Tuesday 2 February 2016.
Up early and into the dinghy to the marina where we joined other ARC crews to go on a tour of the City of Panama. Our guide began by explaining that the town/city had first been founded by the Spanish in 1519 as a port to receive the treasures of Peru and then dispatch them across the isthmus via the Camino Real to Porto Bello or the Camino de Cruces to Cruces then down the Chargres River to Spanish fortified port of San Lorenzo founded in 1596 at the mouth of the Chargres. From these ports great fleets took the treasure back to Spain.
A century and half later the notorious pirate of the Caribbean Captain Morgan in 1668 seized and sacked the port of Porto Bello gaining vast quantities of Spanish treasure. In 1671 he captured the port of San Lorenzo and in 8 days he and 1000 of his men navigated their way up the Chargres River to Cruces and then force marched along the Camino de Cruces to attack the town of Panama. However the Spanish had got wind of his coming and had managed to reload most of the treasure waiting there in the town back on ships which they sent to Peru for safety. The population meanwhile fled into the jungle with their treasures and possessions chased by the pirates. After a fruitless month in Panama Captain Morgan in his frustration set about destroying the town and setting fire to before returning with his men from whence they came. Three years later in 1673 the Spanish rebuilt and fortified the town with a large wall around it a couple of miles or so to the north around a bay. They used as much materials as they could from the ruins of the former town. Today the area is known as "Old Town" with is narrow streets laid out in a grid pattern and its picturesque 18th century buildings which the Panamanian government are now restoring to their former glory.
A signifiant part of what is Panama City was in the US owned and controlled Canal Zone. A secure border fence deliniated what was American soil and what was Panamanian. The Americans built a number of military bases with supporting infrastructure to defend the Canal Zone. The largest of these was Fort Clayton housing some 10,000 military personnel and families on the northern outskirts of the city. The USAF had a base close by called Albrook which has since become Panama City airport. During President Kennedy's term our guide stated that Kennedy had promised that the Panamanian flag might be flown over a school just inside the American sector which was shared by both communities. Hostility against the perceived American "colonialists" had been growing for some time and came to a head in 1964. Protesting students with Panamanian flags tried to scale the border fence to hoist their flag over the school. Molotov cocktails were thrown and the American military became involved. 23 deaths resulted in this incident and was the trigger for the Panamanian government to begin a diplomatic campaign starting among other South American countries and later the world with the aim of taking back the Canal Zone from the "colonialist" Americans. By 1977, such worldwide support for Panama had been gained that President Jimmy Carter was forced to sign an agreement that provided for a 20 year phased handover period from America to Panama of the Canal Zone beginning in 1979. Thus by the end of 1999 all American personnel had withdrawn from the Canal Zone leaving behind them the vast infrastructure they had built and leaving the ownership and adminstration of the Canal entirely in the hands of Panama.
Places like the huge Fort Clayton have now become The City of Knowledge in which many private and religious schools and university faculties operate.
The many abandonned married quarters and administrative buildings throughout the Canal Zone have now been acquired and lived in by weathly Panamanians and expats. We were told the government warmly encourages expats to make their homes in Panama where the income tax rate is only 10% and sales tax 3%.
Shortly after boarding our bus we arrived at was clearly an exclusive area on a hillside overlooking the city. We were invited to climb to the top of this hill from where the city was spread out below us. We could see below us the City Airport close by and the original Canal Administration Building which is still used today. Beyond these to the north we could see the vast area covered by the old Fort Clayton. To the south west we could make out the Old Town and new bridge taking traffic from the Bridge of the Americas, (now called a Panamanian name,) skirting the Old Town in a wide arch to bring traffic directly into modern downtown Panama. Our guide said that the funding of this bridge which cost $750M had partly caused the jailing of a Supreme Court judge and four ministers associated with the bridge's funding.
We were told that the government had appointed several interntionally respected architects to review the funding of the bridge who came to the conclusion it should only have cost $250M. Finally while at this vantage point our guide pointed out a 20 storey building which in 1990 was the highest in Panama. It is now totally dwarfed by literally scores of skyscrapper with up to 80 stories or more.
We toured round downtown Panama along the waterfront of which much was built on recently reclaimed land. There seemed to be very modern skyscrappers everywhere in the downtown area with several still building. The place gave a feeling of very considerable affluence for some but almost inevitably in other areas of the city we drove round we came across tenement buildings where the poor lived but not in squalor as in some of the large cities in India. At one point in slow moving traffic we were passed slowly by an open truck with music blaring and people pretending to partying like it was going out of fashion in the forward part of the back of the truck and some people dressed as the "Grim Reaper" with skeleton masks in the back. The truck was followed by a number of police cars with lights going but no sirens who were again followed by ambulances also with lights flashing but no sirens. Our guide explained that it was a City initiative to warn all against drink driving just before The Festival of the Sea due to take place shortly.
We saw what remained of the ruins of the original town sacked by Captain Morgan and then the modern houses and infrastructure left by the Americans.
Our tour finished with us being shown around the Old Town of 1673. We all agreed that we should have liked to spend much longer there but the Tour bus had a schedule to keep. It dropped off Steve, Alvaro and I and others at the Albrook Mall, the largest and most modern shopping centre apparently in South America. Donald and Andrew stayed on the bus which returned to the marina from where they took our dinghy back to Lydia in order to bring her in from her anchorage onto a finger pontoon we had managed to book for 24 hrs so we would be alongside for bringing on our last major provisioning before Tahiti.
I won't bore you with our trails in the Albrook Mall and the supermarket we found. Suffice to say we bought among other rations 480 cans of beer since we had almost run out on board and had worked out that we would drink two cans a day for the next 60 days of the voyage. Eventually we thankfully finished and as in Colon the bag packers kindly found a taxi pickup into which we deposited our 5 trolleys' worth of shopping and returned to the marina to face again the conundrum of were everything could be stored. In the evening 2 taxis took the 5 of us to the Fish market and surrounding open air non touristy restaurants to celebrate Andrew's last night before he returned to England and left the 4 of us to sail on to Tahiti. The taxi ride home was a death defying ride by what we analysed later was a teenage cowboy who tried to overcharge us. There appear to be no safety belts in the back of these yellow Toyota taxis and we were seriously hanging on for dear life to the handles above the windows and wondering whether we would get out of the crash which seemed inevitable.
Wednesday 3 February.
This was a quiet day alongside where we filled up with water, handed in our laundry and gas bottle for refill to be returned the next day. Steve, Alvaro and I take a taxi to find a local barber since we were both in need of serious haircuts and then on to the Fruit Market to buy our last perishable fruit before the Galapagos Islands. Our taxi knew exactly where to go for a haircut. Steve and found ourselves in chairs literally on the street with the clippers, scissors and razors making making short work of our locks. I felt rather like a sheep being shorn. Fortunately Alvaro was on hand to translate something of what we were each hoping for. Steve had his beard completely shaved off and looked like a skinhead. I managed to retain some of my hair on top but the back and sides were like a GI's!
Our delightful elderly taxi driver accompanied us round the fruit market which reminded me very much like the ones I had experienced in India. We bought our veg and fruit provisions and returned to Lydia in time to help refuel her and then back to our anchorage outside. Sadly at this stage Andrew departed for the UK so we are now down to the four of us who will sail to Tahiti. The Skipper lead us ashore for a dinner to a good restaurant in walking distance from the marina.
Thursday 4 February.
This proved a very relaxed day. We went ashore for lunch and had excellent Ceviche (South American speciality of marinated fish in lemon juice). That evening we had all booked along with almost all of the other ARC crews to go on a one and half hour ride on a "Party Bus" arranged by the ARC organisers. Few of any of us had been on a "Party Bus" before but Nothing venture Nothing gain. At 8.30pm that evening having had a "blotting paper" supper on board we all assembled at the marina to see what was in store for us. In due course two typical old fashioned US mid West school coaches arrived painted black inside and outside with red and blue lights all overon the outside. Inside was all black with all the glass taken out of the windows and fixed on the window ledges were holes in to which to put your polystyrene cup brimming full of rum, coke and ice. A cushioned bench to flop down after John Trevolta type dancing was arranged down the length of the coach on either side leaving the centre for dancing. Straps from one side of the coach to the other were arranged across the coach for dancers to hang on to as the the bus did a tour of the City.
Finally two very large loud speakers were arranged at each end of the bus with the entrance by the driver remaining open to bring in a bit of a draft as we went on our merry way. The bus swayed to and fro with the dancing as we progressed around downtown Panama with the loudest music possible. I am still partially deaf in one ear as a result. The drink flowed and the dancing became more and more uninhibited.
Passing cars who had clearly seen it all before hooted and gave us thumbs up signs as we hung out of the windows with our rum and coke. There is no way "Elph & Safety" would have had a heart attack in the UK but South America is clearly deliciously different. In due course we were on the return journey again marvelling at the sights of the all skyscrappers lit up. Inevitably we got stuck in a traffic jam but as these appeared so common street sellers with food and beer plied their trade in the middle of the traffic going slowly by. Since the rum and coke had run out by this time we went on to Panama beers and anything else they could sell. It was an experience I don't think any us will forget but may be, (unless you are young) may not wish to repeat! The younger crew members of which there must be about 20 decided the party was not over yet so persuaded one of the buses to take them on to the Old Town to continue the party. Steve and Alvaro were our representative in this group and regaled us with most interesting tales the following morning.
Friday 5 February.
We decided not to go to the formally arranged ARC Crew Dinner that night but instead weighed anchor and were sailing off the Las Perlas (The Pearl Islands) with a good wind on our beam creaming along in beautiful weather.
Steve our fisherman caught 4ft Pacific Sierra which is like a mackeral and very good for eating. Alas we misidentified it as a small barracuda which are not good to eat. We only learnt our mistake when we went for dinner that night. We anchored at the most well known island Contador which apparently is where Panamanian millionaires have their weekend retreats and South American Heads of State meet there since it is easily secured.
Unfortunately there were a number of large motor cruisers there playing their own music very loudly. We went ashore and had an excellent dinner at the one hotel where the ARC fleet will rendez vous nest Thursday for a beach BBQ before setting off for the Galapagos the next day.
Saturday 6 February.
Unfortunately in hoisting the mainsail the day before a tear developed in the luff. Most of the day was therefore spent at anchor while, Steve who learnt sail repair on the Atlantic ARC, got to work with Alvaro to laboriously stitch it. We are indeed fortunate to have Steve aboard and also with his fishing skills. We decided to stay where we were that night but went ashore for a swim and a beer.
Sunday 7 February.
We weighed anchor after breakfast and sailed down south through the Las Perlas where navigation is decidely interesting. There are so many inviting islands with lovely white deserted beaches to explore. It is a perfect cruising ground. This afternoon off we have anchored off a lovely little beach on the south of Isla Ampon. There are numerous pelicans flying and diving and also the beautiful frigate birds that look partly like Stukas and partly like Pteradactyls from whence they may well have been descended.
There is one small motor cruiser with a French couple living in Panama in our little bay. He came over as he could not get his outboard to start but neither could we. Another perfect sunset in a perfect setting.