a great seafood dinner.

Fishing boats outside the fish market, Casco Viejo, Panama

We spent quite a bit of time looking around there, then walked home along Avenida Balboa, which is a waterfront promenade called the Cinta Costera. It sits at the entrance to Casco Viejo giving wonderful views of the bay which was full of colourful fishing boats.

The circular Cinta Costera with ships lined up on the horizon, Panama

The Cinta Costera leaves land and becomes a 2.5 km long viaduct that encircles, Casco Viejo taking traffic around rather than through, the historic centre. From Casco Viejo, we could see the thin ribbon of the Cinta Costera and beyond it, many ships lined up to enter the Panama Canal.

Panama City, poor housing, Panama train, Amador Causeway view

Next, we did the Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour which showed us the modern Panama City; areas of poverty; the Amador Causeway and its Culebra Island with great views back to the city centre; the Balboa Port and Panama Central Railway that serves the Port; Ciudad del Saber residential, commercial and university centre that was once a military installation, and more. 

Ship entering the Miraflores Lock, Panama Canal, Panama

A few days later we visited an area that Panama is famous for – the Panama Canal. We Uber’d there and arrived in time to view a movie about the canal’s development, then went outside to a viewing platform and saw a huge ship going through the Miraflores lock into the canal. It was fascinating watching such a huge vessel enter the narrow lock.

Ship being manoeuvered through the canal at Miraflores Lock, Panama

Ships are pulled and guided by engines and tugs, with only centimetres between the ship and the canal wall. Considered one of the man-made wonders of the world, the canal is 82 km long and links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, cutting off many days of travel for ships that would normally have to make the dangerous journey around the southern tip of South America. 

Chicken bus, Panama

Next, we did a day trip to the Atlantic side of Panama, to a wee place called Portobelo (pop 4,500). To get there, we Uber’d to the city’s main bus terminal, caught an express bus to the town of Sabanitas, then got off and looked for the bus to Portobelo. The locals pointed to one just leaving and stopped the bus for us to get on. It was a standing-room-only chicken bus where we had to get off then back on the bus at every stop to let people at the back disembark.

People at one of the beautiful beaches enroute to Portobelo, Panama

After an hour or so, the bus pulled over beside one of the beautiful beaches on the route, and the driver got out a big wrench and a fanbelt. After tinkering under the bus bonnet for around 30 minutes, we were off again and soon spotted our destination. Everyone else did too, and we all yelled to the driver to stop.

The ruins of the fort at Portobelo, Panama

We had arrived at the UNESCO ruins of Portobelo, which used to be a fort. It was built in the 17th century by the Spanish, to protect the transport carrying looted silver from South America to Spain. It was bigger than we thought and interesting, as you can still see cannons and the outline of what would have been an impressive fortification.

Portobelo village, Panama

We had fun scrambling over the ruins, then walked to Portobelo village. Poverty was evident there, but the people were so friendly and curious. A few hours later, we caught another chicken bus heading to Sabanitas and reversed our route to get home. 

Ruins at Panama Viejo, Panama City, Panama

The next day, we visited another set of ruins, this time it was the original old Panama called Panama Viejo. First built in 1519, this thriving city was destroyed by the famous pirate Henry Morgan, in 1671. These days, you can still see some of the town walls, churches and towers.  

 

Ruins at Panama Viejo, Panama City, Panama

The site is considered “the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the Pacific coast of the Americas" and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. We had a good look around there finding some of the structures to be well preserved. 

View from our rooftop restaurant, Panama

Panama was our last country on our travel through Mexico and Central America, so we sat at one of the many rooftop restaurants in Casco Viejo to reflect on our trip. It has been one of our more expensive trips as several countries in Central America have aligned their currency with the US dollar. Panama uses the Panamanian Balboa and the US dollar, and both have the same value.

Cosmopolitan Panama

The social and economic development of each of the countries we’ve seen has varied but mostly, they are developing countries. Panama is considered a developing country but it has potable water, very cosmopolitan restaurants and wonderful European style shops, malls, bakeries etc and its clean. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed it, as we did Costa Rica and for the same reasons.

Sculpture about 1964 Panama-USA tensions over the Panama Canal

Overall, it has been a wonderful trip with plenty of beautiful sights, lots of adventures, a great deal of wildlife, and unfailingly friendly people. Leaving Panama, we flew to Mexico City for one night, then boarded our flight home to New Zealand the next day. It’s been a fabulous trip, but now the next adventure beckons.

This post is the thirteenth in a series that tells the story of our travel in Mexico and Central America. The first post in the series can be found here.