Fresh off its crazy Canal expansion, Panama is Central America’s new travel star -

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Chirs Bunting at The New York Post writes this wild article about Panama

As far as drug-trafficking despots go, Gen. Manuel Noriega — who just died a little over a month ago — had tremendous taste in venue: The “bridge of the world, heart of the universe,” Panama.

*A tram ride in Gamboa. The Westin Playa Bonita*

Sure, its (now) Miami-ish-looking capital, Panama City, was his birth place — so it seemed like the logical choice. But his besties at the CIA could have propped him up anywhere his heart desired. Instead, he chose his ultra-sunny Central American homeland to rule with a (margarita-clutching?) iron fist. Well, that is until the US army deposed him in ’89 with a little help from the Clash, Jethro Tull, Guns N’ Roses and AC/DC blasting out of a boombox, “Say Anything …”-style.

Anywho, love him or hate him, it’s easy to see why Panama was near and dear to even this most heavy-handed of dictators.

Beyond its complicated history, Panama is a tiny country that delivers far beyond its weight in beaches, jungles, critters and dictator-free politics in the modern world. (Jealous?)

It’s safe. It’s welcoming. And they even accept dollars. Go forth.

Canal plus

Turns out, there are more nautical nerds out there in the universe than previously thought. The newly expanded Panama Canal is the country’s top lure.

Panama sometimes gets credit for things it had nothing to do with. The Panama hat? Invented in Ecuador. “Panama” the song? Courtesy of a certain rock quartet out of Pasadena, Calif.

But that 48-mile, man-made Panama Canal thingamabob? While the US oversaw its construction in the early 20th century (after the French failed at it years before, wah wah), and while most of the labor came from the Caribbean, its modern-day success story is all Panama’s, no matter what The Donald says.

Over a century after its construction, it’s an absolute marvel to behold, as its locks raise and lower gargantuan ships depending on which side they came from, keeping them moving on their merry way. And the waterway was expanded just over a year ago to allow more traffic as well as bigger, longer vessels (so-called “Neopanamax” ships).

Did you know the Nazis plotted to blow it up during the war, only to be thwarted by the Chilean police? Learn fun facts like these at the handful of jam-packed visitor centers along the canal’s stretch.