Our first trip to the Caribbean Panama

Last weekend we made our first reconnaissance trip to the Caribbean side of Panama. Panama has two coastlines; one on the Pacific side (where we live now), and one on the Atlantic side. The distance between the 2 coasts is 50 miles at its shortest. So we headed off towards Colón on Corredor Norte. Driving in the shadows of the jungle made us happy it was daytime, especially with the car's tinted windows.

Colón is the biggest city in the Caribbean side of Panama. It's got a big port, and it's a hub for commerce. They have tried to get rid of its seedy reputation by adding tax-free incentive zones and a huge tax-free shopping area. We didn't go there, but approaching Colón we could see all the different ads for the stores. (many pics here, but not all...)

Our intention was to drive around Colón, but with our less than accurate GPS, we ended up driving right into it. Luckily we were able to skim through the outskirts of the city, and not into the inner city that all guide books and forums warn you about. We did, however, notice how run-down everything was, and by the looks of all, I was glad it was daytime.

Finally, getting past of Colón, we continued our journey east, with the intention of reaching the town of La Guaira with its beautiful beaches. On the way there we stopped to enjoy the scenery here and there. The ocean breeze was warm and refreshing, and we started liking the coast very much...

The Easter weekend (Semana Santa) is one of the biggest holidays in the Latin America, and all the beaches were packed, like the small town of Portobelo, we drove through on our way. 

There's also an ancient fortress right as you drive into Portobelo, where you can still see the cannons lined up. The area was very popular with the pirates, and it's said that some of them might even found there last resting place in the town.

As we continued on our way, we were flanked by the palm trees and crystal waters of the Atlantic on one side, and the rolling hills of the inland on the other. 

When we got to our destination, we found that there were so many people packed in the beach that we couldn't even find a parking spot. With one last look, we decided to head back home and try again another time. I did manage to snag a few pictures of Isla Grande tho, a very popular holiday destination for many Panamanians with it's beautiful white sandy beaches.

On our way back we saw an interesting looking "Castle" on top of a hill. El Castillo is apparently a hotel, and its commanding presence overlooking the sea and the road made it intriguing. Like a toy castle.

Also looked like the CIA had a branch here. The Caribbean way.

So, we never got to splash around in the water, but we felt strongly that the Caribbean side was where we wanted to set up our place at. They seemed to have wi-fi in many places, so it wasn't as technologically challenged as we first thought either. We'll be back!