Breakfast with Papa Francisco

Once again we find ourselves tripping over a spectacular event that was totally unexpected. In Thailand we discovered the Songkran Festival celebrating the beginning of the Thai New Year which has morphed from pouring water over Buddha's to cleanse them to an all-out fun water fight for several days where everyone, locals and tourists, get wet. In Australia we tripped over the Byron Bay BluesFest where we got to listen to Paul Simon, Bonnie Raitt, the Zach Brown Band and other bands we were familiar with in a crowded but lovely outdoor environment. In India it was the Holi Festival, their beginning of Spring festival where everyone has fun throwing bright coloured Bindi powder (chalk) at anyone nearby creating a tie dye (head to toe) atmosphere for a day, and obediently ends at 6 pm. On all occasions we immersed ourselves into the local culture of these places and had a blast.

Upon arrival here in Panama City we quickly realized that something special was happening with many groups of young people walking around wearing the same coloured shirts and signage welcoming some dude called Papa Francisco. It turned out we were 2 days into the 5 day World Youth Day festival, a Catholic celebration held every 2-3 years around the globe.........and attended by the Pope. On our first day we tried to walk around the older Casco Viejo neighbourhood but found it barricaded off to all traffic. It turned out Pope Francis was conducting a special mass for the clergy in the Cathedral. Fortunately for us, the mass ended shortly after our arrival and 10 minutes later the Pope's motorcade passed right in front of us.....and the 3 to 4 rows of vocal supporters standing in front of us and on each side of the road......... so we got into the old city as soon as they opened the barricades. On Sunday I got up early to attend the Pope's closing mass wrapping up the WYD Festival with 700,000 people also thinking it would be a good idea. The organizers were well prepared for the crowd, with many large screens placed at various intervals within the park, and a good sound system, so that everyone could easily view the celebration. I estimate I was about one km from the raised main stage which I could barely see in the distance (but only 50 metres from a large screen). It was difficult to not be in a good mood for the duration of the festival, especially watching the many groups of young people from different countries around the world......we even saw groups from Iceland and the Cook Islands.....all wearing their country colours, singing, waving flags and enjoying themselves wherever they were in the city. It was a very special event that I will cherish for a long time.

We spent all day yesterday exploring the amazing Panama Canal. The day started early taking a ride on the Panama Canal Railway which took us from Panama City on the Pacific side to Colon on the Caribbean side with views of the canal (and the jungle) along the way. We made our way back south by bus to spend time at the Miraflores Locks where we were able to watch massive container ships (5,000 vehicles or large containers, $300-400K fee) or small sailboats ($2,000 passage fee) moving through both lanes of the canal in a continuous stream. We saw the same ship we took a picture of near the locks of Colon in the morning pass through in the afternoon. The Miraflores Visitor Centre was also excellent, featuring a museum, theatre and small grandstand area for viewing. Not all the WYD participants were on their way home as we anticipated so it made for a very busy spot but our afternoon arrival (recommended) worked out in our favour as the crowds thinned out after initially being surprised by the line-ups. The Canal is an impressive piece of technology, especially the newer locks (rolling lock gates, side water pools to recycle and speed up the water level changes) which were added in 2016 to accommodate the even larger Panamax ships which are charged $500-800K to pass through.

Today we took it easy in the 32C heat and walked along the scenic waterfront promenade which extends for several km's. It provided great views of Panama City's towering business and condo buildings in Central America's most modern city. Tomorrow we say goodbye to Panama and head to Costa Rica where we will spend much more time.

Panama City's Cathedral Metrolipano in the old town of Casco Viejo. We arrived shortly after Pope Francis had finished serving mass to the Catholic clergy. 

The new alter in the Cathedral that the Pope had just finished consecrating. Everyone seemed excited to touch the alter with rosaries or their hands hands.

A colonial municipal building in the Cathedral square.

Some church and convent ruins within the old town.

Pope Francis in his Pope-mobile on his way into the the Closing Mass. I'm pretty sure he gave me a personal wave but he turned the other way by the time I took the picture.

My view of the Papal Mass. the main stage is in the lower right side of the picture, just right of the American flag (elliptical shaped stage top).

A nice lady from the Cook Islands (tiny South Pacific islands) who gave me permission to take this picture. She was holding the table for her group of 14 who were all similarly dressed. It was her 6th World Youth Day journey and she was acting as a chaperone for the younger group.

Taken from a picture of the Panama Canal's Miraflores Locks. The older locks, which we viewed from the Visitor Centre grandstand are on the right. The 2016 locks on the left are 40% longer and 60% wider to accommodate the newer and larger Panamax ships. We didn't notice any ships going through the newer locks since non-Panamax ships are not inclined to pay the $500-800K fee). The pools on the right of the new locks are used for recycling water in and out of the locks to speed up the filling or draining time. The lock gates also roll across which saves time.

Smaller boats....tug boat and tour boat.... could fit into a lock with the larger vessels. The small grandstand announcer told everyone that this particular ship was carrying 5,000 vehicles and the canal fee was $350K. It seems expensive but that works out to $70 / vehicle and would be much less than the cost of sailing around Cape Horn.

Panama City's architectural award winning twisted tower. It has 53 floors and handles wind better than most skyscrapers.

A view of the towering waterside condos while walking along Panama City's promenade.