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Panama City is known worldwide for its canal and rightly so as it is a modern engineering marvel. But to see the canal is only to scratch the surface of this real melting pot of cultures and traditions.
Finishing off our San Blas adventures tour at the Panamanian port of Carti, we had been told by our guide Liam that the journey to Panama City was a bit of a roller coaster. One almost guaranteed to make you feel sick. What a greeting to Central America that was! He wasn't wrong either, as the jeep went up and down windy undulating jungle roads we felt pretty queasy.
Arriving in Panama City it became obvious that it had more than a little American influence, with high rise buildings and skyscrapers similar to a smaller Miami. This Influence however allowed us some creature comforts with burgers a welcome break from the usual rice and bean staple of Latin America.
We booked into the Marbella area of Panama City (no carbs before marbs is impossible in Latin America) at hostel el machico and immediately had a much needed hot shower and change of clothes. After travelling a while it's often the small things that bring the most satisfaction.
Feeing refreshed the following evening we met up with the San Blas guys for our last night out together. Heading into the old town of casco viejo we partied into the small hours, forgetting we had booked a city tour the next day at 8.30am. Needless to say it was tough to get up in the morning but worth it for one last goodbye.
The tour booked through the hostel and led by Miguel cannot be recommended more highly. The first stop, the casco viejo, is all that remains of Panama City from the 17th century due to Welsh buccaneer Henry Morgan, who ransacked and decimated the city. Interestingly, although now a unesco world heritage site with characterful charming streets next to renovated pristine buildings (the latter looking a bit out of place), up until recently it was unsafe for tourists to walk through due to gang influence and robberies. Now a lot safer it's full of hostels, hotels and restaurants.
The Iglesia de San Jose was particularly interesting for its golden alter. The only reason it survived Henry Morgan's assault on the city was due to the priests quick thinking, painstakingly painting the entire altar black to mask it's true value.
Along the tour we also learnt that the Panamanian national beer, Balboa, is not named after the Philadelphian boxer after all but the European who first discovered the Pacific Ocean. Fascinating stuff.
So as I mentioned before, Panama City is renowned for its canal, started in the late 19th century by the French buoyed on by their completion of the Suez Canal. What came next was a bit of a disaster, with 22000 people dying of either yellow fever or malaria during its construction. With the french leaving with their tails between their legs, the Americans finished the job off, still owning all the economic rights up until 1999.
We visited the Miraflores lock with an overlooking viewpoint. It was very impressive watching huge container ships fitting through the canal with only a metre either side. Although interesting, an hour was more than enough.
We finished off the tour learning about the controversial American ownership of the lock. Change came around through student protests, one of which caused a massacre of students by the American forces. This led the Panamanians to find their voice and rightfully claim the canal for their own.
We have spoken to a lot of travellers who didn't actually enjoy Panama City. Many found it soulless and Americanised. However, if you look a little deeper you'll get your rewards. Now onto the north and to start our Central America adventure.
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