In November, 2009, Angie and I were married at the Royal Decameron Beach Resort in Panama. The setting was beautiful and the two weeks we spent in the country of Panama were spectacular. The quality might not be the greatest, but the following ten photos are a quick summary of the geography we experienced in this Central American country.
Isla Farallon sits just off the coast from the Royal Decameron in the Pacific Ocean. This picture was taken from the second floor of the former beach house of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. The house was once a beautiful home but is now just a skeleton. Farallon is a small barren island that is uninhabited.
Manuel Noriega Beach House Ruins
The ruins of Noriega’s beach home are supposedly off-limits but trespassing is quite easy. The house consists of two enclosed floors and a roof top bar area. The elements have taken a great toll on the house.
Panama’s Anton Valley
The town of El Valle (Anton Valley) is a refreshing one hour drive from the resort. Royal Decameron is hot! The temperature and humidity are extreme for Canadian visitors. El Valle provides an opportunity to cool off in the mountains. Ziplining at El Macho waterfall is one of the highlights of the area.
Throughout Panama, school buses are used for public transportation. Typically, the buses are privately owned and elaborately painted. For another, more colourfully painted bus, check out this Panama picture.
Royal Decameron Beach Resort
The Royal Decameron Beach Resort in Panama is large. The resort is situated on both the top and bottom of a steep incline. For those with mobility problems, it is wise to get a Oceanview room. Below is a view from the second floor of the Oceanview rooms.
The Gamboa Rainforest Resort is situated in the town of Gamboa somewhere in the middle of the Panama Canal. Although all-inclusive, this is not really a ‘party’ resort. There is so much to see in the area related to the canal and the rainforest.
The Gamboa is home to amazing creatures big and small. On the grounds, on the more interesting members of the natural world was the Leaf Cutter Ant. These large ants carve a incredibly long roadway through the forest with a constant parade of ants carrying postage stamp sized chunks of leaf. To see this phenomenon, check out this video we took: Panama Leaf Cutter Ants.
Panama Canal
You cannot drive along the Canal all the way from Panama City on the Pacific to Colon on the Caribbean. However, this passenger train makes the trip.
For those who like big ships, the traffic is constant on the Panama Canal.
An excursion from the Gamboa Rainforest Resort is a boat trip up the Canal to a series of small islands. The islands are home to groups of various breeds of monkey.
On the property of the Gamboa Rainforest Resort is the cable car that takes people up to the observation tower. The view from the top of the tower is excellent. The close-up peek into the canopy while travelling up the hill is amazing. Three-toed sloth can be seen, along with Tucan and Parrots.
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