Cerro Ancon, Panama

Fascinating Road Trip to Cerro Ancón, Panamá

EPA! Español en Panamá along with several of their students visited on January 25th   the famous Cerro Ancón of Panama City. Cerro Ancón is really close to our Spanish school because it sits right in the middle of the city and our school is located just in the center. You can go by car or by foot, for this time we did our journey by car and it just took us a couple of short minutes to get there.

Driving to Cerro Ancón was really challenging for us because there is only one single road to get into the top of the hill.  The road is too narrow and has many turns that we were a little scared, because we thought that our car was too big that it wasn’t going to fit the road, so we took our time driving safely and enjoying the spectacular view. We were also very careful because on the right side of the road there is a cliff but we were fine.

On our way up the hill we saw a couple of squirrels running around the road and once they realize that cars were approaching, they ran away through the jungle and hide.

It is a very interesting place to visit here in Panama, because it’s a nature reserve area that is well protected and because is one of the tallest places here in Panama.

What was really great once we got to the top is that the view was so priceless. It has an incredible overlooking of the city including: The Panama Canal, The Amador Causeway, we also admired the Bay of Panama and the many great buildings of the city. There were so many birds flying in the sky; we felt they were really close to us. We also saw the most important attraction of Cerro Ancón which is the huge panamanian flag of 15 meters long and 10 meters wide.

Our trip to Cerro Ancón was so much fun that we hope to repeat the experience with many other students.

The Bridge of the Americas in Panama City, Panama

The Bridge of the Americas connects two continents, North and South America, divided during the construction of the Panama Canal. This vehicular bridge is located on the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. The bridge was designed by Svedrup & Parcel & Associates, Inc. and built by John F. Beasly and Company between 1959 and 1962 at a cost of $ 20 million. Once it was inaugurated on October 12, 1962, the bridge became an important part of the Panamerican Highway. The bridge is a cantilever arch design with 1655 m long. Thanks to that,  it has an impressive and attractive aspect.

The bridge is located on the Balboa district and to get there is to take a taxi cab. The trip from downtown takes about 15 minutes, depending on traffic flow.

The best view from land can be obtained from the Amador Causeway, especially from the Balboa Yacht Club. The reason is because the view from here can be accompanied by a glass of wine or beer, which undoubtedly enhances the experience. On the west side of the bridge is a small balcony which offers a good overview in general. 

Three Kings Day in Panama

Three Kings Day in Panama

On January 6th, in the East is only held the Epiphany or Theophany that is to say the manifestations of Christ (birth, adoration of the Magi, Baptism)
The adoration of the Magi is the name traditionally given to the Christian subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star.

In the West the only celebration was the day of  birth on December 25th. Over the years, the West adopted the Epiphany and the East adopted Christmas. According to the popular tradition, three wise men commonly known as: Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, kings of the East, perhaps from Arabia, came to bring gifts to Jesus born in Bethlehem. His relics were discovered by St. Helena and now worship in “La Catedral de Colonia”, where the bishop gave it to the emperor in the year 1164.
 
Some experts believe that what influenced this decision was the Saturnalia Roman festivals (a  pagan holiday) ranging from 17th to 23rd of December and reached a great importance during the Empire when Domitian  lengthened the celebration to reach those seven days. Slaves enjoyed those days of freedom.

To determined the number of wise men, only three of its provenance were profiled in the High Middle Ages. The black king appeared in the (15th) fifteenth century.

At the present time, there are three dates in the Christian tradition in which gifts are given to children. In Spain children took off their shoes or boots in the balcony for the Kings to leave their gifts there. In Belgium, Holland and France is held on December 6th, day of Saint Nicholas, who in Belgium walks on top of  a donkey. In other Western countries is  Santa Claus or St. Nicholas  the distributor on December 24th. Moreover, in the North European children count on gnomes, who are creatures from Scandinavian mythology. And in the Eastern world is St. Basil, the one to bring gifts on January 1st.

It is customary on the Three Kings Day in Panama to give children toys in memory of the Magi.
Also in Panama it is customary weeks before the arrival of Christmas for children to write letters to the Magi about how they have behaved over the years and what gifts they will like to receive on January 6th.

New Year's Eve in Panama

New Year's Eve in Panama
Panamanian superstitions
On New Year's Eve, Panama has religious traditions that blend with superstition. Many Panamanians buy incense to clean their homes of bad energy and they put a bouquet of sour oranges, rice, and wheat behind the door. They represent prosperity and health for work and home in the upcoming new year. On Jan 1st, many Panamanians go to the beach, they believe the sea will help them "clean" themselves of bad energy and welcome good things the new year has to offer.

In every Province of Panama there are traditions that almost every family observes. These traditions are shown through their meals and celebrations. Panama has many different ethnicities so there is a large and varied cultural richness. These varied ethnicities have influenced the New Year's Eve celebrations in each Province.

New Year's Eve in Panama is when most people wear red, while others prefer to wear yellow underwear. Some people believe that walking around the house with luggage will bring many trips in the next year. Another custom is to pour water in a pound of rice. Many people follow the superstition that you eat 12 grapes and then count the number of seeds. This number is their lucky number in the lottery.

Christmas in Panama

Christmas in Panama

Christmas in Panama has become a national and popular holiday.

Christmas in Panama is generally celebrated on December 25^th and it's a Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God and the savior of all people.

How is Christmas in Panama?

Panama is a mixture of Spanish and American customs. To symbolize the coming Christmas in Panama, people decorate their homes by placing Christmas lights and Christmas trees.

Christmas in Panama are celebrated with great parades and this makes Christmas in Panama an enjoyable experience for both panamanians and foreigners who travel to Panama at Christmas Holidays to see, enjoy or stay in the city.

The Christmas Holiday parade is done in the costal strip bordering the Bay of Panama in Avenida Balboa. This parade grants to the national and foreign visitors a place of entertainment.

The coastal strip in Avenida Balboa is very highly recommended to visit if you are in Panama.

Here you can see the best shops in ( Multi-Centro Mall), also restaurants, banks, elegant buildings, clubs, cinemas (Extreme Planet and Cinemark).

It is also a close in few minutes drive to hospitals (Hospital Paitilla), universities, Spanish Language Schools such as (EPA!Español en Panamá) where many travellers interested in studying Spanish come over in this time of the year to take spanish classes.