Panama: Final Thoughts

Even though it’s been almost a month since I was in Panama, I still have a little more that I want to write.  Panama is a fascinating and diverse country and in my short trip there in November I got to see quite a bit of that diversity.

While Panama has beaches and rainforests and thriving, vibrant indigenous cultures, what it is most famous for is its canal.  I did spend some time at a museum dedicated to the canal’s history on my first day in Panama City, but I didn’t actually get to see it firsthand until my last day there.

I had arranged for a taxi driver that I had met a few days earlier to pick me up at my hotel at 9 AM Tuesday, to take me to the Panama Canal, as well as a few other destinations around Panama City.  When I woke up on Tuesday morning it was raining, but since that was my last day, I still wanted to see as much as possible.  Well, my driver didn’t show up.  I tried to call him….no answer. Finally, around 9:30 I was able to reach him and he explained that he didn’t come because it was raining.  OK, dude, I get that but it would have been nice of you to call me.  After all, I had given him a card with the name, address and phone number of my hotel on which I wrote my name as well.  Anyway, we decided that he would pick me up at 1 PM instead and I was hopeful that  it would no longer be raining then.  That seemed to be a good plan, since it seemed to rain either in the morning or afternoon, not usually the entire day.  I wasn’t motivated to do much in the rain, so instead I spent the morning hanging out in one of the common areas of the hotel with my laptop.  Around 12 noon, one of the hotel staff came to tell me that my driver was outside.  This guy really wasn’t great with time.  He ended up having a fight with the manager because she wouldn’t let him into the hotel and made him wait for me in his taxi.  I told him that I needed a few minutes to get ready but figured that since it had stopped raining, it made sense to just go.  He had also wanted to take me to the airport the next morning, but since he didn’t seem to be able to tell time, I decided that wasn’t the best idea.

So shortly after 12:00, I set off with my taxi driver, Carlos.  Our first stop was the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal.  These locks are the closest to Panama City and include a small museum, visitors center, fancy restaurant with nice views as well as a snack bar and gift shop.  There was an admission fee for me but my driver was able to enter for free.  Unfortunately, at the time we arrived there were no boats passing through the canal, because at mid-day they switch the direction of the passage.  So we started out by watching a short film about the canal and it’s history and visiting the museum.  About 45 minutes later, the boats began to arrive.  From the viewing platform, there is constant narration in English and Spanish about the canal, the types of boats that are arriving, and exactly what is going on.  I didn’t get to see any large cruise ships go through, but I did see 2 large cargo ships,  which were impressive.  The largest ships only have about 2 feet of clearance on either side of the canal.  It takes a long time for the boats to pass through, and while I can appreciate it as an engineering marvel, after a while I started to get bored and we left.

Next Carlos drove me to Cerro Ancon (Ancon Hill).  This small mountain offers a trail leading to a lookout point with panoramic views of the city.  I had originally wanted to hike to the top but I didn’t have enough time, and I’m not sure I would have felt safe doing it alone.  It seemed pretty isolated as we drove there.  The views were nice, but it was a grey and cloudy day so they weren’t as spectacular as they might have been if it had been clear and sunny.

Our third and final destination was the Amador Causeway.  I still don’t really understand what this is.  It is a basically a highway, with foot and bike paths as well, that goes to 4 small islands, with restaurants, nightclubs and duty free shopping.  It just struck me as very artificial and touristy.

I’m glad that I had the opportunity to see the canal and these areas of Panama City.  Spending about 4 hours with my taxi driver Carlos, also provided a great opportunity to practice my Spanish, although I had to listen to his sexist views on relationships and hear all about how his wife takes care of him.  All part of the cultural exchange, I suppose!

Panama is a fascinating country.  I was struck at how poorly developed its tourism infrastructure is.  I don’t see any reason why it can’t be as well known as its neighbor, Costa Rica, as an eco-tourism destination.  People I talked to about this explained that Panama does not need to focus on tourism because the canal generates so much revenue for the country.  More than tourism, Panama is becoming known as a destination for expats to invest or retire.   The government makes it very easy and attractive for foreigners to invest in businesses or retire with a low monthly fixed income.  The country is now attracting many wealthy Venezuelans who are being driven out by the policies of Chavez.  It’s almost as if there are two parallel societies existing side by side in Panama.  While the majority of Panamanians are poor and seem as simple and unsophisticated by the expat community, those expats are helping with the economic development of the country and establishing their own communities.  Everywhere I looked in Panama City I saw construction of new buildings and renovation of old ones.  Many businesses are owned by foreigners.  For example, the bed and breakfast where I stayed in El Valle is owned and operated by a Costa Rican.  The owner of the tour company that arranged my trip to the Emberá village is American. At my hotel in Panama City I met a Spaniard looking to buy a house to convert into a  boutique hotel.  This can be seen all over Panama.

I am still leaning toward Costa Rica as my retirement destination (in about 20 years or so) but am curious to see how Panama continues to prosper and develop, and who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind and end up spending my winters in Panama instead!

Indigenous Panama: A Day with the Emberá

On Monday I had a tour scheduled to visit a traditional village of the Emberá people. Panama has approximately 8 different indigenous groups and most have been able to maintain their cultures to varying degrees. The Emberá originated in Colombia and most now live in the Darien region of Panama. About 35 years ago, some moved nearer to the capital.  This area was later declared a national park and commercial agriculture was banned, causing the Emberá to lose their primary source of income. In addition, they could no longer hunt for their own food.  Today they rely on tourism to sustain themselves, receiving fees from tour groups that visit their village, where they demonstrate their traditional way of life and sell their handicrafts, most notably beautiful woven baskets and wood carvings.

I’ve written before about my interest in traditional indigenous cultures but also my ambivalence about visiting such communities. It can feel artificial and disrespectful, and I have often wondered how the residents of these villages feel about all of the tourists that constantly descend upon them.. I felt good about this tour, however, because Anne Gordon, who is the guide and owner of the company, Emberá Village Tours (www.EmberaVillageTours.com), is herself married to an Emberá man. Anne is from Washington, and while working in Panama as an animal trainer for a movie, met her husband Otniel, and now they live in Panama City. Being able to visit the village with someone who was so intimately connected to the culture was truly a special experience. Before we arrived at the village, I had the chance to talk to Anne about some of my concerns about this type of tourism, and she assured me that the Emberá are proud of their culture and are happy to share it with visitors. She also said that they would be just as interested in learning about my life as I would be learning about theirs. Anne told me that according to an anthropologist that she spoke to, tourism has positive effects on the Emberá people in that it helps a group that has been marginalized and discriminated against for generations maintain pride in their culture and continue their traditions. Talking to Anne on the way to the village only heightened my enthusiasm about the day to come.

The trip to the village involved driving approximately one hour, to the shore of the river, where we then boarded a boat, basically a large canoe with an outboard motor. I was lucky to be in small group with just 3 other adults and a 5 year old. The boat ride was about 40 minutes and the scenery was beautiful. Anne pointed out several different species of birds that we saw along the way.

When we arrived at the village of Emberá Puru, several of the residents greeted us on the shore by playing musical instruments for us. They maintain a traditional style of dress, with the men wearing loincloths and women wearing a brightly colored sarong-type skirt with nothing on top (except women who are cooking). Nobody wears shoes. Both men and women also paint their bodies with tattoos made from a natural dye. The patterns of the tattoos all have some significance and also serve as a natural insect repellent and sunblock. It’s a bit disconcerting at first to see topless women and girls but because they were so unselfconscious, it soon became comfortable for me as well. The village has no electricity and no running water. To get cell phone service ,you have to climb a mountain and then climb a tree. There are 2 outhouses for visitors, and the residents have their own latrines (which we did not see). The village has a school up to 6^th grade, and the Panamanian government sends a teacher who lives there during the week. When the kids go to school, they have to wear a uniform and shoes, even though the school is located right in the village. There is also a Peace Corps volunteer living in the village who is helping them to market tourism and with her help, they produced a CD of their traditional music. There are about 24 families living in the village (approximately 110 people total) and each family has a small wooden house on stilts.

It was raining when we arrived, so we took cover in a big covered area where each family has set up a table displaying their merchandise for sale. It was an opportunity for us to talk with some of the members of the community and to take some pictures. Since the day of my visit was a national holiday, the kids didn’t have school so it was fun watching them play and interact with both Anne and the little girl from the tour. Everyone was open and friendly, and as Anne said, interested in our lives as well. Soon it was time for lunch, which was served in one of the houses which also functions as a guest house. At the time of my visit, there was an American, Len, who was staying in the village for a few days so it was interesting to hear about his experiences and kind of funny to think that we were eating in what also served as his “home” for the duration of his stay. Lunch was fried tilapia and fried plantains, cooked over an open fire and served in a banana leaf, with fresh fruit for dessert. Nothing artificial, nothing processed. Also no napkins or utensils. When we were done eating we rinsed our hands in a bowl of water with basil leaves, and voila, our hands were clean.

During the course of the afternoon, we also listened to a presentation by one of the members of the village explaining a bit about their lives, and then she performed some ritual songs and dances. We also went on short hike, where we learned about some of the natural medicinal plants that they use. Before we left, we had time for shopping and to get a tattoo. I was the only one in our group who got the tattoo; it is supposed to gradually fade over the next 2 weeks, but until it does, it is another memento of my visit to the Emberá village.

Shortly before we left, a large tour group of maybe 50 people from a cruise ship arrived. I felt overwhelmed by the presence of such a large group and can only imagine what it must feel like for the Emberá. But as Anne explained, since they are so dependent on tourism to survive, they do not feel they can turn away any visitors. I’m glad that I was on a small, intimate group led by someone as knowledgeable as Anne.

On the boat ride back at the end of the day, it gradually started raining harder and harder. I had a rain jacket but instead of putting it on, I held it over my tattoo, because otherwise the natural dye would have just washed away. Drenched, we eventually made it back to the car and continued on to Panama City. The tattoo got a little smudged but did manage to survive the rainstorm!

Panamanian Paradise: Casa di Pietra

I had never even heard of El Valle de Anton before I started planning this trip to Panama. It was recommended to me by someone on Trip Advisor who I have never met. I did a little research and learned that it is a small town nestled in a valley, at the foot of a volcano, making it cooler than Panama City. It is known for an artisan market, as well as a small zoo and some other nearby activities. Only 2 hours by bus from Panama City, it seemed like a manageable trip in the short time that I had. I decided to stay one night in El Valle, from Saturday to Sunday, since Sunday was described as the best day to visit the market. I also relied on Trip Advisor for help selecting a hotel, and Casa di Pietra was recommended. It was slightly more than I had been planning on spending, but it was only for one night so I decided to splurge. The reviews that I read made it seem well worth the money.

I set off Saturday morning by taxi to the Albrook Bus Terminal in Panama City. The terminal was large and surprisingly well-organized. I found the ticket counter for buses to El Valle and bought my ticket for $3.50. To leave the terminal and board the bus you have to go through a turnstile and pay 5 cents. I’m not sure why; maybe it is some kind of tax or a way to (slowly) raise money for the terminal? Quito’s bus terminal had the same kind of thing. There was a bus leaving in about 10 minutes, so I went out to board it. I was surprised to find a minivan, seating maybe 15 people. Luckily, it was pretty empty for most of the ride so I was able to keep my belongings on the seat next to me. Along the way, the driver stopped to pick up passengers but it was never unpleasantly crowded. For most of the trip, the bus went along a coastal highway, the Interamericana. Then it turned off onto a local road heading toward El Valle. I had directions from the B&B about where to get off the bus but the driver told me to get off before I was supposed to, so I had to walk quite a bit to get to my destination. Luckily the pouring rain that we encountered on the drive had stopped by that time, so it wasn’t a problem to walk. A few locals graciously tried to help me but weren’t familiar with the hotel. I was able to find it on my own with the map in my out of date guide book.

Once I arrived at Casa di Pietra, I knew I made the right decision. The owner, Luis, is from Costa Rica and had moved to Panama years earlier for his job as an engineer. He opened the inn about a year ago and it was clear that this was what he was born to do. The rooms and the grounds are truly beautiful, but even more than that, Luis makes every guest feel like part of his own family. Once I settled in, I asked for suggestions of what to do. He recommended that I go to El Nispero, the local zoo, and offered to drive me there. It seemed like it was close enough to walk, so I said that I preferred to set off on foot. He lent me his only map of the area and made sure that I had my cell phone number, telling me that if it starts raining or if I get lost, just to call and he would come to get me. How’s that for customer service!

El Nispero was kind of a sad zoo, with many beautiful and interesting animals in very small cages. I did get to see all kinds of beautiful birds, an entertaining monkey, and my favorite animal of all, the sloth. I watched a sloth verrrrry slowly chew a leaf and really don’t know why I found that endlessly fascinating. The zoo is known for an exhibit housing the endangered Panamanian golden frog, and I was able to see one there. Next, I began exploring the town. I went to the artisan market, where I bought a few souvenirs but I didn’t spend much time there, since I was planning on returning the following day. I then stopped at a restaurant for lunch, where a plate of fried chicken with rice and beans and a fruit shake set me back $5.50. I strolled around town a little more and returned to the hotel to get ready for the 5:00 PM happy hour.

I didn’t really know what to expect of this happy hour. Luis told me earlier that there would be an open bar from 5-7 PM, Sure enough, just after 5:00 PM people began gathering in the common area and Luis started serving us drinks. At this time, I got to meet the other guests. Neil is an American living in Panama City. He was at the hotel for the weekend with his Panamanian girlfriend, Marisol. Ingrid is a Venezuelan, also living in Panama City who was there for one night with her 14 year old daughter Sofia, while her older daughter was visiting friends and her husband was in Venezuela for work. There were also 2 Finish women who were there with a toddler, but I didn’t get to know them as well. I also met Luis’ father, a distinguished gentleman of 89 who divides his time between El Valle and Costa Rica, as well as his brother and sister-in-law, Mario and Lucy, who live in Houston but are in the process of buying the house next to the hotel. The happy hour that was supposed to be until 7 PM lasted at least until 10 PM, which is when I left. Some of the others were still going strong when I decided it was time for bed! Not only were drinks flowing, but Luis put out plates of shrimp, mushrooms, chorizo, cheese, and more. The food and drinks were wonderful, and the company even more so. Everyone was warm, friendly and interesting. It was the perfect way to spend my evening in El Valle.

Luis had told us that breakfast would be at 8:30 Sunday morning. It wasn’t a problem for me to wake up, since the roosters started crowing at 4:30 AM. I guess that’s the price to pay for fresh eggs! I didn’t want to leave my comfortable bed with a mosquito net and big fluffy pillows, but the delicious breakfast made it well worth it. Scrambled eggs with gallo pinto (Costa Rican rice and beans), a tamale, fresh fruit, juice and coffee. It was served outside on a small patio, just a lovely setting.

After breakfast, I went to do some more sightseeing and shopping. There was a parade in town with several marching bands. I had no idea what they were celebrating but I enjoyed taking pictures. It was definitely not the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, but it was fun to see a bit of the local culture. I saw the town’s church and small museum, which had some interesting artifacts that were discovered in and around El Valle. Then I headed back to the artisan market, which was slightly larger than the day before but not anything really special. I bought a few more items, returned to the hotel to rest for a bit, then set out in the other direction of the main street, just to see if there was anything interesting there. Quite a few homes and lots for sale…hmmm, maybe I’ll retire in El Valle someday.

When I got back to the hotel, Luis was preparing a barbeque for his family and for Neil and Marisol. All of the other guests had already left. He had asked me earlier if I wanted to stay for lunch, and I said yes. What a lunch! Salmon, steak, sausages, rice, several salads, and more wine… Everything was so delicious, and once again, the company was equally wonderful. By the time lunch was over I needed to leave to get back to Panama City while the buses were still running. When I went to pay my bill, to my surprise, it was the price that Luis had originally quoted me. I asked about the lunch, and he shrugged and said I could leave something for the maid. I was touched by his kind and generous spirit. If anyone wants a special vacation, I couldn’t recommend this hotel any more strongly. Check out the website, www.casadipietra.net. I can’t wait to return there.

Luis told me that the bus to Panama City ran every half hour and he was kind enough to drive me to the bus stop in town. We arrived around 4:45 PM, and there was already a large group waiting. People continued to arrive, but there was no sign of a bus. I was starting to get nervous wondering how all of those people were going to fit in one of those little minibuses. Finally, after waiting almost an hour, a bus arrived but it was already full. Some people still tried to push their way on,, but I wasn’t able to. Then I heard the driver say that the next bus to Panama City wasn’t until the following day. As much as I would have loved another night at Casa di Pietra, I had a tour already reserved for the next day and had to get back to Panama City somehow. Luckily, some guy who was also waiting for the bus took pity on me and explained that he was also going to Panama City and he would get me there. We had to take one bus to the entrance to the highway, and then change for another bus. I felt somewhat reassured that this might all work out. Finally another bus arrived, and with skills that impressed this New Yorker, my new friend managed to be the first one on, making sure that I was right behind him. We were lucky enough to have seats but eventually the little mini-bus got so crowded that people were sort of crouched over standing. Not the most comfortable ride of my life. After about an hour, we got off the bus and waited for the second bus. One came, but my new friend decided it was too crowded so we waited for the next one. It was pretty empty, and we both got seats, but that didn’t last long. Once again people were standing and basically sitting on top of each other. To add insult to injury, when they collected the fare, they told me that it was $2.70 instead of the $2.00 that it was supposed to be. I have no idea why. A gringo tax? I was so happy to be almost off the bus, I couldn’t even argue. Eventually we arrived at the bus terminal in Panama City but my adventure wasn’t over yet. I still had to find a taxi back to my hotel. Despite tons of people (all Panamanian) waiting for cabs, 2 drivers approached me directly. Both of them wanted double the normal fare and would not negotiate. I refused to be taken advantage of. Eventually I found and honest driver and after a long day, I arrived back at Casa de Carmen, my two amazing days in El Valle a happy memory.

Fascinating Panama City

When I arrived in Panama City late Thursday evening, I was too tired to form an opinion about either the itself, or my hotel, Casa de Carmen. I awoke early on Friday, ready to start exploring.

Casa de Carmen is a cross between a youth hostel, bed and breakfast and budget hotel. I have my own simple room with 2 single beds and although I have a private bathroom, it’s across the hall and not inside the room. This is not ideal, but I think I will be able to survive for a few days. There is a very basic breakfast served of coffee, juice, and toast with a variety of jams. The nicest part of the hotel is the area where breakfast is served, an outdoor patio with a small waterfall, some hammocks and the presence of the hotel’s pets–a somewhat aggressive puppy, a parrot that says “hola” constantly and one single hummingbird that hovers around it’s feeder. The first morning I said hello to the other guests but didn’t actually meet any of them. The location seems to be a bit off the beaten path, It is in the neighborhood of El Carmen, near the area of El Cangrejo, which is more often recommended as a good place to stay.

After breakfast, I set out for my destination, Casco Viejo, which is the old colonial area of Panama City. I normally enjoy public transportation but had heard that buses were unreliable and taxis were cheap and plentiful, so I decided to go with a cab. There are no meters so you have to agree on a price in advance. I asked the woman at the reception desk what a fair price would be, and she told me $3, and not to pay more than that. Then I asked if people normally add on a tip and she very emphatically responded “3 dollars, do not give a tip, not a penny more than that.” OK, couldn’t be clearer. When I left around 8:30 AM, in the height of rush hour, I couldn’t find an empty taxi so I walked a few blocks to a major street. Finally one stopped, asked me where I going, then apologetically said that he couldn’t take me there. Why, I asked? Too much traffic, he replied. So how will I get there? “Look,” he told me, “There are 10,000 taxis in Panama. Somebody will take you.” Sure enough the next taxi driver told me to get in. How much? $4, he said. I said $3. OK, That wasn’t so hard. Driving to the historic district I got to see quite a bit of the city. It’s large, bustling, modern and there is construction everywhere. The high rise buildings over the water give it the feel of Miami. Interestingly enough in these difficult economic times, Panama City is booming with foreign investments and the country is doing remarkably well.

Eventually I arrived at my destination and decided to do something that I almost never do: I followed a walking tour laid out in my Lonely Planet guidebook. I did this for a few reasons, the primary one being that I had heard that this neighborhood could be dangerous so I wanted to know where I was going. I also knew that because my time in Panama was so limited, I wanted to make sure to see all of the highlights in one day.

Casco Viejo is located on the southeastern tip of the city. Because it is on the water, there are remnants of the walls that used to surround it. From that vantage point are beautiful views where you can see ships on their way to the canal, as well as the very modern skyline.

As I was following the route suggested by Lonely Planet, I paused in front of one of the buildings mentioned, the Ministry of Government and Justice, trying to decide if it merited a look inside. A well dressed gentleman smoking a cigarette in front of the building asked me first in Spanish, then in English if he could help me. I responded that I was just looking at the building. It turned out that he was the head of security and he ended up giving me a private tour of some of the old beautiful meeting rooms inside. He had lived in the United States as a political refugee, so I decided to ask him about the current political situation in Panama. His perspective was that the democratically elected president is very right wing but if people are unhappy with him, he will be “democratically overthrown.” He also mentioned that he loves republicans, especially both of the Bushes and Reagan, and especially dislikes Carter, This struck me as interesting, since Carter signed the treaty turning over control of the canal to the Panamanians. He wouldn’t offer an opinion about Obama, which was probably a good thing. But despite our political differences, it was an enriching encounter. Next door was the National Theater. Lonely Planet stated that for a small admission fee, you could enter the building to see an impressive chandelier and ceiling mural. When I asked if I could go in, I was informed that the orchestra was rehearsing so I would have to be very quiet. Other than my fear of disturbing the musicians by taking photos with flash, listening to them practice only enhanced the experience by making it more atmospheric.

Continuing through the historic quarter, I saw many churches and plazas in varying states of disrepair and restoration. Another highlight was the Palacio de las Garzas, which is the presidential palace. It is named for the majestic herons (garzas) which stroll throughout the building. There was quite a lot of security to enter the street where the palace is located but then once there, the guards couldn’t have been nicer. When I asked one if it was OK to take a picture, he offered to take it so I could be in it as well. Consistently throughout Panama I have found people to be friendly, warm, and helpful.

I also went into two museums. The first was a museum of emeralds, which was basically a jewelry store with a few exhibits attached to it. There were some life-sized replicas of miners in a simulated mine. Just seeing the exhibit made me claustrophobic and I could not imagine what it must be like to do that type of work. The other museum was the Museo del Canal Interoceanico. It’s basically describes the history of Panama with an emphasis on the construction of the canal. It was very text-heavy, in Spanish only, and I found myself trying to skim through all of the information presented to get the highlights. Easier to do that in English than in Spanish. But there were enough artifacts and photos to get a pretty good idea of the country’s history and the important role that the canal played in that history.

I finished my tour of Casco Viejo and left the area by walking up the main street leading to central Panama City, Avenida Central. After a while this became a pedestrian mall with stores and kiosks selling inexpensive, poor quality clothing and shoes, cell phones, household products and anything else imaginable. I decided to have lunch there in a local fast food type of restaurant, where a “hamburguesa de pollo” (chicken sandwich) and a batido (fruit shake) combination were $2. I think I was the only tourist not only at the restaurant but also on all of Avenida Central. I couldn’t figure out where I wanted to go next, so I decided to take a taxi back to my hotel to rest for a while.

I was sitting at the hotel’s outdoor(but covered) patio area when I began to hear thunder. Gradually the sky darkened and it began to pour. I did know that I was traveling during Panama’s rainy season so this wasn’t too much of a shock, but it did cause me to stay put for the rest of the afternoon. I had the opportunity to meet some of the other guests, including a Spaniard living in Venezuela who is looking to buy property to open a boutique hotel in Panama City, and a Panamanian who lives part of the year in Sweden with his Swedish girlfriend and part of the year in one of Panama’s beach towns. I also met Bill who is from England. Bill is 75 years old and was on his way from a several month tour of Central America to visit one of his sons in Australia. He told me that he was a widower and that his wife died “3 years and 22 days ago.” Well, that completely broke my heart. He explained that after she died, he sold his house, his car, and basically all of his possessions and has been traveling basically ever since. He often stays with his 4 sons, 2 of whom are in England, one in Australia and one in South Africa. Bill and I decided to have dinner together and found a typical Panamanian restaurant called Cafeteria del Prado. I believe that we were the only tourists there, which always seems to be a good sign. The lovely meal with Bill concluded my first day in Panama City.

Off to Panama

When I returned to work after my trip to Spain in October, I checked to see if I had any vacation days left. To my surprise, I still had 2 days that I needed to use by the end of the year if I didn’t want to lose them. Combining those days with the long weekend for Thanksgiving (Thursday-Sunday) plus my normal day off of Monday seemed like the way to go.

So now I had off from Thursday to Wednesday. The first step was to choose a destination. Following a 16 day trip to Spain, my primary criteria was someplace relatively cheap.  It also had to be accessible by direct flight from New York, and I was looking to go somewhere warm. Central and South America seemed to be to the most logical options. I just started out by putting random destinations in sidestep.com for the dates I wanted to travel and based on flight times, price and distance, chose Panama for my destination. I’ve been to Panama once before, in 2005, by bus from San Jose, Costa Rica. On that trip I only got to see the islands of Bocas del Toro and a national park, La Amistad, but I really loved the country and have wanted to return ever since. Not factoring in my 2 travel days, I have 5 days to explore a bit more of Panama. It’s not nearly enough time, but hopefully it will be enough to get a flavor of Panama City and some surrounding areas.

I decided to allow a lot of extra time to get to the airport for 2 reasons. First of all, it was Thanksgiving Day so I didn’t know how much traffic I would encounter. Secondly, there has been so much hype about heightened security procedures which could cause long lines at the airport. With a flight leaving at 5:00 PM, this did not present too much of a hardship since it didn’t involve getting up at an ungodly hour. My flight left from Newark so I decided to take the airport express bus from Port Authority. Taking the subway from my apartment to Port Authority was smooth sailing until we hit 59^th Street and what appeared to be every single spectator from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade attempted to board my subway car. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly apologize to all of the tourists who I whacked with my suitcase when I got off the train. Although it was kind of your own fault for not getting out of the way.

The airport express bus was running on it’s normal schedule of every 15 minutes. There were only 3 of us on the bus, which leads me to think that not having a reduced holiday schedule is kind of inefficient. There was minimal traffic leaving the city; in fact it was much faster getting through the Lincoln Tunnel than on a non-holiday Saturday evening last week.

The airport was fairly empty as well–no lines to check in at the ticket counter, and a short, fast-moving line at security. I saw no evidence of enhanced security and if they were using the new full-body scanners, they looked  just like the old normal x-ray machines.

So I found myself at Newark airport with over 3 hours to wait. I normally am neurotically early but this was ridiculous even for me. But given all of the unknown variables, I’m glad that I didn’t take any chances and feel rushed or anxious. I was just happy to have my laptop, some snacks, reading material, and these handy charging stations at the gate. Now if airports just had free wifi access I would have been set.

One of the perks of traveling on Thanksgiving is that it is a pretty light travel day, especially for international flights from the US. I lucked out with a fairly empty flight and a row of three seats to myself. We landedin Panama City around 10:30 PM, and I had arranged with my hotel for a taxi to pick me up. Sure enough, I found a driver with a card with my name on it. The first thing he said to me was something about how late I was. That surprised because I had gotten through immigration and customs in about ½ hour. It turned out that the hotel had given him the wrong flight information so he thought I was arriving at 8:40 PM. He also tried to charge me more than the agreed upon price, but I held firm. It was too late when I arrived to get a sense of my hotel or the surrounding area.  I just went to sleep, excited to begin my Panamanian adventure.