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Panama City & Panama canal tour info
While vacationing in Panama, we took a Tour of the Panama City; just a short flight from Contadora Island. This is what we learned.
The city was founded on August 15, 1519, by Pedro Arias de Avila. It was the first European settlement on the Pacific coast.
Discovery of gold in California in 1848 led to an upsurge in travellers crossing the isthmus en route to the west coast of
North America. Between 1848 and 1869, about 375,000 persons crossed the isthmus from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and 225,000 in the opposite direction. That traffic greatly increased the prosperity of Panama City during that period. Not surprisingly, construction of the Panama Canal completed in 1914 was of great benefit. During World War II, construction of military bases and the presence of larger numbers of U.S. military and civilian personnel brought about unprecedented levels of prosperity. In the late 1970s and through the 1980s Panama City became an international banking center bringing along with it a lot of undesirable attention as an international money-laundering center. It still remains a banking center, although with very visible controls in the flow of cash. The city has numerous tourist attractions including world-class hotels and restaurants. Further Southwest one can climb the hill Cerro Ancón for an overview of the city and beyond that is the fairly well-known bridge that spans the Panama Canal, the Bridge of the Americas. The area immediately east of the Pacific entrance of the canal is currently being developed as a major tourist center with many North-American style malls,
hotels, discos and restaurants. Visitors who wish to experience more of the local atmosphere are advised to look for accommodations nearer the commercial and financial center of the Panama City, that is the neighborhoods of Bella Vista, Marbella or El Cangrejo. For the tighter budgets Casco Viejo is a better option.There are also many beaches, in the Pacific and Caribeann side. In recent years there has been huge development of Beach Hotels. Farther afield, visitors can travel to beaches in the interior, Bocas del Toro and the Archipiélago de las Perlas in the Gulf of Panama.
A 30-year dream. A 50-mile shortcut. A timeless achievement. A 50-mile shortcut to the Pacific lying just north of the equator is one of the most extraordinary human achievements ever. The building of the Panama Canal was a massive feat of engineering and ingenuity that cost millions of dollars and thousands of lives. NOVA offers a unique opportunity to explore the mind-boggling undertaking through historic film footage, rare archival photographs and insightful narration from author David McCullough. Get an unprecedented look at the Canal's dangerous 30-year construction and wondrous present-day operation. Meet the persevering pioneers whose vision and determination overcame tremendous physical—and fiscal—obstacles. Understand why France abandoned the project after ten years and 20,000 deaths. Work alongside the builders who turned a fantastic dream into a fascinating reality. See immense steamshovels carve the earth. View the amazing "water elevators" that lift huge vessels 85 feet. Watch high-speed photography capture a lock passage. And much more! On one DVD5 disc. Region
coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: 4 x 3 full frame.
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