By Jason Sweeney
 Photos courtesy of Russell Stromberg Above, the newly completed Centennial Bridge spans the Panama Canal’s Miraflores Locks. |
Green mountains overgrown with dense rain forest swelter beneath the brilliant equatorial sun. The unearthly roars of howler monkeys reverberate through a labyrinth of jungle vegetation. In the corner of the eye, colors flash as toucans and macaws wing through the lush rainforest canopy. Jaguars, puma and black panthers prowl this forest on the hunt for giant tapirs and wayward hikers.
As one emerges onto a ridge overlooking a vista of tropical wilderness, the unexpected superstructure of a cruise ship glides silently between the green peaks. Scandinavian seniors sunbathe on the deck or lean over the rail attempting to focus zoom lenses on spider monkeys swinging through the trees as the luxury liner passes through the Panama Canal’s Culebra Cut.
Also known as the Gaillard Cut, the Culebra Cut is the narrowest section of the canal. A hiker up on the ridges can watch ships cruising by through the trees without catching sight of the narrow waterway in the gorge below. The Culebra Cut was the most difficult section of the canal’s construction. Mudslides, disease and blasting accidents took the lives of laborers as massive steam-powered earth-moving machines cut a narrow path through the Continental Divide at the turn of the 20th century.
The days of Spanish conquistadors, English pirates and privateers, American gunboat diplomacy and, more recently, dictators like Manuel Noriega have receded into Panamanian history, but they have left their mark on Panama’s landscape, architecture and culture.
Unlike Jamaica or neighboring Costa Rica, Panama has yet to be overrun by North American and European tourists looking for a few days of fun and sun. Although the country still suffers from many of the maladies of developing nations, it is a constitutional democracy with one of Latin America’s strongest middle classes, supported mainly by revenue from the Panama Canal and a strong banking sector. With many of its citizens fluent in English and the American dollar the official currency in Panama, two hassles of being an American abroad are alleviated.
The country is small, about 60 miles wide at its narrowest point, but it offers varied opportunities for adventure. One can surf the point breaks of the Pacific in the morning and in the afternoon scuba dive the clear waters of the Atlantic in search of Sir Francis Drake’s bones.
Portobelo, on Panama’s Atlantic coast, is one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas and the end point for mule trains that hauled Peruvian silver across the isthmus in the 1500s and 1600s. Spanish galleons anchored in Portobelo’s beautiful harbor while being loaded with Inca treasure were inviting targets for the likes of Sir Francis Drake and Capt. Henry Morgan, who sacked and burned the city. Portobelo’s old Spanish forts remain. The cannons that centuries ago fired cannonballs at bloodthirsty pirates now overlook the occasional yacht anchored in the sleepy harbor. Scuba divers soak up the sun to Portobelo’s Caribbean rhythms between dives in search of Drake’s legendary lead coffin, lying undiscovered somewhere on the ocean floor off the Portobelo coastline. Farther down the coast is the resort island of Isla Grande, where surfers and sunbathers relax in bamboo bungalows beneath coconut groves.
Off a remote region on Panama’s Atlantic Coast is an archipelago of small sand islands known as the San Blas. These islands are home to the Cuna Indians, a fiercely independent tribe never conquered by the Spanish. The Cuna, an industrious and well-organized tribe, are known for their small stature, artwork and colorful dress. A visit to their islands entails days of snorkeling with porpoises and barracuda off coconut tree-covered islets, and nights eating lobster and red snapper while sipping Soberana beer at the open-air restaurant of a thatched island hotel. Visitors to the San Blas usually leave laden with Cuna jewelry and Cuna molas, a type of woven artwork that sells for high prices in the North American and European marketplaces.
In contrast to the Caribbean culture of the Atlantic coast, Panama’s Pacific coast is known for its surf and sandy beaches and the “campesino” (peasant or farm worker) lifestyle of the interior. Rio Teta, about an hour’s drive from Panama City, is a popular surf spot. Surfers ride the hollow waves that break on the reef at the river mouth. Bikini-clad Latinas soak up the sun or ride ATVs over the dunes. Humid nights are spent drinking and dancing to merengue and salsa music at campesino dance hall gatherings, called “ping dings.”
Farther up the Pan-American Highway, past the condos, hotel resorts and golf courses, one leaves the beaten path and enters the farmland of the interior, where quaint Latin American towns are centered around Catholic churches and Spanish plazas. Comfortable hotels and hearty meals can be found in the interior for bargain prices. About a day’s drive up the Pan-American Highway from Panama City, the remote beaches of Playa Venao and Catalina are where serious surfers go for big wave surfing free of crowds, and free of many of the amenities of modern life.
The Perlas Islands, an island chain off the Pacific Coast, made famous by CBS’ “Survivor,” are legendary for deep-sea fishing. The island of Contadora, where the Shah of Iran hid out from the Ayatollah Khomeini after Iran’s revolution, is the destination of choice in the Perlas because of its luxury hotel and golf course. Contadora’s airstrip makes the island easily accessible from Panama City.
The jewel of Panama is the province of Bocas Del Toro. The province’s pristine beaches and crystal clear waters have yet to be fully exploited by developers. Bocas Del Toro’s remoteness is part of its charm. Undiscovered by the average tourist, it waits to be explored by the intrepid traveler in search of a hammock to lounge in under the palms while sipping a cool drink in a Caribbean paradise.
The best time to visit Panama is December or early January, between the rainy and dry seasons. For more information, log on to www.visitpanama.com or www.panamatours.com.
