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Colon, Panama.
First of all, the name 'Colon' was not given to describe the place by comparing it to part of the human anatomy, although it could have been. Instead, it is the local version of 'Columbus', after Christopher, of course.
I'm out on deck enjoying the breeze and gradually catching up on this diary of our travels. We are heading for Manzanillo in Mexico so I'm only a little behind.
Colon is an old town that was originally built on a swampy island which was plagued by mosquitoes. The problems of dysentry and malaria weren't really cleared up until the canal was built and the swamp drained. It is still a fairly poor and run down town and is a busy duty free port, for bulk buying.
We docked at about 2pm right in the heart of town, next to a busy shopping street and the casino, and were to stay the night there before joining he queue for the canal early the next morning. Everyone was to back on board by 3am.
Having been lucky enough to find a van large enough to take all ten of us, we set off, the driver pointing out places of interest as we drove through town such as the local prison and the corrugated iron sheds which housed the duty free stores. We politely oohed and aahed, hoping that the rest of our tour would be more interesting. And it was!
The rainforest was gorgeous. Tall red and yellow heliconias flowered profusely and massive travellers palms, creepers and spreading shady trees crowded together on all sides. We were on monkey alert as we drove, all trying to be the first to spot one of the capuchin monkeys that live in the forest but sadly without having any luck.
We reached Gatun Lock, the first of the locks we'd be entering the next day. It was interesting seeing ships pass through but after watching for a while we pushed on towards a place called San Lorenzo where there was a ruined fort.
Built in 1595 on the orders of King Philip 11 of Spain to protect the area from pirate attack, it stands high on a hill overlooking the mouth of the Chagres River. Amazingly, the cannons are still lying in place all around the fort. They are a bit rusty but you can still see the engraved insignia of Spain on them. The moat is still there, too, but is now dry. I'd love to know how they kept water in it during the dry season! Our driver mentioned Henry Morgan, who was one of the more notorious of the pirates who sailed the seas in the area. I'm not sure but maybe he attacked the fort. He is best known, though, for taking the town, now city, of Panama.
On the return trip Arthur, one of our party, called out that he'd spotted a monkey so we screeched to a halt and all tumbled out. We scanned the treetops for another glimpse but bad luck, it was gone. What we did see, however, was something just as interesting nevertheless, although much smaller.
Along the edge of the road a broad white stripe had been painted to delineate the edge. The surface of the stripe was much smoother than the road surface and making use of it was a steady stream of leaf cutter ants, each carrying aloft a piece of green leaf much larger than themselves. They raced along before heading off and disappearing into the forest. We watched for quite a while befre deciding it was time to move on. It was fascinating.
The final point of interest was a formerly grand hotel back in town, the Hotel Washington, built way back by the Americans. It had the same air of faded glory as the Hydro Majestic or the Carrington. It had been painted a glorious matte orange with all the curlicues touched up in black but sadly, the grounds lacked the same level of care.
Nevertheless, our driver seemed proud of its magnificence and was keen for us to go inside. Reluctantly, we climbed out and tried to look impressed as he ushered us in. What a complete surprise! Once inside we were confronted with a view that was true magnificence for opposite the entrance, opening on to the back terrace, were glass doors that afforded a 180 degree vista of the Caribbean. Dotted all around were tens of ships at anchor or chugging their way through to or from the canal.
We stepped out in wonder, mesmerised by the sight. Truly memorable.
Still impressed by what we'd seen, we stopped back near the dock for shopping and drinks. I ordered a coffee, the best I'd had since Italy, and the others sampled a few of the local beers.
Later, back on board, we met for a noisy meal at the Pizzeria before most of us headed ashore again, some to add to the local economy at the casino and others to do a bit more shopping at the supermarket. It was all cheap and even at midnight there was a stream of passengers and crew going off to shop or gamble.
It kind of reminded me of the ants in the forest!
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