Barbara and I arrived at Panama’s Tocumen Airport about 10:00 p.m. on March 7th where we were met at the baggage area by a driver arranged for by our hotel, the Radisson Summit Hotel and Golf. The ride to the hotel was quite long, but it was worth it because the Summit is a lovely place and is not very expensive, especially if, like us, you do not golf. We enjoyed our first night, breakfast the next morning, and a little early morning birding around the expansive hotel grounds before hitching a ride on the hotel’s van for a mid-morning and early afternoon walking excursion in the Old City.
The Old City was cramped but interesting. We walked around for a couple of hours. We had a good view of the skyline of the new Panama City across the harbor. It is very impressive, with some of the most spectacular high-rise architecture that we have seen anywhere.
We visited Iglesia of San Jose with its spectacular golden altar.
We quickly left the cathedral when we became aware that a funeral was about to begin.
The entire area is involved in a great deal of renovation. The completed structures are stunning.
We took a taxi from Old City to Miraflores for lunch and an afternoon watching the great ships (the “Panamax” vessels) ease through the Canal, never on their own power, but towed by several cable machines.
The clearance between the sides of the ships and the sides of the Canal could not have been more than a few inches.
Across the Canal we saw the dirt-moving and other activity involved in building a parallel and wider Canal to accommodate the even wider ships that are now being produced. It is projected to be completed by 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the Canal.
The Canal is still one of the engineering wonders of the world.
The French started a canal in 1880 under the direction of the builder of the Suez Canal, but after 20 years of struggle, they were forced to give up. In 1903 Panama seceded from Columbia and the US signed a treaty in which the concession for a public maritime transportation service across the Isthmus was granted. The following year the US purchased the French company’s properties for $40 million and began to dig. On August 15, 1914, a US cargo ship made the first transit. In October 1979 the process of handing the Canal to Panama began under treaties signed by President Carter.
The Canal is about 50 miles long and ships are lifted 85 feet in three locks as they cross the Isthmus. The journey through the Canal takes about 8 hours and a ship is normally in Canal waters between 14-16 hours.
From Miraflores we took a taxi back to our hotel and later we were met there by friends from Panama. They drove us back down town to the new city and we thoroughly enjoyed a very lovely evening with them at one of their favorite neighborhood restaurants.
The next morning the Canopy Towers van picked us up at the Summit Hotel and drove us the short distance to Canopy Tower.