Google Maps Panama

Panama Fishing Boat
Originally uploaded by Alexander H.M. Cascone

Google Maps is now available for Panama!

Panama City = New Costa Rica

Panama City

Great article on Panama City and the ecotourism development there in the New York Times

The Costa Rica Experience Moves Next Door

By JEFF KOYEN
Published: August 19, 2007

IT'S a Friday afternoon in Boquete, Panama, and the main street resembles Anytown, U.S.A. There is a mom-and-pop coffee shop with round tables, premade sandwiches and a dessert case. Nearby is a tiny video store, with posters advertising “Misión Imposible Tres” and “La Guerra de Los Mundos.” And down the block is a small deli that serves cheeseburgers with rice and beans.

At midday, when the air is warm but crisp, a casual pace falls over the town. Crocs-wearing tourists mingle with old-timers, making fishing and hiking plans for the following morning.

[Full Article...]

Time lapse video in Panama Canal

This is a neat video of crossing the Panama canal via time-lapse photography.

Panama Tocumen Airport - Getting into town

Pic title: Reverberación (Link)

Getting into town from Panama is pretty easy but is a bit expensive. Since Tocumen is about 20 miles from the city, a taxi runs about $20 (or $20 Balboa, since 1 Balboa = 1 Dollar by a currency peg).

There are of course buses and colectivos (shared taxis) that you can take. The colectivos run around $12 or so and buses are often around $1.

Drivers are mostly comfortable w/ english words, so it's fine to tell them the name of your hotel and relax while they take you in.

Free photos of Panama on Flickr

You can find tons of interesting pictures of Panama, for free, on Flickr. Check it out - it's an amazing site:
Chile pictures