Our Journey Continued.....Colon

This is a continuation of the last blog, as we made our way to our next leg of the journey.  We bravely ventured into territory where some would say we shouldn't have gone. Colon is the second largest city in Panamá at the Carribbean end of the Canal. Pick up any information on Panamá and it will surely say not to visit Colon.  Downtown Colon is a depressed, run-down area with a mostly Afro-Carribbean population. We noticed hard working, lower class people living in tenements along the waterfront. Some real estate developer could turn this place into a high dollar ocean front city like Miami, if only they had the desire.

Statue of Christ on
the beachfront of Colon

Ships waiting to enter the Canal

View of the town center

The city was founded in 1850 by Americans working on the railroad and was named "Aspinwall" after one of the railroad builders until 1890.  The locals called the city Colon after Christopher Columbus and that name stuck.  Since the city was built on a swampy island it was notoriously unhealthy and often plagued by yellow fever until a new water system and sewerage was installed and the swamps were drained. 

Run Down buildings of Colon

Run Down buildings of Colon

This Apartment doesn't look too bad.

Phil and Sharon's car sneaking in for free advertising

This one is scary!

Some fresh Paint does wonders!

More Freshly Painted apartments

Colon is known for it's Free Trade Zone or "Zona Libre." This giant entity covers over 500 acres and serves as a re-export of an enormous variety of merchandise to Latin America and the Carribbean. An example of a free port, it's the largest one of the Americas and the second largest in the world. It opened in 1948 and sees some 250,000 visitors a year and has 1,751 companies established within it's walls.

Free Zone Warehouses

Sign for Zona Libre

More Warehouses!

It generates exports and re-exports valued at more than US $6.5 billion in 2005, which can count on all the services and facilities offered by the Free Zone, for importing, storing, assembling, re-packing and re-exporting products from all over the world.  From all types of electric appliances to pharmaceutical products, liquor, cigarettes, office and home furniture, clothing, shoes, jewelry, toys, etc.  It is considered the "Trading Showcase" of Central and South America as well as for the Caribbean region.
Dividends arising from external operations or from those operations that are executed or consumed abroad are tax-free. There are no capital investment taxes. Municipal and local taxes do not apply to firms operating in the Free Zone and there are no taxes on shipments to or from the Free Zone from or to anywhere in the world.

During its heyday, Colón was home to dozens of night clubs, cabarets and movie theaters. It was known for its citizens' civic pride, orderly appearance and outstanding native sons and daughters. Politically-instigated riots in the 1960s destroyed the city's beautiful municipal palace and signaled the start of the city's decline, which was further accelerated by the military dictatorships of Omar Torrijos and Manuel Noriega from 1968-1989.

Since the late 1960s, Colón has been in serious economic and social decline. In recent times, the unemployment rate has hovered around 40% and the poverty rate is even greater than that. Drug addiction and poverty have contributed to crime and violence issues which successive Panamanian governments have not addressed effectively.

Our visit just included a walk down the main street for a view of the waterfront.  We managed to survive unharmed as did our vehicles.  We always tell people not to fear going anywhere in Panamá and you can see we follow our own advice.  Life in Panamá is always just one big adventure, for two folks....along the gringo trail.

 

Gone To The Other Side......

Panamá is said to be the only place in the world where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean and watch it set over the Atlantic. Because of it's unique "S" shape, this long, thin, bridge of land can be crossed over rather easily and that's just what we did yesterday. 

The Gatun Locks are located close
to Colon



Early to rise we jumped in the car and met up with friends for a ride over to Colon.  We drove by the Canal expansion project before stopping at the Gatun Locks.  A pleasant surprise was to discover that "residencias" were allowed into the viewing area "gratis" where others had to pay $5.00.  All we had to do was show our residency visas and in we went.

Clyde and Terry at the Gatun Locks

We watched mesmerized as the massive ships made their way through the locks, dropping and rising 28 feet right in front of our eyes.  On the wall hung a list of prices that each ship passing through would pay that day.  The most expensive being a whopping $367,000 since it's based on tonnage.  I wanted to thank each ship for putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into our economy, which makes for a lower cost of living here allowing us to live comfortably on less money.

There are three sets of locks in the canal system. A two-step flight at Miraflores Locks where ships are lifted. Then a single flight at Pedro Miguel Locks, lifts ships from the Pacific up to Lake Gatun. Then a triple flight at Gatun lowers them to the Atlantic side. All three sets of locks are paired which means there are two parallel flights of locks at each of the three lock sites. This allows ships to pass in opposite directions simultaneously, however, larger ships cannot cross safely in the Gaillard Cut area. So usually ships pass in one direction for a time, then in the other.  Although during the time we watched at the Gatun Locks ships did transit both ways.

On our first trip to Panamá we just had time to visit the Miraflores Locks, which are the easiest to access from the city and the most touristy.  The San Pedro Miguel Locks are alongside the road and we've driven by them many times.  And now we've seen the third set of locks in Colon.  The Panamá Canal is truly an engineering marvel and it's fascinating to watch enormous ships being moved up and down by water power alone. 

The Esclusas (locks) of
Gatun

Ships in line to
enter the canal



This building holds all the controls
for these lock gates as well as
communications

This ship was entering the third lock as we
prepared to climb to the observation deck
coming from the Atlantic side towards
Gatun Lake

Ship Pulls into lock

Lock Gates Close

Water is starting to fill up lock

Halfway Full

Now the ship has been raised to
the level of the Gatun Lake

Locks full, the ship starts moving
under it's own propulsion

These are the "mules" that keep
the ship from hitting the sides

They do NOT provide propulsion

Not much room to spare on the sides!
That is why they need bigger locks!
Bigger ships Equals:

 more money for Panama

 cheaper to ship for the shippers

The massive undertaking of building
the New Gatun Locks

Another ship preparing to enter
the locks from the Gatun Lake Side

Hydro Electric dam that supplies
the electricity for the Gatun Locks

Another view of the workings for the
Hydro Electric Dam

The Canal is what Panamá has going for it above all other countries in Latin America.  It's what keeps the country going, bringing billions of dollars into the economy allowing us foreigners to retire comfortably on less money.  A must see for all those visiting the country, yet something those of us that live here still enjoy seeing. Watching the ships roll in, and watching them roll away again here in Panamá....along the gringo trail.

Strange Sounds In The Neighborhood......

Around noon yesterday Clyde yelled for me to go look out the front window, to which I asked "why?"  As I looked excitedly out the window there she stood in all of her glory.  We both stepped outside to get a better look.  I made eye contact with her big brown eyes and she looked confused, as to why we were staring and snapping photos.  Her big white ears were flopped over yet perked up with every step closer that we took.  But then I noticed she was not alone.  I counted one, two, ten, fourteen more of these big cows just roaming through the neighborhood, eating the grass in the road.  Other dogs in the neighborhood barked loudly, but ours just kept chasing a lizard, totally oblivious to the gypsy cows.

They were surprised to see us
invade their territory!

I have to look on the bright side,

at least I might not have to mow the road!

OOPS!  Spooked them!



For the past few days on our morning walks we'd notice large piles of poop in the road, and now realize that these cows must have been on the prowl for a while.  You would think someone would notice if 14 cows disappeared from their farm, and that it would also be easy to find them.  So now along with the many street dogs that roam freely, we have street cows.  We didn't think much more about the cows until we got ready for bed.  Dogs barked excitedly off in the distance and we could hear the intermittent sound of "mooos" causing their distress.  Even with the windows closed and the air conditioner on, I could hear the strange mooing sound as I drifted off to sleep.  A herd of cows was terrorizing our little neighborhood late into the night.

Onto every one's trail a little poop may fall, as we avoid the cow patties, and continue on our adventure....along the gringo trail.

What's That In The Sky?

It's a plane, it's a bird, it's a big round yellow ball...oh now I remember, it's the sun.  In the midst of the tropical rainy season in Panamá, it's a welcome sight to see the sun out in full glory.  My pale skin was returning as the dark bronze faded away.  I knew it was time to re-color my body and visit my "happy place" on a chair, baking my body in the sun. And yes I know it's not healthy but since we live in the tropics, not far from the equator, I prefer to look like an island girl. 

After a full day of steady rain on Saturday, the next day started out with more rain in the morning.  But after lunch the sun came out so I suggested a trip to the beach for a few hours of sun for me and picture taking for Clyde.

Our sad little bohio

Beach, mountains and a high-rise condo in the background

Fishing boats relax after their morning catch

After a ten minute drive to Gorgona Beach we sunk our feet into the charcoal black sand that sparkled with iridescent sprinkles like little diamonds.  The black volcanic ash sand mixed with white sand at the waters edge created a marble like appearance.  It brought me back to Mama's chocolate and vanilla swirl bundt cakes, as the ground became a giant mixing bowl of wonder.  The tides were gentle and allowed us to play in the water without being knocked down by the surf. 

Fishing boats near the fish market on Gorgona Beach, Panama

Driftwood lies atop the black and white sand

Island girl working on my tan

Mesmerized as we watched flocks of birds fly by in perfect formation, to a destination unbeknownst to us humans.  Naturally bronzed little tykes played with sticks in the sand as their parents watched nearby. Families hung under thatched roofed bohios, swinging on hammocks or laying in the sand.  Just another lazy day in Panamá for the locals, tourists and us. 

It was nice to shower outside our house upon returning home, as we scrubbed off the black sand from our feet.  Some leftover beans, salad and fruit was our gourmet meal for the evening, as we kicked back to relax from our relaxing day. 

We had our toes in the water, ass in the sand, not a worry in the world, cold beer in our hands.....life is good today, here in Panamá....along the gringo trail.

Round And Round We Go......

A thick layer of dark gray clouds line the morning sky without a trace of sun on the horizon.  Even the birds are rather quiet, singing a less than happy song.  A bit eery so far on this early morning as if it's the calm before the storm.  A rooster crows in the neighborhood nudging the sleepy neighbors out of a sound sleep.  The sound of a little girls voice can be heard from the neighbors house, as she says good morning to her papa.

Yesterday the sun came out and I relished the idea of baking in the sun for a while after our workout.  On our way to the gym we passed a police checkpoint, which are very common here.  About five or six cops dressed in army green with black bullet proof vests and knee pads, formed a human tunnel for each car to drive through.  Another cop stood on the side of the road with both hands on his rifle ready to shoot, if necessary.  They waved us on through, so apparently we didn't look suspicious.  They seemed to be looking for someone specific, perhaps some drug runners coming out of Costa Rica?  The police have the appearance of military here and can be seen every where. Yet there's said to be less crime here than in the U.S. and maybe the strong police presence is the reason why.  The men and women police here have this presence of serious authority, the kind one doesn't want to mess with.  And the large rifles hanging on their side add to their scary presence.  Although I have to admit that the male cops are nice eye candy to brighten up my day.

We didn't dare take a picture of the cops on the road,

so I admit that I stole this one

Back in the states at the Corpus Christi Athletic Club I discovered spinning about seven years ago.  It's a group cycling class that's based on outdoor riding and incorporates flat roads, hills and mountains along with road racing all on a stationery bike.  During a 50 minute class I'd easily cover over 20 miles on the bike, burn lots of calories and take my heart rate into the cardio zone.  My love of spinning was enough to get me out of bed at 4:30 every morning to make it to class by 5:30.

Now living in Panamá there are no nearby spinning classes so I'd have to make my own.  Soon after we moved here we found a spinning bike fairly cheap.  With tunes blasting in my head, I'd practically dance on the pedals through a series of standing, sitting and climbing mountains on the bike using the resistance knob.  It was almost like a form of meditation to me since it made me feel so good as I'd get my sweat on.  A few days ago while standing on the pedals, my cheap little spinner broke.  Clyde took a look at it only to find that the ball bearing had disintegrated in the eight months I had it. 

So off we went to the local stores to look for another spin bike.  We found only one in Coronado at El Machetazo and thought we might find the same bike cheaper at the the same store in Vista Alegre.  So off we went for the 45-minute drive only to find they had it at the same price.  From there we drove to a nearby mall to check out what the Do It Center had for bikes, but they didn't have any spinning bikes.  We continued for another 30-minutes into Panama City to check out a few places there, but still no spin bikes.  So we ended up buying the bike in Coronado.  They seem to sell every thing here already assembled with no paperwork, like a floor model.

 

We had to pay for the bike at a nearby register then two store clerks loaded it onto a cart and took it downstairs to the first floor.  A long thin piece of paper was attached to the receipt which Clyde held.  The paper included the sku number and the word "cancelado" and was signed by the cashier.  At the door the security guard had to tear off part of the long, thin paper and verify that the sku number matched the merchandise on the cart, even though we had two store clerks with us.  Security is a serious matter here and guards are everywhere and look similar to police. 

When I got home I immediately looked up the bike online to see where it came from.  Turns out it comes from Poland, as the website was in Polish with the price in Polish zlothy's, whatever that means.  But unlike any other piece of exercise equipment I've used, and I've used many, this bike has no place to put a water bottle.  Apparently in Poland they don't need to hydrate while exercising. There's also no electronics on it that record miles, calories, and time but I can make due without that by just wearing my heart rate monitor.  I was just happy to find a spin bike that looked like a nice rugged piece of equipment that will take the abuse I plan to give it, while peddling my butt off.  Actually cyclists develop nice shapely butts from riding along with muscular legs and toned abs.  Spinning is a great workout that incorporates the entire body and burns hundreds of calories in each session.

Time now to go get my sweat on and then see where this day takes us...along the gringo trail.

A Day In The City...

Usually a day spent in Panama City is anything but easy, but yesterday wasn't too bad.  Since we had been putting off a trip to Toyota to have the car checked out, we offered to drive a friend to the airport which forced us to make the trip.  Apparently Toyota has only one official repair site located not far from the airport, on a street known to locals by the comforting name of "Tumba Muerta" or "tomb of the dead."  Now just because we found the repair site doesn't necessarily mean we stopped there after the airport.  Clyde was just happy to have found the place and now can make an appointment to bring the car in another day.  Our four wheel drive sensor apparently went out many months ago, the light stays on all the time indicating that it's engaged, but it doesn't seem to go into four wheel drive. 

Our next stop was to find the office for United Airlines since we booked tickets online for a trip back to the US.  Our pensionado visas entitle us to a 25% discount on airline tickets when they're purchased in Panamá.  So the procedure was to buy tickets online and check off the "pay cash" option, then drive into the city to pay for the tickets at which time they would apply the discount.  The discount is taken from the base price only and not off any taxes, so it's not really a full 25%.  But when they showed us that $300 was being taken off the price of two tickets, we were happy.  The United office which is also the office for Copa, US Air, Continental and many others owned by the same parent company, was very professional.  It took just a few minutes to pay for the tickets and we were on our way.

Next we stopped at our lawyers office to pick up an English copy of some house papers that she'd been holding for months.  From there we dropped my broken ring off at a jewelry store to be repaired.  Kind of scary leaving an expensive ring with someone we don't know in a foreign country.  Although we always had the same feeling when leaving it in the US with a jeweler too.  But this gentleman comes highly recommended from our insurance agent who trusts him and says he has a good reputation in the city.

A stroll through Multi Plaza Mall to find GNC for some Calcium Citrate and protein powder.  We are continually amazed that in this poor, third world country stores like Louie Vuitton, Gucci, Cartier, Dolce & Gabbana, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Prada, Tommy Hilfiger, J Crew, Tiffany's, Brooks Brothers, Levi, Nike, Versace, Burberry, Sworovski, Fendi, Crocs and hundreds more survive.  But survive they do so apparently there are lots of Panamanians with money that want to impress people wearing designer labels, just like those snobs back in the states.  I'll just be happy wearing my $2 shoes and $1 shirts and save the money for other things.

Last stop was Price Smart, a members only club like those in the states.  Time to stock up on some things before heading home for the night with a cooler full of chicken and fish, and a car full of other stuff.  Clyde always cringes at the money we spend there, but it's stuff we won't have to buy for a while at local stores and better quality too.

Once back at our casa we enjoyed a quiet night of relaxing as another day comes to an end....along the gringo trail.

If Someone Would Have Told Me......

The couple would always stress to the realtor showing the house that "lots of entertaining space is a must" and they would go on to say "they wanted to have parties and invite all of their new friends."  New friends, I'd think?  You're moving to a foreign country and don't know another breathing soul here besides the real estate agent showing you the house.  So who are they planning to invite to these parties? This of course was a scene from the famous show International House Hunters where someone moves to another country and buys a house. 

But here we're only nine months into life in Panamá, and we threw a party for twenty people this past weekend.  If someone would have told me we'd have that many friends this soon, I never would have believed it.  The house warming party began around two and our first mission was to show off our new-to-us house.  Since everyone brought a dish of food to share there was lots of food to fill our bellies with for a late lunch.  As the sun set people headed out except for some of our closer friends who lingered on late into the evening. Socially, we know hundreds of expats here and of course some have become friends and some just acquaintances that we see here and there.  But it's nice to know so many wonderful people that have rolled out the welcome wagon and welcomed us to this new land.

After a late start waking up on Sunday we headed over to Lago de San Carlos.  A long, windy road past the town of Las Lajas, the paved road turns into dirt after driving for about 24 kilometers.  The dead end road ends at a small lake where they rent row boats.  A walking path encircles the lake making for a nice little jaunt.  After walking a bit we stopped to chat with an American man and Panamanian woman.  We learned they own a b&b in San Carlos, about a ten minute drive from where we live.  I thought it would be fun to rent a boat and row around the lake.  For only $6 we ventured out to explore.  Soon I found out that wooden oars are much more tiring than the plastic ones that came with our kayak. As the clouds and thunder could be heard over the mountains, we made it back to shore just before the rain poured down.

The waters of Lago de San Carlos

Wooded Cliffs around the lake

The two crazy gringos



Once back in civilization we drove into Coronado to try a new restaurant called Gourmet Pizza.  A Greek salad with pita bread and pizza filled us up as we watched the gringo's come and go since this area is flooded with expats. An older woman and her adult son tried to decipher the Spanish menu at a nearby table.  He asked her what "aceituna" was and she said "tuna."  I had to laugh to myself since "aceituna" is the Spanish word for "olives."  The word for tuna is "atun" and the word for oil is "aceite."  So you would think that "aceituna" means "oily tuna" but instead it means olives.  Just like the word "pollo" which means chicken, so you would think "repollo" has something to do with chicken but it actually means cabbage. Yet the word for olive oil is "aceite de olivia" so why then don't they use "olivia" for olives?  Who knows and maybe some Spanish cultures do.

Great Tasting Greek Salad

Pita Bread



Our Pizza

Another busy weekend goes by and the weather was just beautiful through it all.  As I type this the neighbors parrot is screaming "hey hey" and "hola" in this awful, screechy voice.  His birds seem to come and go as some days they're there and some days they're not.  We prefer the days when they're some where else screeching.  But like it or not it's a jungle out there and in here sometimes as the gecko's, frogs, and lizards come in to share our home with us here in Panamá....along the gringo trail.