It was also the day for learning how the transport system works. Sometimes there is a steep learning curve to buses, most of this involving ending up on a dead end road near a chicken farm or swamp when you thought you were headed for the Museum de National. Today was not quite so bad as that.
The first trick to the Panama City buses is that you have to have a fare card to swipe. One cannot buy the card on the bus and the bus does not accept cash. Bus cards are easily available at the bus station, but one has to take a bus to get there. Hmmmm. The Hostel host explained the process to me. One goes to the bus stop, making sure that at least one other person is there. When the bus arrives, one ask "Tengo para mi por favor?" and then offers the 25 cent fare in cash. Hmmmm.
Armed with knowledge and cash, I optimistically traipsed down to the stop on the corner. Sure enough, up pulls the bus for Albrook Station (all buses go to Albrook eventually), I say the magic words and the Panamanian gentleman not only swipes his card twice but smilingly refuses my offered coin.
Albrook produces its own challenges, including finding the kiosk, prcurring my own car (Passaporte por favor) and eventually finding the bus for the Miraflores Locks, gateway to the Canal. The bus arrived where and when I was told, a lovely modern bus with crazy aircon, and off we went. Transportation system half conquered.
Miraflores is the first of the Panama Canal locks from the Pacific side. The double locks raise the ships in two stages, each stage being about 9 meters in height. It is a pretty awesome spectacle. The biggest ships have only two feet of space on either side between the lock walls and the hull of the ship. I spent several hours on the observation deck watching the show. My favorite aspects of the whole process were the "mules', small electric trains engines that hold the ship in position. There are at least four to a ship, two aft and two fore.
Ships go in, ships come out, 27 million gallons flushes out of each lock each time, and all powered by gravity. The new canal and locks will have reclaiming bins to conserve some of the fresh water. It was all fascinating, even the movie in the frozen aircon theater, but I had done my tourist duty and it was time to complete the transit circle.
So, the bus arrives, Si, it goes to Albrook. Bingo-bango, all things are smooth as silk. Arriving at Albrook I wander over the skybridge to the Albrook Mall (all malls look alike it seems) and with the luck of the travel Gods on my side, I find a cigar store AND get interviewed by some local kids doing a school project.
Still, the circle has not been closed. I find what I think may be the right bus,, maybe, and hopefully climb on board. We go in the general direction of where I think we should be going. I am ready to bail should we take some veering detour towards the chicken farm, but all is well and then there is a mercado district that I want to check out. Off the bus and walking, I am relying on my inner compass which proves sufficient. Just as the doubt factor is beginning to manifest, I recognize some landmarks and TaDa! There is the Hostel.
Tonight it is over to the Old Town for some dinner and a walk. Panama City is renowned for its night-life but that is mostly wasted on a geezer like me. Tomorrow is a travel day, heading south and west for Chitre and the Azzuro Peninsula. I need to trade in the city for some small town time.
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