THE GUIDE - The Rough Guide to Panama - page 99

vention centre and Parque Recreativo Omar Torrijos , generally shortened to Parque Omar ,
the city's largest green space, after the Parque Metropolitano.
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Former Canal Zone
Established in 1903 to protect the canal, the former Canal Zone ran the length of the wa-
terway extending approximately 8km either side of it, though excluding Panama City and
Colón. Under US military control until 1977, it was jointly administered by the US and
Panamanian authorities until the eventual handover in 1999. Though now gradually being
swallowed up by Panama City's urban sprawl, Balboa - what was effectively the adminis-
trative capital of the “Zone” - still retains some of its pleasant leafy landscaping and original
architecture, most notably the palatial Canal Administration Building and exclusive resid-
ential enclave of Quarry Heights. Above, Cerro Ancón affords splendid views of the city
and canal, including south to the Amador Causeway , which marks the Pacific entrance to
the canal, and north to the forested Parque Natural Metropolitano .
Amador Causeway
Away from the deafening traffic, accompanying pollution and stultifying heat of downtown
Panama City, the refreshing breezes of the Amador Causeway (Calzada de Amador) - the
canal's Pacific breakwater - have made it an attractive weekend recreational area for middle-
class Panamanians as well as a draw for tourists. Reinvigorated as a trendy spot to dance the
night away, the causeway is also a pleasant venue to wine and dine while enjoying close-ups
of transiting ships or more distant views of the Paitilla skyline. More practically, it is the de-
parture point for ferries to Taboga and the Archipiélago de las Perlas as well as for canal
tours (see By boat ). Consisting of three interconnecting islands - Islas Naos, Perico and Fla-
menco - the 3km causeway first came into existence in 1913, to help prevent crosscurrents
from silting up the entry to the canal. The causeway's strategic location, protruding out into
the bay, also resulted in Isla Flamenco becoming the site for a US military base. The island
now hosts the command centre for the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá (ACP), which controls
all traffic transiting the canal.
The best way to explore the area is on foot or by bike - at the northern end of the causeway,
you can rent bikes , which can provide a fun way to get around since a cycleway runs along
most of its length.
The causeway
Leaving Balboa, the wedge-shaped area of Amador marks the unofficial entrance to the
causeway, where you can't fail to notice the monstrous Vegas-style Centro de Convenciones
Figali , the preferred venue for international rock concerts. A few hundred metres later, at
the tip of the Amador wedge, where the road funnels into the causeway proper, lies the most