Panama City, Panama

We spent four days in Panama, and we went to visit the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal on a couple of days.  Our highlight there was watching the Royal Princess transit the locks on New Year's Eve, you can see the happy passengers up on deck in pictures further down on this page.

Taxi's are very inexpensive in Panama and we took one out to the locks in the morning.  They have a nice viewing stand set up, and narration about the locks in both Spanish and English.  This picture shows the entrance to the Pacific Ocean.  Miraflores is a short distance from Panama City.

The Miraflores operates 24 hours a day, but is open to the public 9am to 5pm.  Between about Noon and 2pm there are no ships going through, they are mostly in Gaton Lake at that point.  A few private boats did transit through at that time.   Best viewing is early and later in the day.

I thought it was funny how the local phone book was listed, not by city but by Country !

Flights were on time, arrived early, hehe whats wrong with this picture
.. well the keyboard is a bit different that what I am used to and left
my computer glasses in the hotel so hope this is legible.

We arrived safely, the hotel is great, nices Marriott we have stayed in.

We went to the Miraflores Locks today, we just took a cab and spent a few
hours.  This is the nearby locks for the Panama Canal.  As we were landing
yesterday, I had a nice view of the Canal and we followed along it from
the Caribbean to Pacific coast, it was quite a sight.

At the Miraflores Locks they have a nice covered seating area to view the
ships entering and leaving the locks...Its amazing watching a freighter
or tanker raised 47 feet at about one meter a minute.  They had a video
and topographic model that lit up coordinating with narragion .. they showed
a few cruise ships going through including a couple of Celebrity ship´s.
 Then a video which was 10 minutes long from the bridge of the Sun Princess
cruise ship at fast speed going from one end to the other, that was fun!

The shows and admission to the locks was free, Stephen says he could spend
the whole visit to Panama doing that!  We{ll be back for sure, the Royal
Princess cruise ship is going through New Years Eve in the afternoon, so
I hope we make that.  Not sure what to do for new years, there are lots
of nice options here.

That{s all for now we are just getting started but it was a fun day !

Nice to be in shorts and shortsleeves again.

From 5 miles from the Bridge of the Americas,

Tina

Holiday decorations at the Panama City, Marriott

Another cab ride took us to an Urban Rainforest ! We were surprised to see some blue metalic-coloured butterflies and many other butterflies.  Here is a colourful batch of potted plants.

Located within the limits of the city of Panama, it is the closest protected tropical forest to an urban area in the Americas. The Smithsonian Institute carries out much of its scientific research in forest ecology here. This park can be walked along marked paths lined by orchids and cedars. Here, one can see more than 200 different species of birds, mammals and reptiles.

Here was our view from our room, you can see the Pacific at the edge of the city.

Since we were planning to travel to Santiago, Chile on New Year's Day, we celebrated it the night before New Years :)  We called the Panderra .. an open-air party bus that gave us a 4 hour tour around Panama City.  They picked us up at the hotel.

In front of each seat was a bottle of run, coke, fresca, another bottle of clear liquor ( not sure what it was) and an ice bucket and cup! We were all equipped and ready for our 3 hour tour!

We clapped along to the upbeat live Latino music performed for us by a live group of musicians seated in the center of the bus!

We drove all over Panama City, and stopped for a show and dinner in

Hope you all are having a happy new year

We celebrated last night, we took a party bus around Panama.  These are
popular in Columbia as well as Panama, and would be illegal in Canada or
the US !

The colourful bus picked us up at the hotel, one side of the bus is open
and they put a little rope across so no one falls out.  Well you sit down
and in front of each seat they have a table with slots to hold a bottle
of rum, vodka - tequila and coke frescca and a tub of ice and cups.  They
have a live band seated in the centre of the bus and play loud Panamanian
and spanish music with rhythms and accordion, they get the bus singing
and clapping.  We drive all over Panama, stopped for dinner buffet and got
back on.. when we stopped for dinner the band got off too and followed us
and continued playing as we walked to the restaurant.  It was a blast !
 It was all you could drink and the 4 hour bus ride for 20 US per person..
a guide at the front of the bus would also refresh your bottles as needed.
 

Today we went to a museum all about the history of the Panama Canal..then
we went back to the Canal to wait for the Royal Princess .. we were told
they would be going through the Mirflores locks at 4pm but when we arrived
at 2pm she was just coming into view!  They announce information over the
loudspeakers about the ships and canal and what is going on as you watch..
they had us all yell [Happy New Year[ to the people on the ship and they
yelled it back !  We took photos and video as it passed infront of us then
lowered in the lock preparing to sail into the Pacific Ocean.. they are
going to Chile as well but will be a few days behind our ship since they
have stops in Peru and Equador before.. the Royal Princess will be doing
the trip around the horn as well.

Off to Chile tomorrow evening, its been a wonderful stay here and I have
avoided any sun burn.  Long travel day, we have about a 9 hour flight from
Panama to Santiago Chile, then a 9 hour bus ride to Temuco which is at the
north end of the Lake District where we will spend our time before heading
back to Santiago - Valapariso to get the ship on the 5th of January.

Hope I{ll get to write soon, but not sure when we{ll have access.

Hope New Years is fun .. love

Tina

The museum was awesome and well worth the trip.. The displays and presentations are in Spanish but hand-held devices are available in numerous languages to hear about each exhibit.  Much of the museum dealt with the planning and pre-canal information.  It was extremely educational and interesting.  I'm so glad we stopped here... then we went Back to the Canal !  We knew the Royal Princess, of Princess Cruises was expected to transit the Canal and we arrived just as it was coming up to the Miraflores Locks.