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A Trip Through Panama
A Trip Through Panama
Day 2:
We woke early and headed out for a morning of shopping at the Mercado
Publico. I bought some jewelry and some small wooden figurines as souvenirs, but
when I asked "Donde esta los sombreros de Panama?", the vendor told me Panama hats
were made in Ecuador. The hat most commonly worn in Panama is the "pita", a
narrow brimmed straw hat with black and white stripes. The most important phrases
to remember when shopping in Panama are " Cuanto cuesta esta?" and " Acceptas
tarjetas de credita?" After shopping we had Chinese food in one of the local
restaurants.
After eating we went to visit Panama's most famous attraction, the Panama
Canal. The Canal was completed in 1914, and is considered one of the greatest
engineering feats in the world. We took a shuttle from our hotel to the canal and
then went on a 90 minute train ride all the way across the isthmus along the canal.
The railroad we were traveling on was built in 1855 to transport '49ers who were on
their way to the California gold rush and was the first "trans-continental" rail
link. At one of the train stations we got off and walked to the Miraflores Locks,
sat on bleachers, and watched the ships go through the canal. After our tour of
the Panama Canal we returned to our hotel to get ready for a night of dinner and
theater. We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant then went to the Teatro National
for a performance of the Folkloric Ballet. The Folkloric Ballet features native
folk dances and costumes and was very entertaining.
Day 3:
We rented a car and left Panama City headed southwest along the Pan American
Highway. First we visited the Parque Natural Metropolitana, a zoo on the outskirts
of Panama with monkeys, deer, sloths, and iguanas. We then drove toward El Valle,
about 75 miles away. El Valle is located in the center of a dormant volcano.
There we saw hot springs, botanical gardens (with square trees which scientists
have been unable to explain!), and golden frogs found nowhere else on earth. We
continued down the highway passing through the towns of Penonome, the geographic
center of Panama, and Nata, on of the oldest towns in Latin America. The Interior
of Panama is mostly farmland and grazing land for cattle. We even saw some
cowboys! At night we arrived at Baquette, a village on the side of the dormant
Baru Volcano, where we spent the night.
Day 4:
We began our day by visiting Volcan Baru National Park and taking a short
hike to see the beautiful plants and birds. The volcano is the highest point in
Panama at 3475 meters. After our hike we ate lunch and then drove to Chiriqui
Grande where we dropped off our car. We then caught a ferry to Bocas del Toro
where we visited Bastimentos National Park. The park has pristine white sand
beaches where sea turtles nest. The coral reefs off the coast are home to more
than 200 species of tropical fish. While there we also got to visit caves
containing the largest population of fruit eating bats in the world! Later we went
snorkeling of the coast of Almirante Island where we spent the night.