Currency: US Dollars

Out of the few countries we have visited so far, Panama prices are a bit higher, but we were able to visit a doctor for $7.  Yes!

Take a day or two to visit Isla Taboga, a 45 minute ferry trip away from Panama City.  It’s a nice break from the sky-high condos of the city.

The Panama Canal is one of the most amazing things to watch in action.  Take time to visit the Miraflores locks because the museum is there and it is well put together.

Enrique Inglesias has a condo in Panama City.

The cheapest form of transportation in Panama City are old U.S. school buses from the 70′s with school rules still posted.  They are exquisitely painted, cost $0.25, and are  called Diablos Rojos for a reason.

Catch a performance in the National Theater just to see the inside of it.

Things we liked:

Deenaree´s list…

• Food: tamales (wrapped in banana leaves)
• Experience: Eating vegetarian Chinese food and sharing crazy travel stories.
• Something to remember: Roger, our fantastic host!

Ben´s list…

• Food: Bollos (thick corn meal in corn husks)
• Experience: Watching boats pass through and lower in the Panama Canal
• Something(s) to remember: The history of Panama and the Imperial British attacks for gold that has shaped the history of the region.

During the first days of our visit, Roger was already hosting a Panamanian born Israeli.  We were intrigued to learn about Tel Aviv (the city he came from) and we were reminded of the fact that Israel is not as unsafe as media paints it.  This man has traveled all over and tells us more about the countries we hope to visit.  He is very laid back and we soon find that he has some crazy travel stories including one about a machete wielding El Salvadorian he encountered one night.

On our 3rd day in Panama, a fourth guest came to Roger’s house.  Michael, a German man, stopped in Panama City on his way to the end of the world for a documentary he’s filming.  We found out that he has had a very eventful career starting with his first job reporting for German MTV, interviewing famous celebrities.  During his Panama City visit, he assumed different characters all in the name of documentary film making.  He had some crazy antics, but for the sake of his career, we will not go into these.  We will say that due to his antics and Roger’s choir involvement, we were able to gain access into the National Theater and take pictures of actors rehearsing in costume and the lavish theater interior.

Michael’s visit matched ours and he was scheduled to leave around the same time period.  We were on our way to Ecuador and he was on his way to Columbia next.  As a final salute, we spent the last night celebrating his belated birthday with a pink, flowery cake and a candlestick (Roger did not have small birthday candles).  We drank Merlot out of a box and exchanged gifts.  From this, we left with mini, porcelain lucky Berlin pigs.  In Michael’s last conversation with Roger, we hear him asking where he can purchase a black wig and fake mustache.  We are not sure why, but all will surely be explained in his documentary.

We leave Panama City with happy memories of intriguing people.  Although finding couchsurfing hosts can be tough, we are pleased with the people we do end up meeting along the way.  They provide the excitement and comedic relief for a trip such as this.

On the day of the wedding, we met up with the rest of Roger´s choir and loaded ourselves onto the bus they rented.  The choir consisted of a dynamic group of individuals from all age groups who went out of their way to treat us like guests of honor.  There was Carmen, a Columbian woman, who moved to Panama with her husband and was a tour guide.  There was Moises, who had spent some time in the United States.  There was Leroy, who had been with the choir since its beginnings 43 years ago, and Dagoberto who was 18 and taught music.  There were older ladies and young men who smiled at us and spoke to us in broken English while we spoke in broken Spanish.

On the way to the wedding, we made a stop  at an old church with intricate wood carvings inside.  The church was closed, but the keepers allowed the group to come inside.  We were told that this church was more than 300 years old and that a choir had not performed in it for 10 years.  Roger´s choir took this opportunity to rehearse their music for the wedding.  We listened in awe as the beautiful mixture of their voices created a perfect harmony.

When the rehearsal was over, we hopped back on the bus to make our way to the final destination.  The wedding was in a Catholic church, beautifully lit with evening´s approach.  We sat in the back and tried to appear inconspicuous, but achieved a few stares from the other guests.  Who could blame them?  They were dressed in suits and formal evening gowns while we were dressed in travel clothes.  The groom looked nervous; the bride looked stunning.  When she came out, the choir sang the wedding march in Spanish and we attempted to view the procession from our little corner in the church.  The ceremony was an hour and a half long with periodic singing from the choir.

When it was over, we loaded ourselves onto the bus and headed home.  We felt so grateful to have been a part of this very special day for one couple and to have seen our host in a completely different light.   Without couchsurfing, we know that this moment would not have been possible.

The Panama Canal was completed by the United States in 1914 and instantly changed the way the world economy operated.  Vessels going from Asia to the Atlantic saved a month of sailing time or more, and of course, had significantly reduced costs.  The canal was built with the inland channel 30 meters higher than sea level to simplify construction.  Therefore, a series of locks were constructed to lift and lower vessels as they navigate the locks.  A total of 6 chambers were constructed at 3 lock facilities.  We visited both the Miraflores (Pacific side) and Gatun (Atlantic side) Locks during our time in Panama.

Both experiences were magical in their own way.  Our first visit was to the Gatun locks on the Atlantic side of the canal.  Unfortunately no trip to the viewing platform resulted, as it was closing in 10 minutes.  We did stand outside the fence, however, and see a Panamax vessel lowered and pass through to the next chamber.  As our first experience with the canal, it was fascinating to watch the delicate movement, even with a less than ideal viewpoint.  A few days later, we visited the Miraflores locks on the Pacific side of the Canal, including the official visitors center.  Here, we were able to stand on the observation deck and watch more  Panamax vessels transit through the locks.  With a much better view, it was even more awe-inspiring to see the passage.  The operations are meticulous, with Panama Canal employees generally boarding the vessel to guide it through the canal.  Locomotives are used in the locks to aid the vessels in transiting straight through without damaging the walls or vessel, sometimes with a clearance of one foot on a 108 foot wide ship.  The filling and draining of a compartment takes all of 10 minutes and it is indescribable to watch these massive carriers “sink” before your eyes.

As we found the canal so fascinating, it was fitting that our Couchsurfing host, Roger, is a locomotive operator on the Pedro Miguel Locks, the third and final locks.  These are also on the Atlantic side (north of the Miraflores Locks) and have 1 chamber for raising and lowering vessels.  We, of course, bombarded him with smart and dumb questions about everything the canal does and his job there, which he fielded without hesitation.  He began working as a locomotive operator in 1994 during the transition from U.S. to Panamanian control of the canal.  Roger is very proud of his job and rightly so.  Two short visits to the Panama Canal told us that the operation is very delicate and requires the utmost accuracy from everyone involved to insure smooth passage.  In this case, it takes on even greater importance as the global economy truly depends on the canal in a very significant way.  Because of this, in its own way, it truly is the center of the world.