Panama City - 2/6/14

The Island Princess anchored off Fuerte Amador last night in sight of the sparkling lights of Panama City. The capital of Panama has a population of over 1.2 million in its metro area. Fuerte Amador lies at the end of a long peninsula leading to Panama City proper.

We tendered in to Fuerte Amador and were met by our guide, Rudy. He drove 6 of us around in a mini-van.

On the way to the Panama Canal Museum we saw a striking multi-colored building. It was designed by Frank Gehry and is going to be an ecological museum. At the Panama Canal Museum, we watched a 3-D movie and then watched a cargo ship pass through the Miraflores locks. We could see the construction site of the new locks in the distance. We then wandered through the museum exhibits and a small gift shop.

Next, Rudy drove us to Casco Viejo, the old city. We passed through the former Canal Zone where many buildings built by the US can be seen, then through a rough district of depressing public housing, through a commercial district, and through lots of traffic. Casco Viejo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was the original colonial section of town and was home to wealthy families for many years. In the 1930's it was abandoned as the wealthy families moved out to larger waterfront homesites. The beautiful colonial buildings fell into disrepair. Many had no roof. Many were occupied by squatters. 

 

Now, because of the UNESCO designation, restoration is starting to take place. The hope is that this area will turn into a vibrant residential district with boutique hotels and cafes mixed in. 

Panama's Coat of Arms

We had lunch in a little sandwich shop. We all wanted to try local food and we thought Rudy said they had empanadas there. It turns out they had empiredados, which are sandwiches, just like American sandwiches.

 

Modern Panama City

To be continued . . .