Arrival into Panama

The plane flew in over the boats lined up in the canal. Long queues at airport. Lots of gringos, especially American ones.

Picked up by friend or relative of Evelio (it was supposed to be Evelio). No habla inglese so a quiet trip to Kathryn and Regis' place. Lots of traffic - fast, noticeable lack of motorcycles (unlike Bogotá).

Pass Pizza Hut, Dominoes (Fran!), the Golden Arches the first of the fast foods to be seen as we leave the airport.

This morning we got up and had the pleasure of properly clean clothes from the wash we had done last night. Joy! And I washed my hair!

After breakfast we went into the Fish Market. Many of the roads were closed to cyclist-only traffic, it being Sunday now.

The Mercardo de Mariscos was crowded with shoppers - and every variety of seafood one could imagine.
Regis's mum Kathleen is with us too. She returns tomorrow to Florida where she stays to escape the freeeezing winters in Chicago each year.

So, a seafood lunch and then a rest. It is the "dry" season here. Bit overcast, hot when the sun comes out, but generally not too unpleasant.


After lunch we all had an afternoon snooze except Regis who did some work. He and his mum Kathleen then went in the car with Sophie while Kathryn, My Friend and I took a taxi into the old quarter (casco viejo) of downtown Panama City where we had dinner and a wander around. It is very attractive, exotic even - and busy with shops and restaurants; some buildings are still being renovated, some are still in their original somewhat dilapidated condition but their crumbling façades are attractive nevertheless. Some of these are the homes of poor families and some are gourmet restaurants or upscale residences - all mixed in together.

The Casco Viejo overlooks the Pacific entrance to the canal with huge container ships lined up. It was established around 1673 by the Spanish colonialists, the Catholic Church and other settlers and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997 on the basis that the Plaza Bolívar was the site of the famous 1826 congress organized by Simon Bolívar to discuss the unification of Colombia, Mexico, and Central America.

My Friend bought a Panama hat and is very happy with himself. We bought delicious gelati before returning home. The evening was balmy with a nice breeze. We are certainly lucky to be here in the dry season. I added to my mozzie bite collection however.