Portobelo Panama

The New Colon-Panama City Highway: A Game Changer

Written by Evan Forbes from EyeOnPanama.com

The new highway from Panama City to Colon will change Panama’s Caribbean Coast. Both the upper and lower coast, Costa Arriba and Costa Abajo, of the Colon Province are undeveloped. The new highway completion makes the Caribbean coast only 45 minutes away, which is less than the most popular Pacific beach destinations such as Coronado, Gorgona, and Playa Blanca. The Caribbean coast is now in the game.

One of the primary causes for the Caribbean coast’s underdevelopment was the area’s lack of accessibility. The infrastructure was porous, with only a meager two lane road connecting the coast lines. A typical drive would undoubtedly include the passing of 18-wheelers and other large machinery traversing to and from Colon’s Free Trade Zone. The commute was difficult to say the least.

For the first time, this region is starting to see large scale investment. The new road has opened the gates for eco-adventure tourism, ex-pat settlements, a cruise liner home port, and business development.

Some of the most notable companies and developments occurring along the Caribbean include:

Eco/Adventure Tourism companies like Panama Outdoor Adventures that have begun expanding their operations. The company is currently expanding their zip line tour, which is already one of the longest in Panama. Also, the company is adding horseback riding, river kayaking, indigenous village tours, eco-trail walks, and other tourist activities.

Real estate developments such as Bala Beach Resort and San Marino have built, or are currently building, residential communities. Their prices are more realistic running normally 15-30% less than Pacific Coast developments.

Lands Panama, a real estate firm, has opened offices in Costa Arriba. They are the only agency in the area that has boots on the ground. Lands Panama offers everything from large scale farms to small buildable lots.

Cruise lines like the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line have designated two of their signature ships to depart from Colon. By installing two of their “Enchantment of the Sea” luxury liners, the company has plans to capitalize on the emerging Latin American market. It also helps that the company will save millions on taxes.

But not all is rosy for Panama’s Caribbean coast. The Colon Province, especially the city of Colon, has a rotten reputation. Colon City is dingy, decrepit, and decaying. Like many other port cities around the world, Colon has higher than average crime rates. The city, however, is not the coastline. Indeed the underdeveloped coastline is the total opposite direction of the city. Moreover, this coastline area is practically just as close to Panama City as it is to Colon. There are two reasons that the Colon Province has a bad reputation:

First, Panamanians are highly racist. The lighter skinned Spanish, Jewish, Mestizo and Caucasian Panamanian populations are often times discriminatory towards Afro-Caribbean Panamanians. If you were to ask a light skinned, middle to upper class Panamanian if they have been to the Caribbean Coast, chances are they have not. If you were to investigate a little deeper into the reason why they have not traveled there, it would likely have racist undertones.

Secondly, people confuse the city of Colon with the Colon Province. Colon is the capital, but it is not the entire Province. The Colon Province has long stretches of coastline called Costa Arriba and Costa Abajo. These areas undergoing development are at least 30 minutes away from the city of Colon and are now only a mere 45 minutes from Panama City.

I like to remind people that I live in El Cangrejo in Panama City. I’m less than 5 minutes by cab from Panama City’s largest ghetto, Chorrillo. Yet, I have never been robbed. I walk home alone from the bar late at night, and feel safer than I do in most U.S. and European cities.

The Colon Province is witnessing a spur of development. The new four lane highway has changed the game for both Costa Arriba and Costa Abajo. It is now a legitimate option for retirees, investors, and travelers. Real estate developers and tourism operators will continue to combat Colon’s negative reputation. Anyone interested in Panama should give the Caribbean coast a look. It is one of the most affordable opportunities to own a piece of paradise.

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Getting as far away as possible from the city is always a good idea, if you deal with a big city on a daily basis. Bananas Resort is located on Isla Grande, just above La Guaira, and two hours away from Panama City. Bananas is a great way to enjoy the beautiful Caribbean sea without having to take a long boat trip. In fact, it only takes five minutes from the parking lots to the mainland. On your way to the island you’ll pass the historic town of Portobelo, founded 400 years ago by the Spanish conquistadores. Believe it or not, this is where Sir Francis Drake met his demise.

When it comes to fun activities, Bananas has so much to do that you won’t be able to enjoy everything it has to offer. Try snorkeling for instance, the water is practically see through and is packed with gorgeous and harmless fishes. This is something you won’t forget ever, it’s that satisfying. Kayaking is also something very exciting to try out, but like everything else at the resort, things can get a bit pricey. Water sports are not the only things going on at Banana’s, try its other activities such as, volleyball, soccer, ping pong and billiard with other visitors.

The service at the resort is great and they’re always willing to help out with any questions or anything else you might need during your stay. You need to visit Banana’s resort before leaving Panama or you’ll definitely regret it.

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Panama’s strategic value as a land bridge from the Atlantic to the Pacific has long given it s fabled character among mariners. This was especially true in the last 16th and early 17th centuries when piracy was common in the sparkling blue waters of the Gulf of Panama.

Pirates were drawn to Panama by the promise of Spanish gold. The Spaniards had undertaken a campaign for plunder in Peru that produced a flow of hundreds of tons of gold headed back to Spain.

Pirate would lay in wait just off the shores of modern day Panama hoping to intercept a gold laden Spanish Galleon attempting to run their blockade. So effective was the pirate’s cordon around Panama, ships would often choose to sail around Cape Horn to Peru rather than risk an encounter with buccaneers.

Today the only time you will encounter one of our more famous pirate kings in when you settle in for a sip of Captain Morgan’s Rum. The branding of this well known rum is an homage to one of Panama’s best known privateers, Henry Morgan.

Henry Morgan laid waste to Panama City in 1671 in one of the most daring pirate actions of the age. While dozens of pirate havens dotted the Panamanian and Columbian coasts, Henry Morgan wasn’t satisfied. He set his sites on ownership of Panama’s most important parcel of real estate; Panama City.

Henry Morgan was born in Wales. He left home to pursue his fortune but soon found himself kidnapped and sold into indentured slavery at a market in Barbados.

Morgan satisfied the debt that held him in bondage. He later joined a pirate crew, and the rest is history.

The promise of riches is still one of Panama’s allures to this day. A thriving economic environment, stable political system, and a business friendly working environment have combined to make Panama on of the fastest growing economies in the world.

Find you place in history when you buy a vacation or retirement home in Panama. You can still roam the hundreds of coves and secluded beaches that pirate crews called home. When in Panama, you won’t need to dig for buried treasure, Panama’s rich natural treasures are on display for visitors and locals alike.

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Christopher Columbus discovered the Bay of Portobelo on 2 November 1502 on his fourth trip to America. Later, in 1586 the Spanish Crown send Field Master Juan de Tejada and the military engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli to select a place in order to prepare a defense plan for the Continent. They chose Portobelo as the Caribbean Center because of its topography and harbor conditions unlike any others along the shores of Central America. At first, Nombre de Dios was founded in 1509, which was later moved to Portobelo.

On March 20, 1597 the city of San Felipe de Portobelo is officially founded by Francisco de Valverde y Mercado. Portobelo became one of the most important points in the transfer of gold and silver because of its system of fairs and galleons. First, Nombre de Dios, and then Portobelo, was established as a convergence center of two trade routes, one from Lima (Peru) on which huge quantities of gold and silver were carried and the other from Seville (Spain) which was the trading capital of the empire.

In their best years, the fairs would last up to 40 days but in more difficult times they would last just about ten or twelve days. Available figures allow us to estimate that about 45 fleets of galleons sailed between 1574 and 1702 and each of them carried at least 30 million pesos. That’s why the city was fortified with three defense levels to prevent any pirate attack, becoming what it is now: a Historical Monumental Complex with civilian and religious samples of colonial era architecture.