Panama City 11-15
August 2010
We
have spent the last few days looking around the city. Our hostel is
not far from the major banking and commercial area of El Cangrejo and
after a productive morning,when we actually managed to book and pay
online for our air ticket to Ecuador, we walked around the corner
dodging potholes, poles, broken concrete and other obstacles in the
footpath and caught a bus to the major banking and commercial area
just down the road. We were on the hunt for molas-the traditional
style reverse applique , where layers of fabric are snipped away and
the edges stitched down to create all sorts of patterns and
designs,of the Kuna women from the San Blas islands and Lonely Planet
mentions a shop specialising in these. We walked in to find
HUNDREDS! How to choose! After two and a half hours and much
deliberating and agonising we had chosen! After that effort we needed
to eat-Lonely Planet again to the rescue-a Chinese vegetarian shop
where you choose a portion for 60c from a selection of dishes- four
selections for $US2.40 and free soup! So feeling well fed we set off
to check out some other hostels in the nearby area-as recommended by
Lonely Planet. We were happy with our current hostel but thought we
may get something cheaper as we were sharing in a dorm. Unfortunately
Lonely Planet got that wrong-after a fruitless walk around a maze of
streets as directed by various helpful locals we found that they were
no longer in the area. Never mind -we do like Casa de Carmen and it
offers all we want so we decided to stay put!
We
stopped for a coffee at McDonalds-a very flash large two storied
McDonalds-and got chatting to Phil and Royce from the USA. They were
a very friendly pair and they regaled us with stories of their time
in Australia and NZ. She is a professor and ex-military and he is a
retired flight instructor. He was a big man and I noticed he was
wearing compression stockings. Turns out he had been in a paragliding
accident in Peru a few years back and had spent a lot of time in
hospital after breaking his ankle in 12 places and developing a nasty
bone infection.
The
next day we caught a cab ($US 3) and went to Casco Viejo-the old
colonial part of town which is gradually being restored to its former
glory after years of neglect. The cab driver seemed pleasant enough
and after agreeing on a price we set off. He was talking to himself
a little bit but we didn't take too much notice-until he started to
talk more and more loudly and started becoming more agitated. loud
religious programme on the radio wasn't helping! When he started
hitting the steering wheel and brushing imaginary things/people ? off
his shoulder -well then we were feeling nervous! But he managed to
get us there through the busy traffic in one piece and he dropped us
off in a small plaza in Casco Viejo. Squatters moved into the area
when it was deserted by the elite of the day and now the government
has to move them out in order to restore the once grand buildings.
There is quite a police presence on the streets to protect tourists
as in certain parts it is very dangerous for foreigners to venture.
There is a lot of building and restoration activity going on and the
parts that have been restored are very nice but it still a real mix
of restored and ruined. I imagine in a few years it will be very
trendy and touristy and expensive but for now you can see some are
just brick or stone shells or facades-lots to be done yet. We came
across a nice souvenir shop with a lovely young Panamanian lady who
was offering good discounts so I made the most of it-a genuine good
quality Panama hat in a box-perfect! They are made from a palm and
originate in Ecuador! The difference in the quality is in the weave-
the tighter the better-this enables them to be rolled without
crushing.
We
stopped for coffee and down came the rain-coffee became pizza and
watching CNN news for a while until it had cleared. We walked around
the sights including Iglesia De San Jose -where the famous Altar de
Oro (Golden Altar) stands. Legend has it that when Henry Morgan
sacked the original site of Panama (Panama Viejo) and the original
site of the altar-a priest attempted to disguise the altar by
painting it black. He told Morgan that another pirate had stolen it
and even convinced Morgan to make a handsome donation for its
replacement! Morgan is said to have told the priest”I don't know
why but I think you are more of a pirate than I am”. The alter was
later moved to its current site and is a huge floor to ceiling vision
of gold.
We
walked around the esplanade with great views of the Bridge of the
Americas to Plaza de Francia which has monuments and statues
depicting the role of the French in the construction of the canal.
The plaza is dedicated to the 22000 workers who died -most killed by
yellow fever and malaria. A Cuban doctor,Carlos J Finlay, discovered
that the diseases were transmitted by mosquitoes and his work led to
the eradication of the disease in Panama. There are also nine
restored dungeons once used by the Spaniards then the
Columbians-impressive stonework constructions. There were various
stalls along the way-mostly run by Kuna women from the San Blas
islands. They wear very distinctive traditional dress-a brightly
coloured blouse with a high neck and puffed sleeves and identical
mola work on the front and back body part. They have a piece of
colourful fabric tied around their waist-much like a sarong- and wear
strands of coloured little beads around their arms and legs which
form geometric patterns. They wear gold jewellery and a gold nose
stud in the septum and a red and yellow printed headscarf. When they
marry they cut their hair and all the women we have seen have had
short hair. They are very attractive women but very short-apparently
the second shortest race after the Pygmy. The Kuna are self governing
and autonomous with little interference from the government and live
a very communal life with a strict set of rules-such as no marriage
to non Kuna. They identify strongly with nature and believe true
happiness is living in nature.
The
sky was black and sure enough there was soon a torrential downpour.
The usual brigade of sweepers set too with their brooms and swept it
all away and we set off again for more sightseeing. We came across a
group of musicians all in a dark uniform-possibly police or military
cadets-all practising on their assorted instruments. We had hoped for
a bit of a show but it seemed to be just a practice-nevertheless they
were enjoying themselves. Eventually we went in search of a cab back
to the hostel. It wasn't so easy this time -it was early evening and
rush hour-no one wanted to drive us back-well not for the price we
had gotten there for. We turned down the offer of an eight dollar
ride-extortionate!- and eventually got one for $US4-if you are
patient you can get the right price! Doors locked we headed towards
home through a dangerous part of town. The driver was quite sane this
time-but we did feel a twinge of concern when he pulled out a knife
and started slicing the fingertips off a pair of black gloves! He
gets cold hands in the aircon of the cab. Sometimes it just does not
pay to have an active imagination!!! But again we arrived safe and
sound-another day in the big city.
The
next day we decided to check out the Causeway-a 2km stretch joining
three small islands together. First a bus to Allbrook Terminal-we
were really getting the hang of the bus system-one route at least.
There was a big public health promotion on with different health
education stalls set up. We lined up and had our BSL and BP checked
along with many locals. There were elderly people dancing when we
arrived-a Keep Active type of display. The old women were wearing
long frilly dresses, high heels and full makeup. The men were wearing
black trousers and a white tunic top. Most of them really seemed to
be enjoying themselves waltzing around the floor. The next group of
women were getting ready and helping each other with their hair. This
involved putting it into two pigtails then putting in fancy gold
combs to create a high framework affair then pinning in various
beaded pearl bits to create a slightly Princess Leia look but with
butterflies and pearls. They seemed to have a colour theme of white
with either a green or orange accent. They wore a long finely pleated
white skirt with a lacy petticoat underneath and a very frilly lacy
white top with a green or orange pompom in front. They topped it all
off with strands of gold chains and coins around their necks and
plenty of gold jewelery. On their feet they wore flat satin orange or
green slippers which they shuffled in as they danced around in a very
graceful flowing dance. A nice young man with them told me they were
“old ladies-over 55”!!! After lunch of delicious chow mein ($US
2.45) we got a taxi ($US 2.50) to the Causeway. We had been told it
was 10 miles long but it is only 2 kms so we walked along it. It is
used by joggers, cyclists,walkers and roller bladers but as it was
still early afternoon we were virtually the only ones out enjoying
the sea breeze and good views of the city skyline. We saw a few
people on electric bikes and 4 seater bikes and a policeman on a
little stepthru scooter with his red light on the seat behind him.
After a soursop smoothie we thought we'd try the bus back to town.
This time we were taken into the city centre where we had to figure
out which bus to catch to get back to Via Espana-where we needed to
be. It was busy with people and traffic everywhere and very
unattractive with dirty ugly buildings. There were stalls selling
BBQ sausages and kebabs-smoke in the air along with the traffic
pollution. It was hot and noisy and chaotic but we did manage to find
a bus we thought may get us back-heres hoping! It was rush hour-yet
again-and the bus was only at a crawl at best. We were heading in the
right direction and we recognised our part of town. It was so hot on
the bus and we were going nowhere fast so we got off and walked
eventually making it back after a visit to the supermarket.
You
would think we'd had enough of exploring but the next day we headed
out again-this time to the ferry dock near the Causeway to catch the
10.30 am ferry to Isla Taboga- The Island of Flowers-20 kms away. A
taxi ($US 2) got us there with time to spare. As it was a Saturday
there were a lot of day trippers-like ourselves-heading out for a bit
of peace and quiet and sea air. We bought tickets $US11 return and
got on board the slow ferry. Life jackets compulsory and plastic
chairs screwed to the deck! We had to pass through the shipping lane
into the Canal and we could see about 40 ships at anchor waiting
their turn to go through the Canal. The hour long trip got us to Isla
Taboga, which we had been told wonderful things about. It was a bit
of a disappointment to say the least-the beach was strewn with
flotsam and jetsam from the sea and the water was a bit murky
looking. Obviously there are definite tides here unlike the
Carribean beaches where there is barely a tide line. The sand was a
brown yellow colour and it was quite rocky in places-the Caribbean it
was not!! Of course-it is the Pacific!The path along the sea wall
was lined with overgrown foliage and there were old sheds and
buildings and piles of plant rubbish. But the island has a certain
charm-there is only one road and no traffic apart from the odd ute or
golf cart. The locals were setting up on the beach with their hired
parasols and beach loungers at $US5 a pop but we wandered off for a
look around and came across a group of workmen reinforcing the
foundations of a sea wall. They were working hard in the hot
sun-pushing a wheelbarrow full of concrete on the sand and mixing the
concrete by hand with shovels. Isla Tabogas has quite a history but
its claim to fame is that it has the second oldest church in the
Western hemisphere, which unfortunately was shut. It was settled in
1515 by the Spanish just two years after Balboa first sighted the
Pacific and before Panama City was built The island had a sheltered
deep water port and ships coming from South America anchored here
during the colonial era. It was also home for three months in 1886
for the famous French artist Paul Gaugin. Pizarro took off for Peru
in 1524, the pirate Henry Morgan visited after sacking Panama city
in 1671, and Sir Francis Drake also used the island. Despite the
dubious water quality we did brave the water and had a swim as it
was so hot. It may be the last swim in the Pacific for some time!
On
the ferry trip back we had to stop and wait while three huge ships
passed us on their way in and out of the canal. We saw a large cruise
ship at anchor along with container ships and plenty of Panamanian
vessels. Now for our challenge of the day-we were determined to
conquer the bus system and get the bus right back to the hostel this
time. We knew the drill by now so a bus back into town 25c and
another bus 25c out to Via Espana. This time we did it-we did get off
a stop too soon but we needed to visit the supermarket – we had it
sussed -finally! So a job well done-third time lucky!
Sunday-a
day in at our little oasis of calm and greenery in the midst of the
noisy city and a day of blog!
