Tag Archives: Panama

The Panama Adventure Ends For Now.

The Road Home From Bocas del Toro, Panama to Huntington Beach, CA.

It’s not easy to say goodbye to Panama, but this adventure to Panama must now come to an end, for now.

Getting from Bocas del Toro to Home starts with a short Plane ride from Bocas del Toro to Panama City. It takes about an hour to make the flight, which gives me some good views of both the Bocas del toro archipelago and also of Panama City prior to arriving at the Panama City domestic airport (Allbrook – PAC), just west of the city.

I opted to spend one more night in Panama City prior to my international departure back to the US. Upon arriving at PAC Airport, I took a cab into the city to my hotel (Hyatt Place – downtown). The cab ride cost about $10 (US) and took about 20 minutes from the airport. This hotel is not on “Avenida Balboa” (the coast), but just off of it by about 4 blocks. Because it is on a small hill, the views are still impressive. There are good restaurants located within walking distance along with a trip down to the water. It is also within walking distance to the Metro station (El Carman Subway Station). My room had a beautiful view of a Catholic Church (Iglesia Nuestra Sra. del Carman), and great views of the coast between the high rise buildings.

The next morning, I caught a cab to the International Airport outside of the city (Tocumen International Airport – PTY), which is located about 23.3 KM (45-minute drive), northeast of the City and my Hotel. The fare costs about $20 (US) and is via a toll road.

As I have said previously, the International Airport is in the process of expansion, and will be a bigger better airport in the future.

My trip back to the States allowed me one last view of the City, Bridge of the Americas, and some great coastline views to the west of the city, which included some great resorts.

Overview of my 7-week trip to Panama – Panama offers a wide variety of living conditions. From the big, growing metropolitan city of Panama, to coastal living both on the Pacific and Atlantic sides. It also has beautiful interior sections, both mountains, valleys, and flat terrain leading to the coasts. This Country is well suited for surfing, diving, watersports, cosmopolitan living, small towns, farming, nature activities, etc. The city is spectacular and offers everything you would expect in a large metropolitan city in the US. Bocas del Toro offered this Turtle the best opportunity for what I was looking for in relocating, but I am not yet sold on this place due to the requirement to own and / or use a boat to get to/from the dive locations where I can get my flippers wet. I found the people of Panama to be friendly and helpful and did not have any issues with my lack of the Spanish language.

Some of the downsides that this Turtle found were the overall poverty that was visible throughout the country, and the trash and lack of recycling that is done throughout.

This Turtle wants to keep looking for a new home, prior to ruling out any Country, so I will be planning my next trip to Belize and Honduras in the near future.

My next blog will be on my Trip to Belize and Honduras.

Bocas del Toro

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Bocas del Toro, Panama

This is a province of Panama comprising an archipelago off the Caribbean coast, plus adjacent mainland with biodiverse rainforest. Located in the northwest part of Panama, up against the Costa Rican border. This is one of the few areas of Panama on the Carribean coast accessible via roads and also has an international airport located on the main island (Isla Colon). The archipelago consists of nine main islands, although there are hundreds of smaller islands as part of this providence.

Getting to Bocas can be achieved by either car or bus to Almirante, then taking a ferry over to Bocas town on the Isla Colon, or flying directly to Bocas town from locations like Panama City and others. Flying in from Panama City takes about 45 minutes.

Bocas Town Airport – Air Panama

The airport is located as part of the town and a quick taxi ride gets you to your hotel / motel / hostel in just a few minutes. For resorts that are located on one of the many islands or located on the far side of Isla Colon, the best mode of transportation is via water taxis that are located everywhere in town.

The town of Bocas has many hotels, restaurants, souvenir, dive & surf shops, activity centers, bars, and is a local gathering place at night in the town center. You can see spectacular sunsets from many of the restaurants along the waterfront of the town.

The first thing that strikes you about Bocas del Toro region are the multi-colored buildings located on or over the water throughout the region. Most are either restaurants or hotels.

The waters throughout the inside of the archipelago are calm and the water is warm, and turquoise in color. There is good diving both inside and outside of the archipelago depending on the wind direction. Also, surfing is very popular along the Caribbean facing side of all the main islands.

Bocas town,including the airport, are located on the southern tip of Isla Colon. This section of the Island is connected by a thin strip of land to the rest of the Island, which is sparsely habited and mostly consists of natural reserves. Various Hotels, beaches, and resorts are located along the coast of this island and accessible mostly via water taxis. There is a road that connects the town to the northern side of the Island, where you can access Starfish Beach and a secluded fishing village of Playa Boca de Drago.

Starfish beach is quite remote and accessible only by either water taxi or via walking (20-minute hike along the coast from Playa Boca de Drago). Either way, the views are beautiful.

While in Bocas, make sure you not only explore the main island but sign-up for a tour of the surrounding islands. Spend the day on Isla Bastimentos, this is the island that has some great beaches like Read Frog beach and Wizard beach. Both of these face out into the Caribbean, so good for surfing. The Island also has one of the best marinas in the Bocas del Toro area. Red Frog Resort is a very special place and is worth a look. There are many trails and things to do and see while on this island.

Turtle @ Red Frog Beach

Other places to visit outside of Bocas town, are just cruising around the archipelago, and visiting any of the great little islands that all seem to have great beaches, and some with surprising little restaurants, hotels, and other surprises. Found the below new building for The Smithsonian Institute on one of the remote little islands. The main Institute is located on Isla Colon, just north of town.

There is good diving and lots of wildlife located throughout the archipelago. Note the dolphins, parrots, butterflies, monkeys, critters, and even found some three-toed sloths located on a remote island called sloth island.

This Turtle used Total Adventures, Inc. for all his outdoor activities in Bocas del Toro. There are many dive shops and adventure shops throughout Bocas town, it is hard to find one that will give you personal service and allow you to tailor your adventure to what you want to do. Yader Ibarra, who owns and runs Total Adventure Inc., came highly recommended from people we met in Panama City, while staying at the Hilton Hotel. Yader went out of his way to ensure that we got connected to the right people to do all the sightseeing and tours that I wanted to get done while visiting the region. He took the time to personally show us places and sights that the average person would not get to see while visiting the Bocas del Toro region.

While in Bocas town, This Turtle stayed at a great Bed & Breakfast hotel called Lula’s, which has a great location, just north of downtown, and about 3 blocks to the west of main street (Calle 3a). This place is run by Chad Sorrow & Josh Acree. Since Bocas town is a party town, it’s good to get off of the main street and someplace where you can relax and is quite, and yet is comfortable and close enough that you can walk to all the activities and downtown.

This Turtle found this part of Panama to be the best fit for all of my needs, but with the diving still requiring a 30+ minute ride to the dive sites, and the town still does not have the required food infrastructure that I am looking for (fresh, non-GMO, vegetables and meat). There is plenty of fresh fish, but finding fresh vegetables and meat on an island is tough. Most vegetables look like they are a few weeks old, and non-appetizing, and the meat that I had is very tough and not worth the price you pay. Remember, all foods, except some fruits are shipped in from the mainland of Panama.

This Turtle will keep looking for the right place to move to.

Coming up next will be, Turtles trip back to his current home in Huntington Beach, CA – USA.

Boquete

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Boquete, Panama

Boquete (pronounced “Bo-ket-ta”) is located due north of David on highway 41 off the Panamerican Highway. It is about 41 km / 25.5 miles, or 45-minute ride from David. It’s at an elevation of 1,200 meters / 3,900 feet, above sea level along the Caldera River, in a mountainous area. It was founded in 1911 and is very popular with tourists, Ex-Pats, and Panamanians, due to its cooler climate and lush green surroundings.

Some of the best coffee in the world is grown in this area, and the town is located at the base of the Volcán Barú, an active volcano at 3,475 meters (11,400 feet), which is the tallest point of land in Panama. This is the place you come to for outdoor activities (coffee tours, hiking, river rafting, golf, trekking, canopy tours, zip lining, biking, bird watching, etc). This place has become very popular and there are many Ex-pats that now call this home.

Boquete is located in a beautiful valley, located right next to the river, Rio Caldera. The valley is open to the south only and is surrounded by beautiful mountains on the other three sides. To the West of town is Volcán Barú, which offers spectacular views from anywhere in town. Most of the town and buildings are located on the west side of the river, but there are some hotels and sightseeing places to visit on the other side of the river, which is accessible by turning east on Calle 4a Sur from downtown. The road crosses the river via a nice steel bridge. The river, even in the dry season is fast moving with rapids all the way up and down the valley. There are plenty of waterfalls and other points of interest throughout the valley.

With restaurants, coffee shops, hotels / motels, tours and lots of souvenir shops in the valley, you can easily spend a week or more visiting. You will quickly see why so many Ex-Pats and Panamanians have decided to call this valley home.

Some of the best things to do in the valley are:

The Cafe Ruiz Coffee Tour – This is a half day tour and is worth your time. Our guide Carlos was an experienced coffee grower and brewer, and he will walk you through the whole process from planting to the brewing of the best coffee in the world. He is also quite the comedian and kept the tour laughing and learning all the time. You really hate for this tour to end, there is so much to see and learn regarding coffee.

A walking tour, by Boquete Outdoor Adventure Tours – Cloud Forest tour – Pipeline Trail. This is another half day adventure that is easy, but beautiful, and you will see lots of butterflies, birds, flowers, waterfalls and other animals all along the trail. It follows the town’s water pipeline, along a stream, up one of the many valleys climbing up the volcano.

There are so many small streams, waterfalls, and beautiful vistas throughout this valley that you must make sure to bring a camera, and don’t forget to turn around or you might just miss a view that will remain with you for the rest of your life.

If I was not looking for a beach town to retire in, this would be on top of my list for places to move to.

My next blog will be about Bocas del Toro.

Santiago and David

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Santiago and David, Panama

Both cities were stopping off points for this Turtle. I only spent a night or two in each on the way to someplace else in Panama. Both cities are located on the Panamerican Highway.

I have to say that the Hotel in Santiago, or just outside of town was the nicest and most modern of all the Hotels / Motels that I stayed in while visiting Panama, outside of Hotels within Panama City. The Hotel just before arriving in Santiago from Panama City is called the Hotel Mykonos. As you can see from the pictures, it is very new and modern. This was such an island of relief from the long driving within Panama, that I ended up staying here both headed west into Panama and also on my return back to Panama City for my flight to Bocas del Toro (see future blog).

Santiago itself is an old city, dating back to around 1621. There are many fine old churches, buildings, and parks located throughout the city. The city also has many restaurants, mostly outdoor seating with good food and beverages. There is also a very new and large shopping center called “Santiago Mall”, located just west of the Hotel Mykonos, along the Panamerican Highway. You will find many American Brand stores alongside some larger Panamanian store chains. The mall just opened in 2014, so it is not yet full of shops.

As I have blogged before (Panamerican Highway), the road from Panama City to just past Santiago is completed, paved, and well maintained. Once past Santiago, this highway is under construction with lots of detours and delays, all the way to just before David at Chiriqui, in Western Panama.

The city of David (pronounced (“Da-Vid”) is named after King David from the Bible, and has a population of about 145,000. David was founded in about 1602 and has many old historical churches, buildings, and parks. It also has a regional airport that most people use to fly to / from Panama City.

Conveniently located along the Panamerican Highway, David is the largest major city in Western Panama and the third major urban area in Panama, with major roads leading to Boquete, Volcan, and the Pacific coastal town of Puerto Pedregal. Volcán Barú, a dormant volcano and also the tallest mountain in Panama, is visible from northern parts of the city. The Costa Rican border is located about a 45-minute drive (50 km or 31 miles) west on the Panamerican Highway.

An excellent hotel to stay at within the downtown area of the city is the “Gran Nacional Hotel”. It offers dining a casino, and comfortable rooms.

Boquete will be the next blog in this series.

Anton Valley / El Valle

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Anton Valley / El Valle, Panama

El Valle is a small town located on a beautiful flat wide caldera of the 6 km (3.75 miles) wide El Valle volcano that is inactive. Because of its elevation (600 m / 1,969 ft.), it is cooler than the Panamanian lowlands. For this reason many Panamanian’s either own weekend or vacation homes in this valley. Natural attractions of the town and valley include waterfalls, thermal hot springs, and the “square” trees. The valley is also known for being one of the last habitats of the critically endangered Panamanian golden frog.

To get to the valley, you drive west on the Panamerican Highway from Panama City for about 1.5 hours and turn right on highway 71 at Las Uvas. The road (highway 71) traveling up from the coast is a great two-lane highway, which is well maintained. It will take you about another 40-minute drive to get to the town and into the caldera.

Once you reach the rim of the crater, there is a nice rest stop area, with a monument of the golden frog in front of it. The views looking down into the caldera and the town are spectacular.

El Valle has a population of about 7,600 and has one main road that runs through it (Avenida Central or Calle Central). The town has a very small historical and geological museum, as well as a small zoo (El Nispero), a butterfly haven, and an orchid conservation center, which displays over 100 native local orchid species. There are also several petroglyphs west of town that is known as La Piedra Pintada. There are also about 500 species of birds located within the crater.

Standing in town, looking in any direction, you see the impressive crater rim. Downtown is centered around its main landmark, the town’s public market, which is referred to as El Valle’s Sunday Market, even though it is open 7-days a week. There are a few restaurants, and some hotels / motels / B & B’s, convenience stores, and of course, there are souvenir shops everywhere.

One of the hotels / motels that I recommend is the Anton Valley Hotel, located a little to the west of downtown on the main road.

The zoo, although nicely maintained grounds, is poorly maintained for the animals, with small cages, and some unhealthy looking inhabits. One poor monkey was in real need of attention for some sort of a skin irritation, and keep scratching himself and had a real loss of fur on most of his body. There were many beautiful flowers and well-maintained ponds, shrubs and trees throughout the zoo.

The Butterfly Haven, on the other hand, was well worth the time and is very well maintained and staffed. They first educate the visitor on the life cycle of the butterfly via a 15-minute video, then the staff answers questions, and shows you living examples of butterflies in all their various cycles of life. After this, you enter the main enclosed area, where there are many hundreds of living butterflies flying around you, flowers, shrubs and trees. This allows you the opportunity to get up front and personal with the butterflies. You can spend as much time as you wish walking through this enclosed area.

To leave the valley, you can go back the way you came or can continue west on highway 71 through town and up the backside of the crater rim, headed towards the town of Anton, located back on the Panamerican Highway. This route out of town is a lot steeper, and has many more switchbacks, but does offer a spectacular view once on to of the creator rim, looking across the valley. The road leading up the crater wall is very narrow, but is paved, and does open up once on top, all the way back down to the coast.

This valley and its surroundings are definitely worth a day or two’s visit while in Panama.

Next up in this blog will be Santiago.

Colon & Portobelo

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Colon & Portobelo, Panama

Have you ever visited both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on the same day by car?

While in Panama, this is one of the must things to do. Rent a car and drive from Panama City (on the Pacific Ocean), following the Panama Canal to Colon on the Atlantic (Carribean Sea). The road is a great highway, and there are many interesting sights along the way. There is both a toll road (9) and a non-toll road (3 & 852) that follows the canal across the isthmus. The trip on the toll road (9) takes about 45 minutes.

The road that travels along the canal offers great views but takes a lot longer to traverse, (1-2 hours) depending on how many stops you make.

Colon, located on the Carribean Sea is a large seaport and entrance to the Panama Canal. It includes a duty-free zone for shopping, although the city is not a great place for tourists. Once you arrive at Colon, travel north-east, along the Caribbean for about an hours drive and you will arrive a Portobelo.

Portobelo was founded in 1597 by Spanish explorer Francisco Velarde y Mercado. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries it was an important silver-exporting and one of the ports on the route of the Spanish treasure fleets. In 1668, Captain Henry Morgan led a fleet of pirates and 450 men against Portobelo and captured and plundered the city of all its wealth.

There are still remnants of the old fortifications that defended this city all along the coast.

Today the city of Portobelo has a population of around 3,000. It has a natural deep harbor and is home to many cruising yachts. It has been declared a World Heritage Site.

Road Trip on Panamerican Highway on next Blog.

Panama Canal

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Panama Canal – Panama

When you think of Panama, you automatically think of the Panama Canal. Everyone has heard of it and most know what it is, but I have to admit until I visited the canal first hand I had no idea the scale and complexity of this waterway that connects the Atlantic (Caribbean) and the Pacific Oceans.

The canal was first started by the French in 1881, but construction stopped in 1994 due to engineering problems and high workers deaths. The U.S. took over the project in 1904 and the canal was opened on August 14th, 1914. The U.S. controlled the canal until 1999 when control was given over to the Panama Government.

The canal has been expanded to add a third, wider lane which recently opened as of June 26th, 2016, which now allows transit of larger, Post-Panamax ships, which have a greater cargo capacity than the previous locks were capable of handling.

It has been called one of the Seven wonders of the modern world.

Did you ever wonder where the Panama Hat came from?

Hat store

Well, they were originally made in Ecuador, and transported to the Isthmus of Panama for shipping to Asia, the rest of the Americas, and Europe. Hence the name came from the point of international sale, not their origins. President Theodore Roosevelt of the United States visited the construction site of the Panama Canal and was photographed wearing a Panama hat, which further increased the hats’ popularity.

The Miraflores Locks serve as the primary tourist destination to visit the canal and learn about its history. These locks are located a short distance from downtown Panama city on the west side. Here you can watch video’s on the construction of the canal, watch the locks in action from observation decks, visit the history museum, and of course purchase souvenirs.

The best time to tour and visit the Miraflores Locks is in the evening. Watching the ships sail through the locks at night with all their lights on is spectacular. The canal never sleeps and ships pass through 24 hours a day. Apparently, ships need to book passage through the canal months to years in advance.

You can also take a half day or full day cruise through the canal to experience more than just the locks, and visit Gatun Lake. There is also a canal train that travels the full length of the canal from either ocean. The last alternative to visiting the canal and its sights is to travel by car on Route 9 from Panama City (Pacific side) to Colon (Atlantic side) and back. Traveling by car gives you the opportunity to stop all along the canal route and take pictures, watch the ships sailing on Gatun lake.

Whatever method you choose to visit the canal, just do it. The visit will stay with you for the rest of your life. It is one of those “Bucket List” items.

Colon & Portobelo will be my next blog.

Casco Viejo

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Casco Viejo, Panama City, Panama

This is the historic district of Panama City. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The name of Casco Viejo means “old town” in Spanish.

View from Cinta Costera roadway

It’s located at West end of the city along the bay, and before the entrance to the Panama Canal. The Cinta Costera roadway loops around this historic part of the city out into the bay. The views looking back towards the new Panama City are spectacular from this roadway.

As you walk from the Cinta Costera park from the main part of the city to Casco Viejo, you first enter

Centenario park

Centenario park

Centenario park

Quinto Centenario park, which has many beautiful plants and shrubs, including this great bridge arbor, covered with bougainvillea.

The district of Casco Viejo has a very rich history, and you will find many old historic, empty shelled

Churches

Churches

out buildings right next to newly restored buildings. There are lots of great historic churches, monuments, plazas, narrow streets, with restaurants, bars, and cafes. Plan on spending the whole day to tour this great old town.

One of the things that caught my eye was the great artwork that is painted on the walls, all throughout Casco Viejo.

The other thing that you notice is that right next to what looks like a bomb-out historic building, there will be a recently restored building. When I asked some of the local residents of this old town why such a contrast in buildings and when will the town be fully restored, I got the answer that the restoration is all part of a twenty-five-year plan.

If I was to choose Panama City to be my new residence, this is the part of the city I would live in. It is very clean, great views, right on the water, lots of restaurants, bars, and easy access to everything else that Panama City has to offer. The only downside is that it is very popular with locals and tourists, so there is always a lot of people, cars, and noise, especially on the weekends. Parking will also be an issue if you own a car.

Next, up will be my blog on the Panama Canal.

Panama City, Panama

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The Travel Adventure Begins

Panama City, Panama

Panama City Panama

February 7th, 2016 – On the way to determine if Panama is where I want to relocate to. Leaving on an overnight flight from Los Angeles Airport (LAX) to Panama City, Panama (PTY). Arrived morning of the 8th. and immediately noticed the humidity difference between the two cities. Los Angeles, of course, is very dry year round and Panama City is just the opposite. At least it is considered to be the dry season in Panama (November to May).

Even though Panama is located north of the equator, the locals refer to the dry season as their summer. When I asked why they call November through May their summer months, they answer back that it is, and they say so. Makes no sense to me.

PTY Airport Construction

The airport facility is ok, but you do notice that a whole new terminal and airport complex is being built next to the old terminal facility.

Riding in a shuttle from the airport to my hotel, you travel on the Corredor Sur, which takes you to downtown Panama City. Most of the Hotels are located along Avenida Balboa,

which is located right on Panama Bay, and they make up the beautiful skyline of high rise buildings on one side and the Bay on the other side.

Panama City

Downtown Panama City

Panama City

All along the bay and across from the high rise buildings is the famous Cinta Costera, which is a beautiful bike / pedestrian park that travels between Casco Viejo (Old City) and Parque de la Cinta Costera (about 2 miles).

Cinta Costera

Cinta Costera

Cinta Costera

The park has lots of trees, gardens, pedestrian bridges (to cross Avenida Balboa), and grass all along the park. On Sundays, they even close down Avenida Balboa for use by bicycles only (from 6 am. to about noon).

Looking from the bay across the park and Avenida Balboa, you see the beautiful skyline that the city is famous for. It’s hard to believe that you are in a third world country. This view reminds me of looking across from New Jersey towards Manhattan Island in the states. It is impressive!

Panama Bay has a very high tidal swing (about 18 feet) so most of the boats you see in the bay or harbors along the Cinta Costera will either be floating on water or grounded in the mud depending on the tides. This tidal swing also accounts for the sometimes bad odor that comes off the bay during low tides.

Fisherman’s Market

Since I was visiting Panama during Carnaval or Carnival, the city was bustling with tourists and out of towners. Part of the Cinta Costera was fenced off and closed for use until after Ash Wednesday (Feb 10th). It’s hard to explain what Carnaval in Panama City is all about other than to say peaceful chaos. Carnaval last 4 – 5 days and most businesses are closed during this time. People all over Panama gather to eat, drink, and party till the sun comes up for 4 days.

See blog on Casco Viejo next.

Turtle Views Blog

The Travels & Views of Turtle

Tag Archives: Panama

The Panama Adventure Ends For Now.

Bocas del Toro

Boquete

Santiago and David

Anton Valley / El Valle

Colon & Portobelo

Panama Canal

Casco Viejo

Panama City, Panama