There's nothing better than a weekend away from the city. Every Panamanian knows this for a fact, mainly because of the privileged situation of the country: Panama has extensive coastlines in both the Pacific and the Caribbean. Whenever you're tired of concrete and traffic, there are many beach towns to visit and some of them are just an hour drive from Panama City!

Last weekend I went on a road trip to our friends' house in a small beach town on the Pacific about an hour and a half drive from the city. With the perfect soundtrack provided by Roosevelt , we stopped just once on our way there.

A must during any road trip in Panama, we ate empanadas for breakfast at Quesos Chela in Capira. Right next to Quesos Chela an artisan exposes her beautiful pottery in a little store and it was impossible not to take a look.

Paradise is the word that comes to my mind when I think of their beach house. As we crossed the entrance gate, I caught a glimpse of the tranquil waters of the Pacific Ocean perfectly framed by enormous palm trees. After the barbecue and a couple of refreshments with good conversation, we headed to the beach. The neighbours are rarely around, so we were lucky enough to have the beach for ourselves. Taking a swim in these warm waters always feels like heaven; it doesn't matter how many times I've done it, there's something that makes me feel like a kid who has never seen the Ocean before.

After a relaxing getaway, it was time to go back to reality. But those who have seen these waters know it only takes a short path to discover the sea again.

Inside the pottery shop.

Inside the pottery shop.

When on a road trip...

Decorative pottery with traditional designs of Diablicos sucios from Panama.

A classic sight during any road trip all over Panama. Old US school buses are used in the public transportation system.

We had the beach for ourselves that day! It doesn't get any better than this!

The Panamanian Pacific.

Back home. View of the Balboa port and the entrance to the Panama Canal.

Sometimes you just love a place unconditionally. The mere thought of being there makes you happy and warms your spirit. I have these feelings for Casco Antiguo.

The Old City of Panama isn't actually the oldest one. Yes, we have two old cities here. The first one is called Panamá Viejo and was attacked by pirates around 1670. The city was rebuilt approx. 10 kms to the west and it's what we now call Casco Antiguo, the historic district.

What I like the most of Casco is the eclectic mixture of architectural styles and of course its inhabitants, which make this part of town as colourful as it is. Let's start with the architectural aspect. Unlike other Latin American cities like Quito (Ecuador) and Cartagena  (Colombia), which display exclusively Colonial style, Casco has structures from different periods such as Neoclassical, Colonial, Afro-Caribbean, and even small examples of Art deco. How come? Well, a total of three fires during the 18th century were responsible for the loss of the original buildings. The current appearance of Casco dates from the last decades of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century.

I strongly believe a place takes its special energy from its people. Casco wouldn't be Casco if it weren't for the people who live there. From kids playing soccer without shoes to women selling carne en palito in any corner next to a new club or bar, here locals take the streets and let you know this is their barrio. This situation is changing because of the bunch of development and real state projects in this neighbourhood. That's why many people associate this part of town now with just the trendy spot to go clubbing or drinking. For me Casco is more than that.

 I love Casco simply because whenever I stroll through the streets, I feel free and at peace. It is also the place where I discovered and started cultivating my passion for photography. Just a walk around Casco with my camera renews the way I see the world; it's like a therapy. For these reasons I must say my soul is forever tied to Casco. 

Streets of Casco Antiguo.

Des regards et des instants.

Somewhere in Casco.

Casco life.

Casa Góngora is one of the oldest houses in Panama City. It was built in 1756 and restored in 1998-99. It is the best example of Colonial architecture in Casco Antiguo.

Streets of Casco.

Streets of Casco.

Streets of Casco.

Casco.

Streets of Casco.

Somewhere in Casco.

Somewhere in Casco.

Sunset over Casco with a view of Cerro Ancón.

Nightfall.

Shapes in the water. View of the fish market and Casco.

Recent reports such as the Human Development Index, prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), located Panama in the first position within the Central American region and the fifth in whole Latin America. According to the World Economic Forum, Panama is the second most competitive country in Latin America and the fastest growing economy of the region. A lot has been said by local politicians and visiting leaders alike about the country's privileged situation within the global panorama. Well, not all that glitters is gold.

Not too long ago, I watched a film whose last scene I couldn't take off my mind for quite a while. I'm talking about the 1950 Mexican movie "Los olvidados" ("The Forgotten Ones", U.S. "The Young and the Damned"), by acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Luis Buñuel. I'm a huge fan of his work, but this one in particular will help me illustrate my point.

The plot revolves around the lives and misadventures of a group of kids in a Mexico City slum. Buñuel gives us a realistic depiction of poverty in this metropolis, with his usual surrealistic elements here and there. This movie makes me  think about my own city.
Are these reports accurate in representing the situation of the majority of Panamanians? I don't think so. I mean, I'm not saying these statements are false, but there are other aspects besides, of course, the usual information that is being told to us and which supposedly should make us feel proud about our country.

On one of my last walks around town, I could perceive a reality that is pretty different from that one presented to us in commercials and publicity ads. As I strolled through the streets of several neighbourhoods inhabited mostly by Panamanians of lower income, I could see that there is in fact a deep problem in the distribution of wealth. The whole city is full of brutal contrasts that we just cannot ignore. And let's not even mention the increasing violence everywhere around town.

I don't think there are fast solutions to these problems and this post doesn't aim to solve them. I just thought it would be helpful to present other pictures that aren't precisely those of the city's skyline, malls and financial district.

On the last scene of "The Forgotten Ones", one of the main characters, El Jaibo (the leader of a street gang), kills Pedro, who is an innocent boy that is at the wrong place and at the wrong time. As Jaibo tries to run, the police shoot and kill him. Not wanting to attract the police, Meche and her grandpa dump Pedro's body down a garbage-covered cliff. As the body rolls and falls among piles and piles of garbage, I couldn't help to think that the most affected individuals by poverty and violence are kids. Like the title of Buñuel's film, I ask myself: Aren't we forgetting the forgotten ones?

Pelea de barrio.

Homeless people sleeping outside the National Theatre.

San Felipe.

Stray dog in San Felipe.

En la Bahia de Panama.

Streets of Panama City.

Gallera de Barraza.

San Felipe.

Barraza.

Santa Ana.

Santa Ana.

Santa Ana.

Santa Ana.

The forgotten ones.

I don't remember when was the last time I visited Gamboa. I think it was 2 years ago, or three maybe. Last Sunday I decided to go there and take a look at what was new.

Built as one of the many Canal Zone townships to house Panama Canal employees and their families, Gamboa is now a shadow of what it once was. It is still inhabited, but you somehow get the feeling that there's nothing going on. Just a 40 minutes drive from Panama City, Gamboa sits on a sharp bend of the Chagres river, at the point which feeds the artificial lake Gatun (a major part of transit for vessels on their journey across the Isthmus of Panama).

Zonians (the term for US citizens who lived in the Panama Canal Zone) had it all here. Like other Canal Zone towns, Gamboa had its own post office, commissary, churches, railroad station, fire station and gas station. But this wasn't always a Zonian town. Gamboa was initially populated by "silver roll" workers. "Silver roll" refers to Afro-Antilleans and other non-US workers of the Panama Canal. "Gold roll" was the term for US employees. The term comes from the fact that unskilled labour force (coming mostly from the West Indies) was paid with the local silver-backed currency, whereas American workers received gold-back US Dollars. Some argue that these racially coded payroll categories never existed; however, some textbooks state even post offices included segregated sections.

In 1936 (22 years after the conclusion of the Canal construction), the Panama Canal Company decided to move its Dredging Division from the town of Paraiso to Gamboa. By September of 1936 the first Dredging Division families started to move in and within a year the town reached its peak population of 3,835.

Unlike other Canal Zone towns, Zonians regarded Gamboa as less desirable to live because of its location and distance from other townships. For an instance, the new arrivals to the Zone were assigned to live here before they could be eligible to live somewhere else. US personnel remained here until the total withdrawal of American troops from Panama in 1999, following the agreements of the Panama Canal Treaties signed by Panamanian de facto leader Omar Torrijos and US President Jimmy Carter in 1977.

Due to its remote location, Gamboa is a door to relatively undisturbed rainforest, where you'll surely find crocodiles, iguanas, caymans and hundreds of bird species. In fact, the "pipeline road" trail starts here, said to be one of the best bird watching sites in Central America.

Wandering the streets of this former Zonian town is like jumping into a time machine. I somehow felt that this particular place is stuck in time and it's quite a shock. But not a terrifying one. It's a testament of what's part of the history of Panama.

A church in Gamboa.

Last time I visited Gamboa the structure was still standing.

The only visitors pose with the fire station.

Gamboa as seen from Gaillard avenue.

A stop to explore Gamboa.

Gamboa Post Office.

The Gamboa post office quickly became the coolest spot for an improvised photo shoot.

More of the post office.

Gamboa post office.

Many houses are abandoned in Gamboa.

View of the Panama Canal.

Chagres river.

The single lane wooden bridge is the only road to access Gamboa.

Tugboats assist the vessels during their transit through the Canal.

An old lighthouse.

The "Titan" was built by the Nazis and taken to the US after WWII. It was then transferred to Panama.