Still reeling from the fact that our Panama City hotel had a full-scale casino of roulette wheels, baccarat dealers, craps tables and slots (nothing had prepared us for Panama's Las-Vegas-style gambling), Roberta and I headed for our first morning in town to the city's outstanding quarter of colonial gems, the Casco Viejo district of 17th century Spanish charm. Preserved as the conquistadors left it, Casco Viejo vies with Old Havana and Old San Juan in authenticity -- but is beginning to leave the others behind with the restored beauty of its courtyards, the sparkling tiles and marble that line many of the cafes, restaurants and shops that now occupy these historic structures. Just as Panama City's downtown across the bay is transforming itself into a totally-unexpected, skyscraper-packed Hong Kong, Casco Viejo is in the process of being restored into the most tastefully-attractive area of the city.

Here, the district is studded with fun gift shops (pot-holders and eyeglass-containers in the strongly-colorful designs -- "molas"--of Panama's indigenous Indians, dolls in the ruffled long skirts of Panama's 19th century women, feather-light Panama hats), the cafes and restaurants are gracious and courtly, the sight of the city's skyline across the water is stunning, the Presidential Palace (currently housing the Honorable Martin Torrijos) is the center of power and surrounded by military -- but friendly -- guards), and the chief sightseeing attraction is the Museo del Canal Interoceánico (the museum which relates the history of the Panama Canal -- though its inscriptions are in Spanish only, its many visual aids and movies are easily understood). That Canal museum is an indispensable stop, a necessary prelude to your visit to the Miraflores Locks later in the day.

After a $30 lunch for the two of us (including appetizers, main course, two Panama beers and dessert) at the elegant Mostaza Restaurant, we cabbed it to the Miraflores Visitors Center on the outskirts of town for a look at the actual workings of the Canal. As we stood on a high outdoor balcony overlooking the Miraflores Locks, a live announcer speaking over a loudspeaker in Spanish, England and French explained the intricate workings that lifted these giant vessels to different levels of the artificial waterway. Asian sailors stood on the deck of one enormous container ship, looking up at us tourists as we gazed at them and their ship.

From Miraflores, we visited not one but two successive marketplaces of Panama City, and bought gifts for relatives back home at prices that were a quarter the levels charged in the lobby gift shop of our hotel.

The tourism of Panama is centered not simply in Panama City, but to a far greater extent in the picture-perfect, uncrowded beaches (with several large resorts) just outside Panama City, and in the renowned San Blas Islands, Pearl Islands, and Bocas del Toro off-shore islands, as well as on the Gulf of Chiriquí. It's found in the mountain stretches of Boquete housing rain forests, coffee plantations, Embera and Kuna Indians, resorts and retirement communities.

Write and read comments about this post.

Labels: deals, panama