One Beautiful Day in Panama

Who?  Bob  Where?   At this time of year, it’s very common to have afternoon rain in Panama City. For a few seconds as the rain clouds arrived, I caught this “stairway to heaven” off my balcony.  Even a rainy day can be beautiful!

Who? Leslie M.  Where? La Cinta Costera (coastal beltway)   A follow up to the previous picture and post, here you can see a statue and plaza dedicated to Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa. He is best known for having crossed the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513, becoming the first European to lead an expedition to have seen or reached the Pacific. There are quite a few areas of interest in Panama City’s newest park, La Cinta Costera, including playgrounds and swings for kids, large water fountains, and various basketball, soccer, and volleyball courts.

Who? Jeff   Where? La Cinta Costera (coastal beltway)  This picture is taken from one of the patron bridges to cross the new cinta costera road. The first phase was finished in April of this year, this project has made quite the impact on traffic in Panama city as well as serves as a great place to exericise with it’s jogging and bike paths located next to the bay.

Who? Sharon  Where? Panama Viejo   A couple of Panamanian women pose and take pictures wearing their polleras, Panama’s typical or traditional dress which can be seen throughout the country at various celebrations during the year. These dresses can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, and can take up to a year or more to make. These young ladies happen to be taking photos in front of the ruins of old Panama City (Panama Viejo). Some traditions have lasted hundreds or even thousands of years, and for good reasons.

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? 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.