Panama City and the Whistle Stop Tour
David, Panama, February 28, 2003
 There
is something about small towns that breath life into
the disheartened. Small towns generate a familiar tranquility.
They all have a central park, a church and a market.
People are friendly, they say hello and stop to talk.
Big cities will never have this familiarity. Yes big
cities have central parks, churches and markets but
there are so many neighborhoods that you really need
to live there for awhile before you get to know the
ones you like best.
Panama City is big. For some reason I had pictured
it as a small colonial town or an obscure port city
where Bogart would have ended up in one of his movies.
I imagined small coffee shops that served thick, dark
espresso to men in Panama hats. In other words my idea
of Panama City was frozen in time like those old Bogart
movies. Obviously this is not the case although I did
find a lot of coffee shops that serve thick, dark espresso
as regular coffee. Panama City is a busy, modern city
with a rich history and a potentially prosperous future
now that they have received control of the Panama Canal
from the U.S.A.
For my time in Panama City, which was short because I do not enjoy big cities, I visited the major landmark and engineering marvel of the world, the Panama Canal. How they make it work is actually quite the marvel. The emptying of the locks is based on gravity (naturally) but the filling of the locks is from a nearby river that has been dammed for this purpose. So this too is based on gravity. What I liked best about the Canal were the little trains that pull the ships along. They ride on a single monorail and are the size of a Volkswagen Bug.
The next day I went to the regional zoo just outside
of the city. Although the zoo is spread out over at
least a hectare or two, it is somewhat of a letdown
because the cages are small and the animals do not have
a lot of room. The entire place could use some serious
renovations for the animals' sake.
 Ironically,
many of Panama's endangered species can be found here.
However, their prize exhibit, the Harpie Eagle compound,
has redeeming qualities. It is new and has a small museum
with a display of the eagle's history and habitat. These
birds are the biggest aerial predators in the world.
Their talons and feet have a 10, maybe 12, inch spread.
What is really unique is that they spread their facial
feathers out as a kind of parabolic sonar to enhance
the detection of prey.
The next day I tried to visit the museum of gold artifacts but it was closed because the night before somebody robbed it. They got away with over 300 pieces of the 1,500 pieces of gold that are on exhibition.
There was not much else I wanted to see except the older parts of the city where present day Panama City was established. Here I found the central park, the church and the market all within a few blocks of each other. Familiarity flooded back to me and I realized my time here was complete.
This is also where I had to make a decision. Do I continue on to South America or do I turn around and head back north? Originally I had thought to travel the entire length of the Americas and then return by air to Canada. Now I realize that South America is an entirely different trip for me. South America is huge and although the culture is Spanish-based it is again as different as Mexico is to Panama.
 Throughout
my journey I have met some wonderful people with whom
I still keep in touch. Some of these people are going
or have gone on to South America. This only made my
decision all the harder. And so, Ryan, Avikal, Eve,
C.J. and brother Barry - may your journey be long and
joyous till we meet again on some distant road. Is my
trip over? Oh no, far from it. I have a few, far-flung
ideas that I will recount for you when they are actualized.
Besides that, there is still more to this part of the
journey.
After I left Panama City I was feeling a little down
hearted. The big city blues, the decision to turn around
and the general traveler blahs were beginning to weigh
upon my spirit. Someone once told me 'Go to the mountains
when you have got it together and go to the ocean when
you want to be free'. I was in Las Tablas when I realized
I did not want to be there. Yes, Las Tablas is the heartland
of Panamanian culture and I felt I should stay for Carnival but
I did not want to stay. Things were not happening for
me. When I decided to leave, to follow my own path,
things started happening for me again. I have talked
briefly about synchronicity. Synchronicity is not going
with the flow. It is flowing with purpose. More on synchronicity
later.
I made my way to the beach at Las Lajas which is no easy feat. The beach is about 20 kilometers off the Pan-American highway and is not serviced by buses. So I hitchhiked. A whole new world opened up for me. It is amazing how much you do not see until you hitchhike. It is amazing how many interesting people you meet when you hitchhike.
An older fellow with two young men in a Toyota pickup
gave me a ride. I hopped in the back and we were off.
A short while later we stopped and I thought this was
the end of the ride but instead they got out and started
collecting a strange looking fruit from the roadside
trees. This fruit is actually part of the cashew nut
which is called pepita in Spanish. The fruit is juicy,
sweet and very astringent. Wow, what a taste.
 After
a few more stops we arrive at the beach. Miguel, the
driver asks me where I plan on staying. I tell him I
thought I might camp on the beach. He asks me if I would
like to stay at his cabana down the beach. I agree and
he tells me to come by after 5 p.m. The beach is one
vast, flat expanse of sand as far as the eye can see
in both directions. Palm trees line the shore. Small
thatched-roof huts also line the beach but there are
few people here until the weekend; today is Monday.
At 5:30 p.m. I walk up the beach to the cabana. It
is a 2 storey cement beach house with all the amenities.
When you are traveling this could simply mean an indoor
bathroom but this one has a kitchen, 4 bedrooms upstairs
and fruit trees in the yard out back. Miguel is not
there. Victor, one of the young men that was in the
truck says Miguel will be back next week and that I
should make myself at home. Tibney, Miguel's son is
there with his girlfriend and four other friends. We
drink rum, talk about Canada, Panama and the differences.
In the morning they leave but will return on Saturday.
Tibney extends the invitation to show me the city of
David where he lives. Now, Victor and I are the only
ones there. Tranquility settles in as the sun sets.
We hunt for crabs in the evening and cook them in rice. We play dominoes for hours. I teach him to play crib. He teaches me the names of plants and fruit in the area and I taste every one. He paints during the day. I help him move the scaffolding. I give him the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull (in Spanish) and he consumes every page within a half day. It is the perfect place to read this book. The gulls sit on the shore and watch.
One night a local fisherman comes by with his daily
catch, a red snapper and a shark. The snapper is huge.
We have it for supper Panamanian style, salted, floured
and fried whole. It is incredibly delicious. The shark,
a young one, is a Great White. It is also delicious
I am told.
 I
have hours to explore the beach, finding treasures,
a watch, a knife, shells and green coconuts that are
fresh with milk. I exercise. I swim. I read and practice
Spanish. I play music. I watch rows of Pelicans glide
in the crest of waves, rise with the curl and crash
and then swoop to the next wave. I watch the sunrise
in umber-tinged clouds. I take photos of reflected pointillism
in the sand. I cook and I sleep the sleep of the dead.
Early Friday morning (today) I decide to go to David
for a few days, get in touch with friends and to experience
Carnival (but that is another story). I take only my
mandolin and hitchhike to the town of Las Lajas 14 kilometers
away. Then I catch a ride to San Felix another 6 kilometers
away. The people giving me the ride ask me where I am
going. I say I am catching the bus to David. They are
going there too and offer me a ride. So here I am in
David. Synchronicity is not merely a signal or sign.
It is a joining of lives that allows us to share life.
We are active participants that are acted upon, when
we so choose. For some reason it is especially strong
in travelers. Follow your spirit with intent my friends,
happy travels.
Postscript: When I had left Panama City, I was not
in good spirits. My heart was not in my travels through
the heartland of Panama (Penonome, Chitre, Las Tablas
and Santiago) but I did take a few pictures
that you might enjoy - if so, hang on to the handrail
folks because here is the 'Whistle
Stop Tour' of Panama's heartland.
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Caribbean Beaches of Costa Rica and Panama
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