Plus a little stroll

Last weekend, we decided to go for a short hike up Ancon Hill, the highest point in Panama City, although it’s only 653 feet tall. We set the Uber directions to take us to a parking lot at the base of the path, but our driver missed the turn and we ended up wandering through a private neighborhood before picking up the trail through the reserve. No big deal, but a little confusing when you have no idea where you are.

The area was part of the administration of the canal and was under U.S. jurisdiction until 1977, when Señor James (President Jimmy) Carter officially returned it and the canal.

There’s a well-paved path with several spots with beautiful views of the city, the Pacific and the canal. And although it’s frequented by many, the opportunity to see wildlife is plentiful. Our first find was a couple of tiny black frogs with green stripes (which our tutor, Marcella, later told me were poisonous). Good thing we don’t touch the wildlife!

On the way up, we saw a three-toed sloth just hanging out, as they mostly do. While it was the weekend, the resting point at the top wasn’t too busy, but we were there in the heat of midday, which might bother saner people than we are.

Steven spotted something moving past a fence at the top of the hill. Eagle-eyes had seen a capybara and he was able to quickly snap a photo before it ambled down the hill and out of sight.

We wandered around the top, taking in the view of the canal, the shipping port and the airport attached to it, and then, never ones to linger, we struck out for the bottom of the hill, this time determined to go the way we meant to head up. We really just wanted to find a convenient place to call another Uber, but we got lucky because we witnessed an event that happens only once a week in the life of a three-toed sloth: The descent from the tree which it does, shall we say politely, to relieve itself. Apparently, it can relieve itself of about one-third of it’s body weight. It then heads right back up the tree. Oddly, the video we took makes the sloth seem like it’s moving faster than it did when we were watching it.

We quickly finished our descent at Mi Pueblito, a tourist site that reproduces three different cultures: interior, Afro-Caribbean and indigenous. We didn’t stop, but we’re not great fans of these types of fake tourist attractions. Instead, we easily hailed a cab to our next stop. As an aside: the cabs in Panama City don’t have meters, so it’s best to ask for a price before you get in. Also, unlike Uber, you need cash and at least some understanding of Spanish.

Our cab driver was pretty funny and enjoyed zipping in and out of lanes and on and off the shoulder, but he got us — safely — to the tip of the Amador Causeway, a strip of land jutting into the Pacific that is made entirely of rocks excavated to create part of the canal. It is now a tourist strip of (over-priced) restaurants and hotels plus a walkway, viewpoints where you can see ships waiting to enter the canal and places to rent bikes or pedal carts.

Steven and I started at the far end and walked the entire 3.7-mile length, stopping at a Lebanese restaurant appropriately named Beirut for lunch. Let’s just say that we were a bit sweaty by the time we got to the beginning of the promenade, at the Bio Museum, and hopped in our final cab of the day.

All together, we walked more than 5 miles, which doesn’t seem like all that much compared to some of our death marches, but I think that the climate means we should multiply our mile total by at least three.

After that Saturday, we decided Sunday was a perfect day for lounging and watching baseball. You can take the American out of the US, but you can’t take the US out of the American.