Panama

Panama The Panama Canal has always attracted me; that's why I organised this solo trip. I fly with Delta Airlines from Milan via Atlanta to Panama City, where I arrive in the evening of the same day I left but in the middle of the night as far as my body is concerned. It's already dark when I land with the 737, and it's raining. I have myself taken to the hotel closest to the airport; I had to sleep right away. The next morning, naturally, I wake very early local time, but I keep resting, as if it were midday in Italy; then after breakfast a swim in the hotel pool, given the high temperature. I find out about the people and the city, get a map and organise a self-drive tour. I take a rental car and head towards Costa Rica through the centre of Panama City: indescribable chaos, also because it's rush hour, everyone heading to work in the morning. The cars are more beat-up than new.

I look at the map and see that turning right takes me onto the ring road; in fact I get onto a bypass that immediately takes me to the opposite side, just a few hundred metres from the canal. I get as close as I can, get out and film a ship passing through; it looks like a ship sailing on a garden. Getting closer, I arrive almost right under the ship. There are many locks that first raise the ship and then, on the Atlantic side, lower it back to sea level. It takes about eight hours to make the whole crossing, but it would take more than twelve days to sail around South America, so you pay the toll and save time. Naturally, oil tankers don't pass; they're too big. The canal recently passed from American to Panamanian ownership; now in fact the money stays in Panama.

I set off again and follow the canal to a point where there's a national park; I get out and go a little way on foot into the jungle: strange birds and lizards, and also a fine snake rearing up in front of me that nearly bit me because I was treading on it without having seen it. The instinctive reflex to the attack made me jump backwards; it gave me a fright. The snake, frightened too, then quickly fled into the little stream nearby and so I was able to film it. A very exciting encounter; I like snakes even if I nearly left my skin there. I continue to the Gulf of Mexico and in the distance I see the convoy of six ships coming out into open sea. Here there are three million inhabitants and Spanish is spoken, so I have no trouble making myself understood: quite simply I speak Italian and they speak Spanish and we understand each other.

I reach the town of Colon and then further on to Portobelo, where I decide not to go any further. What I've seen up to there is enough for me. I wanted to sleep in Colon, but seeing those crumbling hotels I lost heart, and after all I was only three hours from where I'd already slept, it cost little and was nice. So I stop for about an hour, eat and narrowly avoid a mega tropical downpour of the kind that comes out of nowhere. I set off on the way back; the radio keeps me company. Being alone isn't the best, but I'm of the opinion that it's better to be alone than to stay at home when you can go. There are thousands of very beautiful little butterflies, unfortunately mown down by the passing cars. I filmed them too. Arriving at the hotel, I return the car after filling up and so I have no more worries.

The next day I take a walk and enjoy seeing what the life of Panamanians is like: flowerbeds full of flowers and rubbish coexist. I notice that at the back of the hotel there are three cages with local animals inside, like the toucan and some strange species of little monkeys. I understand why everyone goes to Costa Rica rather than here: the only attraction, if we want to call it that, is the canal, whereas over there there are more interesting things to see, and this is hearsay because I haven't been there yet for now. I have myself taken to the airport; the Delta flight leaves in the late morning. This time not in the dark, I see and film the whole take-off, and from above Panama City stands out very clearly, and then all the Caribbean including Cuba. Bye