Panama

Initially I didn't think Panama would be one the highlights of our trip and while that remains to be seen, we definitely underestimated it. In the six days we were there we planned to see Panama City, take a train to the Atlantic coast and tour the main locks of the Panama Canal and spend three days at the Caribbean town of Bocas del Toro to snorkel and scuba dive.

Panama City was a lively, diverse area of about a million people who are supposed to be among the sharpest and most sophisticated in Central America. Located on one of the greatest crossroads in the world, it resembles a booming industrial area of south east Asia more than the typical, traditional urban centers in the rest of Central America. With scores of cranes and half constructed skyscrapers, its skyline looks more like Hong Kong´s probably does. Next to the city we were able to visit the remains of Panama viejo, the original town founded in 1519, and explore the city grid as well as a few ruins. It was very interesting to be able to take pictures of an ancient cathedral with so much modern construction in the background.

From Panama City we took a train ride next to the canal to the Caribbean coastal town of Colon to watch the mega container ships pass through the stages of the Gatun Locks. The best way to view the canal is supposed to be by boat, but tours are expensive and are only offered a few times a month. It would be much easier to let pictures describe what this process looks like, but basically the ships are brought up from sea level in three stages where they are able to continue on to the locks on the pacific side through the man-made Gatun Lake. Many of these ships are able to carry up to 5,000 containers and pay according to type of cargo. The ship we saw go through was hauling cars from Korea and was charged about $190,000. It was a very cool experience. The town of Colon hosts the second biggest duty-free zone in the world after Hong Kong. Otherwise it's a dump. It has a reputation for violent crime and even broad-daylight muggings are not uncommon. After seeing the canal, we took a tour of the city and as our tour guide was telling us how Colon gets a bad rap, he instictively pulled out a nine-millimeter and set it on the dash.

Bocas del Toro is a very relaxing spot on the Caribbean next to the border of Costa Rica. We hung out for three days while snorkeling and drinking the local beer called ¨Soberana¨. I got to scuba for the first time in salt water and really enjoyed it. Amongst the coral, we saw a nurse shark, lobsters and an eel.

So far everything is going really well and when I get a chance I want to post a few pics. We´re looking forward to Costa Rica for an active volcano, a coffee plantation and a jungle canopy walk.

Total bus hours: 11.0