Our driver for the day was Clemente, who grew up in Colon where we arrived. He’s a great guy and an fantastic guide.

We made our way to the Las Cruces trail used by conquistadors, pirates and gold seekers before roads in Panama.

We spent the day visiting driving between the coasts learning about the culture and foreign influences. The Chinese have been in Panama for 150 years.

The new Frank Gehry designed Bio Museum.

The modern city.

We stopped at one of the locks in the Panama Canal. Clemente walked us through the history museum and explained the U.S involvement in the project. There were no large ships passing through at the time.