Leaving Costa Rica, I found had found a cheap last minute airfare on TAM Airlines to get to Panama City. The only catch was, I had to fly up through San Salvador, El Salvador. Somehow this fare turned out to be a mistake and I was in first class, but I didn’t mind at all. I arrived into Panama City late on the night of the 12th and just stayed in a hotel by the airport. The next day, I updated my blog, did some laundry and enjoyed the weather. I also moved back into a hostel.
On Monday, I went out exploring the old part of town (where I was staying), Casco Viejo. In this area, there are many old buildings; a lot of which are being restored and turned into nice places to live, restaurants, museums and hotels. There is a bunch of 
construction going on and a large police presence. The police are seriously geared up, having large guns and body armor. They also use some nice motorcycles and four wheelers. As I explored the old town, I went by the Independence Plaza, the Church of San Jose and the Presidential Palace. I walked along the Paseo Las Bovedas esplanade where there were many people selling small trinkets who were doing their best to stay cool in the humid 90+ degree weather. I first saw some nice views of the newer part of town which is line with skyscrapers and cranes. Panama City is definitely very modern. Towards the end of the esplanade, you can you can 
see many ships anchored, waiting to get into the Panama Canal. At the very end is the Plaza de Francia where there is a memorial to the people involved in the various efforts to create the canal. From here I wandered into a more modern part of town and found a crowded shopping street, complete with food stalls and all kinds of cheap merchandise. That evening, I went out in the El Donaldo neighborhood and watched some Monday night football.
The next day, being in Panama City, I of course had to go see the Panama Canal up close. I found a taxi who took me over to the Miraflores Locks. There I saw the locks in action and could see some ships in the distance. At the visitor’s center, I watched a short documentary and toured the small museum. The Panama Canal is definitely an amazing feat of engineering. The canal was not as wide as I had imagined; I’m happy to have seen what it looks like in real life. Currently they are working on expanding the canal to accommodate larger ships.
From the locks, the cab driver took me to the mirador or lookout which is a 150 meter high mountain with views of all of Panama City, the canal and the Bridge of the Americas. This is also where a huge Panamanian Flag is positioned high above the city. I took many photos before my driver took me down to the causeway which connects 4 islands and is at the Pacific entrance to the canal. Here I walked around, ate some food, looked at boats and did some shopping. I then grabbed a cab back to my hostel, but not before getting caught in a tropical downpour.
That night, I ate and went out in Casco Viejo. I saw several Panamanians hanging out in the streets and their homes. You can see inside a lot of the homes and because it is so hot, they keep their doors and many windows open. A lot had Christmas trees and other various decorations. For me it is always so hard to think about Christmas in the type of heat I was experiencing down there. After hanging around Casco Viejo a bit, I decided to check out a casino. The place was packed and I met some interesting people from all over the world. You can tell that Panama City is a very international city that truly is at the crossroads of the world. The next day, I woke up early to share a cab to the airport to catch 2 flights down to Cartagena, Columbia and the Caribbean beaches.
