December 23, 2017 Colon, Panama

Panama’s “second city” (after Panama City), Colón lies near the Panama Canal’s Atlantic entrance. Though named after Christopher Columbus by descendants of Spaniards, the city was founded in 1850 by Americans. During the California gold rush, prospectors from the eastern United States sailed here, trekked across the narrow isthmus of Panama, then sailed up the Pacific coast, believing the journey easier than traversing the entire United States. The US transcontinental railroad put an end to those voyages. Indigenous tribes maintain a strong presence in this northern corner of Panama. In the city’s rural reaches, the indigenous Emberá people, descended from ancient tribes, live in thatched-roof huts, travel by dugout canoe and weave traditional baskets. 

Here is the view of Colon as we sailed into port.

Here we took a tour called The Panama Railway: Connecting Two Oceans. Originally completed in1855, the Panama Railroad became the first transcontinental railroad. The French Panama Canal Company purchased the railroad in 1880 to assist in their attempt to build the Panama Canal. In 1904, the United States purchased the New Panama Canal Company’s assets from the French, including the railroad. The United States rebuilt and operated the railroad until 1979, when it was transferred to Panama under the terms of the Panama Canal Treaty. In 1998, Panama privatized the railroad and awarded a 50-year concession to the Panama Canal Railway Company, a joint venture of Kansas City Southern and Mi-Jack Products, to rebuild and operate the line. The new ‘reborn’ railroad began operations in 2001.

On our way to the train we drove through the town. Our guide Emilio said that tourism is the major industry, bigger than the canal. Colon has the second largest duty-free area (half the city) in the world, with Hong Kong have the largest. Half the stalls are owned by the Jews and the other half are owned by the Arabs. The products are all sold in large quantities. The buses here are very flashy and play music to make up for the lack of air conditioning. There are 250,000 people who live in Colon, with four million in all of Panama.

We travel between Colón and Panama City in this air-conditioned, vintage-style rail coach.

We followed the Canal through lush rainforests, alongside the locks, past the historic Gaillard Cut and over Gatun Lake along narrow causeways. This was the most expensive (per mile) ever built. The cost was human as well, for nearly 12,000 workers died clearing the dense jungle and solid rock, enduring yellow fever, malaria, and many other hardships. A snack box was provided (see picture).

We followed the Canal through lush rainforests, alongside the locks, past the historic Gaillard Cut and over Gatun Lake along narrow causeways. This was the most expensive (per mile) ever built. The cost was human as well, for nearly 12,000 workers died clearing the dense jungle and solid rock, enduring yellow fever, malaria, and many other hardships. A snack box was provided (see picture).

The colorful building below is a museum. It is supposed to represent a parrot. Before we headed back to Colon we went and drove by some of the islands they have there.