The passion, death and resurrection of Christ is being remembered throughout Panama this week with the fervor of the various ethnic and religious communities from literally all parts of the world. In the Panama City/Colón metro area, where a large percentage of the population descends from immigrants, Protestant churches, depending on the denomination, will offer Easter services in Greek, Chinese, Korean, English and Spanish, whereas Roman Catholics (85% of the population) mark the occasion with special services and evening processions in each neighborhood.

In the interior provinces, where Spanish tradition and Roman Catholicism is strong, passion plays are common and are a picturesque opportunity to discover the country’s most deeply-rooted Christian traditions. The passion plays of the town of Pesé, in the province of Herrera, are famous for the quality of their performances. To get there, visitors need to get on the Pan-American Highway by crossing the Bridge of the Americas and drive west some 213 km to the town of Divisa, and turn off south to the Azuero peninsula. Road signs will indicate how to finish the rest of the trip, which should take four hours. A good service of buses to Pesé departs from Gran Terminal de Transporte, located in Albrook.

Holy Week traditions

Holy Week, especially in the western provinces of Panama, is a time to remember mythical tales, some of which appeared during the colonial period as a means to convince townsfolk to attend mass and relinquish earthly pleasures. Those who dared to perform the simplest of tasks, draw water from a well, for example, were told the water would turn to blood. Interestingly, in this day and age with the Internet found in almost every corner of the country, visitors could still find grandpas advising children not to go to the beach on Good Friday. The consequence? To be turned into a fish.

Panama’s Chinese community is strong. The descendants of the first ‘coolies’ that arrived to work in the Panama Railroad are celebrating 150 years on the Isthmus this year with a wide range of activities.

Early Chinese immigrants had it tough. Nostalgia, cultural barriers and tropical disease decimated their numbers and, according to legend, many of those not infected by malaria, typhoid or yellow fever, committed suicide en masse. But many others lived on and found their niche in Panamanian society, becoming prosperous businessmen, both in Panama City and the interior provinces.

Thanks to the large Chinese immigration, Panamanians learned to eat (and love) rice, the country’s main staple. The wide variety of dry goods, electronic gadgets and clothing sold on Avenida Central is also attributed to their strong presence.

There are two ‘Chinatowns’ in Panama City. Featuring two beautiful entrances donated by the government of Taiwan, the first one opened in the 1990’s in the neighborhood of Santa Ana, along Avenida B, an old Chinese district. Reminiscent of south Asian markets, the area is recommended for adventurers and everyone looking for the ‘exotic’.

The second Chinatown, an unofficial one, appeared abruptly in the last decade in the trendy, upscale neighborhood of El Dorado, where banks, video stores, clinics, restaurants and other businesses cater to the area’s growing Asian community and its visitors.

Of vacations and acid buses

By Gary L. Rashba

School buses on acid. That’s the first thing that struck me upon arriving in Panama. Those trusty yellow school buses that took me to elementary school in the United States have found a new life in Panama as public transportation buses, with the addition of psychedelic paint jobs.

Other than those buses, it was hard to get the feel of being in a foreign country at first because there was no currency exchange to deal with. Panama’s national currency is the United States dollar, only they call it the “balboa”. You can’t get any easier than that.

As soon as we ventured out of Panama City), we began to see why Panama is considered an undiscovered secret of Central America. We were immediately struck by how friendly and welcoming Panamanians are. Cars stop to let you cross the street, and most people we encountered offered a friendly smile and a “buenas,” their colloquial greeting.

“Of all the countries I visited in Central America,” a tourist who had traveled the region told me before my trip, “Panama was the best. There were no tourists-the country just hasn’t marketed itself as a tourist destination.” The travel guide I bought echoed those sentiments, and that’s what caught my interest.

We traveled from Panama City to the city of David in the west, gateway to the Chiriqui highlands, and took one of those old school busses to the mountain town of Boquete. The next day we headed straight to the thermal springs at Caldera where, for $1 paid to the caretaker, we soaked to our hearts’ delight in natural outdoor springs before cooling off in the river flowing just below. The area’s rivers are better known for trout fishing and for excellent white water rafting.

After such a relaxing first day, we were ready to tackle the Sendero los Quetzales, the famous trail known for sightings of the resplendent green and red-feathered quetzal. With our untrained eyes, we hardly noticed any birds, and certainly not a quetzal. The strenuous hike connecting Boquete with Cerro Punta traverses lush green jungle. The well-trodden trail is easy to follow, so there is no need for a guide. However, it begins and ends far from each town center-meaning a long additional hike into town after the long trek. Also, since there is no direct transportation connection between the two towns, a long bus ride back to the city of David awaits you, and then another to Boquete—adding nearly 3 hours to your day. There is talk of building a road between the two towns to facilitate tourism, but most Panamanians oppose this for environmental reasons.

Our muscles aching, we decided against climbing up to the peak of Volcan Baru, an extinct volcano, Panama’s highest point. Instead, we started off our last day in Boquete on the Café Ruiz “coffee roasting plant edu-tour” to learn how coffee is grown and ends up in our mug at home. At $4 per person, this tour is a bargain compared to the more expensive tours that also visit coffee plantations and include “cuppings,” as coffee tastings are called. Just up the road from Café Ruiz is the beautifully manicured “My Garden is Your Garden” private garden-definitely worth a stroll, and free at that.

Wandering around Boquete for several days, I found the town rather run down. This was surprising after reading tour book and online write-ups that made it sound so quaint-a treasure hidden in this green paradise. I finally discovered what they were talking about when I ventured beyond the main street and town center. We found lovely houses surrounded by flowers of all different colors-the stuff that attracts expatriates from around the world to retire in Boquete. Visitors like myself arriving by bus can easily find lodgings in town. With a car or more advance planning, patience and budget, one can reach nicer accommodations, offering cabins and rooms in pastoral settings.

In the highlands, be sure to dress warm and, if you travel during what Panamanians call the “green season” between May and September, be prepared for rain. Our plastic rain suits saved us a few times. Don’t make the mistake we made and leave your fleece vest at home-it can get chilly, even in summer. And if you’re traveling by bus to or from Panama City, that fleece will certainly come in handy. The buses put their air conditioning on super freeze, making for a not particularly enjoyable ride, despite the comfortable reclining seats on the modern coach.

Our next stop was El Valle de Anton where, as in Boquete, we were getting around by bus and therefore found accommodation in what initially appears to be the only options: Hotel Residential and Hotel Don Pepe, which share the building with the excellent handicrafts stores in the center of town. The hotels feature two of the town’s eateries: Restaurant Mar de Plata and Restaurant Don Pepe, both serving up the same tasty local fare, like hojaldres (fried dough), bollos (corn meal dough boiled in leave), patacones (fried green plantains) and ceviche (raw fish and onion marinated in lemon juice).

Only when we rented bicycles did we begin to discover more accommodations, one of which actually features two of El Valle’s attractions. At the Hotel Campestre, butterflies in a myriad of colors escorted us as we walked the well-marked, easy path to see El Valle’s famous square trees. They should call it the “butterfly path,” as they were more of an attraction than the trees. We had more success finding the trees than we did spotting the golden frogs in the large cage, the hotel’s other attraction. Only when we went to the local zoo did we see the famous nearly-extinct black-spotted yellow frogs.

Strapped into a harness and hanging from cables, we soared through the forest canopy 60 meters high above the Chorro El Macho waterfall looking (unsuccessfully) for birds in the “Canopy Adventure”. We also visited Pozos Termales, El Valle’s hot or, more accurate, luke warm springs-a true bargain at one dollar admission cost. Visitors cover themselves with therapeutic mud-one for the body and another for the face, allow it to dry, then remove the mud in mineral water showers before soaking in the pools.

El Valle is best known for its Sunday market —a cross between a souvenir handicrafts market, farmers market and plant nursery. Tour companies in Panama City offer day tours from the capital to El Valle primarily for the market, but it seemed to me that is should not be the primary reason for going to El Valle, a place of natural charm and various attractions.

Back in Panama City, our first stop was the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal, which now has a new visitors center complete with restaurants, shops and a museum that tells the story of the Panama Canal. A brief video provides more information, but nothing beats a live demonstration of this engineering marvel. It is simply amazing to watch cruise ships or massive cargo vessels stacked high with containers rising or falling as they pass through the locks for their ride through the initial or final portion of their 50 mile long, 8-10 hour transit through the Canal.

On Saturdays, for around $100, you can make a transit yourself on one of the boats dedicated to transit tours. Partial transit go through 2 of the 3 lock sets and takes a full morning.

The Interoceanic Canal Museum of Panama in the Old Quarter is also a good place to learn about the Canal. In any event, be sure to hit one of the two. At $2 per adult, the Interoceanic museum is a bargain, but everything is in Spanish, so you’ll have to dish out $5 total (including admission) for the English audio tour. You will want to visit Casco Viejo anyway to enjoy its European flavor.

Although we hiked the famous Quetzal Trail without seeing a quetzal, we hired a private guide and went early morning birding at the crack of dawn along Soberania National Park’s “Pipeline Road,” known as one of the world’s finest areas for bird-watching. What a treat it was to see so much wildlife. It was like watching a nature channel special on birds; but I was there!

We concluded our visit with a stroll and dinner on the Amdor causeway, the narrow strip connecting four small islands at the entrance to the canal. We took in great views of modern Panama City, with its tall buildings reflecting on the water, just as we reflected on all we had seen and done on our Panamanian vacation.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Mr. Editor:
Greetings. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you for the excellent, special issue devoted to Panama’s provinces. However, I would also like to present a complaint regarding the article on the Central Provinces, which was published on page 8 of the same issue as it only mentioned the hotels that appear on your client list.

I believe a publication like yours needs to be more objective. Visitors are entitled to have all the information possible before choosing where to stay or eat. As you can see, it is a matter of fairness.

Thanks for your attention.

Sincerely,
Kevin Moreno
Kevin Hotel & Restaurant
La Villa de Los Santos

World-class designer Oscar de la Renta is coming to Panama to present 75 pieces of his 2005 Spring/Summer collection. The fashion show will be part of “Noche Romántica”, an annual event organized by Fundación San Felipe, a charity organization promoting the development of Panama City’s Old Quarter. The event, which also includes a musical extravaganza featuring various performers, will take place April 12 at Figali Convention Center, in Amador.

The Visitor will provide more information on the activity in its next issue (April 8-21).