Panama and The Canal Day 10
Panama and The Canal
Day 10 - Tuesday, December 21, 2010 - Disembark the Discovery-Portobelo City Tour-Zip-line Canopy Tour by Gatun Lake-Rail Transfer to Panama City
As soon as we had our breakfast we had a chance to visit the engine room of the Discovery to see the big diesel motors that powered our catamaran. The engine and all of the other vital motors were very clean and the room below was very spacious.
Our next learning and discovery was a tour of the kitchen. Shantel, the chef and Inez the sous chef welcomed us to their galley where they cooked our gourmet meals. No space was wasted and the stainless steel utensils were all spotless.
The crew posed with us for a team photo and then we said our good-byes. This was truly the most gregarious and accommodating staff we have ever sailed with on an OAT trip!
We disembarked the Discovery and Winston met us with the minibus with a small trailer for our luggage. We left Colon and took a short tour of the city. The town is rather large with many vehicles but not one stoplight. All traffic obeys a four-way stop sign system.
The road to Portobelo had been closed for a few weeks as the most severe landslides happened in this area. The food we bought at the beginning of our journey went to the people in this part of Panama.
Luckily the road was now open but sadly we were able to see the devastation where 11 people were killed. The Caribbean coast of Panama is very beautiful and we found it to be less humid but still warm.
Portobelo was named by Christopher Columbus in 1502 on his fourth and last voyage to the Caribbean. It was well know as haven for pirates, explorers, and traders.
We made our first stop in the UNESCO site at the Customs House and Governor’s Mansion. We saw a short video and then had 30 minutes to explore the old Spanish fort and the church on our own.
The Catholic Church of San Felipe is the home of the Black Christ, savior of the people during a plague and now revered on a celebration on October 21st each year.
We met at the church at 12:10 and were treated to a ride on a Diablo Rojo, the Red Devil buses that transport the locals throughout Panama. The buses were decked out in various shades of red and pink with bright colored lights and very loud music systems.
Even with all of these decorations, the bus still looked like the Lewis-Palmer buses we rode on for years! We left Winston at the church and enjoyed a colorful and fascinating ride to Los Canones, our restaurant for lunch.
Lunch was on our own, but we all went to Los Canoñes. The process was speeded up because on our way past we had stopped to place our order. After lunch and a little local shopping we were back on our bus with Winston and heading back to Colon.
When we arrived at the old Fort Gulick, formerly a U.S. military base we saw that it had once been a thriving military city. This was one of the last military installations to revert to the Panamanian government in 1997.
Our appointment at 3:00 was at the Gatun Eco Adventures and their canopy zip line. We geared up and then learned about the safety regulations.
Many of our group took part in this included activity and the worst part for most people was walking along the high suspension bridge to get to the start of the first zip line.
Walking up to the first of 14 platforms, Gennie was all ready to turn back. Once we got to the top and she had conquered her fear, she was fine for the rest of the time.
The views from hundreds of feet above the ground were spectacular. While up in the canopy, we saw a three-toed sloth and several howler monkeys.
We knew we were behind schedule as we got a late start. The guides really rushed us along those last few segments of the zip line! Not reassuring to those who were so fearful of heights!
After our canopy tour, we drove to the train station in Colón to embark the Panama Canal Railway train at 5:00. According to our research this was the first transcontinental railway. The railway was completed in 1855 and played a critical role in the construction and operation of the Panama Canal.
We arrived back in Panama City and went straight to our Farewell Dinner at La Esquina Van Gogh. We were greeted by Eddie Recio, our guide from Coast Rica who is still here to do training with the Panama crews.
It was almost 9:00 when we returned to the hotel, got our bags, and said good-bye to our new friends who had earlier flights in the morning. I spent time unloading photos and Gennie worked on her classes to post grades before the Winter Holiday break.
The wake-up call would be at 6:00 so we tried to get a few hours sleep before we are to fly to Cartagena, Colombia in the morning.
Accommodations: Hotel El Panama - - - Meal: B, D
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Comments
Ride the Red Devil (1:39)
Panamanian Caribbean Coast
The Discovery Experience
Fort San Lorenzo in Portobelo
Superman on the Zip Line
Panama Canal Railway
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