One Beautiful Day in Panama

Who? Jimmy  Where?  Isla Grande  A fisherman and his primary transportation are seen cutting across the clear water in front of the Black Christ (Christo Negro) statue located just offshore of Isla Grande on the Caribbean side of Panama.

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?  “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?  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.

Who?  Jeff Lane  Where?  It’s not all sunshine in Panama.  And it’s not always a brilliantly colorful sunset.  But it can still be very beautiful.  In this photo, a boater heads home at day’s end among the islands of Bocas del Toro in northwest Panama on the Caribbean coast.

Who?  Mike Manifold  Where?   You may not be far from Panama City, seen in the background wfith ships waiting to enter the Panama Canal, but it can seem as if you are somewhere far, far away from the urban sprawl.  This is an area west of the city, across the Canal, as relaxed as the city is busy.

Who?  Jeff Lane  Where?  Relative to other seas and oceans, the Caribbean is well-loved for its clear waters and interesting marine life.  This is an excellent example of both from Bocas del Toro in the far north-west of Panama.  The photo was not taken underwater, but taken above.  Despite having to photograph through water, the little local residents are clearly there to be seen and enjoyed.

Who? Terry Phipps  Where? Here in Las Olas (literally “the waves” in English) on the Pacific coast in the western province of Chiriqui, a group of our favorite Panamanians are on their way to another beautiful day in Panama.  Los pelicanos (pelicans) are a common and welcome sight on our beaches.

Photographer: Terry Phipps  Where?  Scuba divers love Panama’s Caribbean coast, surfers love Panama’s Pacific coast, but everyone loves the coast, wherever it is.  In this case, we are on the Pacific in Chiriqui province of Panama’s “far west”.  Specifically, this area is called Las Olas (The Waves) and it takes very little time to understand why.