On August 7th we reached Columbia. You'll find the reports for Columbia on the Columbia pages.

Days 199 - 202
August 4th - August 7th 2010

Sailing from San Blas,Panama to Cartagena, Columbia

So far, we had many highlights on this trip. But this trip on the 107 year old german lugger "Stahlratte" was just amazing.

Stahlratte

A 4x4 vehicle picked us up in Panama City at 5am on August 4th. We drove for 3 hours (bad, bad roads) to a river. From there a small boat took us to the bay where the ship was waiting for us and the other passengers. There where 25 people from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK, US, Australia, Italy, Spain, Malaysia and Colombia on board. 

After everybody was on board we set sail and sailed for 4 hours to one of the most beautiful islands we've ever seen. San Blas, Panama.  We stayed there for 2 days. The days where filled with BBQ at the Beach, swimming, snorkeling, eating, drinking and funny games. The crew did an amazing job entertaining and cooking. Everybody had such a great time - until they set sail again on Friday, August 6th at 6 am. The sea was pretty calm but the ship did move a lot. It was very quiet on the ship....people either were seasick, had a hangover from last night or a combination of both. Nicole and Marissa didn't feel that great either. 

The San Blas Islands is a group of 365 islands which are located just off the Caribbean coast of Panama. The indigenous Kuna Yala tribe have self governing authority over the islands and a part of the mainland. 

On August 7th at 6 am we reached Cartagena, Columbia. We had to wait on the ship until 2pm for the Immigration. It was Saturday and Inauguration of the new president. So everything took a little more time than usual. 
After "checking out" we went straight to our hostel where we will spend the next days until we get our car out of the port.


Days 194 & 198
July 30th - August 3rd 2010

Panama City - Colon - Panama City

On July 30th we drove from Panama City to Colon.  The main reason to go there is the Port of Colon. That's where we have to deliver our vehicle. It will be shipped from Colon to Cartagena, Colombia.
Once we reached Colon we went straight to the Shipping Agent to pick up our Bill of lading. After that I went to the Customs Office to get an Exit Permission and an exit stamp in my passport. After that we stopped at our Hotel in Colon for a quick bite to eat. Now it was time to deliver the camper to the port in Colon - I really hope that the camper reaches its destination and doesn't end up in Africa or somewhere else.

After we're done with the delivery of the vehicle we are basically trapped in our hotel. I say, "trapped" because Colon is a very dangerous city and we have repeatedly been warned not to venture outside of the fenced-in plaza where the Sheraton hotel and a series of small shops reside. We spent a short period of time exploring the plaza and we find that not only our Hotel is guarded by Police but also every shop has security guards, each armed with pistols. We attempt to walk 200 yards to the entrance of the Colon Free Zone, the second biggest in the world, when a police car pulls over. One cop gets out of the car and tells us that it is not safe to walk here. He calls a taxi for us....

To give you a better understanding of why Colon has become such a dangerous, miserable town, read this.

Americans founded the city of Colon in 1850 as the Atlantic terminus of the Panama Railroad, then under construction to meet the gold rush demand for a fast route to California. For a number of years early in its history, the sizable United States émigré community called the town Aspinwall after Panama Railroad promoter William Henry Aspinwall, while the city's Hispanic community called it Colón, in honor of Christopher Columbus. The city was founded on the western end of a treacherously marshy islet known as Manzanillo Island. As part of the Panama Railroad's construction, the island was connected to the Panamanian mainland by a causeway and part of the island was drained to allow the erection of permanent buildings.

Much of the city was burned during a Colombian civil war in 1885, and again in a massive fire in 1915.

In 1948, the southeastern corner of Manzanillo Island was designated the Colón Free Trade Zone. The Free Trade Zone has since been expanded through land reclamation on the Folks River and annexation of parts of France Field (now Enrique Adolfo Jiménez Airport) and Coco Solo.

During its heyday, Colón was home to dozens of nightclubs, 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 Herrera 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.

Population

In 1900, the population was some 3,000 people. It grew significantly with the building of the Panama Canal, and was 31,203 in 1920. In 2000, it had a population of about 204,000 people.

With the city's economic decline, many of the city's upper- and middle-class residents left, reducing its previous ethnic diversity. Formerly vibrant European and American expatriate communities, as well as Panamanians of Greek, Italian, Jewish, Chinese and South Asian heritage, abandoned the city, moving to Panama City, former Canal Zone towns, and overseas.

Today, sizable South Asian and Arab communities live in the remaining prosperous areas of the city as well as in gated communities outside the city. The majority of the city's population are of West Indian and mixed mestizo-hispanic ancestry.

On Sunday our driver Juan drove us around in the surrounding area. 
First we stopped at the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal.

While we were at the locks a Ship of the "Panamax" Class was going through one of the locks. The "Panamax" Ships are the biggest that can go through the locks. This particular had 5000 Container on board and paid $ 248,000.00 to use the Canal.
After a hour at the Locks we moved on to Portobelo. Portobelo was founded in 1597 by Spanish explorer Francisco Velarde y Mercado. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries it was an important silver-exporting port in New Granada on the Spanish Main and one of the ports on the route of the Spanish treasure fleets.

The city was also victim of one of Captain Henry Morgan's notorious adventures. In 1668, Morgan led a fleet of privateers and 450 men against Portobelo, which, in spite of its good fortifications, he captured and plundered for 14 days, stripping it of nearly all its wealth. This daring endeavour, although successful, also proved particularly brutal as it involved rape, torture, and murder on a grand scale.

On November 21, 1739, the port was again attacked and captured by a British fleet, commanded this time by Admiral Edward Vernon during the War of Jenkins' Ear. The British victory created an outburst of popular acclaim throughout the British Empire, and many streets and settlements in the British Isles and the Thirteen Colonies were named Portobello such as the Portobello Road in London.

However, the town was quickly recovered by the Spanish and Admiral Vernon suffered a major defeat against the stronghold of Cartagena de Indias in 1741. Vernon was forced to return to England with a decimated fleet and over 18,000 casualties. Despite the Portobelo campaign, British efforts of gaining a foothold in the Spanish Main and disrupting the galleon trade were fruitless. Following the War of Jenkins' Ear, the Spanish switched from large fleets calling at few ports to small fleets trading at a wide variety of ports. They also began to travel around Cape Horn to trade on the West coast.

Today, Portobelo is a sleepy city with a population of fewer than 3,000. It has a deep natural harbor. In 1980 the ruins of the fortification, along with nearby Fort San Lorenzo, were declared a World Heritage Site. When Francis Drake died in 1596 at sea, he was buried in a lead coffin near Portobelo bay.

The small town El Valle de Antón is located in the Province of Cocle, 120 km / 90 miles away from Panama City. The village is nestled in the caldera of the second largest inhabited volcano in the world. It is named by the "El Valle Volcano", a Stratovulcano. The "El Valle de Antón caldera" with a radius of 6 km / 4 miles was formed about 1.1-1.3 million years ago. Today the caldera forms the ground for the small town El Valle de Anton with its 6200 inhabitants.

The floor of the valley is underlaid by deposits of a former caldera lake, filled with hot thermic water. The valley is margined by a lava dome complex which is formed by East-West movement of the caldera. The tops are known as "El Cerro Gaital" (1185 m), "El Cerro Pajita" (616 m) and "El Cerro Caracoral". The recent important eruption in the underground was 13.000 years ago. It happend when the hot magma met the caldera lake water. Some of the last volcanic activities were measured in 1987.

Because of its elevation (600m), it is cooler than the Panamanian lowlands - which feels really, really good. The area around the town is also known for being one of the last habitats of the critically endangered Panamanian golden frog. 

Yesterday we hiked up to the top of the mountain called "The Sleeping Indian" or La India Dormida. It is a hill chain with the silhouette of a sleeping Indian woman. The legend says that Flor del Aire was the daughter of Urraca, the most successful Chief in Panama fighting against the Conquistadores. It was her misfortune to fall in love with one of the Spanish soldiers. Yavari, one of the strongest fighters of her tribe, vied for her affection. When she did not return his love, in despair, he jumped to his death from a mountain top before the Princess' eyes. In sorrow Princess Flor del Aire left her home and never saw the Spaniard again.
She crossed mountains and valleys bitterly weeping over her fate. Above the beaches of the Caribbean she fell dead looking back at the beloved mountains where she had been born. The mountains were so touched by this sad love story they decided to form the shape of the Princess, and that is how the India Dormida arose. 

The sleeping Indian

On the way we came by the Petroglyphs "La Piedra Pintada". This pre-Columbian pertroglyph couldn´t be decoded yet. Some locals say it has been a map for traders, other say it is a map of caves connecting the mountain range.

We are parking at the Hotel "Las Capitanes" which is owned and operated by Manfred, a former german sea captain. He is one of the most interesting people we met - ever. It is fascinating to just sit and listen to the stories he has to tell from his jobs around the world.

We made it to Panama City. Panama City is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 813,097, with a total metro population of 1,206,792, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. Panama City is the political and administrative center of the country.

With an average GDP per capita of $11,700, Panama has been for 8 years in the top 5 places for retirement in the world according to International Living Magazine. Panama City has a dense skyline of mostly highrise apartment buildings and condos, but office complexes and hotels as well. Panama City is also an important hub for international banking and commerce.

We spent those days in Panama in the Sheraton Panama. It was quite funny, when we pulled up at the valet parking in front of the hotel with our camper. They are used to cars like BMW, Audi and Mercedes. But a Pick up Camper. Everybody was smiling and they liked the idea of travelling around in your own vehicle.

It was raining on our first day in the City, so we took advantage of the many malls here. Those malls rival any of the big malls in the states. We were in desperate need of new T-Shirts and shoes. What better place to by this than here?

The rain finally stopped and we were able to do some sightseeing. First stop was Casco Viejo. Originally built and settled in 1671 after the destruction of Panama Viejo (The original location of the City of Panama) by the privateer Henry Morgan, Casco Viejo de Panama was constructed as a walled city on a peninsula 8 kilometers away from Panama Viejo to protect its settlers against future pirate attacks. Casco Antiguo was designated a World Heritage Site in 2003.

Between sightseeing we went to the offices of Barwil Agencies. That's the company we are going to ship our camper with. When we got to the address where the company used to have its headquarters we found out that they've moved.  The moved to a new location about 10 miles outside the city. Ok, we went back in a taxi and drove to their new offices. Evelyn Batista, the person that manages the shipping of cars and campers was very helpful and we agreed on August 1st as the shipping date. 

Back to sightseeing. We drove to the Miraflores locks at the Panama Canal.

Miraflores Locks, Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is 77 km (48 mi) long and connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in the canal's early days to 14,702 vessels in 2009

One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the canal had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal travels 9,500 km (5,900 mi), well under half the 22,500 km (14,000 mi) route around Cape Horn.

The concept of a canal near Panama dates to the early 16th century. The first attempt to construct a canal began in 1880 under French leadership, but was abandoned after 21,900 workers died, largely from disease (particularly malaria and yellow fever) and landslides. The United States launched a second effort, incurring a further 5,600 deaths but succeeding in opening the canal in 1914. The U.S. controlled the canal and the Canal Zone surrounding it until the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties provided for the transition of control to Panama. From 1979 to 1999 the canal was under joint U.S.–Panamanian administration, and from 31 December 1999 command of the waterway was assumed by the Panama Canal Authority, an agency of the Panamanian government.

While the Pacific Ocean is west of the isthmus and the Atlantic to the east, the 8- to 10-hour journey through the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic is one from southeast to northwest. This is a result of the isthmus's "curving back on itself" in the region of the canal. The Bridge of the Americas at the Pacific end is about a third of a degree of longitude east of the end near Colon on the Atlantic.

The maximum size of vessel that can use the canal is known as Panamax. The average toll for using the canal is $ 90000 and has to be paid in cash.

We also visited the World Heritage Site of Panama Viejo.

Panamá Viejo is the remaining part of the old Panama City and former capital of the country. It is located in the suburbs of the modern city. Together with the historical district of Panamá, it forms a World Heritage Site.

The city was founded 15 August 1519 by Pedro Arias Dávila and other 100 inhabitants; at the time, it was the first permanent settlement in the Pacific Ocean, substituting the two cities of Santa María la Antiga del Darién and Acla. Two years later, in 1521, the settlement was promoted to the status of city by a royal decree and was given a coat of arms by Charles V of Spain, forming a new Cabildo. Shortly after its creation the city became a starting point for various expeditions in Peru and an important base where gold and silver were sent to Spain.

In 1539 and 1563, the city suffered some fires which destroyed parts of it but they did not harm the city's development. In 1610, the city reached a population of 5000, with 500 houses and some convents and chapels, a hospital and a cathedral.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the city was attacked several times by pirates and indigenous people from Darién. On 2 May 1620, an earthquake damaged many buildings in the city. On 21 February 1644, the Great Fire destroyed 83 religious buildings, including the cathedral. At this time, there were 8000 people living in the city.

In 1670, the city counted 10,000 inhabitants. On 28 January 1671, the Welsh pirate Henry Morgan attacked the city with 1400 men marching from the Caribbean coast across the jungle. Morgan's force defeated the city's militia then proceeded to sack Panamá. Either Morgan and his army started a fire that burned the city or the Captain General Don Juan Pérez de Guzmán ordered the gunpowder magazines exploded. Either way, the resulting fire destroyed the city. Morgan's attack caused the loss of thousands of lives and Panamá had to be rebuilt a few kilometres to the west on a new site (the current one).

Because the sacking of Panamá violated a new peace treaty between England and Spain, Morgan was arrested and conducted to England in 1672. He proved he had no knowledge of the treaty. Instead of punishment, Morgan was knighted by King Charles II of England in 1674 before returning to Jamaica the following year to take up the post of Lieutenant Governor.

Panama City was very nice. It looks and feels almost like an american city. Maybe Miami. After a nice dinner in the german restaurant "Steinbock" at our last night in the city we drove back to Santa Clara. We now have some time to kill before our camper gets shipped to Colombia.

We stayed in the backyard of the "Pension Azul" of the Schoebl family. The next day we went for a hike in the Baru National Park. The Volcán Baru is the tallest mountain in Panama and is 3,474 metres (11,398 ft) high. The Baru National Park offers a beautiful landscape and we hiked for a couple of hours before we returned to the bakery around our campground to get some sweets and great bread. We enjoyed the climate up here. Boquete is at 3000 feet and that makes it very comfortable - especially at night.