יום 6 בפנמה סיטי - 02/03/2023

At 06:45 the alarm clock rang and at 07:20 we left the house. Rudy was already waiting in the van, where 2 more visitors were sitting. A couple from the UK who live in Saudi Arabia. We drove from the old town towards the visitor center for the Panama Canal "Miraflores". We stopped at a gas station with a breakfast counter in Albrook, where we got empanadas and cappuccino. Then we continued to the visitor center. We arrived just in time to see the first ship of the day entering the lock. It was a cruise ship, "Windstar", which was on a world trip. It was interesting to see how the ship was pulled to its place by electric locomotives. The locking process was then very fast. The lock chamber filled up with high pressure and then the ship could already be towed to the end of the lock. The canal is 80 km long and a passage takes about 10 hours. The cost for a passage is between 100k - 1 million US dollars, depending on the size of the ship. But it saves 3 weeks of time instead of going around South America. Then we went to the IMAX cinema, with one of the largest screens I have ever seen. I think about 1000 people fit in the cinema. But it wasn't that full. We watched an interesting 3-D film about the creation of the Panama Canal and its history. I didn't even know that this canal would have been built in Nicaragua almost didn't happen. Only an earthquake risk assessment prevented this. I wasn't aware either of how many workers died of malaria during the construction. The film was entertaining and interesting. Then we went to the van. It was very cold in the cinema and we were glad to have brought a jacket. Outside it was already 30 degrees again. We then drove to the "Punta Culebra" peninsula with a beautiful view of Panama City. Then we went back to downtown where we admired the skyscrapers. Rudy told us a lot about the way of life of the Panamanians. Unfortunately, there is a very large gap between rich and poor here, and you can see that in the respective neighborhoods. Downtown is more of a business area with many offices. The evening life takes place mainly in the old town. That's where we went too. We walked through the streets and Rudy explained the buildings and the renovation of the old town, which has been declared a World Heritage Site. This is still in full swing, as you can see from the many construction sites. Accordingly, the prices of the apartments are not "that expensive" yet. The sightseeing part was over around 2:00 p.m. Pauline then went for a nap in the apartment and Anne and I found a place for a snack. We found that in the old town, with a cozy courtyard. The place was called "Snack and Shack", where we ordered a cool juice and a delicious salad. Then we strolled through the streets and stopped again at our bar by the Pacific during happy hour. We quickly informed Pauline and already ordered a delicious mojito. Pauline joined us shortly afterwards and we spent the afternoon in the refreshing bar. In the evening, we went to the viewpoint promenade, where we could admire an impressive sunset and see the skyline of downtown in the evening atmosphere. Then we went to "Snack and Shack" for dinner. Unfortunately, Pauline ordered a vegetarian bowl with a very spicy sauce. Nevertheless, she bravely ate it and had the rest packed. She had learned in that year not to waste anything. Pauline and I then went to the viewpoint promenade in the dark and saw the lights in downtown and the full moon.

Then we went home.