Reunited...and the Canal!

Karen arrived at the hotel and we had lots of catching up to do. She gave me the scoop on all the happenings in Manuel Antonio since I left. We took naps and ran over to the mall adjacent to the hotel. We ate cheap mall food for dinner (I know...we were starving...) and later hit the hotel bar for a few cocktails. It was a Monday night and word on the street was that dancing would be better later in the week so, we called it an early night.

OF COURSE, you can´t go to Panama without visiting the Canal! The next day, we decided to take a tour that included The Canal, El Amador, Casco Viejo and Panama Viejo.

The Canal...Can you say engineering genius? The sheer magnitude of the ships is amazing and then watching them move through the locks is just, i don´t know, super amazing! The canal was originally going to be a tunnel. French engineers were working on drilling through the mountains in order to create the passage to/from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but they severely underestimated the terrain and the effects of yellow fever on the workers. The United States saw the French company´s bankruptcy as a business opportunity and took over the construction. North American engineers decided that it was better to go over the mountains. So what you have today are 3 sets of double locks (we were at the Mira Flores Locks) that take the ships from sea level on one side and raise them up and over the mountains and end up at sea level on the other side. There is clearly a ton of engineering lingo here, but at the end of the day it is crazy that today the same methods of passage are being used as in the early 1900s. If it works, don´t try and fix it! The U.S. gave the Canal back to Panama in 1999, thanks to Jimmy Carter, and The Panamanians now have full control of the canal. They plan to expand the canal to accommodate even larger ships as the ships are charged based on cargo capacity.

Tab and I had already been to Almador and Casco Viejo but being on the tour we learned more about the areas. On the tour of Casco Viejo, we were taken to the Palacio de las Garzas. This is the President´s office and is named for the white herons that reside there.

Our last stop was Panama Viejo. This was the site of a very rich city pre 1671. Panama was the gateway for the Orient´s silks, spices, etc. It was also where Peru´s gold bullion was passing through which made it a target for Pirates. Henry Morgan attacked and plundered the city in 1671 and what you have left is the ruins of Panama Viejo. Not very well preserved, but you can still see a cathedral, a hospital and a convent.

Back to the hotel for nap time!

That night, we got dressed up, me in my new magic dress, and Juan Carlos took us to Fiesta Casino. Casinos are a big thing in Panama. It was like a family reunion for Juan Carlos. He had several cousins and friends in town and Marcos met up with us too. This is where we had our 1st taste of Seco. Seco is the local Panamanian liquor that is made like rum, but it doesn´t really taste like rum, to me it´s more like a vodka. We all agreed...Seco is Good! At the Casino, a live band was playing traditional Panamanian music and there was some dancing. An accordion contest was being filmed for a reality show/contest. It was a fun, lively and late night.

Oh and OF COURSE you can´t go to Panama without sporting a Panamanian hat! Tab bought one and we all just had to have our Panamanian Hat photo shoot! Work it mamacita!