Panama Viejo, the original city, was formed in the 1519 by
the conquistador Pedrarías
Dávila, but it was
ransacked and burned in 1671 by Captain Henry Morgan, an infamous pirate. The
ruins are surrounded by a lush green landscape which starkly contrasted the
snow and ice I was navigating less than a week prior in Abilene, Texas. The
heat and humidity was the best shock to my system! Walking around the ruins in
the afternoon sunlight with the city skyline in the background extenuated the
difference between the past and present.
During our exploration of the ruins I discovered I have a
fear of heights. This was an odd discovery for me to make as I have climbed
mountains, repelled off cliffs, zip lined through canyons, and love to cliff
dive, but walking up four stories in the tower of the cathedral had me gripping
the hand rail and clutching my new Panama hat. Despite being scared, the view
of the city, distant mountains, ocean and islands off made it worth it.
However, one of my favorite parts about going to Panama
Viejo has to be the company that joined me. Jessica and her neighbor Bolivar. I
have known Jessica since I was 9 years old and this was our first opportunity
to explore the world together, and Bolivar is the cutest and most considerate
gentleman (it was like spending the day with my foreign grandpa) who happened
to be an excellent tour guide and language coach.
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| The trees in Panama are sometimes overrun by Strangler Fig roots. |
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| The tower we climbed to the top of. |
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| Some of the stones from this monastery were used in the construction of Casco Viejo. |
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| Scary staircase in the tower! |
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| View from the tower |
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| What can I say I love ruins and wells! So I climbed in the well! |
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| Bolivar is in the left corner! Panama Viejo is exquisite. |
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