Casco Viejo: An Olden World (by Jack Gavin, age 12)

Last week we went to Panama.  Our first stop was Panama City. Wow, just like Guatemala, Panama is entirely different from what I know in both the U.S and Costa Rica! Panama City is a place torn between space-aged looking skyscrapers and old crumbling walls.  As I first drove through Panama city, I couldn’t believe how different this was from any other city I had ever seen. There was "New" Panama City, with towering brand new skyscrapers.  There was a neighboring JUNGLE…IN the city! (Panama City is the only city in the world that set aside a rain forest jungle inside the city lines).  And then there was Casco Viejo, where we stayed.

Walking the old streets of Casco Viejo

Down by the water in Casco Viejo

That's "new" Panama City across the water...juuuust a little bit different than Casco Viejo!

Casco Viejo used to be an amazing colonial city and some of it dates back to the 1500's.  But then it became a nearly abandoned part of Panama City that was inhabited only by druggies and gangs for years and years.   Not too long ago, a small group of people came in and slowly started renovating it and turning it into an extremely popular tourist area with cool hotels and restaurants and stores built into the renovated old colonial buildings.   In Casco Viejo, I noticed not only newly renovated buildings, but some preserved older ruined churches, too.  One of the churches even has an altar of gold that was painted black back when the city was invaded by an English pirate.  He didn't think the church was worth anything so he left it alone and it still stands today.

Our Hotel (the "American Trade") was an abandoned building used as a gang headquarters only 10 years ago!

The old church across from our hotel (with the bells that ring every 15 minutes starting at 6:00 am!)

On our first day, we saw the Panama Canal. I mean, if you go to Panama, you have to see the famous Panama Canal, right?  We waited and waited for the cargo ships to reach the locks.  Most of my family took breaks inside from time to time because it was HOT on the observation dock!  They went inside.  But I stayed through the heat and it was worth it.  It was something I knew I would never be able to see again – a HUGE cargo ship, pulled along by little cars, entered the locks, they filled with water and the ship moved on to the next part of the canal.

The lock doors holding back the water.

Waiting for a boat...

And waiting...

Here it comes...!

These boats are HUGE!

Charlie goofing around in the canal museum.

Liadan did NOT like it when mom was pretending to give a hug to a mannequin in the museum!

One of the coolest museum exhibits ever...you "captain" a Panamax ship into the locks. The full room video screen shows you moving, the floors tilt and rise/fall, etc.

In the simulator room.

Only five more of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World to go. ( I’ve seen the Empire State Building, too...I guess I have also seen the Golden Gate Bridge but I was too little to remember that one so I won't count it for now). The following day, we went to see the BioMuseo, a museum designed by the famous architect Frank Gehry.  The BioMuseo looks like a scrambled rubix cube.  We learned a TON.  We learned about extinct animals and how they became extinct. We learned about Urraca, a native chief who resisted Spanish conquest, and more.

That is one crazy looking museum! It's the only Frank Gehry building in Latin America (and I just learned he is married to a Panamanian so I guess it makes sense!)

In the museum.

Mom and dad outside the museum (the BioMuseo is on the water)

Big boat and little boat!

In between, I also enjoyed the many walks through the city.  We left the tourist areas and went around the local shopping areas, too.

Leaving the tourist areas to go into town.

Stopping at a hat stand on the street back in Casco Viejo.

Walking around the streets and the markets, you get to discover more about a culture.

Woman in traditional dress in a market place.

A big cathedral being renovated in Casco Viejo.

Playing "telephone" at dinner (we do that a lot as a family).

The two older kids...

...and the two younger kids.

At breakfast in the hotel.

Ella showing off her new hat.

There was a tiny pool on the roof of the hotel (the only pool in Casco Viejo)

At night we'd talk sometimes about things we had seen and learned that day (we do that when we travel).  I can't believe how much I can learn by visiting places and talking about it.  It makes it seem so much more real and easier to understand and remember when we see things and don't just read about them in books.

We were in Panama for a holiday celebrating the students whose protests back in the 1960's eventually led to the US turning over the canal to Panama. 16 kids died. The survivors are all national heroes.

The next day we had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to leave for Bocas del Toro.  Our trip to Panama City was short but I thought Casco Viejo was a very educational, enjoyable, and interesting experience I will never forget!

Me at the Panama canal!