Panama Travel

Panama City

You’ve just landed in Central America and are about to experience the capital of Panama. Nothing can prepare you for Panama City’s towering skyscrapers, busy metropolitan streets, sophisticated architecture, seas of multi-international business and banking signs, gourmet restaurants featuring international cuisines from Europe, China, the Caribbean, India, the Middle East (take your pick) ... and three to five star hotels.

Even though the infamous pirate, Henry Morgan, burned much of the historic city, you’ll be able to see many of the meticulously restored monuments dating from the colonial 1600s -- UNESCO recently declared the area “the Patrimony of Humanity.”

Located on the Pacific Ocean side of the Panama Canal, you’ll experience a city of close to a million people. You’ll think you’re in New York until you run into the guy selling fried plantains ... or the “diablo rojo” (red devil) drives by. Multicolored and decorated with strings of lights and vividly painted scenes (whatever appeals at the moment to the owner), these buses ply the city offering rides to local and tourist alike.

You can’t mention Panama City without talking about shopping. Because the country is an international free port, you’ll have your choice of merchandise from the world over. Perfumes, precious stones, jewelry, watches, oriental art, fine glassware and porcelain, electronic goods, cameras ... you name it, they’ve got it at very reasonable prices. Be sure not to miss the craft stores featuring beautifully hand made objects of straw and wood, paintings, local embroidery and of course, the exquisitely colorful and intricately stitched molas from the Kuna Indians. Via Espana and Avenida Central are the shopper’s choice for the best stores and boutiques.

Nine museums grace this cosmopolitan city. One definitely not to be missed is the Museum of the Interoceanic Canal where you’ll not only learn about “the big ditch” but also about colonial times, the first railway built between two oceans, and the gold rush fever that was the driving force behind it all.

Pre-Columbian artifacts can be found at the Anthropological Museum Reina Torres de Arauz, while religious art of the 16th through 18th centuries is exhibited at the Museum of Colonial Religious Art, and the way of life of early Antillean emigrants is represented at the Afro-Antillean Museum. Filling out your choices are the Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Natural Sciences, Museum of History, Museum of the Old Panama Foundation Site, and the Gongora House located in Casco Antiguo (Old Town).

Gambling? Yes there is. Play the Lotto and you’ll benefit the hospitals and local charities. How about following the ponies at the Presidente Jose A. Remon Racetrack. Or take your chances at one of many casinos -- the most elegant are found in the Hotel el Panama, Hotel Caesar Park or the Miramar InterContinental. Whatever your game of choice, Panama does not tax your winnings.

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