I was in Panama during the first week in June for some project meetings. This time I was accompanied by two of my Swedish colleagues. We had a little bit of "down" time, so I took them on a mini sightseeing tour.
Since we are the business of maritime transportation of containerized cargo, it seemed imperative that we first visit the Visitors Center at the Mira Flores Locks.
The "mules" (the rail engines along the ships) keep the ship centered. As you can see, there’s not a lot of space on either side of the ship, so the mules have a very important function.
When the ship goes from one lock chamber to the next, the mule has to climb a steep hill to the higher level. While it is making the climb, they take off the cable tension.
This class of ship is called a "Panamax". I think the reason for this term should be fairly obvious, especially when you look at this picture…
After we had our fill of watching the fascinating (really!) operation of the mules and the gates, we went to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Not to stay, ‘cause our company doesn’t approve of that kind of expenditure, but rather to give my colleagues a chance to see the Gatun Lake and some of the rainforest.
On the way, we stopped at the Cementerio Frances, the graveyard for the French workers (including the big bosses and engineers, etc.) that died during the French attempt to build a canal. The French concept was to build a sea-level (no locks) cut across the isthmus, which worked for them while (re)building the Suez canal. They had problems both with excavation (due to frequent mud slides) and yellow fever & malaria wiping out just about everyone. (Apparently, at the time, Panama was referred to as "white man’s graveyard".)
At the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, we just wandered about for a bit, snapping pictures. Here are a few of mine…
The rest of the pictures are taken from my hotel, El Hotel Ejecutivo. Their website claims they are "Panama’s Favorite Business Hotel". Hmm. I guess it could’ve been true in the fifties when there weren’t any other business hotels. But now? I don’t think they even crack the top twenty…
Easily one of the ugliest churches I’ve ever seen, the Iglesia El Carmen seems out of place in the modern hustle and bustle of the Vía España on which it sits (which I tried to keep out of the picture since who wants to see hectic traffic?). I’ve never cared much for this style (Gothic?).
While surfin’ the web for some history of this church, I found a picture from back in the 1960s. Apparently, at the time, it was called Church of the Carmelite Fathers. That picture and a few others can be found here. (This picture was obviously taken from the El Panama hotel…)
My hotel was between the church and the Bahia de Panama (Pacific Ocean) off to the left of the picture above. Looking towards the bay from the hotel, you can see how much has changed. There’s a big mix in Panama of high dollar condos & office buildings and decrepit shacks…
And, finally, an interesting approach to power line management…
I’ll see if I can pull out a reasonable number of my pictures from my trip to Sweden (in May)…
