The area in which we spent most of our time in the panamanian pacific coast was part of the old, US administered, canal zone. Managed by the US Military, the Panama Canal was primarily a strategic asset for the United States. In the 1970's, the US signed two treaties that began the transfer of the canal, its operations, and its assets to Panama. That transfer was officially completed in 1999.
Most of the canal zone infrastructure remains today as it was in the 1970's. Uncharacteristic (for Panama) suburban neighborhoods, tree-lined boulevards, and administrative buildings carry a distinctly American flavor.
I went for a run (a new Cruiser's Running Guide post is forthcoming) through some of these empty neighborhoods. Duplexes and driveways on meandering streets felt no different than my neighborhood back home. However, instead of oak trees lining the roads, these streets were shrouded by grand mango trees.
Ripe yellow mangos lay strewn across the ground, while great bunches of green mangos hung within arms reach. I picked three green mangos for an experiment. This was three days before our departure.
Within two days, the green mangos had begun to soften and turn yellow. Cutting them open revealed that they were ripe and delicious.
The night before our departure, the three of us hopped aboard our folding bike and scooters and took a trip up to the mango trees. Jumping, standing on each other's shoulders, and hopping on garbage barrels, we collected over 125 mangos.
By the time we sailed our first 200 miles, the mangos began to ripen. We ate them raw (5 at a time), tried to make mango juice (not very effective), and even enjoyed them baked with onions and peppers over our fish steaks.
The fish is another story, but what really made this passage different from all the rest for me, was that we had an endless supply of mangos and fish - neither of which cost us a penny!
