Pelicans

Snapshot of a bunch of pelicans cuddled on a protruding rock in Panama Bay, Panama. This place is near where the third phase of the Coastal Strip is being built. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Gardens in the Sea

During the last three decades Panama City has changed dramatically.  It is almost a totally new city changing every day before our very eyes.  We have the most modern and highest buildings in Central America.  Many of our visitors say that Panama City is the Miami of the Americas and this is true.

Our highways are also being repaired and others are brand new.  Such is the case of the Cinta Costera or Coastal Strip in English.  The first phase of this important coastal highway was built by the Martin Torrijos Administration.  The project was inaugurated on Sunday, June 28, 2009.  The coastal high speed highway was so successful that Ricardo Martinelli decided to build a second and third phase.  The second phase is finished and the Ministry of Public Works is presently working on the third phase which should be finished sometime next year.

Snapshot of a diagram of the third and last phase of the Coastal Strip. You can take a car from Tocumen International Airport and drive to the countryside, via the Bridge of the Americas, without having to struggle with the downtown traffic. It’s a lot faster and saves fuel. Credit: Impacto de Estudio Ambiental; Infografía La Prensa.

The third phase consists of a marine viaduct and landfill bordering on the area of San Felipe, also known as Casco Viejo or Old Shell.  The project also includes, besides the road interconnection, three other components: a pedestrian walkway on Avenida Pablo Arosemena and two landfills—one in front of the Presidency and another next to the Avenida de los Poetas, to be used for parks and parking, which together account for 10.6 hectares of new space taken from the sea. (See diagram above).

The marine viaduct will have a length of 2.8 kilometers and it covers an area of 6.68 hectares, including a link on the first phase of the coastal strip. It will be 200 meters from the wall of the Casco Viejo (Old Town or Old Shell).

Inspired by the “Aterro do Flamengo” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the coastal strip features large green areas, trees and tropical plants and flowers to adorn the beautifully landscaped gardens.  Bordering the bay from Punta Paitilla to Casco Viejo and providing an enjoyable contrast of the modern city on one end, with the colonial buildings surrounding the oldest part of town on the other end.

I went to the Coastal Strip specially to take photographs of the modern installations to share them with you at Lingua Franca. I was there Sunday—at daybreak—in an effort to enjoy the morning light, perfect to take good pictures.  These are the gardens located near the Casco Viejo, the oldest and historic part of Panama City.

Snapshot of gardens built on top of a landfill near the Casco Viejo which is part of the second phase of the Coastal Strip in Panama City. This area was once part of the Panama Bay, thus “gardens in the sea.” Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Opened in June 2009, the coastal strip extends along Balboa Avenue, one of the most important roads in Panama City, with six lanes for traffic, three in each direction to ease the smooth flow of vehicles, and there are two viaducts and several places to make a U-turn.

It is an ideal place for recreation in full harmony between nature and the growing metropolis of the capital, designed to provide a healthy distraction in a beautified environment.

If you are tired of blinding blizzards, rough hurricanes, sleek ice, gray skies and below freezing temperatures, come on down to Panama, and enjoy the pleasures of friendly people, white-sand beaches, and year-long springlike  temperatures.  Good Day.

Additional Reading:  The Green Strip Bordering the Panama Bay – Lingua Franca

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Red

A few weeks ago I went on a photo walk to the Second Phase of the Cinta Costera, also known as the Coastal Strip.  I love the place because it’s next to the ocean and it’s comfortable to walk feeling a cool breeze fondling your face.   A Third Phase of the Coastal Strip is in progress right now.  Can’t wait to see it finished.  It goes all the way to the Avenida de los Poetas in Barraza.

As usual, I find interesting subjects to capture with my camera.  This time it was a red structure surrounded by bright tropical flowers.  It was love at first sight.

Take a look.  Here we go.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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A Flag on Top of a Hill

Snapshot of a garden in the vicinity of the Coastal Strip in Panama City, Panama. On the background you can see the Panama flag waving on top of Ancon Hill. This flag has been there since the U.S. relinquished its jurisdiction over the Panama Canal Zone as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaty of September 7, 1977. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Black Birds

Snapshot of a collection of black birds perched on a small tree located on the Second Phase of the Cinta Costera in Panama City, Panama. The Cinta Costera or Coastal Strip has become one of the main tourist attractions of the metropolis. A third phase is currently underway circling the famous Casco Viejo. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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A Bird’s Eye View of the Bay

Snapshot of two buzzards enjoying the view of the Panama Bay and of the Coastal Strip next to the body of water in Panama City, Panama. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R,

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Aerial View of Panama City in Black & White

Yesterday I posted several pictures of Panama City taken from the top of Ancon Hill.  All of them were color images.  For today’s post, I decided to switch to black and white pictures and compare the results.

After reading about Vivian Mair, the eccentric nanny turned street photographer, I’ve learned to enjoy pictures in plain black and white.  Somehow, they are able to convey messages in a much more dramatic way than color pictures.  If you have been reading Lingua Franca regularly, you have probably noticed that I’m including more black and white pictures.  Expect more of that in the future.

Below are some of my shots of Panama City taken from an impressive vegetation island known as Ancon Hill.  Click on the pictures to enlarge and appreciate them better.

Snapshot of the striking skyline of Panama City at the crack of dawn. Gotham City came to my mind when I saw the city from Ancon Hill. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

The body of water towards your right is Panama Bay bordered by the recently built Coastal Strip. During the night the site is absolutely gorgeous. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Another picture of the metropolis which is rapidly transforming into a jungle of steel, glass and concrete. Progress is unstoppable. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

Snapshot of the city's Old Shell, also known as Casco Viejo. Visiting this place is like turning your clock back in time. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.

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Tight Security at the Cinta Costera

Soon after the inauguration of the Cinta Costera during the administration of then President Martín Torrijos, the government of Panama discovered the project had become an immense success.  People gathered at this hot spot in swarms in an effort to breathe fresh air and exercise their bodies.  It was exactly what the city dwellers had waited for decades.

To protect the goose that laid the golden egg, the Ministry of Public Works requested the Police Department to designate a special force to protect the area against potential crimes.  Many tourists feared visiting the area during the evenings thinking they could  be mugged by thugs.  To avoid this from happening, the Police Department flexed its muscle and organized a special unit to take care of the Coastal Strip.  To this day, it’s one of the safest areas in Panama City.

While the duathlon was in progress, I took a couple of shots of some of the resources the Panama Police has allocated to the Coastal Strip to prevent potential criminal incidents.  When I saw it, the movie Universal Soldier starring French actor, Claude Van Damme, came to my mind.  The police truck certainly looked intimidating.  Take a look.

Part of the resources used by the Panama Police Department to protect the visitors of the Cinta Costera in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

This large truck is used as a portable jail and small office used by the Panama law enforcement officers to protect the visitors of the Cinta Costera. I noticed it had an air-condition system working inside the small office. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

This is the final post on the series of the Cinta Costera or Coastal Strip in English.  I’m currently preparing a new series of photographs on the renovation of the old shell of the city commonly known as Casco Viejo.

I hope you have enjoyed viewing the pictures of the new face of Panama City which is rapidly transforming into a modern cosmopolitan city in Latin America.  Good Day.

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Aladdin Flies on His Magic Carpet Over the Coastal Strip

A decorations of The Arabian Nights currently being displayed at the Cinta Costera in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

The One Thousand and One Nights often known as The Arabian Nights Entertainment is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabia during the Islamic Golden Age.

Aladdin summons a genie by rubbing a magic lantern; a scene from the Arabian Nights. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

Some of the best-known stories of the Arabian Nights is “Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp”, “Ali Baba and the Forth Thieves”, and “The Seven Voyages of Sinbad The Sailor.” Many of these stories were made into mega movies with great success.

Aladdin was one of the most photographed characters at the Villas Navideñas. Hollywood made a good job of spreading the story to every corner of the world.  Good Day.

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Tin Soldiers

When I was a young kid, growing up in a banana plantation in Changuinola, I remember receiving every Christmas a box with the most gorgeous tin soldiers.  I knew that Niño Dios would not forget the box full of those heavy and colorful tin soldiers.

Like modern Napoleons we would play with these toy soldiers for hours.  When they died, we turned them over, and when we felt like it, like a sheering demonstration of redeption, we gave them life again and placed them in an upward position ready to win the battle or the war, whatever the imaginary situation might be.  After an hour or so, we got bored and moved into something else.  Dancing with Hula hoops.  Yep, they were quite popular in the fifties.

As we grew up, Niño Dios stopped delivering the box of tin soldiers and we didn’t even noticed.  We wanted a Raleigh bicycle, a game of Monopoly, a set of bow and arrows, Roy Rogers ivory six shooters and other toys that were popular in Farm #8, where we lived.

I haven’t seen tin soldiers for a long time, but I know exactly how they looked.  They are embedded  deep in my memory.  They were part of my life.  When I read War and Peace by Leo Tolsty, I remembered the tin soldiers.  There  are some object you never forget, no matter how many years you accumulate.

While photo walking through the Coastal Strip last week, I saw a large soldier which looked very much like my beloved tin soldiers of Changuinola.  It was one of the  main character of the musical work The Nutcracker Suite, a ballet  composed by Russian Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892.   The soldier I saw at the strip, was none other than the Nutcracker Prince himself extracted from the E.T.A. Hoffmann’s story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” My infancy years flashed back immediately, and I smiled with contentment.  I had encountered once again my beloved tin soldier.

If I may, let me introduce you to the enticing Nutcracker Prince at the Coastal Strip.  Here we go.  As you can see, he still wears his royal crown.

Photograph of the Nutracker Prince with his colorful uniform at the Coastal Strip in Panama City, Panama. Photo ©Omar Upegui R.

It doesn’t matter how many birthday candles I blow every year, the kid inside of me is intact.  This character released the kid inside of my soul during this Christmas.  It’s nice to feel young again.  Happy New Year!

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