Between the Atlantic and the Pacific
One the most famous pieces of engineeringand and super busy naval shortcut and quiet green valley of sweet mangoes
When all of us returned to Panama City went to see the famous Panama Channel which connects with the Pacific Ocean just outside of Panama City. “The world’s biggest shortcut” cuts through Panama and there are 3 “locks” where the ships are raised and lowered between various sections of the canal with different elevation above the sea. As the price for entrance to proper viewing platform was ridiculously high we just stared and the enormous ships through a fence. Unbelievable to see such monstrous ships to fit into the locks with just few centimeters of buffer on both sides. The channel is a one way road: in the morning the ships go from the Atlantic to the Pacific and in the afternoon the other way around. Ships and ferries are lined outside of the channel and patiently wait for their turn. And what is the average price of admission to cross the channel and thus avoid sailing all the way around South America? 30 000 USD.
And then Olga and Maria left and me and Irene went to Valle de Anton, greener than green valley west of Panama City. One of those wonderful inland places where sweet ripe mangos lie on the ground and where farmers live their tranquil lives in those fertile tropical lands. The life I’ll never have and life I probably couldn’t get used to anymore, but life that seems to be good.
Little hike up a stream, past waterfalls, tropical forest and ancient petroglyphs (I must be one the world’s biggest fan of petroglyphs) and then a walk to “Square Trees”, which indeed have strange square trunks.
