Day 1
We are staying at The American Trade Hotel located in Casco Viejo (the old section of Panama City). The hotel was built in 1917 as a luxury apartment building that included a bank and department store.
Our first stop after check-in was a grocery store near the hotel to purchase some water. Our second stop was to a local craft brewery for a couple of pints (tasted very refreshing in the 30°C temperature). The brewery, named La Rana Dorado (The Golden Frog) presented a tasting tray of 5 beers upon entering. I chose the pilsner and Todd chose their pale ale for the pints. From Mondays to Saturdays pints are $3 from noon to 6PM – excellent incentive to quench one’s thirst.
Day 2
After a good night’s rest, we explored some of the old city. The city was founded in 1673. It is in a constant state of repair and renovation.
Little stores line either side of the narrow cobblestone streets and pop-up market vendors sell everything from jewelry to trinkets, to fruits, to the infamous Panama Hats.
We visited the Basilica near Independence Square, built in 1875 (also being restored).
Across Panama Bay, the newer part of the city sprawls outward and upward. Twenty years ago, the landscape was very different with no high rise buildings, but today it looks like any other modern city.
The tide here changes every 6 hours with a difference of over 17 feet between low tide and high tide.
Lunch was a little disappointing (highly rated on TripAdvisor) – not bad food, just not good. That said, the cat who visited us quite enjoyed the fish Todd fed him. He was very polite; he just quietly sat at our feet and waited. Poor guy looked like he had been hit by a car in the past as just about all his teeth were missing.
We wandered to one area of the old city, but the road was barricaded, and we were told we could not enter. Turns out, the Presidential Palace is in the area and the area is always off limits. We ended the evening with a stroll along part of the 4 km waterfront walkway.
Of note – bottles of local beer (Balboa) are $0.93 in the grocery store and cans are $0.65 (cheaper than bottled water…).
Day 3
We boarded our home for the next 6 nights, a catamaran called The Discovery. The vessel has a capacity for 26 visitors. On this trip there are 21 passengers (us, 2 Americans, 3 British, and 14 Germans).
Food is quite tasty and they are accommodating my dislike for fish and seafood. Todd is quite enjoying his dinner choices.
The Adventure Continues !