November 10, 2009: A Sea Day
	November 8, 2009: We Transit the Panama Canal
	Return to the Index for Our Panama Canal Cruise

Today, we are going to do Panama City on our own- without booking a shore excursion. All six of us are planning to tender into the port and then possibly hook up with a single driver and have him take us around the city to wherever we might want to go.  

Getting From the Oosterdam to Fuerte Amador

We were up for breakfast about eight, and by nine Fred and I were taking some pictures from the ship looking towards Fuente Amador and Panama City. We'd planned to meet ashore about ten-thirty, so at about ten Fred and I went down to the tender platform to catch one into shore. We happened to meet Greg and Paul on board.

Fuerte Amador, located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, is an artificial peninsula jutting out into the Pacific from Balboa, the southwestern district bordering Panama City. This artificial peninsula, the Amador Causeway, connects three small islands to the mainland and to each other.

the modern yacht and marina complex at Fuerte Amador was built a few years ago to accommodate large passenger ships and small private yachts transiting the Panama Canal. There is a cruise terminal as well as shops, restaurants and handicrafts centers.

The palm-lined Amador Causeway links mainland Panama City to the three small islands. A bicycle/jogging path lines the causeway so outdoor observers can enjoy excellent views of the city skyline while exercising.

After breakfast, Fred and I went up on deck to take some pictures. We'd taken lots and lots of them the day before- of the city skyline, the Bridge of the Americas and the boats waiting in the harbor- and this morning's pictures were somewhat repetitive. There were a couple of interesting ones though, one that Fred took of marina and city skyline, and one that I took looking alongside the Oosterdam watching a tender returning to the ship.

There were two other pictures of note. Fred's new camera gives him the ability to automatically stitch together up to three pictures into a single panoramic picture, and today he is trying out that capability for the first time. He tried it twice, and both times the results were pretty awesome:

The Skyline of Panama City

The Islands of Fuerte Amador

We went down to the embarkation level, through security and down the outside gangway to the tender, which then took us from our anchored position into the Fuerte Amador yacht harbor where we got off and met up with Bud and Chet. Then we had an animated discussion about how to work our city tour. We finally decided to hire one taxi that was actually a mini-van for five hours for a flat fee. That done, we piled into the van and we were off.

San Felipe (The Old Quarter)

The first place we stopped on our way to The Old Quarter (probably because drivers get a small fee for bringing customers there) was the Centro Artesanal Antiguo YMCA. The city's biggest and nicest craft market occupies what was once the gym of the Balboa YMCA, which is why it is called the Centro Artesanal Antiguo YMCA. The spacious building holds dozens of stands, each with a different owner and selection. Wares range from kitsch to native handicrafts, and include molas sewn into bags, shirts, glasses cases, and pot holders, plus embroidered blouses, jewelry, handwoven hats, and plenty of work by the Emberá and Wounaan Indians of the Darién province. I am not a big one for "shopping opportunities," and the last thing I need is more clutter, so I let the rest of the guys wander through the small shops while I went outside to look around.

A short ways away is Ancon Hill- a small mountain that overlooks Panama City. It served as a form of protection from pirates, and sea invasion. Ancon township was originally located around this hill, and was created to house employees of the Panama Canal during its construction. As part of the construction effort, the historic Gorgas Hospital was founded in this township and built on the slope of the hill. The first ship to officially transit the canal, SS Ancon, was named after the township. The community continued to serve as housing for employees of the Panama Canal Company until 1980 when parts of it began to be turned over to the country of Panama as a part of the 1977 Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Modern Ancón is a suburb of Panama City, serving mainly as a residential, medical and research center, including the Gorgas Hospital for tropical diseases, and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for research into tropical biology.

Across the street I found a small park with a monument in the center and a memorial wall off to one side. From the name on the wall, it was evident that the monument commemorated Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid. Dr. Arnulfo was born in Panama in 1901, and died in Miami in 1988. He was, actually, a medical doctor specializing in endocrinology. His claim to Panamanian fame was that he was president of Panama on three occasions: 1940–41, 1949–51, and for two weeks in October 1968. He never served a full term, being deposed by military coups on each occasion. I couldn't quite figure out the symbolism of the figures that you can see on the "wings" of the monument, but maybe you can. Take a close-up look at them here and here.

When the guys had finished looking around the craft stuff, we headed off to San Felipe- The Old Quarter. The van driver took a circuitous route to get there, but I think I've got it right that we came into the Old Quarter along Avenue A. The streets were very narrow and he sometimes had difficulty getting through, and, especially, finding a place to park so we could get out and walk around.

Below and to the right is an aerial view of the Old Quarter, with our route (pretty close, I think) marked on it. Our driver parked a couple of times to allow us to get out and walk around, and most of our pictures were taken in our walks away from the van.

The first time the van driver parked was right near the Iglesia San Jose, which we'll see in a minute. First, we took some pictures on the ride into the Old Quarter along Avenue A. These turned out pretty well because the vehicle was going very slowly and stopping frequently in the narrow street and with the traffic congestion. If you'll click on the thumbnail images below, you can see some of the pictures we took along the avenue:

Our van driver parked along the street, and we were able to walk back a block to the Cathedral San Jose. One of Panama City's greatest treasures is the baroque Altar de Oro – the Golden Altar– located in this church. In 1671, news of pirate Henry Morgan's approach reached the priest responsible for the Church of San Jose. Desperate to protect the church's most valuable possession, the priest painted the altar black. Morgan arrived ready to claim his prize, but the priest was able to convince him that a previous pirate had beaten him to the loot and that the black altar was merely wood. Legend also has it that the priest even finagled a donation toward a replacement altar from Morgan, which elicited the response, "I don't know why, but I think that you are more of a pirate than I am." Mass is still celebrated at the Church of San Jose. There were some other tourists inside the church which made getting good pictures a little tricky, but if you will click on the thumbnails below, you can see some of the interior shots that Fred and I got:

Inside Cathedral San Jose

Trying not to disturb the other tourists and other folks too much, I made a movie of the inside of the cathedral, and you can get a better view of the "Altar of Gold" and the rest of the inside of the church. Use the player at left to watch.

Casco Viejo, the Old Quarter, is also referred to as Casco Antiguo or by its original and formal name, San Felipe. Although parts of it seemed run-down, it was, on the whole, a very interesting neighborhood, with its narrow streets, its turn-of-the-19th-century Spanish, Italian, and French architecture, its bougainvillea-filled plazas and its breezy promenade that juts out into the sea. Visitors often compare Casco Viejo to Havana or Cartagena. The neighborhood's historical importance and antique beauty spurred UNESCO, in 1997, to declare it a World Heritage Site.

There were lots of interesting things to see. Near where we were parked were the ruins of an old church- ruins that were being restored. I snapped a picture of Fred at these ruins just after he'd taken his own pictures. And I walked over to Plaza Mayor to take a picture of the Cathedral Santa Maria. But Fred took more pictures than I did of the side streets and interesting architecture, and if you will click on the thumbnail images below, you can see some of them:

We left the van parked and walked a bit south to La Plaza Francia. This is the name for the southern tip of the Casco Viejo Peninsula; it is home to a large obelisk in honor of the ill-fated Frenchmen who, under Ferdinando Maria De Lesseps, started the arduous task of building a sea level Canal in 1880. Surrounding the obelisk is an arcade of marble plaques ornately carved with the story of the valiant French effort. In addition to the French memorials, La Plaza Francia is also the current location of the French Embassy and the Instituto Nacional de Cultura.

Wrapping around the French Plaza and the Institute of Culture is Paseo Las Bovedas (Promenade of Vaults) that is in fact the top of the old Spanish seawall. Here, one can get excellent view of the Panama City skyline, the ships cued for their turn through the Canal, and the Bridge of the Americas. There were also some other statues around, including one of Pablo Arosenena. I should have copied down the inscription, for I can't figure out now who he was.

Click on the thumbnails below to see a few of the additional pictures that Fred took from La Plaza Francia:

And if you'll click on the thumbnails at the left, you can see some of the other pictures that I took here.

As we walked back to the van, we passed a number of shops selling local crafts, but we resisted the urge. There was also more beautiful architecture to admire. We got back to the van and our driver took us the few block to El Teatro Nacional- the National Theatre. The building itself was unprepossessing, but the external ornamentation of the recently-restored building was impressive.

Inside, the hall was quite beautiful- very old and very Spanish. The tiered boxes were very reminiscent of European concert halls, and the carvings on the boxes was quite pretty. You can see another view of the box seats here.

Again like European halls, the ceilings here were intricately painted and carved, and there were chandeliers to set them off. If you will click on the thumbnails below, you can see some pictures Fred took of the ceilings:

We left the van parked near the National Theatre and the six of us walked alongside Plaza Bolivar north to the end of the street in front of the Panamanian State Department. There, we found a building by the water that had an open driveway where we could walk in and take pictures of the skyline of Panama City. If you will click on the thumbnails below, you can see some of these cityscapes:

In the streets around Plaza Bolivar we took a number of interesting pictures of the buildings and the people. If you would like to see some of these, just click on the thumbnail images below:

Then we came back along that same street and went into the State Department Building to take some pictures of it and of the sea views from it. The building itself was very interesting. The building is a rectangle with a huge central atrium, covered over by a truss and glass ceiling. Official cars can enter the atrium through the front of the building, and there is an underground garage accessible from this open plaza. On the seaward side, the first floor of the building is open, and there are great views of the Pacific from a balcony that juts out from the building. If you will click on the thumbnail images at right, you can see some of the other pictures we took here.

In the Panamanian State Department While we were inside the Panamanian State Department, I made a film of the beautiful central atrium so you could see what it was like.

After we were done at the State Department, we picked up our van driver again at Plaza Bolivar, and he suggested that he take us to Old Panama with a stop at a local restaurant downtown for lunch. That became the plan and off we went.

Lunch Downtown and Old Panama

When we got back in the van, our driver took us generally northwest out of the San Felipe area. On the way, we passed many typical apartments, and pretty soon he had turned onto the main causeway towards downtown Panama City. As we came through downtown and then headed a bit further northwest to get to one of the main streets where there was a restaurant he knew of, Fred got some good pictures of some of the downtown architecture, and you can have a look at these pictures by clicking on the thumbnails below:

We stopped at a place called Niko's Restaurant, which was more like a cafeteria. But it was very reasonable and the food was pretty good (and they had a bakery as well). When we'd all sat down with our lunches, I prevailed on our van driver to take a picture of all six of us. Once we'd finished eating, we headed off up the street northeast towards Old Panama. (On the way, I spotted a stop I wanted to make on the way back.)

Panama Viejo, or Old Panama, comprises the ruins of the oldest capital in the Americas, and is a proud emblem- not to mention the most popular tourist attraction- in this historic city. The ruin site covers 57 acres on the city's eastern edge, where visitors will find crumbling buildings (most of which have been braced) sprinkled about and connected by paths with interpretive signs in both Spanish and English. You can see a couple of good pictures that Fred took of this area if you click the thumbnails at right. The good view from this part of the city sweeps east to the Casco Viejo peninsula, and beyond Panama Viejo's significance as a culturally unique attraction it is also a pleasant park and recreation area that provides visitors with a chance to get out and stretch their legs. Some people come here for a sunrise jog along Panama Viejo's path, which hugs the seafront.

This is the best-funded archaeological site in all of Panama and it has a very nice Viejo Visitors' Center and Museum. I wish we'd had time to stop, for while the two-story museum offers a thorough historical account, there are not so many of its English/Spanish exhibits to overwhelm. There are pre-Columbian artifacts dating from 700 to 500 years before the Spanish arrival, a model of the city in its 17th-century heyday, interactive video displays of what archaeologists imagine the buildings' interiors to have looked like, and colonial furnishings, clothing, pottery, and more.

After 5 years of labor, the renovation of the site's most important relic, Torre de la Catedral (Cathedral Tower) is now complete, with a steel interior staircase that visitors can climb for the first time in 335 years; at the top are expansive city views. The tower is too fragile to bear the weight of a replica of the old bell that rang out across the city during colonial times, so a speaker, which chimes at 6:30am, 12:30pm, and 6:30pm, has been installed. Again, I wish we'd had a chance to go up to the top of it. Although we didn't get to go into Old Panama, we did take some good pictures of the grounds from a stopping place nearby. You can click on the thumbnail images below to have a look at these pictures:

Old Panama I made a movie of the area known as Old Panama from a place that our van driver stopped nearby.

Our time with our van driver was coming to an end, and the last tender was leaving for the ship soon, so we turned around at Old Panama and headed back. On the way, Greg needed to stop at a store, and I asked the van driver to stop for a minute or two at a store I had spotted soon after we ate lunch. If you want to see what store that was, just click here.

Getting Back On Board the Oosterdam

From our last stop at the Baskin-Robbins, we pretty much retraced our path back to the Amador Causeway and out to Fuerte Amador. On the way, I took some pictures of typical Panama City scenes, and if you want to look at them you can click on the thumbnail images at the left. We arrived back at the port in plenty of time to get back to the ship, so Fred took a picture of Bud, our driver, Chet and Paul and then while the rest of the guys headed on back to the ship, Fred and I walked around the area for a bit.

The driver had let us off at the port's Tourist Center (had I known that there was Internet Access for $1 for fifteen minutes, I probably would have gone right in and checked both our email accounts). Instead, we walked across the parking area to where there were some restaurants and a small resort hotel. One of the restaurants was Buffalo's Steakhouse (which of course got Fred's attention); one of the others, "Barko," looked like something more upscale. What I thought was interesting about it was the mermaid out front. There were also nice views of the mountains to the north as well as the harbor and Panama City skyline.

When we got back to the tourist center and dock, there was quite a line of Oosterdam folks waiting to board a tender back to the ship, so we had some time to wait. Fred took a picture of me when we reached the top of the ramp down to the tender dock (the first of his pictures in the top row, right) and I returned the favor (the first of my pictures in the bottom row). Fred took a couple more pictures- one of folks coming down the ramp to get on our tender and one of another tender coming in to pick up passengers. I waited until we were at the ship before taking some pictures to show you the two platforms that they were using for the tenders. We docked at the nearest one, the one with the stairs up to the usual embarkation station. The other one went to a lower-level station that wasn't often used.

I'm glad that we got a driver for the morning/afternoon; navigating the narrow streets of San Felipe was a real feat, and it was nice to have someone else worry about the parking and stuff. I only wish that we'd had time enough to tour Old Panama; if I had known what I know now, I would have pushed for us to have planned the day so we could have spent at least a half an hour there. But it was a good tour all the same.

It was still early when we got back aboard, so we went up on deck to walk around and take some more pictures. If you'll click on the thumbnails below, you can see a nice selection from the many pictures we took:

To close our day here in Panama City, I want to include a very nice panoramic view that Fred took using his camera's ability to stitch together multiple pictures; it is below:

Evening Activities

Tonight was a quiet night. After a snack and working out in the Fitness Center, Fred and I went to the Vista Lounge to see Antonio Salci, a pianist and entertainer. The program said he was "internationally acclaimed," but I guess the U.S. wasn't one of those nations because we'd never heard of him. But it was an enjoyable show.

Here is the Daily Program billing for Antonio Salci:

"Tonight, in the Vista Lounge, Holland-America presents the internationally acclaimed contemporary concert piano showman Antonio Salci in a truly unforgettable evening of outstanding performance and dynamic musical artistry."

Most of my exposure to concert pianists has been at the Dallas Symphony, and there the pianist is always playing classical pieces. But I also used to be a fan of Ferrante and Teicher, and Salci reminded me much more of them. I am no expert, but I thought his playing and showmanship were quite professional and his skills deserving of acclaim.

As we've said before, Fred and I thought that it is way too easy for people to be critical of cruise ship entertainment, but they have to realize that this isn't Las Vegas or New York City or a symphony hall somewhere- it's a cruise ship. And for a cruise ship, I thought Salci was quite good.

"Chariots of Fire" Antonio Salci performs the well-known selection from the movie of the same name.

"Amazing Grace" (Part 1) Antonio Salci performs my favorite hymn. I messed up and ended the movie when I thought the selection was ending, but I was mistaken, so an additional movie follows.

"Amazing Grace" (Part 2) I continued the movie I began earlier to get the last part of the selection.

Then Fred and I had dinner on our own in the Vista Dining Room and did some walking around the ship.

You can use the links below to continue to the album page for different day.

	November 10, 2009: A Sea Day
	November 8, 2009: We Transit the Panama Canal
	Return to the Index for Our Panama Canal Cruise