Panama City is a very modern thriving high rise city, one of the most contemporary in Latin America. We arrived late at night on Monday, March 16th, and after some set backs found a hotel recommended by our taxi driver. All that research I did to find the perfect place and we didn't even use it. Luna's Castle was our choice, but we erroneously panicked when we saw it in the dark, and behaved badly by not canceling our reservations and just going to another part of the city. Luna's very nicely pointed out our bad behavior, and I would say they are a first class act and we should have stayed there.
Ian and Andrew have been birding and were met up with Ethan a few days later, after his delays at Atlanta. A good thing we are all flexible when it comes to changing plans!
Today Ian and I are heading to El Valle, a village nestled in a dormant volcano crater, higher in the mountains and cooler than Panama City. Ian became sick yesterday, so the other 2 went birding this morning at 5am and Ian and I are headed to the mountains on a bus in an hour.
View of Panama City from the Causeway, a string of Islands that juts out at the entrance to the Panama Canal.
Hotel Latino was our first night hotel, not very nice but it was safe. The restaurant attached to it worked well for food and internet.
The traffic and congestion in Panama City was too much for me, so after the first night I headed out to the Canal area. Diablo Rojo buses are prevalent all over Panama, most gringos don't get on them...
Andrew and Ian having lunch the first day. Really great fruit salad!
A much nicer place to stay, Hostal Amador in the Balboa area. My room, and after ian got sick and came back, his room, too.
A new friend I met at the Hostal Amador, we went for a beer at the canal. He works as a line handler for boats going through the canal, and is from Michigan.
The Hostal Amador Familiar
View of the entrance to the Panama Canal.
A freighter going to the locks.
Posts
Isn't it funny how bad things look at night, especially the first night. I like your fotos of the hotel rooms - I do that too. The canal looks busy. The Hostel Amador looks very nice. Keep the posts coming :0)
ReplyDeleteHere's a geography quiz question that always stumps people - The Panama Canal runs in which direction? It's not east to west, right?
ReplyDelete