Panama City Sunday April 3. A walk on the beach and a walk in the park.

It's a Sunday. As in England people head enmasse for the shops, the parks or the beach. After church, obviously. It amuses me that throughout this genuinely devout continent shops open as usual on Sunday, even on Easter Sunday. Consumerism and Catholicism exist happily hand in hand.

First to the beach. Well, the causeway which links the four islands at the pacific entrance to the Panama Canal to the mainland, made from rock extracted during the excavations from the Panama Canal, which offers spectacular views of the city skyline, a chance to watch the queuing container ships waiting outside the canal, and a sandy beach on the far island.

Hence why I could watch the container ships entering the canal

Getting there involved a metro ride and then taxi. Despite agreeing the price I get no change from my 10 dollar note (local fare is 3, I had bartered 6). A common, bonding experience for tourists! I resolve to use public transport whenever possible, on principle, because I hate being cheated.

Getting back I did just that.  A bus came into view as I rounded the end of the causeway.  I flagged it down. To my surprise, it stopped, I managed to explain to the driver I wanted the metro, my travel card worked (it's an efficient integrated 'oyster' system) and, for 35 cents, in twenty minutes I was back at the metro and within half an hour back at the hostel for a much needed cold shower.

Amador causeway

Looking back to the city from the causeway

This afternoon turned into an unexpectedly great experience. I ventured out again once the worst of the noon heat passed for the city's 'green lung', the metropolitan national park, in theory ten minutes walk from Albrook mall / metro. Asking directions was hard, no one in the air conditioned mall could understand why I wanted to walk rather than take a taxi until an English speaker caught on and got a taxi for me for the local price, a paltry 2 dollars. Even then I suspect it was probably normally 1 as it was only about half a mile away.

The park was a maze of well marked trails. I’d passed a pleasant hour until a chance meeting with a Danish resident whilst sheltering from a brief rain shower. He persuaded me to hike with him to the mirador. I wasn't keen, I’d already walked the 6 km causeway and two trails, my legs were sore, but Heinrich was right, it was worth the trek.

The view was superb, the entire city laid out, spreading East to West, high hills looming behind us. Below the cranes marked the line of the narrow canal, massive ships slowly edging out to sea. Fantastic panoramic panorama of Panama.

Heinrich was an amusing companion, a financier who transferred his business here from Russia as he hated the cold. He was also a nature lover and thanks to his sharp eyes I saw my first 'nose bear'. Such a gorgeous creature. A group of three sat patiently watching us watching them, waving their long tails, their endearingly pointed bear like faces so close we made eye contact. I’ve seen other coati but not these, this encounter made my day.

The beautiful ' nose bear'

Seriously cute...the nose bear again!

Fortuitously Heinrich lives close to this hostel and offered to walk me back, via park, mall and metro, so I could relax at the mirador, taking time to absorb the warm sunset colours draping the landscape, before we ambled slowly down through the darkening forest, spotting turtles in the lagoon, listening to woodpeckers in the trees, dodging the leafcutter ants in our path.  An hour later I was safely back, waving him goodbye with grateful thanks. His generous company gave me security, people are truly kind, a short walk in the park turned into a great afternoon.

View of the city from the metropolitan national park