were looking for something a little more off the
beaten path. And who doesn't want to see the
Panama Canal?!! And with that, my friend from
work, Nancy, and I were off to Panama for ten
days of adventure.
Panama is the size of South Carolina, and the
big lake in the middle of it (Lake Gatun) was
created in order to facilitate the operation of the
Canal. Thus the land mass of the country
actually decreased when the Canal was
completed in 1914. The canal was started by the
French, completed by the US, and turned over to
Panama on December 31, 1999. Six locks take
ships up and down through the canal, either
north- or south-bound, depending on the time of
day. Transits take 8-10 hours across the 50
miles of canal, but usually stretch to 24 hours
with waiting periods.
The biggest ships fit with literally just a few feet
of "wiggle room." These "Panamax" ships are
built with the dimensions of the canal in mind.
All boats are charged fees based on their water
displacement. The Canal is mind-boggling!
Our travels took us to several of the main areas
in the western half of the country: Panama City,
Isla Contadora on the Pacific side (where
Survivor was filmed), Boquete in the highlands,
and Bocas del Toro, a beach area on the
Caribbean side.
On both sides, the water was warm, clear, and
breath-taking. Because we were visiting during
the "rainy season" (we had very little rain), the
beaches were empty and quiet. Fantastic!
Boquete was beautiful and lush, and thus not
surprisingly the source of Panama's high-quality
coffee. Interestingly, many Americans have
started moving to Boquete in their retirement.
We hope it doesn't change the town too much.
Panamanians were friendly, the food was
excellent, the traveling was easy, things were
cheap, and the cities and towns were safe. What
more could you ask for?
Add Panama to your list before it changes too
much! It's an undiscovered gem! Both Nancy
and I hope to make it back one day... It really
was an excellent trip.
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