Panama City is the most cosmopolitan city in Central America. An international banking and trade center whose skyline is marked by high-rises of glass and steel, Panama City feels more like Miami than any other Latin American city. Unless you are into unrelenting nightlife where you might claim Calle Uruguay with its wall-to-wall discos and bars is the highlight of PC, the old town of Casco Viejo is certainly the gem of the city. Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2003 and the obvious benefactor of intensive renovation, some still underway, the old city is a charming mix of old colonial buildings and cobblestone streets with freshly painted restored buildings and well-kept plazas. The area reminded us of old town San Juan, Puerto Rico where the old town is beautifully refurbished but bordered by impending ghettos. Likewise here we are warned not to make the walk back to our hostel. Casco Viejo is considered safe as it is heavily patrolled but the neighboring areas are considered prime areas for theft and altercations with unsuspecting tourists.
We decide to start our self-guided tour of the city at the Plaza de Francia located at the southern most tip of land jutting out into the sea. This plaza is dedicated to the French who had made early attempts at the construction of the Panama Canal but were beseiged with disease - malaria - and death of many of the laborers. From the upper walkway we catch a glimpse of the new city skyline amist the impending clouds.
A walkway covered with an arch of growing vines known as the Paseo Las Bovedas and aptly nicknamed "lover's lane" heads north. Vendors line the path selling a variety of local crafts, the most common the malas made by the indigenous Kuna tribe. We have picked up a guide. Conrad, a 70+ year old gentleman had struck up a conversation with John when we arrived and has continued to talk and walk with us. Turns out he is a wealth of knowledge about the history of the city and John is enjoying the History Channel data. Although we had said no to his offers as a guide it appears we have given in and found ourselves an unofficial tour guide.
Continuing north is the remains of the Club de Clases y Tropas or Officer's Club. You can imagine their prior grandure just given the spectacular location. Appartently this was a favorite stoomping ground for General Noriega in his heyday.
Baluarte de las Monjas includes a beautiful park area that faces the Palacio National. This area is sparkeling with perfectly manicured lawns and freshly painted buildings.
Plaza Bolivar has a modern bar with outdoor seating flowing into courtyard where you can enjoy a view of Iglesia San Francisco and the Teatro National.
The genrification process is evident by the mix of old and new throughout the city. There are crumbling buildings next door to brilliantly renovated homes. Conrad tells us the Americans are buying everything up and therefore prices are very high. He enjoys giving us tidbits of information he has collected. For instance as we walk by certain guards or other government employees he tells us how much money they likely make. He's an opinionated guy - but intelligent and fairly well informed. Notwithstanding overreaching prior control in his country, he likes the US and, of course, is an Obama supporter.
The tour is just about complete and we notice we are back on the outskirts of town. But having been manipulated into having a guide we have were unable to stop along the way for lunch and we are now starving. Rather than wait to get back to our "hood" we say good bye to Conrad and head back into the center of town for a late lunch.
A walkway covered with an arch of growing vines known as the Paseo Las Bovedas and aptly nicknamed "lover's lane" heads north. Vendors line the path selling a variety of local crafts, the most common the malas made by the indigenous Kuna tribe. We have picked up a guide. Conrad, a 70+ year old gentleman had struck up a conversation with John when we arrived and has continued to talk and walk with us. Turns out he is a wealth of knowledge about the history of the city and John is enjoying the History Channel data. Although we had said no to his offers as a guide it appears we have given in and found ourselves an unofficial tour guide.
