Panama City

People make three general associations when you tell them that you're going on a trip to Panama: ooh tax havens!  And/Or: Will you buy me a hat? And/or: The Panama Canal--greatest architectural wonder of the world! Although all of these realities are true (and possible) on a trip to the u-bend shaped nation, for us the rationale was far more prosaic.

I've been wanting to touch down on the South and Central American landmasses for some time and prices to Panama City happened to be cheap. Equally, local hopper flights out of Panama City were also cheap. And thus, a plan was born.

Our actual trip to Panama, really only involved a short stay in the country with Central America's first metro system (cheap and lovely!). It involved a two-night stay on the way there and a two-night stay on the way back. If you're not into shopping malls, big roads or endless humidity punctuated by brief-yet-powerful thunderstorms, this is probably all the time you'll need in the capital.

The tropes of neo-imperialism are strong in Panama. The local currency, the Balboa, is tied to the US dollar; so much so that we paid for everything in USD. This made Panama surprisingly expensive. The cars are largely American-made and American-sized, as are the roads, despite Panama's interpretation of driving laws. Links to the USA date back to 1903 when the country 'developed diplomatic relations...following its declaration of independence from Colombia.' Don't just take my word for it, click on the link to check out the state department's take on conquest. Enter the Panama Canal in 1914 and America had lots of reasons to be interested in this little nation.

But I digress.

On our first afternoon, post-London arrival, we set off on foot to find sustenance and signs of life. We got lost in the vast backroads between one shopping mall and another which is when the skies decided to open up. In under 10 seconds were were drenched from head to toe. The upside of this is that we then found an excellent local diner to sample some of the local goodness.

My favourite: sancocho, the soupy national dish legendarily rumoured to cure everything from loneliness to a hangover to diabetes. It is most customarily eaten at breakfast but that doesn't stop it from being served at all times of day and night. The Panama City version involves root vegetables, chicken, broth and culantro, a local herb. It sounds a lot like chicken soup but is uniquely Panamanian. Being the bad vegetarian that I am, I drank the chicken broth but did not partake in the chicken itself. All signs point to delicious.

Jet lag and continual rain were good signs that we should end the day.

Day two took us to the quaintly renovated old town, named the Casco Viejo. I say quaint because the town's architecture is undergoing quite a bit of renovation in order to keep its colonial charm.

This part of the city didn't feel particularly lived in. It's mostly a tourist destination where you can buy yourself a hat and see the expanse of the city before you.

But Paul and I did stumble upon a local beach baseball game. And that felt pretty magical. From faraway the players look like dots on the beach. Up close, there was a whole community out cheering for their team. Coolers filled with beer and soft drinks were being passed around and even the local police came to check things out.

We later found some kind of local dance recital in one of the minor town squares. Our favourite dance moved was when the boy fanned the space behind the girl's bum as if she'd done a massive fart. Terribly childish, yes.

Our walk back to our accommodation took us past the more lived in parts of the city. Barbers under the bridge made a particularly swift trade and some cool graffiti popped up from time to time.

We saved the juicy stuff, a trip to the Panama Canal, a bumpy drive, followed by a bumpy boat ride to the stunning San Blas islands, for the end of our trip. More on that to come!