More Panama with Bernie

One morning we rented bikes and rode along the Amador Causeway. We passed by the Biomuseo, designed by Frank Gehry. It will open sometime this year, I think.

Transportation is quite cheap in Panama. Buses within the city are 25 cents. Taxis should not be more than $5 (we learned to bargain because there are no meters in the cabs). The subway was free, and brand spanking new!

To get to the canal, we were adventurous and took a "red devil" bus. These buses are retired school buses from the U.S. They are owned by the bus drivers, who in turn are paid by the government to run the service. The buses are completely decked out! Eventually they will be discontinued, and replaced with official metro buses. Many Panamanians rely on these buses to get in and out of the city.

The Panama Canal was very impressive. It is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

We saw a bunch of cargo ships go through the Miraflores Locks. Some fun facts:
The locks drain faster than a bath tub.

- On average, 30 to 40 large boats go through the Canal each day.
- The average toll for a cargo ship to pass through the Canal is $300,000 USD.

There are two UNESCO heritage sites in Panama (but collectively recognized as one) - Casco Viejo (where we went twice for dinner and drinks), and  Panama Viejo, the original city.

Panama Viejo today is only ruins. And understandably so since it was originally built in the early 1500s.

We collected some souvenirs throughout the trip. Here's what Bernie brought back to his friends.

Thanks for the great time, Panama! We had a blast!

Panama with Bernie

Last month, I went on an amazing vacation to Panama! It was fun, steamy, and easy on the wallet. The Quatchis opted to stay at home. I'm glad they did too because the weather was in the high 40s / low 50s, and there were some intense (though brief) thunderstorms. Bernie, the Quatchi's new pal, had never been outside of Toronto. He was the perfect travel buddy!

On our first full day, we went to Contadora Island to go snorkelling and laze on the beach. I didn't bring my cell phone so unfortunately, no photos from that day.

The next day, we went to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. We took a 45-minute taxi ride outside of the city, and then another 45-minute ferry.

We hiked the whole morning, and saw lots of insects, amphibians, birds, and monkeys! See the monkey climbing up the tree?

 This is the Cinta Costera. It was a nice place to walk...until it started to pour!

We retreated to the nearby fish market and tried cheviche from a few vendors.

Not bad for $1.50, eh Bernie?

The rain continued to come down so we headed to Albrook Mall, the largest shopping centre in the country. We spent majority of our time in the supermarket. We bought a bunch of local snacks and drinks to try throughout the trip. Always a foodie at heart!

We stuffed our tummies and realized some exercise would be good for us. Since the sun was back, we went to the hotel pool.

After a swanky dinner at Maito (highly recommended!), we had a few cocktails at the Hard Rock Megapolis. The views were fantastic from the 62nd floor. Cheers to Bernie!

Our hotel was great. While most people tend to stay at resorts when they visit Panama, we stayed in the city centre, and did a bunch of day trips. I don't have a TV at home so it was a real treat to have so many movie channels in Panama. The room had two beds, so Bernie had one all to himself!

I'll post more photo soon!