The Canal and Portobello (1/12/11-1/13)

Panama Canal


ship being pulled into the locks

On my third day in the city, while I waited for a response from PanamaAir about my reservation request to San Blas - a response that never came - I took a taxi over to the Miraflores Locks. These are the closest to the city and this is the location of the visitors center and all the tourist stuff you would expect (I bought a t-shirt). The guide books say either get here early or around 3pm for the afternoon boats going from the Atlantic to the Pacific. I got here around 1pm, and there is literally nothing happening. I was going to grab lunch in the restaurant but that was a $25 buffet or nothing. I went with nothing. I'm borderline ready to bolt when a big red ship finally comes into view. This ship is carrying autos., we're told, and they paid some$272k for the right to sail through the canal. If I heard it right, these transactions are done with cash only. Now you see where all the money to build up the city and maintain all the fine roads comes from. It's also easy to see where the canal seriously needs the widening that is currently underway. It really is impressive to see it in person, a 2-step procedure to drop the ship down the 26' needed to get back to sea level. An oil tanker was close behind in the nearby lock, paying only $70k+ for their transit.


the canal at Gamboa

On the drive back from Portobello two days later, I ended up taking the road that parallels the canal north up to a town called Gamboa. The road passes through lush jungle and there is a national park along here. At Gamboa the road opens up to the canal and I'm able to watch a few large ships make their way down to the locks followed closely by tugs. There is no one else here and this is my favorite view. If you want to treat yourself, try the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Beautiful place.



Portobello

After 3 days in the city I was itching to move along. I also got nowhere with my San Blas plans which was disappointing, to say the least. I underestimated the difficulty of making plans on-the-fly in this area. All along this trip, things have just fallen into place for the most part. Not here. The woman at the hotel desk was able to give me excellent directions over to the highway north, and I was actually out of the city in 5 minutes.


north up the ishtmus

over to Isla Grande

The highway north, a $1 toll road, is an almost perfect 4-lane ribbon of concrete (those canal dollars again) and I'm able to haul up to the Atlantic coast in less than an hour. I follow the road up to Portobello and then beyond to the end of the road where you can park and take a boat taxi, for $2, over to Isla Grande. I've heard mixed reviews on this island, but thought I might stay a night, or two, so I lugged over a bag with me. The boat ride takes about 4 minutes, and a real man would simply swim across. If only I didn't have the bag.

Well, maybe I was on the wrong side of the island, but things looked pretty rundown to me. Not to mention, the hotels were charging prices so high I had to laugh. For this shithole? Really? LOL. Maybe they should call it Isla Rip-off. And the beaches I read about were another joke. I can see if a person in the city uses this as a getaway, but for a tourist there are hundreds of other beaches and islands to occupy your time. Another 4 minute ride back to the car.

main drag on the isla

I drove back down to Portobello where I grabbed a room at the Coco Plum. Nice enough with a restaurant where I had creole shrimp with coconut milk rice. Pretty tasty. Because of the lay of the land here, I also got to watch the sunset over the Atlantic, a first for me.


spanish fort at Portobello

The weather along this coast has been brutal, with the ongoing rains washing out roads and shutting down businesses. Even the fortress ruins in the picture were half covered in mud, and the town of Portobello has sustained a lot of damage. This is pirate country and Francis Drake is supposed to be buried in a lead coffin in a nearby bay. They're still looking for it. I didn't see it. Less than a hundred years later it was Henry Morgan's turn. He must of been totally insane, raping and pillaging any and all settlements around here, including destroying the original Panama City. Hard to believe he has a rum in his name. The rain has been letting up a bit lately, but it rained again in the morning and it doesn't look promising for any beachside camping. I decide to drive out to nearby Nombre de Dios to see if my attitude might change, but there really is nothing to grab my eye here, though the drive is pretty. This town turns out to be the end of the road for me on the southern leg of the journey.

Panama City area
click to enlarge





'Name of God'...sponsored by Coke?
end of the road

With the Atlantic coast not impressing me and the dicey weather, my day ends at 5pm north (west) at Coronado, day #107 at the bottom left of the map. I had wanted to go to Playa Coronado, but this beach turns out to be a gated community. Without a proper reservation I was told to turn my white trash butt right around. My only regret here is not getting to San Blas, but that could be another trip one day. I can see 2 weeks between there, the city and the nearby Chagres National Park where some eco-lodges are located. Someday, with more planning; some reservations would help. The other thing is that by my third day in the city I was beginning to feel a tug back to the north, and so it's time to begin the drive in the other direction. Even taking the PanAm beyond Panama City was not very attractive, as I was told the road beyond Chepo (maybe 30 miles east of the city) was in really bad shape due to the rains. So, driving some bad road for a couple hundred miles roundtrip just to say I did it was not my idea of fun.