2023 Panama

Getting back into the post pandemic travel slowly, so this is another trip that is not too far from home and not too remote. However, lots of animals and a cloud forest to explore. I have to admit that I really didn’t know what to expect of Panama given my previous trip to Belize. I heard Belize was a big tourist destination so I was surprised when it didn’t appear to have a strong infrastructure, especially in Belize City. I was thinking Panama would have a better infrastructure given the Panama Canal and all the revenues, along with international travellers coming for that. Well, it didn’t take long to confirm my thoughts, on the aircraft approach to landing in Panama City you could see a skyline full of tall skyscrapers and electric billboards. This immediately brought mixed emotions: yes, it’s good to see that the main city has a modern infrastructure, but, well, for my vacations I like to get away from big cities and back to nature. Ohh the hypocrisy of us crazy humans. 😀

Panama City (4 Nights)

Day 1 – Travel Day

The first day was mostly travel, starting with an early morning departure from Calgary, then a four hour layover in Houston (IAH), where I met up with one of my travel companions and had plenty of time for lunch. It is a pretty nice airport to transfer in, plenty of shops and restaurants, and easy to find your way around. A little something that I found at the airport that I could not find any online reference to … in terminal C, there is a junction between two corridors to gates. Around Gates 33, 34, and 43, near Pink’s Pizza, stand in the middle of this junction and clap or speak a little loudly. It’s a little echo chamber as the ceiling there is dome shaped. They must have done this on purpose and I am sure I looked like an idiot standing there clapping, but I was having fun and it put a smile on my face.

Arriving in Panama City was really easy as our travel coordinator had added VIP Service at Panama Tocumen Airport to our itinerary. Getting off the plane someone was there to meet us (yes, at the gate) and they quickly escorted us through Customs and Immigration, bypassing all the lines and we were through very quickly. They took us right out to our driver who was outside waiting. That’s the closest I will ever get to feeling like a VIP. The only regret is our other travel companion had arrived earlier in the day and was waiting for us at the hotel, otherwise we would have enjoyed some time at their lounge.

It’s a quick drive from the airport to the Casco Viejo region in Panama City and to the Central Hotel, and after getting settled the three us headed out for a dinner. So many choices but we ended up going to a rooftop “restaurant”. It was more a bar in my opinion that just served enough food to qualify as a restaurant but the views, food and ya, drinks were good.

Day 2 Panama Canal Cruise

This morning we met our guide, Richard Cahill, and headed out to experience the famous Panama canal. We started as typical tourists going to the Miraflores Locks observation decks (we had been told that the Miraflores Visitor Center was closed for reconstruction) and watching a rather informational IMAX movie. If you haven’t done much reading on the history of the Panama Canal then this is a good movie to watch.

Later, it was off for a four-hour cruise on the canal, actually going through some locks! Yes, it’s a tourist thing, but the Pacific Queen is perfect for this sort of thing. A comfortable ship with lots of seating inside and out, lunch included and of course beer. 🙂 What initially surprised me, due to my own ignorance, is that much of the Panama Canal are natural untouched waterways. I was expecting industrialization along most of the canal waterways, but you could have been on a wildlife cruise (see Day 5) without even realizing that you were on this significant shipping trade route. Then there is a humbling feeling when you pull into your first lock and a huge tanker pulls in with you! In our case the CMA CGM Neva was going to be shadowing us, well shadowing over us might be more accurate. I had watched ships go through canals before but from this up close vantage point you see just how little room they have. We were told that the locomotives (“mules”) that follow the ships are not pulling the ship, the ships usually use their own power and as more new ships have manoeuvring thrusters the mules are more of a safety precaution. Another interesting fact is that ships are basically processed in a first come, first served basis but that ships can pay to skip the line. It was interesting to see the wide array of ships that had queued up to transit the canal, even the a USA Zumwalt class destroyer (it went through a few days later).

Interesting:

• Ever wondered why many canal gates close at an angle? Just ask Leonardo da Vinci.

Day 3 – Emberá Tribe Visit

Today was an indigenous culture day and to be honest I was fearing that this was going to be one of those staged experiences where once the tourists leave they all put on jeans and head to homes in the city. Thankfully that was not the case and we had a good discussion with our local guide on how they feel about tourists coming to visit and how our money helps them survive and keep their culture going.

There are a number of Emberá villages in the area and we visited the Embreá Quera village which only contains 68 people, with the only way in or out is via boat along a very shallow Rio Gatun river – they had to get out and drag us fat tourists through the shallower areas. 🙁

We were greeted (in Spanish) by the chief and welcomed to their village, Richard was our translator, and then given a tour of the village. One villager was explaining the benefits of all the trees and bushes as medicines that she grew. When asked about her being the village doctor, she said (with a grin) that “we have a medicine man, but when that does not work they come to me.”

Lunch was a tempura fish served in a rolled banana leaf and was very good, followed by a couple of dance displays, which left just enough time for their “gift shop” of local crafts before we caught the last boat back. The village school teacher, supplied by the Panamanian government, was on our boat as this is part of her normal commute to the village. We had good weather fortunately, this would not be enjoyable when it’s raining.

Interesting:

• The women only wear tops due to tourists;
• They often use coins to adorn their tops;
• They paint their skin with a natural black paint as it helps to block sun and insect bites

Day 4 – More canal and historic forts on the Caribbean

Hey, it’s the Panama Canal’s birthday (August 15), Happy 109! More importantly, we got cookies!!!

A quick visit to the Centro de Visitantes Agua Clara to see some of the newest locks from the Panama Canal Expansion Project, which supply a third line between the Caribbean and Gatun lake. It was really interesting to hear just how much technology and planning went into the project. They want the canals wide enough to handle today’s ships plus larger ships of the future, but everyone we talked with stressed the importance of using the canal water wisely. This new design included water saving basins so that they can “reuse” water in the locks. Also, these locks use a new design, gone is the wedge as these gates retract into the sides of the canal.

Interesting:

• Why are the canal gates in pairs of two? If one needs repair they can pull it in without impacting/slowing canal traffic.
• The new canal gates are fully serviceable from inside the gate. No need to lift the new gates out of the canal for repairs or inspection.
• The north (Caribbean Sea) and the south (Pacific Ocean) ends of the canal are salt water, but Gatun Lake is all fresh water, so they are very conscious of trying to limit the mixing of the waters. Protecting the nature and wildlife around the Panama Canal is something that is very important to them.

Jumping from this mega project of the Panama Canal to the 1500 and 1600s history, with a visit to Fort San Lorenzo at the mouth of the Chagres River next. Stories of pirates, like Henry Morgan, bring up images from movies but although there are similarities the history often tells a slightly different story. At this point I have to give our guide Richard credit, history and historic sites have never been of much interest to me but he made the history very relatable. Instead of wandering away to take pictures I found myself more glued to his stories about how Morgan snuck up from behind and captured the Fort, and then did the same thing to Panama City a few years later.

Interesting:

• Pirates were often employed by countries to conduct their raids. Think of them more like hired mercenaries, rather than lawless marauders wearing an eye-patch and searching for gold.

Time to head up the coast, about 90 minutes, to Portobelo for lunch. What a great little spot, we ate at Casa Congo Restaurante, which is attached to local artist gallery Casa de la Cultura Congo. After lunch we had a short walk to see the Black Christ and Fort Portobelo (consisting of Fort Santiago El Viejo and Fuerte San Jerónimo) before heading back to Panama City.

Day 5 – Canal wildlife cruise before flight

Before leaving Panama City for our afternoon flight to David we had time for a wonderful jungle boat cruise … on the Panama Canal. It still gives me pause, yes, there is great wildlife viewing right on the Panama Canal. Full credit to the people and government of Panama for protecting nature along this vital transportation corridor. Not many places you can see wildlife, giant container ships and Herman the German next to each other.

So lucky to be able to do these trips with a small group and a great guide. The three of us, our guide Richard and various drivers. The itinerary can change on a moments notice due to what we are interested in. Want to see more monkeys? OK, we will go this way, ohh, I think you would like this, let’s stop here.

Boquete (2 Nights)

Day 5 – afternoon arrival

After the quick, less than an hour, flight we were picked up and driven to Boquete. Boquete is a small tourist town in a valley surrounded by coffee plantations. We only stopped in the town for a few minutes, to, uhm, pick up a couple bottles of rum, and you could tell they were well prepared for tourists. Very clean, lots of restaurants and cafes, with English on most of the signs. After stockpiling our … essentials, we were off for a driving tour around the area. Our driver took us around the surrounding hills to explain the different types of coffee beans and the town’s history. After enjoying some beautiful views, we stopped at the Finca Lérida Coffee Shop to enjoy the results of the local fruits. (Are coffee beans fruits?) I have to admit that I am not a coffee drinker so I was fine to have a tea but, I was not expecting the barista to walk out into her garden and pick the leaves for my tea! You cannot get fresher than that!

Then it is time to head to our home for the next couple of nights, the very charming Riverside Inn on the outskirts of Boquete.

Day 6 – Zip line and Hanging Bridges

A fun day was planned for us on this day, starting with zip-lining through the cloud forest and then a little walking tour going over a number of hanging bridges. Both of these activities were hosted by Tree Trek Boquete, which included a hotel pickup and drop off. I have done a few zip-lines over the years and the team we were paired with were great. Very patient and they really want everyone to have a good time plus they have a number of camera traps setup, which means, yes, at the end they have a video/photo package that you can buy. It was only around $15USD (but don’t trust me on that price) and it comes on a nice credit card sized USB drive.

Then we did a guided walk in the cloud forest and crossed a number hanging bridges which was nice, not that physical and hopefully you are not scared of heights. After lunch, in their lodge, it was time to catch the shuttle back to our hotel and sample those bottles of local rum.

Day 7 – Morning Coffee Tour

An early start to the day began with a visit to an artisan coffee grower, Cafetales Don Alfredo – La Milagrosa. We had a tour of the coffee process from plant to cup, everything is done at this one location and this was one of the first to grow and produce Geisha coffee. This is a very small production system and the machine is mostly hand made or taken from other machines and repurposed. I never knew much about coffee production so it was interesting to see every step hands on. Even the roasting of the beans, the difference between a light roast to a dark roast is only a matter of a couple of minutes. I am not a coffee drinker but I had heard of “dark roast” and it was interesting to hear their view that “dark roast” is just burnt coffee and is only drunk by people that don’t like coffee. 😀

We were then invited for a coffee tasting, did I mention I am not a coffee drinker? I did want to try the different coffees, maybe fresh coffee is something I would like, but it was confirmed that I really don’t like coffee. Shortly after leaving, the caffeine started to kick in and my heart was racing. Our driver told me to drink as much water as possible within the hour and it would dilute the caffeine, if I waited more than an hour to drink water it would be too late. How do regular coffee drinkers deal with this?

Mount Totumas (3 Nights)

Day 7 – Afternoon arrival in the Cloud Forest

It takes at least a couple of hours to drive to Mount Totumas from Boquete and with all the water I was drinking to dilute the caffeine I am glad we made a quick stop in the town of Volcán. Especially since we were to soon see why our vehicle was a 4×4. Once we got off the highway it was a combination of gravel, dirt, concrete slabs as you ascend up the side of the mountain. Slow going and hope you don’t run into a vehicle coming down as the road is not very wide – with a good drop on one side!

However, the drive is worth it as the Eco-lodge is at 1,900m (6,200′) with beautiful views and no neighbours in sight. We heard that they had hummingbirds but nothing prepares you for just how many and of how many different varieties. I do not have much luck taking pictures of these camera shy aerial acrobats, I think I have more pictures of branches they were on, than actual hummingbird photos. 😀

I had the usual expectations of an Eco-lodge and I expected it to be basic way out here but what a surprise. The main lodge was very nice, with an observation deck, spotting scopes, a large beer fridge (OK, it had other drinks too, I think) with a good selection, lots of hummingbird feeders, and the owner was always willing to tell you what type of bird we were looking at. What really got me was the food. It’s an Eco-lodge in the middle of nowhere at the top of a mountain, I am thinking chicken with beans and rice most days. I’m absolutely good with that but what we had could have been served up in one of the tourist restaurants in Boquete.

We spent the afternoon watching the hummingbirds, doing a short little hike and relaxing in a 2-story cabin that we had to ourselves. If you ever get the opportunity to stay here I would definitely recommend booking the cabin if you party is big enough (it sleeps 7). You are a little further from the main lodge (where the meals are served) but the other accommodations are rooms in larger buildings, so the cabin offers a little more room and freedom to just chill and enjoy nature.

Day 8 – Hiking and Natural Springs

The Eco-lodge has a local guide who we had hired for our stay and after breakfast he took us out on the Puma trail. However, we stopped just outside the lodge to marvel at the vast variety of moths that had collected on the building overnight.

It was a leisurely paced hike with some bird spotting and howler monkeys. It is just a different world when you get out in nature, all your worries just disappear and you realize that you are just one small part, another cog in this wheel of life.

We were back in time for lunch at the main lodge so we had time in the afternoon to walk down to the Los Pozos Hot Springs. It’s not a far walk and it is all downhill. The hot spring is small, maybe two to three people can fit and only a few feet deep. It was great to just sit in the hot water and realize that wild nature is all around you. What do the wild animals think of a hot spring? Do they use it or do they prefer the cold mountain stream? Now after soaking in that water the last thing you really want to do is hike back up the mountain, so if you arrange a time with the lodge in advance they will drive down and pick you up. We timed it perfectly as it just started to rain as our ride showed up.

After another wonderful dinner we met up with our guide again for a night hike. This will just be on the short trail we did upon arrival but in the pitch dark it is very different. Our guide was spotting lizards, and various large insects at every turn. At one point we all turned out our lights to see (or not see) just how dark it was in the forest. I could not see my hand in front of my face, which had me starting to worry about my flashlight battery lasting.

Day 9 – The hike into La Amistad Park

I guess we proved ourselves to our guide the previous day so today was the big hike out to La Amistad International Park. We had heard another group had spotted a venomous viper the previous day on the trail so we had our eyes peeled. I wanted to see animals, but I think more along the lines of spider and howler monkeys, maybe a tapir or jaguar if really lucky. What about the Quetzel that we hear so much about? Running into a deadly snake was not near the top of my to do list.

It was a wonderful day to be out and yes, we spotted the gold eyelash viper (yes, I know it’s green) but luckily it was still a cool morning and it only had enough energy to slowly move away from us. There is only one deadly viper per forest right? So no more risk of coming across another one, right? Ohh glass-winged butterflies, yes let’s look at them, pretty, delicate, not deadly. Look at the tiny little orchards, snakes don’t like orchards, yes, I think I read that somewhere. Then our guide heard them, Quetzels! This is supposed to be the wrong season for these beautiful birds. Can we spot them through the thick forest? Beautiful birds and so graceful in flight and to be honest I had never even heard of them until this day.

Day 10 The Cascade Trail

For our last morning at the Eco-lodge I decided to do a solo hike as I heard of a couple of waterfalls. I solo hike all the time but that is in an area that I am more accustomed, I know what wildlife I may run into. Here I am on a trail I have not been on and, could that viper have made it here overnight? Again, I am sure there is only one deadly snake per forest, it’s got to be a law or something. Let’s get that out of my mind and enjoy the serenity of being alone with nature and all it’s glory. From a couple of large waterfalls, to beautiful flowers and a collection of birds, it is a great way to end this wonderful visit to the cloud forest (which only has one heart-stopping snake).

After lunch it was time for the long drive back to David and then the flight to Panama City.

Panama City (2 Nights)

Day 11 – Fish market and ancient ruins of Panama City

Back in Panama City the plan was for a full day city tour of historic sites and botanical gardens but the weather had some other suggestions that we, uhmm, graciously accepted.

We started with a visit to the local fish market (Mercado De Marisco Cinta Costera). Look at the prices, they are almost giving away the shrimp. (The prices in the pictures are USA dollars per pound.) We next went over to the Museum of Old Panama and that is when the weather started to turn. We did drive out to the Garden of the Park of Biodiversity of Biomuseo but in the heavy rain we decided it wasn’t worth getting out of the car. We went for lunch and hoped the weather would improve. We kept commenting that Panama needed the rain and they had been going through a a drought and it was impacting the Canal. Always try to put a positive spin on the situation when plans change. After lunch the weather wasn’t much better so, let’s give it some more time and we will just have to wait in this little brewery here. 😉

Not the way we planned to end our stay in Panama but that is part of travel and you learn to go with the (beer) flow.

Day 12 – Thank you Panama

An early morning hotel pickup and it’s off to the airport for the journey home. However, I do transfer flights in Houston again so I have time to find that echo spot in Terminal C again. Who said travel isn’t fun any more? 😉

Hope you enjoyed reading about my trip and maybe learned something about the Panama Canal and Panama. A wonderful country that is so diverse, from engineering marvels, to indigenous tribes and vast amounts of nature to experience. Panama definitely surpassed my expectations!

Logistics

Hope you enjoyed reading about this trip and it has encouraged you to go and explore our little planet. 🌎

Cheers, Nigel