PANAMA CANAL VS. PANAMA CITY

First, some background information from the Viking Daily:

“Forty-eight miles long, the Panama Canal crosses the narrowest stretch of the Isthmus of Panama.  Witnessing this engineering marvel at work is truly memorable.  At the Caribbean and Pacific ends, a vast series of locks lifts and lowers your ship 85 feet from sea level, guided by electric engines that do the job performed by mules on more ancient canals.  Between, this astonishing waterway divides continents at the river-like Gaillard Cut and the enormous Gatun Lake.  Far from the mechanics of the locks’ chambers, the canal is embraced by the lush beauty of Panama.  Emerald-green forests stretch into Soberania National Park to the south and Gatun Lake is dotted with tranquil islands like so many jewels.”

“A gleaming city of high rises on the Pacific, Panama City gracefully blends new and old.  A once rousing tribute to international finance and a rich reminder of a colonial past, it is Central America’s unparalleled cosmopolitan center.  The atmospheric Old Town, the Casco Viejo, straddles a peninsula and hosts some of the nation’s most prized cultural and historic treasures, including churches, palaces and plazas.  These grand structures were built on this site after the original Panama Viejo was destroyed by fire in 1671 by the then-governor to foil an attack by the pirate Henry Morgan.  Nearby, one of the world’s greatest engineering feats, the Panama Canal, conveys ships along its 48 miles to the Caribbean Sea.”

Now, my take:  Whenever I have heard about Panama I thought ONLY about the Panama Canal.  Wow!  It is indeed a fabulous achievement in engineering both historically and architecturally!  However, to one who has very little engineering interest, it was somewhat of a bore…..not to say that it was wonderful that I had the chance to go through it, but honestly, for me it wasn’t that special!  It is basically a lock (a big one), but the one I enjoyed more was on our River cruise on the Rhône.  Now those were locks!  I enjoyed going through those locks because it was amazing to me how the locks came up and surrounded our longboat while we passed through.  I was expecting the same at the Panama Canal.  When that didn’t happen, I was disappointed.  HOWEVER, several days after going through the canal and viewing our photos, I thought seriously about my initial opinion and need to change my assessment of it!  (Mark also mentioned the fact that our current ship is quite a bit bigger than the long boat that we navigated on the Rhône, so of course the lock didn’t surround our whole ship).

When I thought back about how much time and effort it was to dig through all the rock to create a channel long and deep enough for a ship to pass through safely, not to mention, the challenges of merging two oceans and all the lives lost while building it - over 5,000, the Panama Canal is certainly is an engineering feat and wonder!  Not too exciting though!

Now, we must keep in mind that I am just a grandmother, a blogger, a home decorator, a dollhouse renovator, a lover of gardens and RIGHT BRAINED; BUT, in my humble opinion, I feel that the actual town of Panama City should get more hype than it does. It is a wonderful place.

We arrived at the Panama Canal early in the morning and almost everyone on the ship headed to the bow of the ship to watch as we passed through the canal.  I was surprised how long it took to get through the entire canal, close to eight hours!  I was one of the few who didn’t rush!  I finally ventured out to the bow just as we made the initial go through - I had to have coffee first - yawn!  Here’s some photos we took.

Our first view of the Panama Canal at 5:30 am.  This is the Centennial Bridge.

Here we are approaching the locks.

Here are views as we approached one of the locks.  There are three locks that we needed to pass through.  The vehicles on the sides are called “mules” and are used keep the ship from rubbing the canal as they pass through it.

Opening up to let us pass.  We found out that it costs almost $100,000 for a ship like ours to get through the canal.  Can you imagine how much a ship with 3,000 or more passengers would pay?

Here I am with many shipmates enjoying this experience!  I found a perfect vantage point to watch - coffee in hand!

Even though I found the experience underwhelming, at least I can say that I went through the Panama Canal!  What a lucky experience for Mark and me!  (by the way - he loved it and was up at 5:30 am to watch the whole thing!  Yes, he’s LEFT BRAINED!)

This is simply a great photo of the canal and Mark and I both agree it encapsulates the whole experience!

Now, here’s the part of Panama that I loved!

After passing through the canal, we cruised on the big Gatun Lake to Panama City.  We arrived at the port late in the day.  The next morning we boarded a coach and did a panoramic drive around Panama City.  It is really a big and vibrant city.  Very clean and nice.  We stopped in Old Town, where charm abounds!  Definitely a tourist trap, with shops, hotels, restaurants, museums and a huge cathedral taking center stage!

Here’s some photos of our experience!

Here’s a  cityscape view as we approached.

Our coached passed by the Biomuso a colorful museum, the “Pillars of the Homeland” Monument featuring three men raising the Panama flag, a government building and a monument featuring a handshake between US President Jimmy Carter and Panamanian head of state Omar Torrijos when they signed the agreement to turn over the Panama Canal to Panamanian control.

Stunning skyscrapers in Panama City are in such a sharp contrast to the architecture in Old Town.  Other photos here include the Presidential Palace, street views and a modern statue of Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador who famously discovered the Pacific Ocean after crossing the isthmus of Panama in 1513.

We enjoyed the ethnic dancers and ethnic mola textiles upon our arrival in Old Town.

Charming entryways caught my attention.

Charming and colorful streets.

And colorful buildings.

“Arco Chato” or Flat Arch is a remarkable remnant of the Church and Convent of Santo Domingo.  This iconic stone archway stretches 15 meters without any central supports, showcasing incredible engineering from its time. 

Panama City is known for its “Panama Hat” made famous by President Teddy Roosevelt when he wore one while visiting the Panama Canal.  Even though they bear the name Panama, the hats are actually made in Ecuador. They are often very expensive!

Our walk led us to this famous cathedral:  The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of Santa Maria the Ancient.  It is stunning inside and outside.

These and the following photos are of the charming buildings, streets and doors that we saw!

This is the Church of Saint Joseph.  It featured an attached room that housed a gigantic nativity display!

Three more photos that I think sum up the charming sites of Old Town and the contrast of the more modern downtown area.

So there you have it!  Two different takes on my Panama experience - Panama Canal or Panama City Old Town?  One shouldn’t have to choose because they are both wonderful and unique in their own way, but still - I’ll take Old Town!