Monday, 8 December 2014
At Sea — CARIBBEAN Sea
Temps: Hi 85F (29C) / Lo 79F (26C)
Distance to the Panamá Canal: 80 NM (92 miles / 148 km)
The ship wasn’t scheduled to arrive in Colón, Panamá until 10:00a, so we had several hours to spare when we got up around 6:00a. We did our exercise laps on deck 11, had breakfast on the open deck aft of the Oceanview Café, and relaxed on our veranda for a while. Shortly after 9:00a, Infinity began its approach to the port town, which lies a short distance from the Atlantic/Caribbean entrance of the Panamá Canal.
Colón is a major Free Trade port; all those ships are waiting to take on or unload cargo.
Our previous two visits to Colón were service calls — in 2002, to refuel at the end of a Pacific to Atlantic canal transit; in 2007, to re-embark after we disembarked the ship at Gatún Lake for a shore excursion following an in-out transit through the Gatún Locks. In both instances, the ship docked where there was little more than a warehouse filled with craft stalls, with entertainment provided by local folklore groups. This time, Colón was a full-fledged port call for us, so Infinity docked at Colón 2000, the cruise ship terminal, where colorful buildings house restaurants and shops.
Welcome to Colón 2000!
While our berth today might have been different, what remained the same was the consensus — from the local population as well as cruise line officials — that Colón, a very poor town, is too dangerous to wander around on your own. Since we had previously done a wildlife cruise on Gatún Lake and had been to the canal visitor center for a land-side glimpse into how the locks operate, we were in the market for a different excursion this time. Enter into the picture … Bernie — a fellow-poster on Cruise Critic. He had arranged a Panamá City 3-in-1 outing with Rudy’s Tours and was opening it up to others who might be interested.
We are not “joiners” — normally. Our interest in photography/videography lends itself best to private tours where we can dictate the pace. But in recent years, private tours have become prohibitively expensive in many places, so we decided to join up this time. I contacted the tour company, added our name to Bernie’s group of 7, and paid the $20pp deposit by check to the Miami address that I was given.
Having touched base with Bernie yesterday, we knew the group was meeting at the bottom of the gangway as soon as the ship was cleared. Everyone was on time, and around 9:45a, we were heading past the terminal to find Rudy. With only nine people in the group, the 12-pax van was a comfortable fit as we set off for the 50-mile (80km) drive to Panamá City by way of the highway — very well maintained courtesy of the income generated by the Panamá Canal. Along the way, we passed Gatún Lake; got a glimpse of the mighty Chagres River — one of the major challenges in the construction of the canal; and drove through the jungle and hardwood forests lining either side of the highway.
During the drive to our destination, Rudy gave us tidbits of information, and answered our questions about the country, the people, the city, the canal ...
- Colón is the second largest free trade zone in the world after Hong Kong. With no industry other than the port, the Panamá Canal, and the construction of the new canal, the average income for the locals is $600/month; health care is provided free by the government.
- Panamá uses the US dollar as its currency, but mints its own coins — still based on the US dollar, but known as balboas.
- Modern Panamá has the second strongest economy in Latin America.
- Gas — 81¢/liter, or approximately $3.06/gallon.
As today was Mother’s Day in Panamá, we had little to no traffic on the motorway. Even in Panamá City, which is home to half the country’s population of 4,000,000, traffic — normally described as horrendous — was non-existent and we navigated the narrow streets easily.
Nearing Panamá City, we drove by the crumbling ruins of Panamá Viejo [Old Panamá], the first city that was built by the Spanish in 1519. Since the tour was described as Panamá 3-in-1, it would have been nice to stop and wander the ruins, and perhaps capture a photo or two of the shell of what used to be a beautiful church. But no, as Rudy told us about the history of the old city, the van kept going :-(
After Panamá Viejo was sacked and burned by pirates, rather than rebuilding the city, the Spanish decided to take some of the stones from the first site to build another city in a more easily-defensible strategic location. Known as Casco Viejo [Old Quarter], this is the Panamá that we explored — strolled is probably a more accurate description. The city is said to be the oldest in Pacific America. It is largely intact as it was never attacked. In 1881, the French canal builders lived in this city. In the 1930s, when the wealthy population left, it was taken over by squatters and many of the buildings fell into a state of disrepair. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003, restoration of the buildings is underway.
The dilapidated and the renovated sit side by side on the streets of Casco Viejo.
We’d had rain on the drive from Colón, but it didn’t amount to much, and the sun was shining as we left the van to begin our stroll. That didn’t last long, however. For the most part we had sprinkles and short-lived drizzles … until, that is, we arrived at Plaza de la Independencia and the light rain changed to a downpour. But that was at the end of the tour, so no real worries.
Between the rain and the narrow streets, I struggled with taking photos during the tour. It didn’t help that just as I would compose my shot, people from the group would wander into my line of sight … very frustrating. So, in the end, I didn’t take many photos, but I’ll share what images I did take.
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Iglesia San José
The gold-leaf altar was saved from the pirates who sacked Panamá Viejo [Old City] . The story
goes that when he heard of the impending attack, a priest painted it brown to resemble wood.
Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesús
constructed around 1741 to accommodate a school, it Later served as a university.
The church was destroyed by a fire in 1781, and further damaged by an earthquake in 1882.
[sorry about the distortion; only way to get the full façade was to take a panorama.]
Interior of the Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesús.
Unfortunately the gate was locked, so I had to be satisfied with
squeezing the camera through the bars to take this shot.
Colorful shops on narrow streets …
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… colorful embroidered wares, and ...
… colorful murals hidden in alleys.
[The words translate as, “Fri, marry me.” Have I stumbled on a marriage proposal?]
Iglesia Santo Domingo, built in the 17th century, was never restored
after it was destroyed by fire in 1737 and again in 1756. The surviving …
… El Arco Chato [flat arch] was a key architectural element.
Legend has it that the arch, standing as a testament to the fact that Panamá was spared
from major seismic activity, contributed to the case to build a major canal in the area.
[The original flat arch collapsed in 2003 due to neglect. This reconstruction
was done with the original bricks and was completed in 2007.]
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Detail from Palacio Bolívar (now home to the Ministry of Foreign Relations).
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Left: The focal point of Plaza Bolívar is this monument to the Venezuelan general Simón Bolívar,
the “Liberator of Latin America.” The condor that crowns the statue represents the heart,
and therefore, the love the people of Panamá have for the general.
Center: No condors in Panamá city today; how about a vulture instead?
Right: Palacio de las Garzas is the official residence of the President of Panamá.
The coastal road across the tidal flats.
The 14-foot (4.3m) tidal change of the Pacific Ocean was one of the things that
needed to be taken into consideration in the design and building of the Panamá Canal.
The Panamá 3-in-1 Tour gives us a glimpse of the impressive
skyline of the new city, but doesn’t take us there.
The downpour that marked the end of our stroll through Casco Viejo showed no signs of letting up. Alrighty then — let’s go have lunch. Rudy directed the driver to take us to Bucaneros [Buccaneers] on the Amador Causeway. An interesting tidbit Rudy shared about the causeway … it is being expanded by reclaiming land using fill from the canal expansion project. We hope to see part of the new canal construction tomorrow.
The restaurant was crowded, but Rudy had made reservations and a table was waiting for us. The meal was not included in the tour price, so each couple got to order off the menu. We started off with a couple of Balboas — one of the three brands of local beer. I skipped the appetizer course, but Mui could not resist the mixed seafood ceviche, which consisted of shrimp, octopus, and calamari. For my main, I ordered the Lobster Spaghettini [medallions of lobster sautéed in butter, white wine, garlic, and herbs; served on a bed of spaghettini] — good but a little too buttery/oily for my taste. Mui’s Marisco al Oleo [shrimp, calamari, octopus, and clams sautéed with garlic and herbs; served over pasta] was a better choice.
Mixed ceviche — Mui can never resist; and a Balboa beer to wash it down.
Rudy normally operates his tours out of his base in Panamá City. So, after lunch, we dropped him off near his home, and the van driver, who lives in Colón, returned us to the port. Overall, we enjoyed the brief glimpse of Panamá City. Mui and I would have enjoyed a tour that was more walking and less riding in the van, but considering the rain we had along the way, perhaps it was best that we had more of the latter and less of the former.
We were back at Colón 2000 shortly after 4:00p, leaving us with time to do some internet surfing in exchange for a couple of drinks. Mui left me at Oishi, a sushi place, while he went to the ship to get our laptops. In his absence, I used my iPhone to browse the web and was able to report back that the speed was insufficient for him to be able to download the GoPro software he needed. The next place we tried — Roberto’s — had better internet, although the connection speed decreased as the number of passengers returning to the port increased. Still, Mui managed to get his software downloaded, so he’s a happy camper.
We were back on the ship with an hour to spare before the 7:00p sailaway. Changing into more suitable attire, we headed to the Constellation Lounge to have a glass of wine before going to the Trellis for dinner.
Mui was anxious to process his GoPro footage from yesterday, so he returned to the cabin with me instead of going to the Celebrity Theater for tonight’s show. In fact, he’s ready to show me his time-lapse test of the ship’s approach to Cartagena — he sounds pleased.
This being our third Panamá Canal experience, I hope to take it easy during our transit from the Atlantic to the Pacific tomorrow. Will I be able to resist the draw to photograph the canal and just chill on the veranda as I watch the canal go by? I guess I’ll find out tomorrow ;-)
