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Who? Ron Where? Amador Causeway - It is the rainy season and we get many quick rainstorms that move over different parts of Panama that tend to drop a lot of rain in a short amount of time. Here from the Amador Causeway you can literally see the rain covering a large portion of downtown Panama City.
Who? Jeff Where? Gamboa The Titan Crane, among the largest floating cranes in the world was originally built by Germany in 1941, moved to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1948 and finally sold to the Panama Canal and put into service in 1999. The Titan “floating” crane is used to maintain the canal locks, the tip of the main boom towers 114m (374 ft) above the water and can lift 350 metric tons!
Who? Jeff Where? Streets of Bella Vista, picture taken near sunset from Parque Urraca, a park located in the middle of downtown in Panama City’s Bella Vista neighborhood.
Who? Jeff Where? El Palmar (The Palm Grove) is an area to the west of Panama City on the Pacific coast of Panama province. But it obviously has a lot more to offer than just palm trees. The Pacific is the surfing side of Panama while the Caribbean is the snorkling side. How fortunate to have two oceans to choose from and less than fifty miles (eighty kilometers) separating them.
Who? Jeff Lane Where? Panama’s Caribbean coast is far less developed and less populated than its Pacific coast, but it is just as vibrant culturally, more so in the minds of some. Among other groups, our Afro-Caribbean citizens are particularly active here and the artwork above is evidence of their influence. The photo was taken in the charming village of Portobelo, east of Colon city.
Who? Jaime Toro Where? Along with the exceptional economic growth of Panama in recent years has come a flood of new automobiles. Panama City is a very old city (the oldest city on the Pacific Coast of the Western Hemisphere) and it was not built for this much traffic. One step taken by the government is the construction of a Cinta Costera (Coastal Beltway) across part of the bay that will allow much of the traffic to avoid the downtown area. As you can see, the new “belt” is being tightened and is expected to be completed by June of this year.
Who? “Bill’s friend” Where? Nearly everyone interested in Panama has seen photos of the huge ships that cross our nation on the Panama Canal every day. But let us not forget that they are greatly outnumbered by boats of far more modest size. The one above is resting ashore just off the Rio Bayano (Bayano River) near the town of Chepo in eastern Panama. The Rio Bayano is a major route to the ocean for fishermen and women and this is how they get there. These boats may be utilitarian, but like so many things in Panama, they add their “color” to please the eye.
Who? Jeff Where? Despite being only half the size of Florida, we have sixteen national parks in Panama. This photo of palm fronds was taken in the Camino de Cruces National Park, just outside of Panama City. In Panama, some of our most beautiful views are of the simple things that surround us every day.
Who? Bob Where? People who have never lived in the tropics may think the only trees, especially along the beach, are palm trees. Not so. In truth, although palms certainly exist in large numbers on Panamanian beaches, there is a much greater variety. Above, you see a very common example, but more importantly, you see more than a tree or a beach. You see a sample of the warm tranquility that we so much love in Panama. This photo was taken near the little town of Pedasí on the Azueros peninsula of central Panama.
Who? Jeff Lane Where? Who needs expensive toys when you are young and there is plenty of sand around? Kids up north may burrow through snow drifts, but kids in Panama can do the same without wearing heavy winter clothes! These young men are enjoying the sand of the beaches of Isla Taboga (Taboga Island), also called the “Island of Flowers”, just a few miles off the coast near Panama City.