We teamed up again this morning with our biologist-turned-historian friend, Claudio for a day in Panama City.
Our first stop was a tidal mudflat overlooking Panama Bay to see what shorebirds we could find. The Bay of Panama, a vital site for millions of migrating shorebirds each year, has been under pressure by those who’d like to expand urban development. Luckily, the Panamanian government granted federal protection to the area in 2015, hopefully preserving it for future generations (of birds as well as people).
You can read more about this important conservation effort here (Audubon site).
We saw a good assortment of birds that morning. A variety of herons and egrets were spread out across the mudflats. Groups of cormorants and gulls lounged on rock outcrops. Vultures (of the Black and Turkey variety) rode the thermals overhead, while hundreds of little sandpipers busily foraged for breakfast. We had an unexpected pop of color in the form of two Saffron Finches that flew down from a nearby tree to hop cheerfully along the rocky shoreline (I’m assuming they were cheerful; they didn’t look surly! 🙂 ).
This would definitely be a good place for a spotting scope as many of the birds were at the far edge of binocular range. Claudio let us linger for about 20 minutes and then it was time to visit some ruins.
Panama Viejo (Old Panama) is the original incarnation of Panama City. It was established by the Spanish in 1519, and was the first permanent European settlement along the Pacific. It became an important base from which ships sailed to Peru in the quest for gold and silver. Despite several large fires that destroyed portions of the city over the next 100 or so years, it continued to grow and thrive. During the 17th century, pirates periodically launched attacks. In 1671 Henry Morgan led an assault that effectively destroyed the city (you may remember him from such piratic invasions as the Battle of Fort San Lorenzo, and the Sacking of Portobelo – my own melodramatic, unofficial titles. You can read more about these sites from day 3 of our trip)
All that’s left of most of the buildings are sections of walls, but it’s possible to imagine the bustling center that once existed here. It was quiet and peaceful the day we visited. From several vantage points, skyscrapers of modern Panama City formed a backdrop to the crumbling structures of Panama Viejo. An interesting juxtaposition of old and new…
Panama Viejo ruins
Cathedral of Our Lady of Asunción
After we finished up at the ruins, our next destination was the Biomuseo (Biodiversity Museum). The museum opened in 2014 and tells the story of Panama as an important land bridge linking the Americas. Exhibits focus on the geology, flora and fauna, and history of human settlement in the country.
We enjoyed the beautifully filmed presentation that highlights Panama’s diverse ecosystems. The film is projected on three walls of the theater from floor to ceiling (and even on the floor and ceiling) for an immersive experience.
The museum is also noteworthy for the building itself, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. The Biomuseo is located on the scenic Amador Causeway which offers views of the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. I found it to be well worth a visit.
Gehry architecture
View from museum looking toward the Bridge of the Americas
By the time we left the museum everyone was getting quite hungry. Claudio had arranged for us to have lunch in Panama City’s historic district.
After Henry Morgan took Panama Viejo down in 1671, the city was rebuilt a few miles away on a peninsula that offered better options for defense than the original site had provided. Today, this “new” location is referred to as Casco Antiguo (or Casco Viejo) which basically equates to “Old Quarter”.
The small neighborhood oozes quaintness and charm with brick-lined streets, small, open plazas and a mix of architectural styles including Spanish colonial. The Presidential Palace is located here, as well as nice boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. The surrounding area is rather run-down and some of the buildings in the quarter are badly in need of renovation, but it’s a really cool place to stroll, shop and eat. It was a pretty afternoon, and I took about 20 million photos. Click on a circle below to enter the slide show gallery:
We ate at a little place called René Café that serves fixed price multi-course meals with a Caribbean flare. The food and the service were both very good. The restaurant sits next to the Metropolitan Cathedral which looks like a beautiful building from pictures I’ve seen. It was covered in tarps and scaffolding the day we were there… The cathedral looks out over Independence Plaza (Plaza de la Independencia), a lovely square in the center of the historic district.
We meandered through a few shops and got the overall feel of the place. We liked it a lot and could have easily spent more time there. Russ and I each bought a small woven bird mask at a local artisan shop to commemorate our visit.
My purchase in Panama’s historic district. The disembodied cat feet belong to Chauncey (one of my fine felines)
Last, but not least, on the day’s To Do list was a visit to the Miraflores locks on the Panama Canal. Large ships enter the lock system and are raised or lowered (depending on the travel direction) to accommodate the water level difference between Miraflores Lake and the Pacific Ocean. Miraflores is one of 3 sets of locks located along the Canal’s length.
Each ship pays a toll based on its weight in order to traverse the lock system. With tolls averaging in the neighborhood of $150,000 per ship, and 30-40 ships making the transit each day, it’s easy to see what an important source of revenue the Panama Canal has been for Panama.
The visitor center offers a wealth of information on the history, construction and operations of the Canal. There’s an interesting time lapse film shot from the bow of a ship that offers a first-person view of how these huge vessels pass through the locks. The piece de resistance is the center’s observation deck where you can actually watch the whole process unfold.
While we were there, a succession of large ships were guided into position by tugboats. Once a ship enters the lock, the water gates close, the water level rises, and electronic mules (they look like little train cars) pull it through the lock chamber. The whole thing really is a rather amazing sight to behold. I expected it to be interesting, but wasn’t prepared for how fascinating it is in-person.
The Panama Canal allows ships to make the journey between Pacific and Atlantic oceans in ~8-10 hours as opposed to the 2 weeks that would be required for them to sail around the tip of South America.
This was quite the action-packed day! Claudio still managed to have us back at the Canopy Tower in plenty of time for dinner.
That evening we shared stories with a group who had spent the day birding on the famous Pipeline Road. It was a fun conversational mix of Panama birds with Panama history.