On our last day in Panama City before heading back to Pedasi, we actually got to visit the ruins of Old Panama City.
Panama Viejo was the original Panama City until it was destroyed in 1671. Those pesky pirates!!
We took the shuttle to the main exhibit, although there is lots to see throughout. There are several buildings that have been restored and our first stop was the tower. Some of us even climbed to the top. Heather and Mike are way up at the top of the tower.
So much to see: the ruins of churches, convents, a hospital, a cistern and much more.
Our next stop was the Smithsonian Nature Centre at Punta Culebra. It is located on the Amador Causeway and our first good look at ships waiting to go in the canal.
The nature centre was very well done and interesting. Heather wanted to see a sloth in its natural habitat. We saw five plus a baby attached to his mommy hanging in a tree. Those sloths are not in captivity, it’s their home.
Momma and baby
Daryl almost stepped on this one!
A short walkway through the trees and another attraction completed.
The nature centre is across the road from the port where a big cruise ship was docked. Seems like there has been a large shopping district built up around it. We sure enjoyed the gelato.
Not realizing yesterday was a national holiday, we tried to go to Panama Viejo, Old Town. When we got there, it was closed. Not all was lost, as next door was a mall filled with artisanal shops where we did a bit of browsing, and made a few purchases.
After a quick change in plans, we decided to go to Casco Viejo. Even though Daryl and I have visited multiple times, we still had a great time wandering around.
The beautifully maintained churches were a great start to our day of many steps.
Each church is unique and showcases something different.
This nativity scene is truly incredible. It is hard to imagine the amount of work that went into each piece!
We found a museum dedicated to the construction of the Panama Canal, the life and politics of the time, and the emergence of Panama as an independent country. We all found this very enlightening; we easily spent a few hours there.
After a visit to the market our feet were just about worn out!!
Time to call it a day and find food. The Korean BBQ seemed to fill the bill.
Another full day in the city with Mike and Heather.
Daryl and I have been in Panama for a month already. We have really not done anything touristy. Thankfully that changed when Heather and Mike arrived.
With all of the protests and roads closures that have been happening, it seemed the safest way to get to the city was during the middle of the night. So that’s what we did. Left Pedasi at 10 PM and arrived at our hotel just after 3AM. Smooth sailing all the way.
Heather’s and Mike’s flight arrived, and they are ready to see this beautiful country.
Finding an activity for Monday was a bit of a challenge. Most things are closed on Mondays, or open fewer days of the week, with the significant decrease in tourists.
We ended up going to the Embera Indigenous Village and it was a great trip. Before getting on the bus (only us) we were warned that if the road was blocked we would have to return as there is no work around. During the 45 minute trip we had no problems.
It was so worth it. We took little dug-out boats to go to the village.
The boat ride up (or down) the river had the most incredible scenery. Lots of other boats were also making the trip.
We arrived at the village to music.
What an interesting day. We were entertained, taught about the local culture. And fed. What more could a person want!
Food is cooked on an open fire (the stove) and every house has one.
Our plates were plantain or banana leaves made into a cone with a hibiscus for decoration.
One of my favourite stories is the punishment for a crime. Both ankles go in a wooden block with cut outs. A board goes across the top and you sit like this for three hours a day for five days. To make the punishment a bit more memorable honey is outlined around the person. Apparently the ants love it.
The main sources of income are tourists and crafts. All the crafts, and the dye used, is made from locally sourced material. The black in this bowl is achieved by soaking the material in mud for four days. Labour is charged at $1 per day. This bowl was $35 so a lot of work went into it.
This lovely lady is the local midwife. She is 84 years young and going strong.
After lunch entertainment was dancing. The little kids were so cute.
To end our tour, we did another boat ride through the jungle, then a walk along the rocky river bank, to a waterfall. We arrived at the same time as a group of school kids. Lots of people took their shoes off but the rocks were killers on bare feet!
Mike went for a refreshing cooldown.
The trek back was just fine. A walk, jungle boat ride, and an air conditioned ride to our hotel. Without any stoppages.
We ended our day with a walk along the boardwalk and dinner at the fish market.
A great first day of vacation with Mike and Heather.
During the entire four weeks we have been in Panama there have been road closures and protests throughout the country. It has had minimal impact on our day to day living, except we have not taken any road trips off the peninsula.
It is still rainy season and this makes beach walks on a cloudy day very enjoyable. Still hot and muggy but not blistering! The power of Mother Nature, and the size of the driftwood, continues to amaze.
We don’t seem to have much trouble keeping busy. Last year we tried our hand at growing ‘things’ from seeds or cuttings. We nurtured our little seedlings in pots and watched them grow. Before leaving Panama last April we planted everything and hoped for the best. It is amazing how much survived during the dry season without being watered. Picture on the left is March 2023, the other is current, November 2023. Not everything survived, still impressive!
Last year we were given several natural loofahs. We sprouted and planted some of the seeds, and they survived the dry season! Maybe some year we will have a fruitful plant.
This year we have a few other plants we are going to try growing from scratch.
We have a maracuyá vine (Passion fruit) growing along the fence in the backyard. Daryl took one that had fallen on the ground, broke it open and planted it. Now we wait and see. Of course we may have to wait until it gets ripe.
Coconuts are plentiful here. Daryl is getting very good with the machete.
As well as the pulp, this one had about two cups of coconut water. Good thick coconut milk makes great rice.
We are also going to try growing a coconut tree. This baby goes in water for three days, then gets planted. Apparently we should see a sprout within three months.
We make yogourt in 6-7 hours and kombucha in 5-6 days. This kombucha is pineapple. And, yes, repurposed wine bottles work.
Life has been quiet in the ‘out and about’ bit, however, no complaints from this end.
A lot of people have been asking what the protests and road closures currently happening in Panama are about.
My understanding is:
A Canadian copper mining company, First Quantum, has been operating in Panama for a few years now. Recently their contract was renegotiated and expanded.
It seems several groups of Panamanian are not ok with this. Lots of environmental concerns have been raised and throughout the country people are protesting, it seems mostly with road blockades.
Some parts of the country are more affected than others. Other than a shortage of some vegetables that have to be shipped in, Pedasi has been ‘normal’.
Hard to believe we have been in Panama for over two weeks. The protests and road blocks started the day after we arrived and continues. For us it means no trips further afield. Why take a chance of getting stuck in a road block when we have everything we need right here in this little town.
This time of year the ocean is relatively calm. And because it is still in rainy season there is enough cloud cover to make hanging out at the beach quite comfortable. Easy to make this our main activity.
And walking is always a pleasure.
We have friends who have gone on vacation and are generously letting us use their pool. It is a pretty sweet spot!
Well, we were standing in the pool talking when Daryl gently started moving me to a different spot. Then he said “a frog just bumped into my leg”. Guess he knew what my reaction would have been if that had been my leg! Daryl rescued it.
Probably not as big as it looked.
And then there are the fun things we don’t get to do at home. How often can you get your machete out in the back yard and hack open a coconut? This young coconut has a ton of yummy water.
It has been a very quiet couple of weeks. Certainly not going to say it has been boring!
We arrived in Panama City on a Sunday evening, hearing reports there was going to be country wide protests starting the next day. After a quick dinner at the hotel dining room we went to bed. The alarm clock had gone off at 3 AM in Calgary so it had been a very long day.
Our appointment at immigration was not until Tuesday morning. That gave us a full day to relax and recover. Our plan was quite simple, relax at the pool.
Shortly after breakfast we could hear noises outside…and we were on the 12th floor. A peaceful protest was taking place on the street below us. There seems to be a lot of unhappy people in this country right now!
We did get to spend a lovely day at the pool and pretty much nothing else.
And of course always time for food. This lovely little restaurant was just a block or so from the hotel.
Our first seafood meal. Maybe not the first libation!
We actually got to watch a protest and roadblock a hundred or so meters down the street. Thankfully peaceful with singing and dancing.
The next day our appointment at immigration was at 10:30 AM. By 9 o’clock we received an email from our lawyer saying due to potential road closures either go early or try another day. We are already in town so may as well just go. The Uber went straight there. By 10:30 we were already finished and walked out the proud owners of Panamanian Permanent Residency cards. As we were out and about we thought we may as well get our drivers license renewed. Again the Uber took us there without any issues and the licensing process went smoothly. However, on our way back to the hotel every main road was closed with protestors. After taking several side streets, and coming across only one street with burning tires, we made it.
We wanted to go to Pedasi the next day, Wednesday, and needed to make arrangements. There were no flights into Pedasi so we tried to book with a private shuttle that we had used last year. Unfortunately, due to the protests the shuttle was cancelled. Luckily we were able to book the last two seats on a flight into Chitre (just over an hour from Pedasi). And with a little help from a friend were able to book a driver to bring us the rest of the way.
A quick Uber trip to the mall for SIM cards and road snacks, and our city tasks were completed.
At 6:30 the next morning the roads to Allbrook Airport were open and clear. Our little 24 seater plane was ready and waiting.
A cloudy day to be leaving Panama City. Also a pretty good view of the canal.
We arrived in Chitre to a fabulous day. Our driver was waiting for us and by 1030 we were in Pedasi. No problems whatsoever.
I hear we were very lucky. Our driver got stuck in a road block on his way back to Chitre.
Now let’s hope there is a peaceful quick resolution to the issues at hand.
On a cold grey rainy day, our last full day in St. John’s, we went to Bell Island. It was just a 20 minute drive from St. John’s to the ferry.
A 20 minute ferry ride and we were across ‘the tickle’.
Our first stop was a tour of the old iron ore mine. It was an incredible experience.
At one time the Bell Island mine was one of the largest producers of good quality iron ore in the world. It was open from 1895 to 1966. At its peak the islands population was about 12,000. Now the population is just over 2000.
Our guide was very knowledgeable. Her dad was a miner until he had a mining accident and had a significant injury. She gave us a ton of information. Below is a replica of all the mine shafts. We only toured the portion in white, the mine actually went miles under the ocean.
It was a little chilly ‘down below’. A constant 6C.
We had a nice gravel path to walk on, the miners did not. At one point the guide turned off the lights, it was blacker than black! Initially those miners had a candle attached to their cloth helmet as their only light source. There were lots of tools on display. A long bar that was used to break the ore loose after it was blasted weighed 30 pounds. Imagine what your arms felt like after a 10 hour work day.
Horses worked along side the men for the full 10 hours a day. There were stables in the mines and the horses would stay down for a month. Then they would go above ground for a month. Before going above ground their eyes would be wrapped in layers of fabric. Then a layer would be removed daily for several days. Otherwise the horses would go blind.
The mine shaft was on a gradual downward slope and we eventually came to a large pool of water. The balance of the mine is now flooded and used by divers.
Next we went to the lighthouse. The views were spectacular. We met three other groups: from Ontario, Saskatchewan and BC.
Our next stop was Lance Cove, Seamans Memorial.
Not sure if the writing is legible, but Bell Island was the only place in North America to take a torpedo hit during World War ll.
Our last stop was Grebes Nest. I thought it was a birding place, but no birds. At the end of the road we could see this rock sticking up.
It was a short walk to the beach and then there was a cave. Daryl went through the cave to another beach. It was pitch black inside so I chose not to go.
Another day in the books. What a fabulous vacation.
Petty Harbour is just a short drive from St. John’s. When we started out mid morning, it was cold and raining (socks and sandals kind of weather).
I read an article that stated this community goes back to the 1700s and is one of the most photographed village in Newfoundland.
We visited a mini aquarium. All the sea creatures are local and released back into the ocean at the end of summer. This is just a tiny sampling.
The little aquarium was right on the dock. After leaving we continued further down the dock and found a lot of cod fish being cleaned. Those guys were able to fillet a fish in just a few seconds. Yes we were able to get some. So fresh. So good.
We thought our next stop would be Witless Bay Ecological Reserve to see puffins. Not quite what happened. We ended up on a dead end road. Apparently the puffins nest on a little island in the ocean. You either need good binoculars or a boat.
All was not lost. We were at the start of a segment of the East Coast Trail so did a bit of hiking along the ocean.
As a child, I remember camping at Big Falls and my dad would go salmon fishing. As Daryl and I were driving on the highway, we found the park on maps and would be passing close by. What an opportunity to see if my memories were correct.
The park is actually called Sir Richard Squires Memorial Provincial Park and was about 15 km off the highway. All bumpy dirt road! But so worth the slow ride. And there it was, Big Falls.
The park was beautiful with well over a hundred treed, private campsites. We took the path to the falls which was just as in my memories.
We could hear the falls roaring in the distance and then get glimpses of the rushing water.
There were no fishermen. Apparently there usually are people fishing in the still water below the fall.
However we saw dozens of salmon jumping up those falls. We never saw any actually make it, but it must happen!
On our way back to the car we saw the cutest, well camouflaged frog. It patiently sat and posed.
Time to get back on the road before the rain comes…..and come it did!
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