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Been a while since I've written to you folks. I'm back in Panama (well, I was when I mailed this out to you guys)! If you're not in the loop, I've just left Colombia, where I was studying at a university in Cartagena, on the Caribbean coast. It was all part of an exchange program I did with Concordia University. Now, on my way home, my flight takes me through Mexico City & Chicago (this thanks to the magic of air miles). I felt it was an appropriate time to get my act together and write an update for the 10 days I spent visiting Panama City and the archipelago of Bocas del Toro earlier this year. Me he perdido y te pido disculpas, si has estado visitando mi página web, sabrías que estaba viviendo y estudiando en Colombia, debido a una programa de intercambio entre Concordia University, y mi universidad aqui en Cartagena, la Tecnológica. Ahora estoy en Ciudad Panamá, ya que debo volver para Canadá y seguir estudiando mi carrera. Desde aquí, la ruta del avione me lleva hasta Ciudad México, y Chicago. En este correo, te contaré sobre mis 10 días vistando Ciudad Panamá y las islas de Bocas del Toros, los que pasé en enero! Que pena... :( As we approached the outskirts of Panama City, we climbed a two-lane highway through jungle thick on both sides of us. Coming out of the forest, we crossed the Bridge of the Americas. David got a thrill out of that. The view is magnificent and crossing a bridge always gives me an exhilarating feeling, whether it be the Pont Jacques-Cartier in Montreal (Shane Eastwood: remember me on the motorcycle?), the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, or the concrete road over a shallow river at the frontera between Honduras and Nicaragua. I'll try to give you a mental picture of Panama City as it appears when approached. You can see the skyline off to the southwest as you go over the bridge, and to the east you can see the canal as it snakes into the interior of the country. The canal, the harbour, and the way out to the open Pacific is dotted with ships, big and small, some just docked for the pleasure of visiting one of the most commercially developed cities in Latin America, and some because they are waiting for permission to pass through the man-made waterway out to the Atlantic Ocean. On your way over the bridge, you can also see Cerro Ancón, a famous landmark hill in the city, at the top of which flies a large Panamanian flag. The bus into the city dropped us off at the impressive Albrook Shopping Center Complex and Bus Terminal. It's absolutely huge, very clean, and extremely modern. Inside it you can find dozens of restaurants of all types, including Churro's where I ate my very first arepa ever. They were a great street snack for me while I was living in Colombia. Elvir, thanks for the recommendation! This traditional food is an original indigenous recipe that has spread through Venezuela and the Andean countries of Colombia and Ecuador. David and I had done some careful planning to make sure our short time in Panama City would be fruitful and would allow us to see and do the sights. January 1st is a national holiday, as it is in many places around the world, and we knew we'd lose a day to see, visit, or enjoy some places that would be otherwise open on a regular shopping day. We arrived in Panama on the 30th of December, with plans to stay in a ramshackle hotel that was recommended to us by two crazy British cyclists I had met up with in La Paz, Mexico. The Hotel Herrera is in one of the dirtiest and poorest parts of town, Casco Viejo. The taxi couldn't find it, so we played guesswork with the map in our Lonely Planet for Panama, and just told him to drop us off when we saw an address that corresponded to our map. Our hotel room was dilapidated, with all the furnishings and dressings you would expect from such a place (i.e. peeling paint, caged-in television, no telephone, no hot water, dusty mirrors, and creaky beds). But it was CHEAP. The ambiance in Casco Viejo was chaotic. Street vendors were everywhere, selling everything you could possibly imagine. Brand names lined every inch of the pedestrian mall. We saw McDonald's, Levi's, Coca Cola, Nike, Compaq, Adidas, Kappa, Burger King, and Ray-Ban sharing retail space with fruit vendors, jewelery stores, pawn shops, pay-by-the-hour hotels, and convenience stores. There is a large Asian entrepreneur population here, and they seem to own a lot of dry-cleaners and supermarkets or grocery stores. I noticed the same thing when I was in Belize. I suppose the same incentive exists here as does in, say... Toronto or Los Angeles. Es importante de darse cuenta cuando visitas a Panama que se puede conseguir cualquier cosa que necesita aqui. Es un centro comercial de America Latina, y también del mundo. Por aqui pasan barcos de todos partes del mundo, pagan impuestos, y se importan y exportan muchos bienes que necesitan en otros partes del mundo. Aqui queda la Zona Libre de Colon. Si habla ingles y tiene un grado en negocios, puede ser que puede conseguir un trabajo mas facilmente en tu carrera en Panama que en Colombia. También es relativamente facil por los colombianos de llegar a Panama para trabajar y vivir, comparado a los Estados Unidos o Canadá. Hitting the pavement, David and I marveled at the difference from one side of the city to the other. Casco Viejo is located not far from the base of Cerro Ancón, and is a maze of crumbling buildings, beggars, and smelly, dirty streets. As you walk out of the area, you come across a square next to a principal avenue. It's a mess of buses, taxis, and people walking in every direction. The avenue splits two ways and so begins the famous Avenida Balboa which runs all the way out to the commercial center of the city. Walking along Balboa, you'll see the neighbourhood change from sorry looking warehouses and fly-by-nite restaurants to strip malls with sturdy sliding metal garage doors that protect the establishment after opening hours. Passing the statue of Vasco Nuñez de Balboa (a lovers point in the evenings), the US Embassy is on your left and is surrounded by ferocious metal gates and towering palms. Further up, the tranquil neighborhood of Bella Vista borders the Bahía de Panamá. Here you can enjoy Parque Urraca that is landscaped with enormous willow trees and other species I can't begin to name. It's not very well-lit at night though, so I'd be careful strolling through here alone. The Avenida is a large, fast boulevard, free of any traffic lights, and is divided by a line of palm trees from one end to the other. You'll know you're here because sitting on the waterfront is the formidable Miramar Intercontinental. We kept walking, and walking, keeping our eyes open for a gym, a drycleaner, a travel agency, and a hotel we would want to spend New Year's Eve in. Exploring the city in this way is the best way to do it anywhere. You get to see all the little things they don't talk about on websites and in the tourist magazines and among the pages of the backpacker guides. You will meet people and discover little oddities which determine if the city makes it or breaks it in your book. David and I saw an abandoned 8 story building with fence all around it. We wondered how many people were squatting in there. We walked and walked and walked, through bad neighborhoods and good ones, through large parks and small ones, through traffic thick and thin. It took us both a few days before we actually got our bearings in the city. It always does, to really realize how big or small the city grid is, and how long it would take to walk from point A or B. Daily update from December 30th, 2002 We decided to spend David's three remaining nights in Panama at the Hotel Montreal, where we splurged as a celebration of el Año Nuevo, and the end of my 4 1/2 month backpacking trip (thanks to David for covering the rest as soon as it became too exorbitant for me). It had a rooftop pool, and a beautiful view of the banking and financial center of Panama City. New Year's Eve is always a fun night to look forward to. In the past, I've had some good New Year's parties with the boys from IBM, and then of course, the crazy last-minute trip to Rio de Janeiro with Mick. I didn't think anything could beat Rio after the locura we experienced there, so I had no expectations for the last night of 2002. All I wanted was for David and I to go out, have a good time, a few drinks, dance like nuts, and meet some girls. We had decided early on that we wanted to do it cheap, so we just cruised the city starting at around 8pm, looking for an interesting place to party in. We started at a strip club, which wasn't that great at all, and ended up at an Internet cafe with 45 minutes until showtime. Finally, we did go to a bar that wasn't charging any cover, and had relatively cheap booze and beer. But it was empty! Except for five chiquitas sitting at a table on the dance floor. And the staff were still putting up balloons! I tried my luck with the waitress by offering to help with the decorations but it didn't seem to impress her. We didn't realise midnight had arrived and gone until the bartender came up to us with a hearty handshake and a "Happy New Year", nothing more. David and I glanced at each other and figured we might as well make the best of it. The truth is latinos are much more family-oriented than the average North American family. New Year's is spent with the family, and everybody goes out AFTER midnight. The realisation of just how cariñosos they are towards each other only hit home after spending the last 4 months in Colombia. And indeed, that nightclub filled up as the clock ticked on. If you like action, lights, lots of stores, tall flashy buildings, people on the streets at all hours of night and day, and a general big-city atmosphere, then you should stay in the El Cangrejo district around Via España. A friendly travel agent I met while in Panama happened to be fond of Canadians and she must have sympathised with my broken backpacker body. She arranged for me to spend a night at the four-star Hotel El Ejecutivo - for free! If you're not quite so blessed with my dumb luck and are stuck on a tight budget, the Voyager International Hostel is only a 3 minute walk from my posh suite at the "Exec" and a stone's throw from the main avenue. There you will find 24-hour Internet cafes and shopping markets, international brand clothing stores, bars and clubs, casinos and strip-joints (referred to in Panama as a nightclub). You know, they say you can buy ANYTHING YOU WANT in this city. Now, I've sampled Panama City's accomodations at levels fit for cockroaches, backpackers, young couples and businessmen. You should be able to find a hotel that suits your tastes and wallet size. I can attest to that! Oh, and if you walk into Hotel El Panamá like you own the place, dressed in bermudas and sandals, they won't give you a problem using their very, very big pool. If you read it backwards, it reads the same. That's a palindrome. And the man with the plan was a French diplomat by the name of Count Ferdinand de Lesseps. He also built the Suez Canal. He wasn't the first to imagine a waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Spanish empire had imagined such a thing back in the 1500's when Vasco Nuñez de Balboa was the first explorer to sight the Pacific and claimed all territory touching it for Spain. The Spaniards envisioned a trade route that would make it easier for them to transport their gold back to the motherland. Engineering standards of the time were not up to the challenge. But in the mid 19th century, when Panama was still a part of Colombia (then known as as Gran Colombia), the government there granted France the rights to begin work on constructing a canal through the isthmus of Panama. France had engineering abilities among the world's greatest. For example, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (the Eiffel Tower), and Ferdinand de Lesseps (the Suez Canal). It was a fantastic venture to undertake, and indeed, the French government began in 1880, and spent 9 years attempting to construct it before finally giving up in 1889. Malaria killed thousands of people, and the project suffered many financial setbacks. Their results were so disastrously unsuccessful that the backbone of the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique fell to bankruptcy. But their efforts were not unwasted. In fact, the original efforts by the French undoubtedly assisted in the US plan to complete the Canal. If you remember from my update about Nicaragua, I mentioned that the United States had an interest in putting a canal through that nation. Well, they continued to work on that but when the rights to the Canal were put for sale by the French government, Nicaragua Canal opponents convinced the US government to give the go-ahead and take over the failed French endeavour. Ya estoy escribiendo para mis amigos latinos, los que no sabian que Panama fue tomado de Colombia por parte de la intervención de los Estados Unidos. Todo se pasó a pesar del deseo a construir el canal de Panamá. Despues del fracaso de Francia a cumplir este proyecto, los Estados Unidos quisieron que Colombia daría permiso a construir el Canal. Pero Colombia no estaba de acuerdo, y los EE.UU aprovecharon de unos descontentos y quejas que tuvieron los panameños contra Colombia. No sería equivocado a decir que el gobierno estadounidense intigó a la revolución y cuando vinieron los naves de la fuerza colombiana, no les dejaron pasar. En este manera, Panama fue capaz a declarar su independencia. En 1921, Colombia reconoció la independencia de Panamá tras de un pago por la parte de los Estados Unidos en la cantidad de unos 25 million de dólares. In 1904, US construction of the canal officially began, and was completed by 1914. By way of several treaties established during the 19th century, the United States had military control over the Panama Canal and territory on either side of the waterway was considered US land. A series of events during the 20th century led to new agreements between the two countries, and in 1999, the Panama Canal was officially handed over to be managed by Panama. The Panama Canal Museum An interesting fact, when the Gaillard Cut was dug out of the Continental Divide during the construction of the Panama Canal, all of the debris (land) that was displaced was used to build the Causeway in Panama City. The Causeway connects three nearby islands (Perico, Naos, and Flamenco), but more importantly, the Causeway serves an important technical purpose. The depth of the entrance of the Panama Canal and the entire way through to Colón needs to be maintained at a minimum depth of approximately 85 feet. The currents in the Bay of Panama are such that it carries silt into the Canal's entrance, which would require constant dredging to maintain the depth. The Causeway was thus built to divert the current, and keep the waterway from becoming too shallow. The islands are now becoming very popular with tourists and locals alike, and the government is building it into a tourist complex and recreational sports destination. ryanrowe.com Update from January 1st, 2003 On the 6th of January, Sasha and Kenza arrived in Panama City. Their goal in Panama was to surf, and from the get-go, they set out to achieve that objective. Kenza had already surfed in the Dominican Republic on a longboard, and Sasha in Portugal, but they wanted to learn how to do it shortboard style, and on the waves of Central America. They did their homework before leaving on when, where, and what to surf in Panama, and they were convinced that a beach break was necessary for their endeavour on short surfboards to be successful. They contemplated the Pacific breaks of Playa Venado, and Santa Catalina, and the Caribbean break of Isla Grande before finally settling on Bocas del Toro. This was thanks to last-minute local advice from local surfer Robert. Sasha and Kenza somehow convinced me to stay a few extra days in Panama and join them on their surfing excursion. They even provided me with a board. Meanwhile, they went shopping for their own in the residential neighbourhood of Diablo Heights (an old US Canal community before the turnover of the waterway at the end of 1999). Getting lost here resulted in us befriending a Venezuelan engineer named Elvir MacMillan who became our bestest friend in this isthmian country. I cannot thank him for enough for all that he did for us (in January, and now again, just yesterday before I left Panama). Una vez que Sasha y Kenza habían llegado, tuve la buena suerte de ser invitado y quedarme en la casa de su amigo Mike (quién vive en Punta Paitilla, un barrio judio y super adinerado de Ciudad Panamá). Este barrio queda al fin de la Avenida Balboa, tras de Centro Balboa, y el almacen de Gran Morrison. Nos quedamos por la calle Sir Winston Churchilkl en un edificio con piscina rica y seguridad 24 horas. Que suerte tuvimos! No pueden creerlo Sasha y Kenza. Tampoco yo! Before leaving for the islands, we had one impressive night out at Rock Cafe (check out their Photos page), which is something I will never forget. The club offered an open bar to everybody, but the women were able to enjoy it alone for two hours longer than the guys. When they were good ready, and after having been hyped up by the male strippers inside, the bouncers unleashed the pent-up lineup of guys outside (who I might add, had been watching all the women file into the club for 2 hours straight). Te cuento también que he pasado unos veinte días en Panamá y todos estaban muy cheveres. Si te vayas a conocerlo, te sugiero a visitar Boquete, un pueblo cerca de la frontera costariccense, y de subir el Volcan Barú, de caminar hasta más y disfrutar los bellos jardines, y las fincas de café. Visita las islas de Bocas del Toros por el norte de allá. y consiguete un barco para llevarte a las Cayas Zapatillas. Son muy bonitas con sus playas blancas, aguas azules, y ambiente calmado y tranquilo. Deberia conocer las playas pacificas de Panamá (Playa Venado, Santa Clara, y Coronado). Panamá es un destino primero de surfing en América Latina. Para mis amigos colombianos que quieren visitar otros paises, les sugiero de escoger Panamá. Aquí hay una comunidad bastante grande de colombianos, y la ciudad de Panamá es un centro de cultura internacional donde hablan inglés y español. Muchos colombianos vienen por aca a conseguir trabajo y nuevas oportunidades. Lastimosamente, no es accessible por bus a pesar de la situacion con la guerrilla y el grosor de la selva Darién. Todavia, los vuelos con Copa Airlines son los mas baratos que se puede conseguir y en el centro de la ciudad Panamá, busque el hostal Voyager a 8 dólares la noche. Desde el aeropuerto, hay buses que dicen "Vía España" y te llevan directamente allá para 25 centavos. Estoy contando esas cosas porque me he dado cuenta que en Colombia hay un ambiente muy pesado acerca la guerra, y que muchos jovenes opinan que hay una falta de oportunidad en su país. Se puede cambiar la mente, no? No es en el ambiente? Te invito a escribirme y te explicaré porque. Listo? :) Amidst a sea of new technologies (robotics, nuclear warfare, genetic engineering, and the Internet), will we be able to save ourselves from ourselves? Many parts of Latin America lack these technological developments (due to financial constraints), and you can see it in the way people act and react. The things we take for granted in North America (a CD player, Internet access, or satellite TV) are prohibitively expensive here. Some people, some countries try to catch up, and there are those who are satisified with where they are. I ask you these ... what do you think? Does rushing to catch up widen the poverty gap, or close it? Should developing nations develop themselves at their own pace or with our help? lectures by Dr. Gordon Leonard Has it made us smarter and happier? Better off? David Valicenti - Thanks to you, I've learned the value of a friend all over again in a different way. I travelled 10,000 kilometres to learn and develop my own independence, but the truth is, that having you around really made me realize how important it is for people to stick together. Mom & Dad - you rock, thank you for the Christmas gift of flying me to Colombia. thank you for all your support on this long soul journey of mine. Kenza Bouhaddi & Sasha Herman - My little surf chicks, you convinced me to go to Bocas with you, you took me out on some scare waves, and proved that your pelotas are bigger than mine! Congrats, and surf hard and forever! Chalo - you taught David and I to relax and enjoy the finer things in life, seeing you carve was an experience I will never, ever forget. Kayra Sánchez - We partied together in Penonomé, you took us to the Causeway in Panama City, it was great to meet you and your friends. Now you must come to my country! Te invito! No te pierdas... Mick Discepola - Thanks for the wicked tips on Panama, even though I didn't get to see any of Colón. Irving - Thanks for all the cool advice and hooking me up with countless numbers of your relatives (whom I never actually ended going out with) :) them's the breaks! Elvir MacMillan - Meeting you that day as we got lost in a taxi in the leafy streets of El Diablo was a strike of luck. You helped us so much that day, I doubt that I can ever really explain to you how much. My thanks are echoed by Sasha, and Kenza, as you well know Elvir. Mike Abenhaim - thanks for letting Kenza, Sasha, and I crash at your cushy place in Punta Paitilla. We had a great time living in comfort for those few days. I definitely appreciated it, after sleeping in roach motels, and on buses for so long. Marjorie (my sister) - thanks for sending me that email long ago with all the political and geographical info on Panama. Monica Porras - damn, i had a good time hanging with you and your friends! thanks for fun times at Hundido, in las Cayas Zapatillas, and all the rest! :) (good to see you again this past weekend) Julio Vargas - how's the photography/Venezuela thing going? Marcela Jackson - Wow. Que lujo era El Ejecutivo! Espero que un día te puedo volver el favor y conseguir una risa de tu parte! Doris Matteo - Me divertí muchissimo en Santa Clara, la playa, el mar, la comida, y la cerveza. Gracias para haberme llevado! |
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