A hot day in a hot city, but it was a good day to see the Panama Canal.

Rebecca and our fellow hostel goers, sharing the trip.

This morning we set-off for the Canal. We hooked up with some others staying at  Los Mostros Hostel and paid for a taxi together.

Getting to The Panama Canal

I’ve seen a lot of online websites that suggest being there after 2 PM if you want to watch ships pass through the canal. However, after asking around, we were told to be there at around 10 AM. As you can see from my picture below, we had no problem – there were several ships lining up and waiting to come through.

Ship entering Miraflores location

The Miraflores Panama Canal Visitor Center is a great place to watch the ships. There’s a balcony to watch from, as well as four floors of information about the canal. If you don’t get a great spot in the shade on the balcony, be prepared with sunglasses and hat. I enjoyed watching the process and taking lots of photos.

Shopping for Local Items

After the Panama Canal it was on to shop for local, hand-made products. The taxi driver suggested Casco Viejo.

Vendors set-up in an open space in Casco Viejo.

Be in the Know: While shopping we learned some valuable things.  If you speak Spanish, you are more than likely to get a better deal with the vendors. I was offered $40 as the lowest price on something; Maria, our fellow hostel goer who spoke fluent Spanish, was offered $25. Just another reason for me to get some Spanish skills! We also learned that walking away you get an even better offer. Unfortunately, we’re just window shopping today – we’ll buy things when we come back through in a few weeks. We don’t want to have to carry any more than we have to when we head to the Amazon.

From Casco Viejo we walked to the fish market. Did I mention it’s hot here? We purchased some cool drinks and ceviche (seafood soaked in lime). I’m definitely a fan of ceviche.

Some of the buildings in Casco Veijo are beautiful.

The Travel Gods

I should mention the universe (or is it the travel gods?) helping us out. When we boarded the plane from Denver to Costa Rica there was a small, never used notebook in Rebecca’s seat.  She left it behind and then quickly realized she needed one.  We stopped somewhere in Costa Rica to buy
one. So when I found a headlamp in my locker at Los Mostros, I immediately handed it to Rebecca – her’s had broken on the trip.  The universe has its way of helping, we just have to pay attention!

Our view as we walked from Casco Veijo to the fish market.

Also, to appease the travel gods and keep my things from disappearing. I ditched my pair of hiking pants that have gotten too big (I’ve lost a little weight from all the walking). Perhaps it’s what the next user of my locker will need.

Now, we are leaving for Peru tomorrow, and soon, the Amazon Basin!

Want to see more:
Day 21 Santa Catalina to Panama City, Panama
Day 23 Lima, Peru

I’m Sonja Dewing. I’m an award winning creative writer, a published author of Toy of the Gods, an adventure in the Amazon. If you’d like a free copy of the prequel, Ire of the Gods, sign up for my email list and you’ll get it right away.