Photos and text by J. Robertson Miller, 2023 June 23
In Spanish it is called Calzada de Amador. This is a place to visit. You can watch ships enter and leave the Panamá Canal, eat at restaurants which have lovely views of the water, see Panamá City from a different perspective and take boats to different islands. (See our Taboga Island visit blog post.)
The causeway, constructed between 1903 1nd 1904, is named after the first president of Panama, Manuel Amador Guerrero. It connects 3 islands: Naos, Perico and Flamenco and was built using rock and soil excavated from the Panama Canal and stretches out into the Pacific ocean.
A divided road runs down the center. Paths on each side of the road are dedicated for walking and riding bicycles. You can rent bikes or pedal carts at the Peda. Of course, there is no fee if you ride your own bike.
Our class watched people enjoying themselves as they jogged, biked or walked. Widely spaced benches allow you to relax, people watch and enjoy the scenery.
The Punta Culebra Nature Center is located on Naos. Professor Danae pointed out a favorite tree of sloths but told us they didn´t often visit this tree because of the noise of people and vehicles going to a nearby hotel and parking area. However, free-living sloths do live at the nature center.
We observed the large boats leaving the Panama Canal and got a vocabulary lesson. El buque refers to large ships, el barco are smaller vessels. As we admired the luxurious yachts, we learned: el yate and el catamarán. Words seem easier to learn when you see them, smell the salt water, and hear the water lapping against the dock.
We walked along the waterfront taking photos and noted dainty raccoon tracks now immortalized in sidewalk cement.
Even though we wore hats, we felt the sun´s heat. Time for some refreshments. After buying bottles of water and some snacks at a convenience store, we sat in the shade and talked on a variety of subjects including language learning methods.
After more walking, sightseeing and window shopping, we had lunch at an open air restaurant and discussed traditional foods. Danae told us some history of the area. We shared past experiences, future goals and other life adventures, gaining ideas and making new friends. Because the time late, we took a taxi back to the school.
If a taxi is not your style, you can walk from the school to the Via Argentina train station, go to Albrook and from there get the bus to La Calzada de Amador.
