Panama City? Maybe Havana or Miami?

After a sleepless and uncomfortable night spent on two Continental Air flights we finally arrived in Panama City to be greeted by 35 degree temperatures and gorgeous sunshine. Not bad in comparison to Vancouver, but a bit overwhelming after a long journey. With an airport located 35km out of the city, our first introduction to Panama City was the drive in: first among lush forests, then in between highrises which would put the Shangri-La tower in Vancouver to shame, and finally right along the waterfront. 

Panama City is truly a city of contrasts.  The guidebook describes it simultaneously as Miami and Havana like and both descriptions are absolutely true.  It is almost as if the city has a schizophrenic disorder. The downtown core is this Miami like jungle of absolutely amazing skyscrapers build right on the water’s edge creating an impression of grandeur, richness and sophistication.  However, opposite it you have Casco Viejo, the historic core of Panama City, which although having been declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site, is still to a large extent crumbling to pieces.  Restorations are slowly underway, but progress so far has been very minimal.  Nevertheless, this old part of town has a character and a vibe that I have not experienced in a very long time. 

Having arrived on a Sunday afternoon this sense of tranquility and of the simple life may have been magnified.  But for 3 hours around sunset, we meandered through the little streets, admired both the crumbling as well as the newly restored buildings and soaked in the atmosphere.  Kids chased each other along the cobbled streets; women came out on their balconies to chat to one another; grandpas with blaring salsa music added to the Latin rhythms with metal spoons while shimming their hips in sync with every groove of the music; after sunset families came out with their chairs and stools and sat in front of their doors and gates exchanging the days gossip while breathing in the cooler air.  I have never been to Havana, but the colors, the rhythms, the smells and the general atmosphere cannot be much different from Casco Viejo in Panama City.

Once again we have a fantastic Couch Surfing host, an American post-doctoral researcher at the Panamanian Smithsonian Institute with a passion for mushrooms.  While in the old town, we met an insanely nice Canadian expat who gladly showed us around, joined us for a beer over dinner and shared his knowledge and perceptions of Panamanian life.  All in all, there could not have been a better start to our trip – aside for the fact that it is 9:00pm and we are barely keeping our eyes open.  The exhaustion is catching up to us and I think it is time for bed.