Escape to Panama
Love and friendship in the age of Covid
I live in Puerto Rico, an island 35 miles wide and 100 miles long. My wife and I have been “sheltering in place” on our five-acre property in the eastern central mountains since the start of Covid. My last profession was in the travel and tourism industry: I love to travel and I love where I live.
Before the pandemic, we traveled at least once a year to destinations around the world. Our last trip, in December of 2019, was to Bologna, Italy, a delightful place — more special since we traveled with our daughter and her Italian-speaking husband.
Covid closed the world. But to be honest, staying in place has not been difficult. We both love our land — even the encroaching jungle. It is always summer and, except for an occasional hurricane, it is the closest I can imagine to living in Paradise. Panama had not been on my dance card.
It never even occurred to me — until Skål club friends in New Jersey (Skål is an international organization of travel executives) invited us to join them on a five-day trip to Panama. They were escaping what had been a rugged winter and had arranged to meet with a Skål club at the stunning JW Marriott in sunny Panama (see photos above!). We had gone exploring with them in Portugal, Scotland, Italy and Croatia in pre-Covid years.
The date coincided with our 59th wedding anniversary, so joining the group was a temptation. Then we learned that there was a direct flight from San Juan, that Demetrio Maduro, the general manager of the JW Marriott Panama and the current president of Skål International Panama, would be hosting us, and that Panama was one of the safest destinations in the Covid world. That cinched it. Our dance card was full!
Five days is not enough time to get to know a place, but we did get to experience the comforts of a beautiful hotel in a surprisingly modern and prosperous city, and we had expertly guided tours (by Panamazing) of some of the major attractions. At the top of our list was the famous Panama Canal where we watched huge container ships and tiny sailing vessels cross between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
In a speedboat, we zipped along the Chagres River and Lake Gatun. We watched monkeys watch us from the jungle. We trekked among birds, butterflies, frogs and sloths in the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve.
We reached an Embera (one of seven or eight native tribes of Panama) village by boat — not traditional dugout canoes but a motorboat co-captained by an eight-year-old Embera boy! Although it was obviously created with visitors in mind, it was interesting to hear about the tribe's ancient customs and experience their music, dancing, and handicrafts.
We spent a morning in Casco Antiguo, the Spanish colonial town founded in 1673 after the first settlement was destroyed by the famous pirate, Captain Morgan, in 1671. That night our friends met at a rooftop restaurant, but a sudden shower chased us downstairs — wonderful food but without the spectacular view!
A Skål highlight was an outdoor waterfront reception at the Intercontinental Miramar Panama Hotel. From the terrace, we could see vessels lined up far out on the bay awaiting their turn at the canal.
In a colorful ceremony, Skål North New Jersey and Skål Panama officially became “twin” clubs, after which we all celebrated with feasting and dancing. The evening was capped by a spirited performance by a folkloric dance troupe.
In addition to marking our anniversary, seeing old friends, and making new ones, our short escape to Panama reminded us — to quote Seneca — “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.”
Panama’s protocols — masks worn indoors and out, everyone fully vaccinated, people maintaining distance, testing before arrival and departure, etc. (and the news there were zero Covid hospitalizations in Panama!)—gave us the confidence to go beyond our gates and to seek safe destinations again.
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