Day 57 05.09.15
Today was another early start in order for us to get to Panama City quickly and to be able to see some of it before it got dark.
Funnily enough the Pippi Longstocking horse was still there on the side of the road. We wished it farewell and saw that it obviously knew the area well, as it headed straight for another house, got onto its property and started grazing. I got back the clothes from the washing unfortunately they were still slightly wet. That is the problem if the way to dry the clothes is using the air conditioning, which only started working after the power came back on. Hence, I declared the bus to my personal clothesline. During the 7 hour van ride the clothes dried off and I was happy. Listening to my audio book I saw the scenery change and turn into more of a town. We shortly stopped in Santiago for breakfast where I had some very delicious sandwiches! They contained ham, cheese, and some coleslaw and were just a perfect breakfast.
Onward we went and reached Panama City.
I was very impressed by its skyline as there are so many skyscrapers aligned just along the shoreline. A lot ‘prettier’ than San Jose and even Mexico City.
We quickly checked into the hotel and then headed back in the van to see the Panama Canals.
We arrived at the Canals and entered the visitor centre. Here we could see a large vessel, a car carrier, go down the locks towards the Caribbean waters.
Little locomotives made sure that the boat always stayed in place, however not actually pulling it through the locks, only making sure it wouldn’t hit the sidewalls. It was a very tight squeeze but it fit and the water was pumped out of the first lock in order to position the large ship on the next sea level.
We went to see a short film about the history of the canals in 3D and English, and it was a great way to get to know the outlines of the history and the way the canals function.
I then went onwards to see the museum. This was split up on several levels where you could get to know more about the history, more about the flora of Panama and some insects, getting to know more about the actual trade that goes on in Panama and shipping routes, another floor dealt with showing how the Canals function in terms of their bridge, and showing how a ship passes through the canals from the bridge of a large container ship. It was a great museum and there was definitely something for everyone.
We headed back on the van and drove to the Casco Viejo (the old town of Panama). Unfortunately it had started raining and so we couldn’t see the Casco Viejo in its entire glory.
We stopped off at several churches and just walked about enjoying the colonial style of the wonderful little houses.
We also walked to a lookout point over the city and its skyline. Quite impressive!
We walked back to the main plaza, got back onto the van and headed back to the hotel.
We got ready for our farewell dinner and then took a taxi back to the Casco Viejo (yes, 3 dollars for 4 people…). Here we found a beautiful little restaurant called Nazca where they served Peruvian food. There was even live music, which, after having been turned down slightly, added well to the atmosphere. I had an amazing mixed ceviche and then some octopus in garlic.
We enjoyed the wine we had been drinking along this leg of the trip and after paying headed to a bar called Tantalo, which had a rooftop terrace.
We took the elevator onto the 5th floor and enjoyed some rum and coke on this fine terrace. We laughed and I think were the best Bon Jovi cover of the whole evening – who needs karaoke when you know all the words :) .
(Here a great little sign from the bathroom):
We headed back to the hotel and I had a great rest.
