California Agricultural Leadership Program

And we’re off! LAX –> Panama City, Panama

The clock strikes 10:00PM at LAX, a full and electric crowd traffics through the busy international nexus as a group of CALF fellows gather in Terminal B for a tradition as old as Reaganomics. It was time for Class 52 to begin their international odyssey! The itinerary is locked and loaded for the next 15 days, starting with Panama and making our way through Colombia, with a concluding trek through Costa Rica. 

The fellows boarded Copa Flight 306 approximately 30 minutes past midnight, and 7 short hours later touched down in Panama’s Tocumen International Airport. As our plane made its descent, we got an absolutely stunning view of the city’s skyline, with countless ships off the coast waiting to make their passage through the famous canal that bears the nation’s name and hopes alike. Upon arrival, we were thrown our first challenge as we met our tour guide, Ian, and our bus driver, Miguel. In the past few days, Panama has had growing demonstrations from a populace concerned about the mining and land rights of their nation and their sale to a Canadian company called First Quantum Minerals, Ltd. These demonstrations will likely have the potential to cut off paths to some of our destinations during our stay due to the closure of several key roadways. Our guides advised us that pivots would be necessary, and in true CALF spirit, we were ready to meet the challenge and hopped on the bus.

During our tour, Ian (a native to Panama) provided us with numerous facts about the region, as well as family stories referencing the involvement in the building of the Panama Canal. Ian mentioned other snippets of info such as: the waves on the Pacific side used to only get up to 15 or 16 feet, but now regularly exceed 20ft. over the past few years. Additionally, there were once 30 ships waiting on either side of the Panama Canal at any given time, however there are often 80-120 ships now waiting due to the recent water restrictions that have restricted the flow of maritime traffic through the canal.

First Stop: Panama Viejo

Our first stop was at the World Heritage Site of Panama Viejo. Panama Viejo is the original location of the city built by Spanish settlers who arrived in the area before any canal was built. After several major pirate attacks, it was abandoned in favor of resettling the city in a more strategic location, thus ceasing all urban growth there. What is now referred to as Old Panama is the part of the city that grew while the USA operated the Panama Canal. New Panama represents the part of the city that grew once Panama took over the Panama Canal. In Panama Viejo, we were able to walk through the ruins and see first structures that were once forgotten but now forever preserved. In the centuries that followed its abandonment, the new, modern city has enveloped the old site and surrounded it with highrises. The experience at the original site were such a great example of an international city both growing and preserving its history simultaneously.

Next up: Panama Canal

After lunch we made our first pivot and decided we needed to visit the Panama Canal right away, as the demonstrations could potentially cut off access. We made our way to the Miraflores Locks on the Pacific side of the Canal. The Panama Canal’s impressive economic success actually comes from these series of locks. Instead of building a flat canal that cut across the isthmus, the lock system puts ships in a series of bays (the locks) that then add or drain water in order to change the ships elevation and help pass it to the other side. Rather than a large trench cut across Panama, the canal was described to us as a water bridge that lifts ships up and transports them over the top of the isthmus; a compelling visual to help us all picture how the canal works. At the Miraflores visitor site we actually got to watch the passage of two ships and witnessed how fast the process actually was; it was an engineering marvel.

Day 1 has already proven to be an exciting start to our experience, and we already know our adventure will continue to evolve and unfold in unexpected ways. Signing off for the night!

Mallvinder, Jeff B, and Jeannette

Photo Gallery from the Day … enjoy!