Three weeks ago we arrived in this country connecting Central- and Southamerica and tomorrow we'll leave it behind, crossing the boarder on the Carribean side to Costa Rica. Time passes fast and we'd like to update you about our experiences in Panama.
Our first impression was that it is quite americanized: a lot of big trucks on the streets, McDonalds and many other famous fast-food-chains and a lot of overweighted people. In the shops the products are mostly american and the currency is the US dollar, only the coins are Balboas, but in the same denomination and value as the US cent.
Travelling in Panama is easy and comfortable, as the infrastructure such as the streets are in a very good condition. We both didn't know much of what to see in Panama besides the Canal and Bocas del Toro...but soon we realized that it has much more to offer:
Arriving in Panama City we were both glad to be back in a warmer place. The Casco Viejo in the city is interesting as you can see beautifully renovated old buildings right next to ruins which you think they might crash any minute. But of course the big thing to see is the Panama Canal.
A short taxi ride from town and you stand on the visitor platform of Miraflores Lock, one of the three locks (Schleuse) the ships have to pass through on the total 80 km linking the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. The Canal was completed by 1914 under a US project team. The Republic of Panama finally took full control of the Canal in 1999, ending nearly a Century of american control. Three years ago they started the works of widening the Canal, and it's planned to have accomplished the works by 2014, hundred years after the first boat crossed the Canal.
Two days and a few hours westwards we stopped at El Valle, also called the crater vally because it lies in the crater of a enormous extinct volcano. It's a good base for hiking on some of the many trails.
On the photo you see one part of the forest covered crater and it's called La india durmida, the sleeping Indian. If you look at it properly you can discover the woman laying on her back with the face on the right hand side. It was a very enjoyable hike to the top, walking through lush forest, whereas on the top it was very volcanic with black rocks and arid landscape. And we didn't meet anybody until the bottom of the hill where some local men invited to have a beer with them :-)
After El Valle we headed down to the Panamerican Highway and 120km further west, back up to the hilly town of Santa Fé. Unfortunately the unusual heavy rainfalls cancelled most of our hiking plans, but as the town is VERY laidback and the pace very slow, we experienced three relaxing days at the hostal La Qhia.
As mentionned above, Santa Fé lies in the hills, the soil is very fertile with many delicious fruits growing abundantly, as well as coffee plants. The surroundings are fed by many rivers: it's very cool to swim in their natural pools and enjoy the nearby waterfalls!
The next couple of busrides brought us to the Pacific Coast, to Santa Catalina known as surfers paradise with one of the best surfs in Panama. However we didn't see any professional surfers in action...only a few very goodlooking blond surfer dudes with a very well-trained body, walking topless in the streets...
Santa Catalina fortunately has more to offer than above named: it's also the gateway to Parque Nacional de Coiba, a few well-preserved islands 20km off the coast. We decided to go on a one day boat tour.
Getting there was a rather rough opportunity, but riding through the sea full of robinson-style islands, snorkelling with little sharks and rays and schools of fish made up for it easily! Talking about Isla Coiba, it's considered as the next Galapagos Islands! On the main island the Fauna is very diverse with all kinds of monkeys, birds and crocodiles...
One more time we headed up the hill, to the cooler place of Boquete. This town, located at the foot of Panamas highest point, Volcan Baru, has a very nice climate and is home to a lot of US and Canadian expatriots.
Again, this region offers perfect hiking opportunities and again the rain tried to destroy our plans of going for a walk out in the greens. But this time we headed off and walked along the very muddy and slippery Quetzal trail. Luckily, most parts of the 5-hour-trek were covered in dense forest, which is the habitat of the Quetzal bird.
The next day we relaxed at the close natural hot springs and the cold river just below. What a treat!
Guess where we went next? Yeah, down the hill to the coast again, but this time to the archipelago of Bocas del Toro on the carribean side!
The first two days in Bocas were very rainy. Actually it should be the driest month of the year but because of the famous Global Warming things are different. We still rented some bikes to visit a batcave and went for a little snorkeltour. Luckily on the third day the weather changed and we took the bus to the starfish beach across the island.
As the main island does not have nice beaches close to the town, we decided to hop on the boat and stay two nights on Isla Bastimentos where we really enjoyed beachtime and went on a boattrip to see dolphins, a very nice coral garden for snorkelling and to the famous Red Frog beach.
Unfortunatly the coral garden and the Red Frog beach are in big danger. The corals get destroyed by the many boats who are anchoring there every day in big numbers and the beach will be overrun by hundreds of big fat tourists who will stay at the almost finished luxurious Resort.
Today is our last night in Panama - we gonna enjoy a delicious Indian meal with a good bottle of white wine!
