Located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal is the Amador Causeway, a road and pedestrian walkway that connects the mainland of Panama City with three islands. This causeway was built with material extracted from the Culebra Cut when the Panama Canal was built from 1904-1914. It provided a breakwater for ships waiting to enter the Canal, and to prevent the buildup of sediment. Later the United States militarized the promontory and fortified it with ordnance during the two...
Unlike the Panama Canal, Casco Viejo, the Amador Causeway, and Panama Viejo, the name Juan Diaz does not attract much attention from visitors to Panama City. Yet the township of Juan Diaz has become equally important to the Republic of Panama, economically, commercially, and educationally.
The origins of this region go back to the days of Spanish colonization. It is believed that Juan Diaz was a Spanish soldier who settled in this same area. In the year 1875 one of...
The Flower and Coffee International Fair in Boquete is one of the most important in the region. The town of about 25,000, plays host to an expected 130,000 visitors during the 10 day run, which estimates about $2 million dollars to the economy. The floral offerings come from Canada, the US, Central and South America. The crowds come quite literally from around the world.
I hate to be a copy-cat but I have a bird story too. My wife (Eneida) has a small house she rents and one day she returned to our condo, after working in the garden of her house, with a small cardboard box. “Guess what this is”, she said. She opened the lid and there, nestled in some paper towel was a tiny, almost necked baby bird. Its eyes weren’t even open yet and she explained it fell out of a nest in a bush she was trimming and she didn’t know what else to do with it,...
Panama is a great place to explore with your kids. Especially if they have a “certified” grandpa fan like … me! My grand kid #1, Jaime, just turned 4 years. For the past 2 years I have taken him on Saturday morning trips to explore – and record on Youtube for him – life in Panama. Jaime, his Nanny Delia and me. Just the three of us. He calls me “Allo”, so we call this Saturday outings “Sabados with...
This little bird is a baby Panama Flycatcher. Mum and dad moved in above the light fitting in my kitchen in April 2012. I live on a little Caribbean island just off the coast of Panama in the archipelago of Bocas del Toro. This short tale is taken from my new book "Paradise Delayed", which is sub-titled "The pitfalls and pleasures (mainly the pitfalls) of Caribbean island life in the beautiful archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Panama". Life can be challenging and frustrating at times here,...
I lived in Casco for about a year and I found a great experience because of the art, history and culture environment that is surrounded. Also there is many streets improvements and new restaurants and properties that are being renovated.
As you meander through the village of Boquete you would have to be blind not to notice the beautiful Latin faces. Handsome men and boys; beautiful women and girls, precious babies coming and going up and down the streets each day. The Indian women in their brightly colored dresses; children in school uniforms; teenagers wearing the fashionable logos and labels they love. Even the poorest people are very clean, (unless they are working or just running errands while working.)
Our first day in Panama City we walked and enjoyed meeting people. From the staff at the Hilton Garden Inn to people in cafes and stores, we were pleasantly treated and had no problems.
We arrived in December 9, 2012 and we rented a car on December 11th to drive to our planned destination, Boquete in Chiriqui Provence.
This picture is the Concierge giving Arne instructions on how to get out of the city.