The Gran Terminal Nacional de Transporte, or the Grand National Transportation Terminal at Albrook, was made before small bus terminals were dispersed across Panama City.  After the construction of the new terminal, passengers could now arrive or embark on their travels throughout the country from one centralized location.

It is a modern complex that covers some 70,000 square meters and is organized for easy arrival and departure of passengers.  The terminal has many amenities for the convenience of passengers.  These include comfortable waiting lounges with air conditioning, an area for luggage storage, extensive ticket counters to various points in the country, two large food courts, numerous shops and services, banks, a police sub-station, a computerized station controlling the flow of traffic, first aid stations, tourist information centers, direct access to Albrook Mall, and parking areas.  From the terminal, more than 1600 buses and transport vans leave to cover 52 routes – 50 domestic and 2 international.  To help compliment all these services, there are more than 200 registered taxis and special access roads that lead to and from the terminal.

Note due to unfortunate circumstances, the majority of post (along with part of the website) from June 2009 was deleted.  I will attempt to rebuild them as soon as possible.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

Hotel El Panama

For many years, this former jewel of the Hilton Hotel chain was situated atop a hill in the center of a great green grove.  While the passing years have changed the surrounding landscape, flickers of the hotel’s splendor still remain.

The year was 1946 and Panama was experiencing a commercial boom. The need for a hotel became apparent when hundreds of businessmen and visitors all began to arrive.  These guests would require a comfortable and safe place that was centrally located, on par with the other cities in the world.  To accomplish this goal, a group of visionary businessmen acquired a plot of land of 60 hectares, paying between 10 and 15 cents per square meter.  The presiding president of Panama at the time, Enrique Jimenez, after being informed about the new project, requested that the developers yield a part of the extensive plot to create the University of Panama.

The hotel was inaugurated on January 15, 1951.  After almost 60 years, the hotel that raised the name of the country with pride has evolved into an edifice with modern facilities that contain 330 standard rooms and suites.  It is the only hotel in the country with its own convention center and with 35 different parlors in various sizes and capacities.

Famed American architect Edward D. Stone, who had built embassies for the United States in Belgium and India, designed the concept and plans for the hotel.  He also designed the General Motors Building in New York and a part of the Museum of Modern Art as well as others.  Norwegian engineer Fred N. Severand was responsible for the civil works.  Together, their designs garnered the Gold Medal for Mr. Stone at the 55th Annual Exhibit of the New York Architectural League.

While in Panama City, you may come across someone mentioning the phrase “by Einstein’s head.” This has been, for the past 40 years, a famous point of reference for those giving directions.  The phrase refers to the sculpture of Dr. Albert Einstein that resides in the area that has always be named Plaza Einstein in honor of the famous scientist. In 1967, the Hebrew Central Common Counsel of Panama presided by Moses A. Mizachi decided to honor Doctor Einstein by commissioning Carlos Arboleda to create a monument.  The presiding, President Max del Valle, inaugurated the sculpture, which was composed of marble dust and cement, on January 25, 1968. Einstein’s Head is located at the intersection of three streets: Calle Arturo Motta, Calle F, and Calle San Juan Bautista de La Salle.  Presently, the Department of Ornato y Medio Ambiente del Municipio de Panama is in charge of maintaining the monument, which includes planting plants, cleaning, and painting the area.

Located less than an hour from Panama City is Cerro Azul were you will find mist, fresh breezes, low temperatures, lush forests, and close contact with.  Cerro Jefe at 1,000 meters above sea level is the highest point in the Cerro Azul Mountains.  From this vantage point, one can enjoy spectacular views of the Panama Canal and if you are lucky, you will be able to see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the same time.  Located in the mountains of the District of Panama, inside the Chagres National Park, Cerro Azul is extremely popular with vacationers during holidays.

Getting there.

Take the Via Tocumen or Corridor Sur towards the Tocumen International Airport, when you arrive at the Hotel Riande Continental located just before the Airport, take the bypass road to the right of the hotel.  Continue on this road towards the town 24 of December.  Once at 24 of December, go approximately 1.8kms and you will find the entrance to Cerro Azul on your right hand.

Where you can find lodging?

There are several options however I would recommend the Hostal Casa de Campo http://www.panamacasadecampo.com, a beautiful and quiet place to enjoy nature, but with class and style.

The creation of the Panama Canal that connected the two oceans meant that Panama would be divided in half. This created a problem at the opening of the Canal in 1914.

The creation of the Puente de las Americas in 1962 assuredly reconnected the two parts of the country and replaced the old cumbersome ferry system that has been in place. However due to population growth, it was recognized that an additional crossing would be necessary. After abundant diligence, the project to design and assemble the new bridge was awarded to two German companies. Bilfinger Berger was selected to create the actually span created by Leonhardt Andra and Partner. The plan culminated in 29 months with an absolute cost of $104,337,000 and was inaugurated by President Mireya Moscoso on August 15, 2004.

The arch is stretched cable stayed fabricated of concrete and steel with six lanes. The length is 1,053 meters and is 80 meters aloft from the Canal. The Puente Centenario is one part of a avant-garde artery arrangement the unites the Pan-American Artery in Arraijjan with the highway from Paraiso, the Corredor Norte, the Panama-Colon Artery and the Avenida Ricardo J. Alfaro.

In 1965, the United States of America Air Force built a tower to operate a powerful radar in order to protect the Panama Canal. Constructed on the very strategic Semafor Hill, inside the present day Soberania National Park, the Canopy Tower is very close to the Continental Divide.

The 4 stories high tower is the perfect observatory to appreciate the canopy of Panama’s dense jungles, the animals that dwell within and view parts of the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal and Culebra Cut.

The lower lodges level has six double rooms, each with showers with hot water for visitors. The ground floor has a gallery exhibiting a presentation by the Smithsonian Institute with regards to the diversity of flora and fauna inside of Soberania National Park.

Transportation is available for visitors to the Canopy Tower from the airport and from Panama City. For more information call: Tel: (507) 264-5720 or Cell: (507) 6612-9176.

An almost “live” view of the Miraflores Lock of the Panama Canal.  Picture refreshes in approximately every 15 seconds.

► Official Name: Republic of Panama

► Location: Relatively in the center of the Western Hemisphere, as a natural bridge between North America and South America at the following coordinates: The 7º12’07″ and 9º38’46″ of North Latitude and the 77º09’24″ and 83º03’07″ of West Longitude. The country is bordered to the North by the Atlantic Ocean/ Caribbean Sea, to east by the Republic of Colombia, to south by the Pacific Ocean and to the west by the Republic of Costa Rica.

► Capital: Panama City

► Nationality: Panamanian

► Population: 3,191, 319 (est.)

► Distribution by Age: 0-14 years 37.0%

15-59 years 56.3%, 60+ years 6.7%

► Area: 75,517 Km2

► Divisions: 9 provinces and 5 comarcas

► Government: Constitutional Democracy

► Legal System: Based on Civil Law, judicial review of legislative acts by a Supreme Court of Justice, with acceptance of jurisdiction of international courts with certain reserved rights.

► Language: Spanish, while English is widely spoken in Panama City, Colon and Bocas del Toro.

► Literacy: 90%

► Climate: Tropical with an annual temperature of 27 C.

► Religion: Free Religion. The majority of the country’s population is Christian. The breakdown is approximately 80% Roman Catholic, 10% Evangelical and the remaining 10% divided between Jews, Muslims, Buddhist, Hindus, Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons.

► Time Zone: GMT -5

► Currency: American Dollar, with Panamanian Balboa coins with the same equivalent as American coins.

► Commerce: Open between the hours of 8 to 10 AM in the morning and close 6 to 8 in the evening.

► Tips: Normally 10% of the bill

► Driver’s License: Visitors are allowed to drive up to 90 days with a foreign license

► Electricity: 110 volts – 60 cycles

► Dress: Based on climate. It is recommend the use f light articles of clothing. For business attire is formal, a light suit for men and a pant suit for women.

► Airlines: The national airline is Copa Airlines with flights to both North and South America. Other airlines include – Taca Airlines, Continental Airlines, American Airlines, Iberia and KLM.