The beautiful scene above of Colon (Cristobal) in Panama, photographed from the cruise ship "Island Princess" by Jan Ketonen who remained on the vessel taking photography throughout the brief three-hour stop. There were at least eighteen bays on the terminal with several doors for the bays raised. Approaching the terminal, local vendors stood partially in the shade and sun, offering an array of entertainment while dressed in their authentic native clothing.
One of the more sought items is the "mola" usually made in the San Blas Islands of Panama and typically by Kuna (Central American Indian) women who hand stitch beautiful patterns together making a picture with several layers of fabric, often combining stitches of embroidery within their work. Using cloth in varying colors, Kuna women loosely stitch the pieces together using an applique process referred to as "reverse applique". The word, "mola", means "blouse" and is part of the traditional dress of the Kuna women. The mola became a Kuna tradition over a hundred years ago; today, molas are inspired with both traditional and modern graphics. Molas are available in a variety of accessories, including beautiful colorful bags with zippers, small pouches, hot pot holders and a verity of other useful items, to the delight of many tourists.
Photography by Jan Ketonen
Photography by Julia Hollenbeck
As in days of old, a tradition first seen following WWII when arriving by vessel in Honolulu, the custom of welcoming visitors by dancing and playing rhythms of traditional tropical music while waving to passengers on board brought another relished moment of nostalgia. Many passengers opted for quick tours of Colon (Cristobal) or went to explore the many shopping opportunities from local vendors inside the terminal who welcomed everyone ashore.
Julia Hollenbeck
Colon, Panama
Bobs Ferro, Senior Assistant Purser on the Island Princess cruise vessel made it a point that Julia Hollenbeck safely arrived in the terminal for a meeting and tour with Jeronimo Welch, who was standing with her name on a sign. According to Hollenbeck, it was an opportune moment to capture Mister Bobs and the tour guide professional with the brightly colored buildings in the background inside the terminal.
Without further ado, Hollenbeck quickly met Eduardo Pousada, who would be driving a full-size van with a wheelchair lift allowing Hollenbeck to use her power wheelchair and the three of them set off for an unforgettable journey with Adventura 2000 Tour Services in Colon (Cristobal) Panama.
Jeronimo Welch began a rapid tour shortly after three o'clock, with Eduardo Pousada driving past several cruise terminal and docks while Jeronimo described the large tourist industry coming from many parts of the world and an industrial area in Colon. Within less than an hour, the tour entered into an area known as Colon 2000, and then continued along another shoreline.
Combining resources, photography for this web page was taken by both Jeronimo Welch and Julia Hollenbeck, in order to avoid additional time with deploying the lift on the van for Hollenbeck and making it possible for her to see and learn about as many historical monuments and properties as possible during this quick tour.
Within less than an hour, the tour entered into an area known as Colon 2000, and then continued along the shoreline. Showing a grand scene of a port in the photo on the left; nearby a monument strategically placed in front of the Caribbean Sea represented hundreds of workers who built the Panama Canal in the middle photo above. A short distance away, in the photo on the right, a second generation locomotive used in the Panama Canal guiding vessels through the locks, found children in the park playing on it.
In the city of Colon, on the north end, a statue of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) with his arms outstretched, appears to greet visitors to the beach. Behind this statue is another cross and from the position of this small plaza, the Caribbean ocean is clearly visible with the statue situated at the entrance of the Panama Canal.
Cristo Redentor de Colon (Panama) is a religious monument built in 1995 by the Panamanian sculptor Edgar Espino Urriola. The statue, constructed with granite paste, white cement and marble, has a total height of twenty-five feet; the pedestal is eight feet tall and based on a two foot tier. Cristo Redentor was sponsored by the Archdiocese and the City of Columbus, by Monsignor Carlos Maria Aris and the administration of Mayor Gonzales Alcibiades.
A short distance away, a statue cast in bronze of Christopher Columbus, stood predominately in the center of another small plaza. This statue of Columbus depicted him with his left hand pointing toward the ocean and his other arm sheltering a beautiful Indian woman (symbolizing America). This statue of Christopher Columbus was presented by Eugenia de Montijo, Empress of France to the people of Panama in 1867, which was then the Republic of Columbia.
Additional history traces this statue for over sixty years; the United States government in 1930 agreed the statue belonged to the Republic of Panama, allowing relocation to the Paseo Centenario (now named Juan Demostenes Arosemena Boulevard) in the city of Colon.
The Government of Columbia decided to give this important gift to a city best serving as the custodian and the statue has since remained in Colon. The statue was placed on a beautiful base designed by Engineer Genaro Ruggieri and was officially inaugurated on December 21, 1930. Inscriptions below the front of the statue state: "To the immortal discover of the new world" in Spanish.
Another statue along this same stretch is that of an Indian representing one of several tribes; most are predominantly of West Indian origin with their descendants brought to Panama to work on the construction of the Panama Railroad and later the Panama Canal. The statue of this Indian has his right hand raised in the air with what appears to be a type of hammer. The monument of the Indian was erected to commemorate five hundred years of growth (1503 - 2003).
The tour by Aventura 2000 included a drive-by the oldest hotel built in Colon in 1910, playing host too many dignities from around the globe and a stop at the oldest church built in 1805.
Colon's first church, appropriately name, "Christ Church by the Sea", originally supported a large congregation of Americans working for the railroad and British in the shipping business. "Christ's Church by the Sea" is the oldest standing Protestant church on the Meso-American mainland; now with a congregation largely of Panamanians of West Indian ancestry.
Returning to the terminal within one and a half hours offered time to watch a local band dance and sing while relaxing at a table, then visit several local vendors selling their handmade arts and crafts of useful items, many not seen by Hollenbeck. The inside of the terminal opened into a large area of shopping and replica "buildings" depicting historical places. Panama traditionally noted for their handmade straw hats and other products; Hollenbeck opted for zippered bags with mola patterns in an assortment of sizes. She later purchased "Panama" tee shirts from one of the duty fee stores on the Island Princess.
Note: Hollenbeck recommends the tour through Colon, however stated the tour would be better with time allowed for persons using mobility devices to leave the lift van and have the opportunity of seeing the historical monuments up close (if the properties provide access). Hollenbeck did not recommend getting out of the vehicle for other locations and emphasized taking the tour with a competent tour guide. Adventura 2000 Tour Services has vans with lifts specifically for mobility devices such as a power wheelchair or scooters.
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At 5:54 AM (CST) the Atlantic Entrance Range Middle Lighthouse located about a hundred yards east of the Canal near the Southbound Entrance to Gatun Locks, barely captured by the lens of a camera as the Island Princess entered the Panama Canal from the Atlantic (Caribbean) Sea, was simply too far and facing the rising sun in order to capture her clearly on film. Built in 1914, the lighthouse has a 75-foot concrete tower, observation deck, and gallery with a lantern providing a focal plane of 98-feet with a continuous green light visible only on the range line.
In the meantime, passenger Jan Katenon found a perfect place from an upper deck to document the small locomotives, now referred to as "mules" and named after the animals traditionally used to pull barges. The mules are used to maneuver a vessel within and between the lock chambers, (with side-to-side and braking control), guiding vessels through the locks.
