Panama City, Panama

After a sparked interest with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and simultaneously giving birth to wanderlust - the universe sent me an advertisement. ASCE was hosting their 7 day national conference in Panama City, Panama. And instantly I wanted to go. Historically, an uncommon reaction to international travel. Panama holds significance to my family because it was the first country my parents lived in as a married couple. They often shared stories of big business, ocean-front living, and kind locals.

It was less than a few weeks before I had planned, number crunched and booked my first international solo trip. And because the Conference was offering a plethora of continuing education credits, I was able to have the trip endorsed by my employer. No vacation time used, and most costs covered. Check! And so as the stars aligned, I was in Panama City in late 2014 for the first time since I was an infant.

The conference wasn't too different from a typical conference - early morning breakfasts, educational and discussion forward presentations, and plenty of opportunities to network during and after each day. But what I especially liked was the opportunities to venture out of the city to visit various marvels of this historic Central American city.

Day 01 was consumed by checking-in to the conference hotel, and checking-out the City as far as my feet could take me. Surrounded by high-rise modern skyscrapers, lush green landscapes, and docked yachts, Panama felt a lot like Miami. I even found a Hooters that posted a banner: "Bienvenidos Florida State Seminoles!"

Breath lines

But unlike Miami, Panama City abutted the Pacific Ocean. And one of most fantastic experiences I had during this day was witnessing the ocean visually and audibly rising and falling as if is it was breathing. This breath-work felt nourishing. Another capturing site was the continuous bike lanes and unique recycling bins. Environmental consciousness and bikes make me smile. The recycle bins separated organics!  If people know why they have to separate their garbage, they may understand the impact of their garbage.

Casa Viejo

Casa Viejo

The city also maintains its old city, otherwise known as, Casa Viejo. Casa Viejo was first settled on in 1673. ¡Que viejo! Filled with narrow brick streets, the old city is an ongoing work in progress.  Some structures were broken and battered - others were refinished and made into quaint and authentic restaurant attractions.  I didn't stay in Casa Viejo for any longer than a meal and a few photos - but returning a few days later w new friends was enchanting.

Our ride and view to the island research facility

Day 02 was a small group visit to the Barro Colorodo Nature Monument which is located in the Gatun Lake section of the Panama Canal. By the way, the Panama Canal monumentally changed the course of international trade and global economics - forever. It's impact cannot be overstated.  More on this later.

BCNM - Raining in the Rainforest, appropriately

The 21 square mile Monument has been managed by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute since 1946 and has been a protected national biological reserve since 1923. This research facility, carved into the rainforest, carries its existence to preserve and observe its surroundings. Being in a place that is highly revered for its natural state rather than its potential for economical development was refreshing!

BCNM - Gatun Lake

Our welcoming tour guides were kind and patient, but firm about the rules of our visit. This was a research facility before it's a tourist attraction. Respecting the rainforest and its inhabitants were of the up most importance. And the monkeys reminded those who forgot. Hanging out too long, capturing too many photos and smiling in amusement was grounds to be aggressively confronted by the indigenous locals. It felt like we were the rodents being shooed out of the house. I enjoyed gaining this perspective.

Old trees carry rich stories

 

Research markers

Route to the BCNM along the Panama Canal

BCNM Trail

Day 03 was our visit to the Panama Canal. What a machine.

The man-made Panama Canal is the interface between North America and South America and has reinvented international trade and commerce - forever. Ships route through the Canal when transitioning between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in lieu of tracking south of South America, drastically cutting travel times down. Time is money, sí? Highly political, highly expensive, and a tremendous civil engineering project - the Canal has been named a Modern Wonder of the World.  First attempted to be built by the French in the late 1800s - disease, danger, and dollars shut the French operation down. The US arranged its acquisition and completed the project within the first quarter of the 1900s. The Canal is currently owned and operated by the Panamanian Authority.

Aside from changing the course of trade history - the Panama Canal is a civil engineering feat! The unique challenge is raising and lowering cargo ships along the surface of the land by filling and emptying locks. This could technical, so here's a easy animation.

Panoramic view of the Mira Flores locks

Escort up front

Escort out back

Seeing the Panama Canal via the official Visitor's Center was cool, but getting to go backstage and onsite of an ongoing expansion project was what got thousands of conference attendees buzzing.

Toyota Hilux <3

Despite my years and experience in shiny shoes, operating expensive software, I like the dust, the hard hats, and the acceptance of foul language on construction sites - actually i prefer it. It makes for being more present. 

We were briefed by one of the superintendents with broad level updates and enough nerdy engineering language that had the crowd oscillating between "ooohs" and "aahhhs".

When we meet cool new people - we take a picture

Day 04 was the last full day of the conference. Attendees were beginning to wind down from the educational stimulation and spent more time networking over drinks and dinners. Hand shakes turned to hugs and Facebook friendships were confirmed. I saw dreams in the eyes of students, I sensed ambitious traction from the young professionals, and felt that I picked up a few seniors mentors. 

Being the lone attendee from Miami - I was adopted and made an honorary member of the ASCE LA Section by a group young engineers from Los Angeles. They rolled dozens deep and moved around like a school of tuna.  The personalities, the respect, and the love inspired me to return to Miami with a new approach to serving on Miami's Board of Directors. LA Section, my humble thanks.

But as many of us introverts require - it was time to retreat with the intention to recharge. I kindly declined a few lunch invites so I could find a quiet and remote area within the City where I could either knock out a few sun salutations or simply sit in silence.

Trip Advisor emphatically pointed me to Templo Bahia.

I read bit about the religious temple and broadly understood the religion to be an evolution of today's major religions. The religion is based on humanitarian, moral, social and educational values. And is roughly 100 years old. No objections there - so I called for a cab.

Located atop the hills of Panama City, my ride took me through the sloping streets of the local neighborhoods that hadn't resembled Casa Viejo or the new city.

When I arrived at the entrance of the temple, the landscaping instantly went from an entropic design to an artful one. The local vegetation swayed with the slightest breeze as if whispering to its visitors - please shut the fuck up. :)

... TO BE CONTINUED