We started the morning with a bus ride to Portobelo, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned as a former 16th-century Spanish colonial port. What started as a planned 1.5-hour drive from the Pacific to Atlantic coast turned into an impromptu 3-hour drive due to Sunday morning traffic.
However, we took this opportunity to see more of the typical daily life in Panama and the differences in human development between the city and rural provinces. Once we arrived in Portobelo, we toured an old colonial house museum as well as the ruins of Fort San Jerónimo, a former 17th-century fort built to protect the port from pirates, on the coastline.
With full bellies after lunch at the mall, we headed to the Agua Clara Locks, a new series of canal locks constructed in 2016 that raises and lowers ships between the Atlantic Ocean and Gatun Lake along the Panama Canal.
There, we watched a massive container ship pass through the locks and took a quick nature walk through the surrounding tropical landscape. Though we were sad to not find a sloth on the walking trail, our bus driver spotted a sloth at the start of our drive back to Panama City, and we pulled over for some photos!
Now, it was time for mall #2! Many of us spent most of our time at Riba Smith, a popular supermarket, to purchase fun Latin American snacks to try. To end the night, we enjoyed each other's company at dinner where we played a few games and ate a delicious 3-course meal.
Hasta mañana!