Weekly Photo - Panama Canal

This is from part of my Central America trip to Panama a few years ago.  There is a restaurant and bar at this site where you can get a splendid ceviche and a cold beer as you watch the ships pass thru the strategic canal.

Tags: ..Weekly Photo - Panama Canal..

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Panama and Pinapple Face

I have vivid memories of when the US invaded Panama and removed their puppet gone astray, Noriega aka Pineapple Face. Arriving in Panama is slightly bizzare as its third world meets first world. Its very Americanized which probably explains why there are so many yanks down here. Its also very cheap for budget accomo ($24 for a double room with cable TV and A.C.) and taxis ($2 for a 10 minutes ride).

It reminds me a little of L.A. where the 'haves' flaunt their fancy cars on Rodeo Drive, meanwhile 2 blocks away the 'have nots' (Mexicans are packed onto buses like sardines on overcrowded buses. It's the same here except it's the Panamanians on the bus, staring at the crazy Irish guy and his wife who obviously don't belong on the bus with no A.C. in 40 Celius heat and thay obviously must be lost or crazy or both!

There's a touristy, pricey bar/restaurant strip on Calle Uruguaywhich is compared to Miami Beach (not sure why as it's nowhere near a beach!) This is where the local expats and tourist wine and dine the night away.

The biggest local attraction is obviously the Panama canal which is 18 kms outside the centre. Its just like a regular canal lock but on a huge scale and instead of a barge passing thru it has huge tankers and freighters.

The other thing Panama is famous for is shopping with a huge duty free area called Port Libre and a massive mall called Albrook which is worth a visit. I hate shopping as much as I hate root canals so if I'm recommending it, its got to be good.

Bocas del Torro is a series of islands in the north east is an absolute gem. You can zip around the islands on water taxis and many of the towns are built on stilts on the water. We took a boat from Isla Colon to Isla Bastimentos and then hiked to a beautiful palm tree lined remote beach (Wizrd Beach) with golden sand and transparent water where were only 6 other people.

Development in the area is happening really fast and it won't be long before its an overcrowded americanized resort so see it while you can !

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