The Spaniard Vasco Núñez de Balboa was the first one to arrive at the Atlantic side of the isthmus and walk the 50 miles to the south and see, for the first time, the Pacific Ocean.
Panama was part of the Spanish Empire for 300 years (1538/1821). The first settlement in Panama was totally burned and destroyed by the pirate Francis Drake. The site was then moved to another location less vulnerable to the constant attacks from the pirates. The first settlement is now known as Panama Vieja, the second as Casco Antiguo and the modern site is called Panama City.
In the first eighty years following independence from Spain, The Panama Canal is, of course, the main tourist attraction in the country. This astonishing engineering feat, recently named one of the seven wonders of the modern world, is really something that has to be seen to admire its magical attraction.
Bruni and I spent a fabulous week in Panama, from July 17 to the 27th. of July of 2010. The first thing that attracts your attention on the ride from the airport is the amount of modern tall buildings and so many others (more than a hundred) now under construction.
After breakfast on Sunday, they took us to Panama Viejo. Only a few scattered ruins remain of what was once a beautiful town. We visited the ruins of the cathedral and the four-story tower, where a new spiral stairway was built to allow visitors to climb to the top and enjoy the fantastic view.
We then visited the Miraflores Locks and the Canal Museum. This was our first sight of the astonishing canal and the view of it leaves anyone perplexed in awe with this incredible engineering marvel. Monday morning we visited the towns of Portobello and Colón. Portobello is the oldest on the Caribbean side and it is a pity that it is not well kept, for it has some interesting sites. First, it is the cathedral which boasts an image of "the Black Christ", a statue with a singular story. The fort by the bay is big but also in need of better maintenance.
Colón is the biggest disappointing town. It is the second largest Free Trade Zone in the world, with hundreds of storage buildings. It houses 1,750 merchants and receives more than 250,000 visitors a year from all over the world. But the crime rate is the biggest in all of Panama. Hotels, nice neighborhoods and the Trade Zone itself are surrounded by tall walls or barbed wire. After lunch there, we were treated to a fashion show by some local beauties.
Our hotel for tonight, the Radisson, is in the middle of a rain forest. This hotel opened just a few months ago and it was the most beautiful of all of them. After dinner, we again enjoyed a fantastic dancing group.
The third day, Tuesday, we experienced the best adventure. We embarked on a small vessel that took us from the Gatun Lake in Gamboa, through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks. We also crossed the Continental Divide. At one point, while the chamber was at the lowest level of water, we were able to touch the concrete wall of the canal. This fascinating journey took about four hours and was an exciting and unforgettable event. Definitely the highlight of the whole trip.
Early morning on Wednesday, we crossed the Chagres River to visit an indigenous village. We were welcomed by the Embera Indians with a typical musical group. The men dress with "taparrabos", a small strip of fabric covering their essentials; the girls are usually naked from the waist up but cover their breasts with a beautiful embroidered chest cover adorned with silver coins, in order to entertain us with their dances. There were about 10 children that skipped school that day to meet us...and make some money. They were also dressed in their skimpy attires, very clean and extrremely courteous, offering hibiscus flowers to all the ladies present.
After this unforgettable experience, we headed for a two day stay at the all-inclusive Playa Blanca Resort to relax and enjoy the beach, the pools and the splendid buffets. We found out that a plastic bag in our closet was to collect the humidity from the room. It was full with about a cup of water that had been extracted in just one day. All in all, Panama is the most humid place that we have ever visited.
On Thursday morning, we visited picturesque El Valle, a town situated in the crater of a dormant volcano. The small zoo there, called "Níspero", was started with the wild animals that used to belong to dictator Manuel Noriega.
On Friday, we left our beach resort and drove on the famous Pan-American Road, which starts here in Panama and goes all the way to Canada, crossing the Bridge of the Americas on our way to Panama City. We stopped at Amador Island, where we had a very appetizing seafood lunch at an elegant restaurant overlooking the bay and the skyline of Panama City.
Saturday morning, our last day in Panama, we visited a Bird Sanctuary and another Zoo which was located inside a vast Botanical Garden that was very interesting. The biggest attraction there was a Harp Eagle, the national bird of Panama.
The farewell dinner was full of surprises. First, it was at the private room in the Miraflores Lock observatory building. The food was exquisite and then Gerardo, our tour director, startled us with a fantastic show, the best of them all: a dancing group of four Panamanian girls dressed in "polleras", the typical attire, and four men that were masters of the "zapateo". The group was accompanied by a troupe of five musicians. A really spectacular way to finish our Panama Adventure!
