Page 72 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

70 Panama City Panamá Viejo
1 Centro de Capacitación Ascanio Arosemena
Edif. 704 • Mon–Fri 7.15am–4.15pm • Free • T272 1111 • To reach the displays, enter the former school gates, taking the first right turn
through a building, across a courtyard and into a second building
Diagonally across from the Goethals Monument stands the former Balboa High
School, site of the dramatic “flag riots” of 1964 (see p.299); the 21 Panamanians who
died in the skirmish are honoured in a memorial near the back of the building. Today,
the old school houses the Centro de Capacitación Ascanio Arosemena, which, in
addition to providing technical training to Canal employees, contains a small but
evocative Canal exhibition with bilingual labelling. If your Spanish is not up to the
Canal museum in Casco Viejo (see p.57) this display will give you a good enough
flavour, its memorabilia ranging from porcelain from the Tivoli Hotel – the grandest
hotel of the Canal Zone era – to Goethals’ hat rack, along with an excellent collection
of photographs of the Canal construction.
Teatro Balboa and beyond
A stroll down the Prado takes you to Avenida Arnulfo Arias Madrid, across which
stands the faded Art Deco Teatro Balboa (see p.85), worth peeking inside for its
splendid mosaic floors. Turning left along the main road, you hit the main intersection
with Calle la Boca, where you cannot fail to notice the vainglorious bronze monument
to former president Arnulfo Arias Madrid (see p.298), standing on the end of what
looks like a giant seesaw with citizens imploring his help crawling towards him.

Parque Natural Metropolitano
The main entrance and park office are 200m along Av Juan Pablo II beyond the junction with Av Ascanio Villalaz • Daily 6am–5pm; office
Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 8am–1pm • $4; 2hr guided tours $50/group of up to five people, in English or Spanish; 24hr notice needed •
T232 5552, Wparquemetropolitano.org
Though it’s not quite far enough from the city centre to escape the hum of traffic, the
Parque Natural Metropolitano nevertheless offers genuine tranquillity. A hilly patch of
semi-deciduous tropical forest, the park offers excellent birdwatching and glimpses of
the city and Canal area from three lookouts and five short but well-marked trails.
Arriving early in the morning enhances your chances of seeing sloths entwined around
branches, agoutis or koatis snuffling in the undergrowth and colourful and abundant
birdlife, including golden-collared mannakins, slaty-tailed trogons and red-lored
Amazon parrots. On the first Sunday of the month, Panama’s Audubon Society leads
guided birdwatching walks, open to all ($7; see Wfacebook.com/audubonpanama).

Park trails
The most interesting meander is the 1.7km Camino del Mono Tití, named after the
Geoffroy’s tamarin monkeys that can occasionally be sighted when making the
moderate climb to the viewpoint. From the main park entrance, you’ll need to walk
1km along the Sendero El Roble, so called because of the pink-flowering oak trees along
the path. To make a circular route, walk the Mono Tití trail one way, returning via the
steeper but shorter Sendero La Cienaguita (“little marsh” – only visible in the rainy
season). You can pick up a free map at the main entrance, but it’s hard to get lost since
the park is only about two square kilometres and the trails are well signed.

Panamá Viejo
Vía Cincuentenario • Museum Tues–Sun 8.30am–4.30pm; Plaza Mayor & bell tower Tues–Sun 8.30am–4.30pm • Museum & bell tower
$12; tickets sold at the museum and at the entrance to the Plaza Mayor • T226 8915, Wpanamaviejo.org • Metrobuses from the front of
Albrook bus terminal run along the Cinta Costera and stop outside the museum (every 30min; 30min); to catch the return bus, wait on the
corner of the road heading back into the city, close to the pedestrian crossing near the bell tower

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