Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Migrants Dreaming of US Brave Hellish Panamanian Jungle Odyssey.
Some have died on the way, pregnant women lost their babies and one Haitian was shot in the arm, yet migrants still trek on foot through Panama’s perilous Darien forest in the hope of one day reaching the United States.
To reach Panama from Colombia, the migrants – mostly from Haiti and Cuba, but also Africa and Asia – brave the nightmare journey across the 2,000 square miles of jungle where snakes and jaguars lurk. There are no roads.
Migrants, many of whom cannot swim, also have to cross rivers where they could be swept away by a powerful current.
Source: The Globe Post
First-year medical students provide hands-on care to people of Panama.
Grant Wandling had never left the U.S. before an April trip that had him sleeping in hammocks, making do with no running water and providing medical care to the indigenous Ngabe people of Panama.
He was one of 20 first-year medical students at Penn State College of Medicine who completed their primary care preceptorship on the remote islands of Panama’s Bocas del Toro province. Drs. Bill and Eileen Hennrikus, both professors at the College of Medicine, led the 10-day trip with eight other professors.
“It really reminds you that there are people outside of the United States who are in great need of treatment,” Wandling said. “We not only saw a lot of medical problems, but we also saw another culture.”
Source: Penn State News
Investigators find Cuba isn’t linked to cocaine cargo in Panama.
After Panamanian authorities found cocaine in a ship coming from Cuba on Sunday, Cuban authorities joined the investigation and released a statement on Wednesday saying the container was likely tampered with at the Panamian port and not at the Cuban port.
Panamanian authorities released a statement saying they suspect the cocaine traffickers transported the 1,517 blocks of cocaine valued at $90 million into the ship’s container at either the Cristobal or the Manzanillo ports in Panama.
“The contamination of containers at cargo ports represents one of the main modalities used by drug trafficking networks,” the Panamanian authorities said in a statement released to The Associated press on Tuesday.
Source: Local 10 News
How to spend a day off in Panama City, a simple guide
If you’re visiting Panama City for fun, work in Panama City, or here for work, chances are you’ll have some downtime. People all need time off, and when you’re not familiar with a new place, it can sometimes be a challenge to figure out how to spend it. Don’t worry! In Panama City, there’s plenty to do when you’ve got nothing to do at all.
Walk/Bike/Run the Cinta Costera
If you’re an early riser, this is the best way to start your adventurous day off. The “Cinta Costera” is Panama’s urban coastal parkway that stretches from the tip of Punta Paitilla all the way to the entrance of Casco Viejo (the old city). Morning temperatures are ideal here, and you’ll have plenty of space (car-free!) to run, walk, bike, or board in the tropical ocean breeze. This is a great way to see the city skyline, and get from the more urban core of the city to Casco Viejo.
