Day 9 – Wednesday November 30, 2016

We started our morning with a trip to a Peruvian grocery store for some souvenirs. We stopped at Manolo for some fresh churros and they were crispy soft and warm.

We were originally going to do a free tip-basis walking tour but the company said they likely not going to leave until 11:00am. It was 9:30am at this time. So we decided to explore on our own. 

We walked to Miraflores, a district in Lima with a beach cliffside. It looked beautiful but the weather wasn’t in our favour this time as it was quite foggy and smoggy. However, I’ve heard Lima is often like that. 

We walked along Jirón de la Unión, a pedestrian only shopping street. I really like this area as the streets felt very South American and the architecture is interesting. 

We arrived at Plaza Major to see some government buildings and the changing of the guards.

We picked up our luggage and headed to the airport for our flight back to Toronto with a Panama City 1-day stopover. Leaving the airport, we started seeing palm trees but to my surprise, a beautiful skyline with high rise buildings. 

We checked into Occidental Panama City, the nicest hotel we stayed at on this trip and had some “fast food” at Nico’s Cafe. It took over 20 minutes to get our meal but my wrap was pretty good. I guess that’s “tropic/island time”. 

Day 10 – Thursday December 1, 2016

After a mediocre Panamanian breakfast at the hotel, we went on a tour with Tranviatour to the Panama Canal, the causeway and Casco Viejo (Old town). Our guide, Eduardo was fantastic. He gave us so much information and history about the country. 

Our first stop was the famous Panama Canal at the Miraflores locks. The visitor centre, movie and exhibits were much more interesting and informative that I expected! 

The first canal was originally a french project in1881 but then purchased by the United States in 1904. The project was completed in August 15, 1914. and consisted of three sets of locks, we were at the last set. Eduardo showed us the route map and I now understood the need to cut through Panama in order to travel between  Atlantic to Pacific Ocean. The cost to use the canal is about $800k. 

I also learnt there is a new canal that recently opened in June 2016. The new canal is wider for larger ships, more expensive (+$1mil) and uses new lock technology. 

Next we drove on a causeway that connects four small islands by the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. There were many boats docked at the marina but the area was quite quiet in the morning. 

We quickly experienced pouring rain and thunderstorms. It was bizarre but according to Eduardo, this is common and a daily occurrence.  

We visited Casco Viejo to see beautiful Spanish and French influenced buildings. The cobblestone roads, rustic colorful buildings and plazas were photogenic and fun to walk around. The rain had stopped and it was very hot. We were melting. 

The tour ended and we roamed and explored on our own. We captured photos of the modern Panamanian skyline. 

We saw most of the city life and I’d love to go back to relax at a beachfront resort. I learned so much about Panama and although a brief visit, I really enjoyed this small but fascinating country.  

I didn’t expect that I would fall in love with Peru as much as I have with other countries. But I loved the diverse landscapes, history and culture. The Inca Trek was undoubtably one of the toughest but most rewarding experiences in my travels. I shared it with great friends and this was an unforgettable adventure.