Just months before a global pandemic, Gretchen's Girl Scout leader proposed that we take an international trip as a troop. An educational trip, to visit somewhere we wanted to learn more about. After considering the available options, we set our sights on "An Adventure in Panama", and proceeded to sell cookies and fall products over the next couple of years to help assist with the cost. Last Monday, we returned from this incredible trip.
Panama is such an interesting country. Far more than "that country with a canal", it has coastline on the Pacific and Atlantic (Caribbean) oceans, mountains, lakes, jungles, wildlife and a beautiful skyline! It was industrialized and safe and fascinating; surpassing my expectations in every way.
Panama is geographically important in a few different ways. It was the final piece of the puzzle connecting North America and South America, which by all accounts happened pretty recently. Somewhere around 3 millions years ago a whole bunch of volcanos exploded a whole lot of material and connected the two massive continents. This allowed for anything that wanted to walk across the continents to be able to do so without having to cross water. It also meant that a big ol' land wall was put up where the oceans previously connected. More on that to come.
A the beginning of the 1500s, Rodrigo de Bastidas left Venezuela and sailed west looking for gold. Fresh off of his voyage from Spain to the Caribbean, Christopher Columbus decided to continue traveling west and landed in Panama about a year later. These fellas lead to Spain learning all about Panama and alerting the European world that there was a skinny, 50 mile strip of land that was a whole lot easier to cross than going all the way around the continent of South America. So, the Spaniards took over and the native people fought back, died of new European diseases and then retreated into the mountains and jungles around the country.
The Spanish ruled for the next 300 years, during which time they built towns, squares and, of course, churches. We explored the remnants of Panama Viejo, the original site of Panama City, which at its peak had a population of 10,000 but crumbled after fire, earthquakes, pirates and privateer Henry Morgan pillaged the city.
The cathedral still stands, and you are able to climb up to the top for a really great view of both the original Panama Viejo, and the glistening new skyline which has developed from the relocation of Panama City after it's destruction.
In the foreground there is old city ruins, the background is the shiny new Panama City skyline.
And out the other side of the tower you can see the Pacific Ocean, a mountain range and a whole line up of ships waiting for entrance to the Panama Canal.
As we followed the trails around the old city, we saw lizards and iguanas and so, so many mangos. Our guide showed us the best way to "pick" ripe mangos. 1) Find a fallen mango. 2) Throw it into the tree 3) mangos fall from the sky! Gretchen was an expert!
This was a great introduction to the city. Comparing the old and new, and leaving with some delicious treats for later. We saved our mangos, and ventured into Casco Antiguo for lunch at
Fonda Lo Que Hay. This was my favorite food stop of the trip!
After lunch, we walked a couple of blocks over to the
Panama Canal Museum. This was a full walk from start to finish of the planning, construction, staffing and (at times) failings of the canal. It is a fascinating history, with lots of casualties and conflict, but ended in the completion of the canal in January 1915 and shortening the shipping route from NYC to San Fransisco by over 8,000 miles.
We had a few hours left in the day, so we took a drive down the Amador Causeway. This 3 mile road was made by connecting 3 tiny islands on the Pacific side of Panama. All that rock removed from the construction of the Panama Canal had to go somewhere, so they connected these islands, built a road and a boardwalk, and a great photo opportunity at this fun Panama sign:
Panama Day 1, Complete!
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