March 24, 2000

This is my first correction/clarification.  My thanks to Rich Grimison for helping me get the facts straight.  As I indicated in earlier items, there has been a proliferation of private corporations running various activities in the old Canal Zone.  The Panama Ports Company runs the commercial cargo docks in both Balboa and Colon.  (They are also considering future passenger docks.)  The latter is where we used to catch the Panama Line ships.  Cargo ships will continue to use the facilities.  There is a separate enterprise establishing a cruise ship terminal known as "Colon 2000."  You may recall that Colon sits on a peninsula with the Panama Canal ports on the west side next to the canal entrance.  "Colon 2000" is a separate facility on Manzanillo Bay on the east side of Colon.

On the other side of Manzanillo Bay, is the container port which continues to expand and now has 10 container ship cranes.  As I mentioned previously, the idea has been to use the rebuilt Panama Railroad as a "dry canal" for containers taken between the container ports in Balboa and Colon.  Getting this operation up and running is important since El Salvador is considering building a similar "dry canal" which would compete with that in Panama. 

The planning for third locks to handle larger ships is getting started.  There has been some indication that Japan and/or Japanese businesses may help finance this.  From the Japanese standpoint, it is part of a larger picture.  They are interested in having very large ships (150,00 ton range) be able to plan their routes in a manner that lets them continuously circle the world.  The enlarged locks would cut the average time for a cargo type ship's circumnavigation from 70 days to 42.

Noticed on my recent visits:  the electronic world.  The TV at my hotel in Panama City had about 60 cable channels, with maybe a third in English.  It was amusing to see a German channel with Spanish subtitles.  Also, I noted our tour bus driver, of Guaymi Indian background, talking on a cell phone  way out in the Interior.  (A commercial plug here:  Condor Travel which advertises on the CZBrats page, employs this driver, who is literally the best I've ever seen.  He took us in and out of places in Panama City that I wouldn't have tried in a Volkswagen Beetle.  After one piece of really tricky maneuvering, the passengers all broke out into applause.) 

One remaining bone of contention between the U.S and Panama is the cleanup of the old firing ranges from our military bases. These are covered with unexploded ammo.  The area is about 2% of the former Canal Zone.  "Frank exchanges of views," as they say in diplomatic circles, are continuing. 

 I've mentioned the new freeways that have been built.  The Bridge of the Americas has also been widened and the deck rebuilt.

Finally, do you want a REALLY big memento of your days in Panama.  The dredge Cascadas is up for sale.  Not everybody can have a 141 foot dredge built in 1915 sitting in their back yard.

March 15

Many of us remember going to the El Panama Hotel to listen to the Wurlitzer organ in the bar.  The instrument is still going strong. However, it now is in the Continental Hotel.

There may also be a few veterans of the Ancon Theatre Guild out there.  I saw a news article indicating they are still putting on productions.  From the names of the cast members, there still seem to be lots of Americans still down there.  In fact, Panama is crawling with Americans who have stayed on and become part of the business and governmental communities.

The Colon area presents a mixed bag.  It is very poor, but presents signs of progress.  The new container port has been booming with cargo volume more than doubling in the last 5 to 10 years.  IN addition, the old Panama Canal Company docks have been replaced for tourist purposes with a new "Colon 2000" cruise terminal.  (There is also discussion of a cruise ship dock at Gamboa.)  Arab, Japanese, and Chinese businesses are investing in labor intensive type businesses, which it is hoped will reduce the unemployment rate.

Speaking of the Atlantic Side, the old Fort Sherman area is now a forest preserve aimed at eco-tourism.  The old "School of the Americas" has been converted into a 310 suite hotel.  A Spanish consortium invested about $20 million to turn it into the "Melia Panama Canal Hotel."  The area includes, of course, Fort San Lorenzo, and Caribbean beaches.  For those less interested in nature, the facility includes a conference center and casino.

March 14

Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso was hospitalized with an allergic reaction to a bee sting, but recovered quickly.  She's a tough lady.  One of my favorite anecdotes about her involves an incident when she was still a member of the legislature.  Another member told her that she should be staying home with her children.  She hauled off and hit him in the face and told he better learn to respect women more.

The Panama government is doing something that Bill Clinton probably wishes he could.  Apparently, there is no constitutional guarantee of payment of the salaries of legislators and other officials.  So pay is being withheld in some instances on the grounds that the people aren't doing their jobs.  This includes members of the legislature who are being told they are wasting time on meaningless bickering.

Panama is flag of convenience for much world shipping.  At last count 6,222 ships flew the Panamanian flag.

There has been a grisly discovery out near Tocumen airport.  A mass grave has been found that is thought to be that of victims of Manuel Noriega's regime.  An investigation continues.

The Panamanian business community is upbeat about the future. Positive statistics include a 9% increase in tourism revenue from 1998 to 1999. 

The U. S. Embassy is being moved from its current cramped quarters on the Panama City waterfront.  A new compound will be built on 25 hectares (about 62 acres) in the former Fort Clayton.  I mentioned in an earlier article that this area is being converted to a high tech office, governmental, and industrial park.  There has been some creative reuse of buildings.  The older part of Gorgas Hospital that faces Ancon Blvd. is not appropriate for medical use anymore.  So it is now the home of the Panama Supreme Court.  The more modern parts are being reactivated as some type of specialist hospital, but I didn't get the complete details.

The biggest uproar while I was visiting Panama recently was the cancellation of Carnaval out in the rural provinces of Herrara and Los Santos.  This was due to an outbreak of Hanta Virus, an exceptionally deadly disease carried by rats.  There was some complaint about financial losses.  However, the National Government stuck to its guns that this was a public health issue.

The question of a new bridge over or tunnel under the canal is apparently still open.  A Japanese consulting firm has been brought in to evaluate the situation.

March 6, 2000

I'm just back from two weeks in Panama.  I have a mixed bag of impressions which I'll be putting out in my next few articles.

The most immediate pleasant surprise is the new freeway (known as Corredor Sur) which runs from Tocumen to downtown Panama City.  It follows the shore of the Pacific and makes its final approach on piers out on the mud flats as you go by Old Panama.   It cuts the travel time from over an hour in the rush hour to about 15 minutes.  There is another highway (called Corredor Norte) which cuts across toward the Curundu area.  I didn't get a chance to check out that one, as well as a new arterial road which goes around the Rain Forest Preserve to connect with the road to Colon.  This takes a lot of traffic away from the jungle road, which looks pretty much as it did in our day.

Avenida de Martires a.k.a. Fourth of July Avenue is in the final stages of being extended into the Amador peninsula.  Most of the military structures have been demolished.  Amador Road has been widened to four lanes with a landscaped divider from the point that Avenida de Martires connects to the point that it reaches the causeway.  The road along the causeway has been completely rebuilt with a wide ornamental sidewalk on the canal side, including numerous park benches.  It's apparently a favorite place for roller blade skaters.  The old military buildings right next to the old Amador Beach Club are now being used by the Smithsonian Institution as a marine biology research station. Land fill is being used to expand the outermost causeway island, apparently with an eye to resorts or condos.

Actual development in the Amador peninsula has not been as fast as hoped.  The only structures presently under construction are a suites type hotel and a Max and Erma's restaurant.  These are both at the site of the old Amador yacht club.

The site of the old Paitilla airport is now under construction as a mall and condo development.  The old Albrook Air Force Base has been remodeled as a commuter plane airport, replacing Paitilla. 

The Port of Balboa, which is small and obsolete by current standards, is undergoing a comprehensive rebuilding.  The old Pier 18 has been demolished and a modern container port is going in.  There is a large landfill extension which will go all the way to Diablo.  This will ultimately result in an old boating/fishing club at Diablo becoming landlocked.

Big Changes at Pier 18 - Balboa
Photo courtesy of Art Mokray

Here's something for any Aggie fans.  The current administrator of the Panama Canal Authority is a Texas A & M graduate.  His assistant graduated from the University of Florida.  The current plan is to run the canal area as a private enterprise to the extent possible.

At the time I was there, the rebuilding of the Panama Railroad had just begun.  This has been privatized to a business consortium centered on the Kansas Southern Railroad.  There will be complete replacement with a new track bed, concrete ties, and welded steel rails.  The primary purpose will be to connect the new container ports on the Atlantic and Pacific sides.