I woke up at 4 am and head up to the Vancouver Airport. When I arrived to Panama City the heat was unbearable. After 12 hour flight, all I wanted was a shower, a cold beer and a smoke. Landing in Panama City the view from the airplane was beautiful. I wait and wait at the baggage claim, but my bag pack never arrived... This is going to be a great trip, I can feel it =) Welcome to Panama Sofi! Full of surprises, this is going to be exciting.
I walk to the baggage claim stand and a friendly guy was standing there behind it. Around the stand was an ocean of luggage, just sitting there without an owner. I started wandering... So I go and tell the guy that my bag pack probably got lost on the way or something if I could claim it here. He tells me that they don't have system in the computer right now. So he starts looking for a paper to write on and says: "So describe me your luggage". I told him that it's just a bag pack not a luggage and is black and green... so then he asks me for the brand. Truly I had no idea; all I could say was that I sowed an Argentinean flag patch on it. I asked him when would the system come back, he answered that they've been without system for the past two days. So I asked him how were they going to find my bagpack.... he answered well hopefully is in Vancouver. I asked why. He says cause for the moment all we can do is call. I left him the phone number of my hostel on a blank paper and leave the airport, hoping that my backpack will soon ajoin me on this trip!
Cornelio the taxi driver was really nice, he took me to my hostel "Casa de Carmen" on El Cangrejo neighborhood (Calle primera del Carmen #32 in front of Tip Top Liquor Store). The hostel was really nice, friendly and cozy environment. I passed out even though the heat was terrible. Thanks God for the AC! They gave me a single room for the first night because it was all full, but the next day i would be moving to the dorm that was less expensive. The dorm was US$6.00. They also had beers for US$1.00.
Good Night Panama!!!
The next day I woke up like at 7am, couldn't sleep well with the heat. I went to the Metropolitan Park beautiful is not a difficult hike... around an hour or so and if you take your time and look for animals well it will take you longer. You get to this lookout of the city but you can't see anything, pretty crappy I have to say. The only thing was that I didn't have any clothe to change and I was hiking in sandals. I could feel the sweat running through my body... when I went back to the hostel they told me it was the hottest day in the year. Fuck that! and I was hiking on the hottest day and now with no cloth to change. Hopefully my bag pack will come soon.
Anyways after I went to Miraflores Locks, you have to pay $8 to get inside the museum and then only $2.5 if you want to go upstairs to the deck. The Museum is not that good; the only good about it is the flayer that they give you that explains everything pretty well. Upstairs there is a deck were you can see the ships go through the canal. Amazing!!! The Panama Canal was build in 1913, actually started. After a few years of struggling, the Panamanian goverment asked for help to the United States. This at the end was a doble sided blade, because the US will gain power over the Canal. The problem was that only the Panamanians new how to make the canal work, especially the machines so at the end they both had power over the canal. the needed one another. Now they are trying to expand the Panama Canal. You have to think that over a million of ships cross the Canal every second, and it takes 12 hours to cross.
The next day I went to Causeway, which consists in three artificial islands, build mainly with the left over of the rocks of the Panama Canal Construction. In Causeway, you'll find a lot of restaurants and pubs. At night it's a really good place to go out. They are building a Meliá Hotel so it is going to be a touristy place in a couple of years when is done. Later on, I head to the Casco Viejo. I have to say be sure to go with someone and also be careful. You have to go through a pretty ugly place called The Chirrillo. The Casco Viejo is the old part of Panama and its beautiful, filled with Churches with balconies and small roads. You can also find beautiful views to the modern city and America's Bridge. You can also visit the Presidential House, you are not allowed in but you can walk around it, there are some check in points.
In the afternoon I went to "El Puente de las Americas", which means the America's Bridge. This bridge connects the entire country with the rest of North America up to Colombia. This is called "El Tapon" (Cork or Cap), which is in the frontier between Darien province and Colmbia. The idea is to prevent the entrance of drugs and others into Panama.
After crossing the bridge, there is a look out and you can see the city and also you will find a monument for 150 years of Chinese immigration. The Chinese immigrated to Panama with the beginning of the Panama Canal construction, back in 1913.
The next day I was heading to Taboga Island on the Pacific Ocean, thanks God my bag pack arrived that night. Taboga is an island 40 minutes away from the City. You take a boat that leaves from causeway usually in the morning around 8am or afternoon 3pm.
Three days its perfect to stay in the city, you don't need anymore than that.
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