Before we got to the locks, though, we realized that there were other important and interesting places to visit around the city. The first stop of our 'ubertourist' day was to the old town of Casco Viejo, which was the second birthplace of this great city. The first iteration of Panama City, designated Panama Viejo, was attacked and razed by Captain (Henry) Morgan in 1671, and Casco Viejo was built soon after. In order to protect the city from further pirate attacks, the new location was built surrounded by walls on a peninsula a few kilometres away. This area was originally called Las Siete Calles because it is comprised of seven streets that each offered their own distinct wares and services (ie. butcher's street, shopkeeper's) at the time. While these services have evaporated, the numerous churches remain and sprinkle the area with ancient architecture and charm. The narrow, paved streets wind in and out of old convents, cathedrals, art galleries, parkettes and plazas. Not all the buildings have been properly preserved though, and it is evident that the Panamanian government is pouring money into the area to continue developing it into a tourist draw.
If the ancient sights weren't enough for one location, Casco Viejo also holds the distinction of housing the home of the President of Panama, which also happens to be White. We were amazed by the amount of access we had to this important building as we were allowed to walk right up to the front entrance, taking pictures the entire time. We simultaneously felt very touristy and VIP.
Although Casco was big in history and things to see, it is actually quite a small area and did not take very long to peruse completely so we had enough time to kill two sights with one bus pass and see the Canals also. I was interested to know that the Canals were originally built by the States as a means to encourage cross-world shipping and generate profits. In return for the materials and expertise in designing and building the Canals in 1913, the agreement between the US and Panama decreed a small strip of land on either side of the Canals as American soil. As such, the canals and profits generated by them were American property, which were shared with Panama as a percentage. Because of the vast amount of money they generated, the people of Panama sought control of the Canals and eventually won their battle, with the locks being turned over to its native country in 1999. To give you a sense of how much money is made by these locks, while we visited them we watched two huge cargo ships cross through and were told, via the PA, that the Canals generated, just from these two ships, over $500,00US in revenue. When we were told this we couldn’t help but wonder where all this money goes – Panama was not a desolate country but it by no means seemed as if the money easily trickled down into the country’s communities.
The locks themselves were obviously immense and impressive. There are two sets of locks so two ships can be brought from one ocean’s level to another simultaneously. There are plans for expansion, adding three more passageways further West from the current site. It’s amazing to think that there is an ever-increasing demand for shipment considering the size of the ships that can already pass through. The largest container ships in the world are called Panamax ships and are designed specifically to pass through the locks with two inches of clearance all around them. These are massive. I would estimate that, on deck, there are at least 5x5x15 (375) shipping containers visible, and we were told that the ships had a much higher capacity below deck than above. Considering a transport truck carries only one or two of these containers, you can get a sense of the amount of cargo that these vessels can carry. We watched the ships for about an hour and then enjoyed a coffee and dessert at the attached gourmet restaurant. We felt very sophisticated and cultured.
The next day we visited the Causeway, which is a long manmade bridge of land that connects the main city to a small island within the bay. It is about 4km long and very narrow, but provides a great place for locals to walk, run and bike, and is also a favourite tourist stroll, providing an outlet from the hustle and bustle of the city. We rented bikes and went up and down the area, stopping to look off one side at the city and docks; huge yachts obstructing the view to the towering buildings in the distance, and watch the ships lumber their way into the Canals on the other. We ate dinner this night at a great pizzeria at the end of the Causeway, which allowed us great views of the city as the sun set and the light show of a powerful storm that rolled in.
We had officially checked off all of the major sights to see in Panama and were pleasantly surprised – although many can say they’ve ‘passed through’ Panama, we are proud to have stopped and smelled the boat fumes.
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