12 
sea, Cristobal was soon bursting its seams. In 1927 
another Panama Canal residential area was laid out on 
the other side of Colon. The original town is now known 
as OLD CRISTOBAL, and the new one as NEW 
CRISTOBAL. 
Since all of these communities are huddled on Manza¬ 
nillo Island, they can be reached on foot. Around the bend 
of Manzanillo Bay, and not so accessible, are the huge 
hangars of France Field and Coco Solo, while guarding the 
far points of the harbor are Forts Randolph and Sherman. 
Only one walk will reward the sightseer, along COLON 
BEACH from the WASHINGTON HOTEL to the 
AMADOR GUERRERO HOSPITAL. Here houses of 
the Canal Zone and Panama pass in succession, as invisible 
boundaries are crossed, all facing a beach where the break¬ 
water has stilled the white caps, and coconut palms are 
bent inward by the superior strength of the trade wind. 
Though it is always beautiful, whether under a noonday 
sun or in a heavy rain, try riding along Colon Beach in a 
horse-drawn carromata beneath the full tropic moon, and 
you will never forget the experience. 
A MONUMENT dedicated to the builders of the 
Panama Railroad is in the Hotel Washington grounds, just 
beyond Fort DeLesseps. On Central Avenue, about one 
block from the hotel, is a STATUE of Columbus shielding 
an Indian maiden, presented to the Colombian Govern¬ 
ment by Empress Eugenie of France. Outside Colon, past 
the dry-dock, big Government printing and cold storage 
plants, is MOUNT HOPE CEMETERY, where the 
builders of the Panama Railroad and the French and 
American canals have mixed their dust. Along the road to 
Gatun, abandoned stretches of the ORIGINAL FRENCH 
DIVERSION CANAL may still be seen. Just before 
entering Gatun, a road to your left leads up a hill to an 
OBSERVATION PLATFORM from which the excavation 
for the THIRD SET OF LOCKS can be studied, with 
printed directions posted to explain the work. 
The many excursions from Colon that are possible in 
peace time are closed for the duration, as are the interesting 
piers of Old Cristobal. There was tarpon fishing at Gatun, 
and the trip down the Chagres River to the ruined Spanish 
FORT SAN LORENZO at its mouth. Every October, 
hundreds of people make a pilgrimage to PORTO 
13 
BELLO, the Caribbean seaport of Spanish days, to see the 
Black Christ procession. And beyond Porto Bello are 
the Indian islands of SAN BLAS where a primitive civili¬ 
zation may be glimpsed, not very different from the one 
Columbus found. 
In Gatun Lake is BARRO COLORADO ISLAND, a 
former mountain-top that was isolated by the rising waters 
of this man-made lake. Here scientists have provided a 
sanctuary for birds and beasts, with laboratories equipped 
to study wild life in its native haunts. In peace time, 
groups of scientists from universities in the United States 
are regular visitors. 
TOURIST TRIPS FARTHER AFIELD 
The Tourist Section of the Ministry of Agriculture and 
Commerce of the Republic of Panama maintains offices 
in Panama City and Colon where free travel information 
is gladly given out to visitors or over the telephone. 
Pamphlets, folders, photographs, and specimens of native 
Panamanian costumes and handicraft are on display at 
the Panama City Office in the Government Palace, at the 
extreme end of Central Avenue. The tourist office is on 
the first floor on the right hand side of the main entrance. 
Office hours are from 7 a. m. to 5 p. m. every day except 
■Sunday. Telephone numbers are Panama 1378 and 1345. 
The Colon Office of the Tourist Section is at 5004 Front 
Street. Office hours are 7 a. m. to 1:30 p. m. Telephone 
Colon 159. 
Excursions to points of interest sponsored by the Tourist 
Commission are suspended for the duration. Either 
bureau, however, will be glad to assist individuals in 
arranging trips outside the Canal Zone but cannot provide 
transportation. 
TRANSPORTATION 
1. TAXIS.—First of all, do not hire a car that does not 
have the word “Taxi” painted on the door in large 
white letters, as this is required of all bona fide taxis by 
the Republic of Panama. The city is divided into zones, 
and every driver must carry a rate card and the Canal Zone 
Traffic Regulations booklet, which includes a map clearly 
