Destination Panama!
Posted 8.4.08 at 11:11 pm
Panama City SkylinePhoto by Silver Planet StaffMost visitors enter Panama by flying to its capital, Panama City (Ciudad de Panamá), an urban area comprising nearly a third of the country’s population of 3.2 million persons. This view is from the city’s Metropolitan Nature Park (Parque Natural Metropolitano).
Plaza Paitilla Inn, Panama CityPhoto by Silver Planet StaffHere’s a view looking east along Panama City’s Balboa Avenue. The cylindrical building in the center is the Plaza Paitilla Inn. The club on the top floor was a favorite hangout of former dictator Manuel Noriega, known locally as Cara de Piña—Pineapple Face. The Papal Nunciate, where he took refuge during the 1989 U.S. invasion, is next door.
The Amador CausewayPhoto by Silver Planet StaffHere’s a view from the Country Inn & Suites located on the Amador Causeway (Calzada de Amador), Panama City, along the mouth of the Panama Canal. From your balcony, you can watch ships enter and exit 24/7.
Bridge of the AmericasPhoto by Silver Planet StaffA view of the Bridge of the Americas (Puente de las Américas) at the mouth of the Panama Canal (Pacific side), from atop Ancon Hill.
MonkeyshinesPhoto by Silver Planet StaffStaying in Panama City? Try B&B La Estancia if you’d like to watch monkeys cavort only feet from your balcony!
Bridge of the Americas Close-upPhoto by Silver Planet StaffHere’s a closer view of the Bridge of the Americas (taken from B&B La Estancia).
Panama CanalPhoto by Silver Planet StaffWhile watching ships traverse the Miraflores Locks (on the Pacific
side), you can eat at the aptly named Miraflores Restaurant, a fantastic buffet featuring Panamanian cuisine. It may be Panama’s best restaurant, but at Olive Garden prices.
View from Altos del MaríaPhoto by Silver Planet StaffGet out of the city! Just a couple of hours’ drive west along the Pan-American Highway, you can be in the mountains. This picture was taken from Altos del María, a retirement community popular with expatriates.
Beach on Gulf of ChiriquíPhoto by Silver Planet StaffIf you tire of mountain views, try the ocean! You can drive from mountain peak to sandy beach—and from 70 F to 90 F—in a little over an hour. This white sand beach on the Gulf of Chiriquí (Pacific side) has a restaurant serving full meals for under $3 (yes, Panama uses U.S. currency). And the entrance fee for the entire day? Two bucks!
Volcán BarúPhoto by Silver Planet StaffVolcán Barú National Park (Parque Nacional Volcán Barú) in the Chiriquí Highlands of western Panama. On a clear day, the Pacific Ocean (to the south) and the Caribbean (to the north) are simultaneously visible from the peak of the dormant volcano (elevation, 3,475 m/11,400 ft).
Hotel Dos RíosPhoto by Silver Planet StaffHotel Dos Ríos in the town of Volcán, with Volcán Barú in the distance. The little stream runs right under the bar and restaurant, and the entire hotel is built of teak—even the bathrooms! If you'd rather stay in a fully furnished cottage or home with all the amenities, try Las Plumas, where Dutch owner Dirk de Veer will make you feel welcome.
Stream, Chiriquí HighlandsPhoto by Silver Planet StaffThe mountains of western Panama are graced with beautiful little streams like this one, which runs through the grounds of Hotel Dos Ríos.
Nôbe-Buglé BoysPhoto by Silver Planet StaffPanama is home to several indigenous peoples. Many live in their own self-administered comarcas. These boys are from the Nôbe-Buglé group, many of whom live in the mountains of western Panama, where they work on the steep slopes of the coffee plantations.
House, Nueva SuizaPhoto by Silver Planet StaffFrom the late 1800s to the early 1900s, Swiss immigrants settled in the Chiriquí area now called Nueva Suiza (New Switzerland), establishing fincas (farms) and coffee plantations. They brought an architectural style straight from the old country!
Store, BoquetePhoto by Silver Planet StaffAt a produce store in Boquete, you might find lemons as big as—
Lemons(!)Photo by Silver Planet Staff—as coconuts! These lemons easily yield a quart of juice each.
BajarequePhoto by Silver Planet StaffA foggy day in the mountains surrounding Boquete, where deciduous, coniferous, tropical, and desert flora all grow in the temperate climate and the frequent bajareque (a fine mist always in the air where the winds from the Atlantic and Pacific meet).
Denali National Park creates an awe-inspiring backdrop for beautiful landscape and wildlife photographs. The park is located in the central area of the state of Alaska north of Anchorage and is approximately the size of the state of Massachusetts. Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, is located within the park.
Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, is known as one of the best places in the world to observe polar bears. Churchill is a small community located on the southwest shores of Hudson Bay. It is at this point on the bay that the pack ice first forms in the fall. Thus, polar bears migrate to this area to begin their journey on the pack ice to feed on seals during the long, cold winters of the Arctic.
Meet our newest Silver Star, Kyra Petrovskaya Wayne! Kyra’s done it all—singer, dancer, actress, WWII sharpshooter, writer, lecturer—and she’s still going strong at nearly 90! Born in war-torn Russia and raised on the stage, energetic Kyra Petrovskaya Wayne is excited about her latest book, a “sexy” novel titled The Chaperone. Read our interview of Kyra in Silver Star Kyra Petrovskaya Wayne.
Over the course of three separate expeditions, 78-year-old Harry Rutstein retraced the 13,000-mile Silk Route that Marco Polo took from Venice to Beijing more than 700 years ago. The journey took him across 14 mountain ranges and six deserts. He traveled by horse, jeep, donkey cart, farm tractor, goatskin raft, camel, and foot, and he came back with countless stories. Read his interview in Harry Rutstein: Retracing the Silk Route.
Irena Sendler was an elderly, relatively unknown Polish social worker until four teenagers from Kansas in search of a National History Day project discovered what she had done. Sendler had helped to rescue 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II, before being captured and sentenced to die. But she escaped and lived quietly until the students found her and wrote a play about her. Sendler died on May 12, 2008, aged 98 years. Photos here are courtesy of the Web site http://www.irenasendler.org, where more than 250 images can be viewed. See Quiet Heroine Irena Sendler, 1910–2008 for Silver Planet's tribute to this remarkable woman.
Weightlifting didn’t become part of 90-year-old Andora Quinby’s life until she turned 78. In just over 10 years, she became a world record holder in deadlifting. At a competition in November 2007, she took home three trophies, which joined the roomful she already has. Andora’s life is one of achievement: At the age of 75, she earned a master’s degree in human services management from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania. Before that, she bore eight children. And before that, she earned a degree in physics and worked as a physicist for the Navy during World War II. Read all about her extraordinary life in the article Silver Star Andora Quinby.
Eugene Curnow, 83, was a Navy corpsman serving with a contingent of Marines that landed on Iwo Jima. He was one of only six who left the island alive 10 days later. He stayed silent about his war experience and went on to have a happy, active life, including 51 years as a veterinarian in Oregon, where he pioneered the use of mobile veterinary clinics. But late in life, unresolved posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) forced him to confront the war again. Now he’s written a riveting, story-filled memoir titled Life, the Hard Way: Up from Poverty Flat, which recounts not only that time but also growing up poor during the Depression. Read more about his extraordinary life in the article Silver Star Eugene Curnow.
Silver Star Marion Downs has had an acclaimed career in audiology. A hearing center in Colorado was named in her honor and opened in 2005, and she was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 2006. Last year, she received the Department of Health and Human Services’ highest award for her groundbreaking work and lifetime dedication promoting the early identification of hearing problems in children, only the latest of her many awards and honors. Now she’s written a book about living out your passions and getting the most out of a long life: Shut Up and Live! (You Know How): A 93-Year-Old’s Guide to Living to a Ripe Old Age. Read all about her extraordinary life in the article Silver Star Marion Downs.
Silver Sage Gael Stuart shares gorgeous photos taken during her recent vacation along the back roads of New Hampshire and Massachusetts and the mountain trails of Colorado. Gold and rust and shades of red . . . enjoy!
Destination Panama!