It turns out that Florida has a ton of flights to Central and South America! I found one to Panama and decided to start the second leg of this journey with a focus on Latin America! Panama City was a balmy 80 degrees with what felt like 99% humidity when I arrived at 10pm! 😂

Casco Viejo

I signed up for a free walking tour in the city’s Old Town, and UNESCO World Heritage site, and was the only person on the tour! The guide, originally from Cuba but having lived in Panama for 2 years with his family, was very friendly and informative. He pointed out old buildings and gave a great overview of the country’s history.

Cinta Costera

I wandered around on my own after the tour and found a lovely paved walkway along the water that extends into the city, called the Cinta Costera. There is a neat fish market along the way where you can have a freshly caught fish lunch!

Panama Canal

Of course I had to visit the canal while here! The Panama Canal is a 51 mile artificial waterway that connects the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, dividing North and South America. An amazing feat of engineering, completed in 1913, the Panama Canal looks a bit underwhelming at first. But being able to witness a ship move through one of it’s twelve locks, and learning about the history and the fantastic efforts put forth to complete it, I felt rather thrilled to be seeing it in person!

It is estimated that over 27,000 people died in the attempt at building the canal! 22,000 French citizens who eventually abandoned the project due to high mortality rates (largely due to malaria and yellow fever), and over 5,000 more when the United States took over construction in the early 1900s. The cost to complete the canal came to over 350 million dollars, and the canal was still mostly under United States control until 1999!

The largest toll ever paid to pass through the canal was $226,194 by the Coral Princess in 2003. The lowest was $0.36 by Richard Halliburton, who swam through the canal in 1928. 😂

I visited the Miraflores 2-step locks in Panama City, and was very lucky to catch a cargo ship leaving and a cruise ship just coming in ( I guess ships pass one direction in the morning and then switch directions in the afternoon, but there is often a large stretch of the day where no ships pass and people wrote upset reviews online about being unimpressed during those times 🤦🏻‍♀️).

Here comes a Holland America cruiser!

Water level on the other side has lowered to allow the ship through….

The ship cruises through with the help of locomotives on either side…..YAY!

San Blas Islands

Across the country from Panama City are the San Blas Islands in the Caribbean, 365 of them! Only 51 are inhabited and are largely controlled by the native Kuna people. I took a day trip to see 3 of the islands and a sunken sandbar that they call a natural ‘pool’. We also got to try a traditional fish lunch while there.

Cerro Ancon

I read a few recommendations about making time to hike up a small hill in the middle of the city, called Ancon Hill. With wild animals and views of both the old and new parts of town, it sounded like a fun place to explore. It did not disappoint! I spotted a toucan and several small monkeys, a ton of butterflies and a black frog! It was quiet and peaceful and definitely felt like a mini wilderness within Panama City.