We lived in Panama 1979-1982 and have great memories of our time there. Panama was a backwards, little dictatorship to whom the US was ceding back the Canal Zone. The Trans-Isthmian highway was a narrow, winding two-lane road and the Trans-Isthmian railroad was like a Disney jungle ride: windows open wide as it rumbled through the jungle with parrots and monkeys outside your windows; coconut palms, banana stalks, and lush jungle evident outside. Civilization was located on the Pacific coast, and we lived on the Atlantic coast. Our home was on stilts because of the 140 inches of rain we received annually. You could point to a line on the ground where the Canal Zone ended and the country of Panama began: one side was neat and freshly mowed, the other side a mass of weeds and trash. It was said that the dictator Noriega never visited the Atlantic coast because he knew he would be killed. If you drove into the town of Colon, be sure to watch over your shoulder and move fast; crime could be anywhere.
We loved it. We lived one block from Lake Gatun; incredible fishing for peacock bass. We had a maid and went snorkeling in the ocean every week. This was prior to the lionfish being introduced in the Caribbean; the coral formations and tropical fish were amazing. Brilliant royal blue butterflies and migrating clouds of beautiful moths flew overhead. I had a boat, and friends had a yacht which allowed us to explore the coast. Did I mention how bad the cockroaches were?
In 2014 we decided to re-visit our old home in Panama during the dry season (Dec. - Mar.). We flew into Panama City and found it transformed; so many new skyscrapers on the skyline! Panama is a bustling trade center. The people there like Americans because we got rid of Noriega and turned the country into a somewhat democratic world trade center. They still use the US dollar as a stable currency. The old sections of the city are being restored and rebuilt. We stayed in a beautiful, modern hotel with a roof-top infinity pool and a nearby large shopping mall.
The modern skyline of Panama City.
The archway in this very old building is important. The presence of this archway proves that Panama City has not had an earthquake in hundreds of years and convinced builders that it was safe to plan the new high rise buildings for the city.
Next stop was to fly to Bocas del Toro from the regional airport. What a difference! Bocas del Toro is a somewhat isolated "town" on the Atlantic coast near Costa Rica. We had never visited there previously because, 32 years ago, access was very difficult. Now they have an airport and a road. This is very much the edge of civilization; sort of a wild west town. Google "Wild Bill Cortez/ Bocas Del Toro" Bill and his wife were serial killers who would kill their neighbors to take over their property in Bocas. The sort of place where you would go to hide from the law.
This is the main street of Bocas Del Toro.
The Bocas waterfront. Boats are the main means of transport in this area; simple outboard pangas.
The bungalow where we stayed was right on the water, about ten feet from our door.
We stayed in a B&B within walking distance from Bocas. They also had bicycles we could use to ride into town or along the coastal road to various beaches. The proprietors, from Minnesota, told us they don't socialize much with other expats because many are too weird. The shores there are mainly mangrove swamps; thus, we went with a catamaran charter for our snorkeling. The fish were not amazing, but the coral formations were pristine. We were not allowed to wear swim fins for fear that they would damage the coral.
This only a sampling of the beautiful coral formations and marine life.
The third portion of our trip to Panama was to re-visit our old home near Colon on the Atlantic coast. We rented a car and drove the new Trans-Isthmian to Colon where we stayed in a beautiful new hotel. Note that the hotel compound was enclosed in a strong security fence with guards at the gates. The Colon Free Trade Zone has grown in the past 30+ years and pushed many residents out into new suburbs. Other than the industrial zone, much of Colon is seriously deteriorated; slipping downhill since WWII.
We used our rental car to explore the nearby coast. Years ago, we were able to launch our car-top boat almost anywhere along the coast and even reach offshore islands. Now beachfront homes have fenced off access to much of the ocean front. Portobelo, an ancient fort at the end of the gold trail where riches of the Incas were shipped to Spain after crossing the Isthmus, used to be just stone walls of the fort with the cannon still in place. Native bamboo huts were clustered nearby with babies, pigs, and dugout canoes at hand. Now there is a parking lot and park HQ building. The nearby bay now has scores of anchored yachts; previously it was empty.
A native hut at Portobelo, about 1980.
Mom and the kids getting home from a shopping trip (to the jungle).
The Portobelo settlement, early 1980's, not all homes were on stilts.
A limited view of Portobelo fortress.
We used to sail across this bay (at Portobelo) to an isolated beach where we were the only people on an otherwise unreachable cove for great snorkeling. Now, look at all the yachts.
A US Army jungle training area previously was located some miles west of Colon extending to the Chagres River. That is now a Panama National Park. It encompasses a newly developed yacht harbor with extensive repair and maintenance capabilities. At the end of the park road are the Chagres River and Fort San Lorenzo. The fort was built in the late 1500's and was later overrun by the forces of buccaneer Henry Morgan in 1670. The site is spectacular with the river mouth and bay, the open ocean, and the fort positioned on an prominent bluff overlooking the entire area.
The mouth of the Chagres River. This river is the major water source for operation of the Panama Canal.
No other people present. It is sunset, and the park has officially closed, but a friendly guard let us in.
Many years ago, when we lived nearby at Fort Gulick, a neighbor of ours was seriously slashed by a barracuda while snorkeling in this area. Sharks also like to prowl at the river mouth. We had also snorkeled here, but were careful to stay in clear water where a barracuda wouldn't mistake us for a fish. Some effort is being made to restore sections of the fort. Locals have built a tourist trinket stand, but we came at sunset when everyone else was gone. The park guard was nice enough to let us in even though it was closing time. Standing alone on this bluff at sunset with the wind blowing off the open ocean, the Chagres River flowing, and the still extensive walls of the fort, it was easy to get a sense of history; to think of the work, struggles, and lives that had been focused on this location.
Finally, we wanted to visit our old home on Fort Gulick, except the fort no longer exists. It is now just a local housing neighborhood. With the new wider Panama Canal being built and the suburbs of Colon being expanded, the area and roads had been significantly changed. We had no map, no GPS for the car rental. With some difficulty, reading and following the contours of the land, I was able to find what is left of Fort Gulick. The building where our dental clinic was located has been transformed into part of a resort hotel complex on Lake Gatun. Buildings on the Fort which were renovated before being given to Panama have lapsed back into disrepair, crumbling tile roofs letting the rain in. And our home.... right where it always was, not much changed. When we lived there, I complained to the base maintenance dept. about broken swings on the playground behind our home. Looking at the playground 32 years later, the same swings are still broken!
When we lived in Panama, we had time to visit many of Panama's other attractions. Isla Taboga is a small island only a short ferry boat ride away from the bustle of Panama City. Isla Contadora is a resort island, one of the Perlas islands, also located off the Pacific coast. It was also the home for the deposed Shah of Iran where adequate security could be maintained. Snorkeling in the Pacific is not as good as the Atlantic, but the big game fishing is excellent. El Valle is the remains of an extinct volcano, fairly near to Panama City, where one can enjoy cooler, fresher air at a higher elevation during the hottest weather. David and Boquete, also at altitude, are located in a mountainous region near the Costa Rican border where coffee is grown. Past the town of David, the drive into Costa Rica to its capital of San Jose is not that difficult.
On the eastern Atlantic coast of Panama lie the San Blas Islands. This is a semi-autonomous region inhabited by the Guna Indians. They live in densely clustered villages on some of the islands while other islands remain uninhabited. The tallest of these people is not much over 5' tall, but they are practically born with a fish spear in one hand and a machete in the other, a tough people to be respected. The women of the villages created brightly colored "molas" to wear and sell. You can fly to these islands, but the airstrip runway is much like an aircraft carrier deck. By the time the small prop plane stops, you are only feet from being in the ocean.
We loved it. We lived one block from Lake Gatun; incredible fishing for peacock bass. We had a maid and went snorkeling in the ocean every week. This was prior to the lionfish being introduced in the Caribbean; the coral formations and tropical fish were amazing. Brilliant royal blue butterflies and migrating clouds of beautiful moths flew overhead. I had a boat, and friends had a yacht which allowed us to explore the coast. Did I mention how bad the cockroaches were?
In 2014 we decided to re-visit our old home in Panama during the dry season (Dec. - Mar.). We flew into Panama City and found it transformed; so many new skyscrapers on the skyline! Panama is a bustling trade center. The people there like Americans because we got rid of Noriega and turned the country into a somewhat democratic world trade center. They still use the US dollar as a stable currency. The old sections of the city are being restored and rebuilt. We stayed in a beautiful, modern hotel with a roof-top infinity pool and a nearby large shopping mall.
Next stop was to fly to Bocas del Toro from the regional airport. What a difference! Bocas del Toro is a somewhat isolated "town" on the Atlantic coast near Costa Rica. We had never visited there previously because, 32 years ago, access was very difficult. Now they have an airport and a road. This is very much the edge of civilization; sort of a wild west town. Google "Wild Bill Cortez/ Bocas Del Toro" Bill and his wife were serial killers who would kill their neighbors to take over their property in Bocas. The sort of place where you would go to hide from the law.
We stayed in a B&B within walking distance from Bocas. They also had bicycles we could use to ride into town or along the coastal road to various beaches. The proprietors, from Minnesota, told us they don't socialize much with other expats because many are too weird. The shores there are mainly mangrove swamps; thus, we went with a catamaran charter for our snorkeling. The fish were not amazing, but the coral formations were pristine. We were not allowed to wear swim fins for fear that they would damage the coral.
The third portion of our trip to Panama was to re-visit our old home near Colon on the Atlantic coast. We rented a car and drove the new Trans-Isthmian to Colon where we stayed in a beautiful new hotel. Note that the hotel compound was enclosed in a strong security fence with guards at the gates. The Colon Free Trade Zone has grown in the past 30+ years and pushed many residents out into new suburbs. Other than the industrial zone, much of Colon is seriously deteriorated; slipping downhill since WWII.
We used our rental car to explore the nearby coast. Years ago, we were able to launch our car-top boat almost anywhere along the coast and even reach offshore islands. Now beachfront homes have fenced off access to much of the ocean front. Portobelo, an ancient fort at the end of the gold trail where riches of the Incas were shipped to Spain after crossing the Isthmus, used to be just stone walls of the fort with the cannon still in place. Native bamboo huts were clustered nearby with babies, pigs, and dugout canoes at hand. Now there is a parking lot and park HQ building. The nearby bay now has scores of anchored yachts; previously it was empty.
A US Army jungle training area previously was located some miles west of Colon extending to the Chagres River. That is now a Panama National Park. It encompasses a newly developed yacht harbor with extensive repair and maintenance capabilities. At the end of the park road are the Chagres River and Fort San Lorenzo. The fort was built in the late 1500's and was later overrun by the forces of buccaneer Henry Morgan in 1670. The site is spectacular with the river mouth and bay, the open ocean, and the fort positioned on an prominent bluff overlooking the entire area.
Many years ago, when we lived nearby at Fort Gulick, a neighbor of ours was seriously slashed by a barracuda while snorkeling in this area. Sharks also like to prowl at the river mouth. We had also snorkeled here, but were careful to stay in clear water where a barracuda wouldn't mistake us for a fish. Some effort is being made to restore sections of the fort. Locals have built a tourist trinket stand, but we came at sunset when everyone else was gone. The park guard was nice enough to let us in even though it was closing time. Standing alone on this bluff at sunset with the wind blowing off the open ocean, the Chagres River flowing, and the still extensive walls of the fort, it was easy to get a sense of history; to think of the work, struggles, and lives that had been focused on this location.
Finally, we wanted to visit our old home on Fort Gulick, except the fort no longer exists. It is now just a local housing neighborhood. With the new wider Panama Canal being built and the suburbs of Colon being expanded, the area and roads had been significantly changed. We had no map, no GPS for the car rental. With some difficulty, reading and following the contours of the land, I was able to find what is left of Fort Gulick. The building where our dental clinic was located has been transformed into part of a resort hotel complex on Lake Gatun. Buildings on the Fort which were renovated before being given to Panama have lapsed back into disrepair, crumbling tile roofs letting the rain in. And our home.... right where it always was, not much changed. When we lived there, I complained to the base maintenance dept. about broken swings on the playground behind our home. Looking at the playground 32 years later, the same swings are still broken!
When we lived in Panama, we had time to visit many of Panama's other attractions. Isla Taboga is a small island only a short ferry boat ride away from the bustle of Panama City. Isla Contadora is a resort island, one of the Perlas islands, also located off the Pacific coast. It was also the home for the deposed Shah of Iran where adequate security could be maintained. Snorkeling in the Pacific is not as good as the Atlantic, but the big game fishing is excellent. El Valle is the remains of an extinct volcano, fairly near to Panama City, where one can enjoy cooler, fresher air at a higher elevation during the hottest weather. David and Boquete, also at altitude, are located in a mountainous region near the Costa Rican border where coffee is grown. Past the town of David, the drive into Costa Rica to its capital of San Jose is not that difficult.
On the eastern Atlantic coast of Panama lie the San Blas Islands. This is a semi-autonomous region inhabited by the Guna Indians. They live in densely clustered villages on some of the islands while other islands remain uninhabited. The tallest of these people is not much over 5' tall, but they are practically born with a fish spear in one hand and a machete in the other, a tough people to be respected. The women of the villages created brightly colored "molas" to wear and sell. You can fly to these islands, but the airstrip runway is much like an aircraft carrier deck. By the time the small prop plane stops, you are only feet from being in the ocean.
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