From Arizona to Panama Canal

Panama continued to amaze me at every turn.  I chose to fly from Costa Rica for several reasons (time, logistics with car, added adventure, etc…) and, in the end, I am slightly torn but feel it was the correct decision.  I had driven over 4,300 miles; walked over 130-miles, and climbed about 740 flights of stairs to get to Jaco Beach and was up against the clock.  I decided on making a trade off and to drive an equal distance from Panama City to Darien gap.  The Darien gap is at the very end of the pan American highway.  Few people actually drive this 140 mile road to the end because it is one way to nowhere and requires a return.  I calculated that it was almost the equal distance to drive to Costa Rica from the city; so, we headed out.  The road was surprising full of life and not as deserted, as I thought it would be.  It has a few towns on it as it cuts through farming and rural communities.  Things seemed untouched and unbothered by the modern city at the other end.  People truly live remotely here and there is a strong sense of community and outsiders are immediately noticed.  No special treatment for us, as people seemed to look at us with watchful eye.  The town of Yaviza is the end of the road with the Darien gap across the river.  The Darien gap is an area that covers the Panamanian/Columbia border with no roads and countless tribes.  It is a bit lawless and ungovernable.  Further, it is an area where drugs flow across the border and begin there trek to America and world.  You have to go through about 5-6 military check points along the road before entering the town.  One of the checkpoints runs your passport through its system and “checks you in and checks you out”.  The town was a bit surreal, in that, you are at the end of the road with only one way out.  The town was very small and filled with people sitting around in doorways, along the river, and in groups.  The people seemed to be more African in appearance and not indigenous, as I thought they would be.  The whole scene was not unlike my many days working in the inner-city of Philadelphia.  I kind of felt at home after a few minutes.  We drove the road through the town to the very end.  It was barely wider than our car and was wedged between houses and rundown buildings. There was no way to turn around and we could only move forward past the hoards of people gathered on this Good Friday.  We took it in stride, and Rick took many pictures of the town.  At one point, we went in a store to get a soda and a young lady behind the counter asked why we were there in perfect English.  She was from Toronto and recently graduated from the university.  She was working in her parents store.  Apparently, she warned us that it was dangerous to be there and we should be careful.  Rick seemed unconcerned, so we carried on with taking pictures but kept an eye out.  I have been to many questionable places and situations over the years and this place is at the top.  I am glad we went, but still feel unsettled by the “trapped” at the end of a road with only one escape route available.  It really had little to do with the actual people but everything to do with geographical and local economy of the town. Anyhow, the last military checkpoint was on the edge of town and I was happy to clear it.  Pictures could not capture the town and the feeling associated with actually being there.

We took a hike through a small forest to the top of a large hill overlooking the city.    It is quite a sight and the skyline is impressive.   Most people, I believe, have no idea that it is a modern city with hundreds of skyscrapers.  It is the influx of foreign capital and the incentive by government to have ex-pats live there full time.  It seems to be a work in progress, as most buildings have few lights on.  It seems to be more speculation than success.  The historical section of town is called Casco Viejo.  It is build on a small peninsula towards the mouth of the Panama Canal. A few decades ago, this was a run down and crumbling section of town, but it all changed when people began to pour money into restoration of the old buildings.  I would say that it is about 70% restored with many hotels, restaurants, and stores leading the way.  It is like walking back in time or in some old European city.  The roads are narrow and packed with people.  Every few blocks the roads open onto a square that has a host of activity.  Of course, all have a church and “green area or park” in the middle.  We ate at one sidewalk cafe and just watched the people stroll by.   There is a great vibe there and I am impressed by the progress since my last visit.   Rick said that he was surprised by the city in general and it was much better that he had thought it would be.  I was very happy to end our journey here.  I had taken on a challenge and completed it.  I will return home and take stock in my childhood dream.   I am having a difficult time processing everything over the past 42-days, but I realized one thing…it was not as difficult as I thought it would be.  I am thinking of another “more difficult” trip in the future.  Until then, I will have to work on selling it to MFL.  They do not call me resfeberNick for no reason (well nobody actually calls me this).   Thanks for following and I hope to have a summary in the next few days.