Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Panama Canal raises new locks’ draft
The Panama Canal Authority said increased rainfall has permitted an increase to 45 feet in maximum allowable drafts at the canal’s new locks, which handled 238 New Panamax ships during their first three months of operation.
As rainfall gradually replenished the reservoirs, drafts were raised to 44 feet before this week’s increase. The new locks were built to handle vessels drawing as much as 50 feet. Eighteen huge basins permit recycling of 60 percent of the water passing through lock chambers. The canal’s older locks, which opened in 1914, have 39.5-foot drafts when no restrictions are in place. At times during the last year, drafts at the older locks have been reduced to as little as 38 feet in order to conserve water.
Source: JOC.com
Gang Members Find a Future in a Historic Panama City Neighborhood
Esperanza Social Venture has been doing some amazing work in Panama City, specifically Casco Viejo. This non-profit aims to transform former gang members into unique tour guides, giving them not only hope for the future (job, purpose), but also giving them a chance to show the true value of themselves, and their neighborhood.
The old and the new exist alongside one another in Panama City’s Casco Viejo, the historic city center founded by the Spanish in the late 1600s. Colonial-era buildings and decrepit homes claimed by squatters stand near new hotels in a neighborhood where trendiness and exclusivity portend gentrification. But the tug between the present and the past could just as easily apply to the area’s young gang members torn between old and new ways of survival while wondering if the remade district will have any room for them.
Source: The New York Times
Love brunch? Then you’re going to love these places next time you’re in Panama City
Panama City has a great culinary scene, and no meal is spared its excellence these days. Brunch, which is growing in popularity, it seems, everywhere, is one of those meals. Here’s a good review on the best places to get it in Panama City!
I think one thing we can agree on is that brunch is by far the best hybrid meal ever invented. There’s really nothing better than sleeping in from the prior late night shenanigans, rolling into a restaurant and having a big plate of French toast and a Bloody Mary. But where should you go? Here are the best brunches on offer in Panama City…
Source: PTY Life
5 Ways to Practice and Master Your Spanish While in Panama
No matter what the reason you’re living in Panama for (or even visiting), you’re going to want to know, and learn as much Spanish as possible while you’re here. This is not only a great way to get by, but will endear you to the locals in a way that you can’t do without speaking their native language. Here are our tips on how to do it best, from our latest blog post.
1. Take group Spanish classes.
It’s a no-brainer that one of the fastest ways to learn Spanish would be to take Spanish classes, but you’ll find you’ll learn much faster in a group setting. Why? It’s simple. Although you get less attention from the teacher, you’ll have a pier group that’s more or less at the same level as you. This way you can comfortably bounce questions off them, learn from their mistakes (as well as yours), and their successes. Plus, it’s a great way to make friends, and will help boost your confidence when talking in public.
Continue reading about ways to learn Spanish in Panama.
