巴拿马——鱼儿游弋、树木参天、蝴蝶翩跹的地方 / Panama: “Abundance of Fish, Trees, and Butterflies”

巴拿马——鱼儿游弋、树木参天、蝴蝶翩跹的地方

最近我第一次去了巴拿马，旅途中充满各种惊喜。我还顺道去了周边的哥斯达黎加、危地马拉、伯利兹和墨西哥，每到一处都发现很多让我欣喜的东西。

出发之前，一想到巴拿马，映入脑海的当然是巴拿马运河和巴拿马草帽。但是，直到抵达之后，我才从当地的教科书中发现，“巴拿马”的本意原来是“鱼儿游弋、树木参天、蝴蝶翩跹的地方” 。

现在我终于知道原因了。巴拿马的面积相当于中国江苏省或浙江省的75%，人口却只有香港的一半（350万人，其中50%生活在巴拿马城），40%的国土被热带雨林所覆盖，包括鸟类、蝴蝶、鱼类在内的野生动物资源极为丰富。很多本地的美丽物种都是巴拿马所独有，该国生物种类之多居中美洲各国之首。

但是，巴拿马的旅游部门似乎还要在亚洲加强推广工作，因为我很少听到有关巴拿马作为旅游目的地的介绍。我在香港的机场快轨候机楼办理登机牌时，国泰航空两名机灵热心的员工显然被行李牌上的“PTY”字样弄晕了。我告诉他们：“这是巴拿马城。”他俩问：“是在美国吗？”我说：“不是，就在巴拿马。”

公平点儿说，他俩也没问错，因为美国佛罗里达州确实有个小城叫做巴拿马城，但主要问题是，很多亚洲人并没有把巴拿马当作旅游目的地。这实在是太糟糕了，因为巴拿马的旅游资源十分丰富。

巴拿马的历史与巴拿马运河的历史密不可分。1903年，巴拿马在美国的协助下，摆脱了哥伦比亚的统治。美国陆军工程兵在法国人挖凿20年的基础上，于1904年至1914年又花费了十年时间，最终完成了巴拿马运河的开凿。

1977年，美国总统卡特签署条约，同意于1999年放弃运河运营所得，将全部收入交予巴拿马。这极大促进了巴国的经济增长，巴拿马运河的收入成为该国GDP的一大组成部分。而毫不出奇地，当我说起有家中国公司想开凿一条穿越尼加拉瓜的新运河时，当地人的反应十分平静。

巴拿马经济以服务业为主，包括银行业、贸易、旅游、商务和物流。该国最珍贵的自然资源是水，属于热带气候，经商及税务环境都对投资者友好。目前，巴拿马城是中美洲的最国际化的城市，华人众多（约15万人）。老城中心以建筑、教堂和博物馆著称，均有数百年的历史，现在正在进行大规模改造。

巴拿马运河全长85公里，连接加勒比海与太平洋，每天约有六、七十艘巨轮穿越运河，平均航程8到10小时。观光客如果沿着运河岸边驾车游览，大约1小时就能走完全程，理论上还可以有时间在运河两岸的海边餐厅吃顿饭，另外还有一趟“古董”蒸汽火车可以搭乘。

谈到丰富的鱼类资源，此次巴拿马之行我的主要目的就是深海垂钓，特别是想用自己的飞杆和亲手扎制的假饵钓上一条青枪鱼。

我用飞杆钓过旗鱼、金枪鱼和其他大鱼，但青枪鱼因为力气很大，所以被公认为是更难得的猎物。飞杆钓具和常规深海钓具相比重量极轻，所以用它和大鱼缠斗，又不让鱼扯断鱼线，需要极其精湛的技艺。

一知道大概出行的时间，我就开始上网搜索天气好、青枪鱼（或其他大鱼）多、船好、水手棒、住宿条件舒适的地方。很快我就从官网和游客评价上发现，巴拿马Big Game钓鱼俱乐部似乎是个不错的选择。我还真没看错，事实上，它是我去过的最好的垂钓度假村之一。

因为巴拿马航空公司弄丢了我的渔具包，所以我的垂钓计划没能马上实施。那个包里有我最心爱的、专门为这次垂钓精心挑选的飞杆。虽然俱乐部好心借给我一些精良的钓具，但直到拿回自己的渔具包，我才真正踏实下来。

不管怎样，在推迟垂钓计划和找回渔具包后，我终于实现了自己的梦想，用一个在香港家里就扎制好的假饵，飞杆钓到一条300磅的青枪鱼，之后又把它放生了。这条鱼美丽至极，又十分孔武有力。虽然我肯定会把它放生，但在这儿我有必要普及一下：巴拿马和其他中美国家现在都要求放生旗鱼和青枪鱼，以保护鱼类资源。

从这条鱼上钩直到放生，一共历时2小时20分，这对使用轻型装备的我来说，是个相当累人但又刺激的过程。鱼的状况很好，游开时健硕有力。

出人意料的是，下午回到码头我才发现，这条鱼居然是该俱乐部成立15年来用飞杆钓到的第一条青枪鱼。船长Tati、驾驶员Narcisso和我立刻就成了英雄，收获很多赞美和祝贺，俱乐部老板C先生甚至还给我发了块奖牌。

总之，这次旅行真是棒极了！我还会再去巴拿马。如果你也在寻找下一个旅行目的地，（无论你钓不钓鱼），我建议你去巴拿马看看。

Panama: “Abundance of Fish, Trees, and Butterflies”

I recently made my first visit to Panama, which was full of pleasant surprises. I have visited nearby countries such as Costa Rica, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, and enjoyed them all for various reasons.

The two images which came to mind before my visit, when I thought of Panama, were -- of course -- the Panama Canal, and stylish Panama hats. What I found when I got there was that the explanation in Panamanian textbooks of the origins of the name “Panama” is an “abundance of fish, trees, and butterflies.”

Now I can see why. In an area some 75% of the size of China’s Jiangsu or Zhejiang Provinces, with only half the population of Hong Kong (3.5 million people, of whom half live in Panama City), and 40% of the land area still tropical forests, Panama is indeed abundant in wildlife, birds, butterflies, and fish. Many indigenous, and beautiful species occur only in Panama, which has the highest bio-diversity of any Central American nation.

It seems the Panama tourism authorities need to do more promotion in Asia. I rarely hear the country mentioned as a destination. When I checked in at Hong Kong’s downtown Airport Express Terminal, two bright and helpful staff from Cathay Pacific were obviously puzzled by the baggage tag “PTY”. I said “Panama City,” to which they asked “Is that in the U.S.?” “No, it’s in Panama,” I responded.

In fairness to them, there is indeed a town called Panama City in the US State of Florida, but the main point is that most Asians don’t think of Panama as a tourism destination, which is too bad considering how much it has to offer.

The history of Panama is inextricably linked to the history of the Panama Canal. Panama seceded from Columbia in 1903, with U.S. assistance, and the US Army Corps of Engineers completed the canal during the ten years 1904-1914. They built upon the 20 years’ effort of their French predecessors.

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter signed an agreement stating that by 1999, the US would forego its share of revenues, so that 100% of the revenues from the canal would accrue to Panama. The result has been significant economic growth, with canal revenues accounting for a large share of GDP. No surprise, then, that locals had a cool reaction when I mentioned a Chinese company’s plan to build a new canal through Nicaragua.

Panama’s economy is service-based: banking, trading, tourism, commerce and logistics. Its most precious natural resource is water. It has a tropical climate, and a favorable business and tax environment for investors. Panama City is Central America’s most cosmopolitan city by far, with a large (around 150,000) and well-established Chinese population. The historic old city center, which boasts buildings, churches and museums dating back hundreds of years, is in the midst of a major renovation effort.

The Panama Canal runs about 85 kilometers, linked the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Some 60-70 giant ships traverse the canal each day, averaging 8-10 hours per trip. Tourists, on the other hand, can make the drive along the side of the canal in about an hour, in theory having time for a meal at a seaside restaurant on both coasts during the same day. There is also an ‘antique’ steam railway.

Speaking of abundant fish, my main purpose in visiting Panama was deep-sea fishing. Specifically, my goal was to catch a marlin on a fly rod, using my own fly rod and a fly I had tied myself.

I have caught sailfish, tuna and other big fish on a fly rod, but the marlin is considered an especially challenging quarry because of its power. By definition, fly fishing gear is very lightweight when compared to conventional deep sea fishing gear, so keeping a very big fish on the line without it breaking the line is no mean feat.

Once I knew the time frame I had available for my trip, I began searching the web for a place with good weather, plenty of marlin (and other big fish), good boats and crew, and comfortable accomodations. I soon found The Panama Big Game Fishing Club, and from its website and independent travellers’ reviews it looked like a good choice. I wasn’t mistaken. In fact, it’s one of the best fishing resorts I’ve stayed in anywhere.

I got a slow start to the fly fishing because the airline, COPA, lost my fishing rod case. Inside were my favorite fly rods, carefully chosen for the kind of fishing I planned to do here. The resort kindly lent me the use of some of their fine gear, but I didn’t really feel comfortable until my own stuff arrived.

Anyway, after a slow start and eventual delivery of my lost fishing rods, I realized my dream. Using a fly I had tied at home in Hong Kong, I caught and released a 300 lb. blue marlin on a fly rod. A very beautiful and very powerful fish. I would have released it anyway, but I am glad to report that the law in Panama and many other Central American countries now requires that sailfish and marlin be released, for conservation purposes.

From the hook-up to the release, it took 2 hours and 20 minutes. On light tackle, that’s a fairly exhausting but very exciting experience. The fish was still in very strong shape, and swam away vigorously.

To my surprise, I found that when we returned to the dock late that afternoon, this was the first marlin that anyone had caught on a fly rod in the 15-year history of the club. Me, Captain Tati, and Mate Narcisso were instant heroes. Lots of kudos and high fives. The Club owner, Mr. C., even presented me with an award plaque.

All in all, a wonderful adventure. I will return to Panama. If you are looking for an interesting and colorful destination for your next trip (fishing or not), I encourage you to check it out.