I once thought about writing a book on making the most of layovers. I wanted to write this book only because it feels like there is a definite void in this area. It is a huge world and there is only a finite amount of time in which to see it – especially if you have to factor in pesky things like jobs. So layovers are a way to maximize your world exposure. I have done 24 hours in London, 28 hours in Seoul, 14 hours in Tokyo and 6 hours in Amsterdam. And I agree, I am hardly immersed in the culture the way a good traveller takes pride in doing...I do have the chance to see the highlights...all better options then a TGI Fridays restaurant in a terminal. 
The biggest hurdle with this type of touring is generally the distance of the airport from the main sights...and the layovers in Panama City have that same constraint. With only a few hours on the ground...with no mass transportation to the city itself we were looking at a massive taxi bill until a flight attendant with Copa airlines offered to show us the highlights of the city. As luck would have it, he has a cousin that is a tour guide. While we were really only interested in seeing the canal , the benefits of a tour guide mean that we had the chance to wander the streets of old Panama as well. It was an interesting contrast to see old buildings with ultra modern skyscrapers in the background. This first stop also allowed us to set the stage for our main destination...we saw several large cargo ships milling around the harbour, awaiting their time slot in the canal.
I had just assumed we would show up and boats would be zooming back and forth through this canal. I honestly had no idea that it was a scheduled event that takes over an hour. Our timing to the canal was perfect, we had the chance to watch a two ships make the journey between oceans. Here is my simplistic report on the Panama Canal for any future tourists...
1) You arrive to a very crowded stairway and squeeze amongst several hundred people all staring a painfully slow moving boats.
2) One large ship sails in from the east and one from the west into separate canals. There is a minimal amount of space between the ship and the canal wall – it appears as though some sort of buggy on rails ensures that the boats do not smash into the walls. These buggies are lines up on both sides of each ship and travel with it as it makes its journey.
3) One ship is noticeably higher in their canal then the other. The ships are sealed in a lock and the water is pumped from one side to the other.
4) The gates to the lock open and the ship sails away. The water moves very slowly...I found myself staring at the boats for a while trying to figure out if they were in fact moving.
5) It is a very cool concept, but if it’s fast paced excitement you are after...better look elsewhere.
Our brief foray into the central American country of Panama concluded with a delicious lunch with our new friends, Robert and Chumba (I probably have that name wrong...oops) before a...let’s call it... exhilarating...journey back to the airport in time to make our connection.
(Note to Leila...what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Now substitute Panama for Vegas. Thanks as always for an awesome time!)
*giggle* :)
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