 | Panamá City Off the Beaten Path | Tips 1 - 10 of 10 |  |
Popular Off the Beaten Path | Other Off the Beaten Path Tips | All Tips (10) This is a picture of the tower as it looked when we visited there.
The rusting radar station has now been turned into a unique lodge for birders called Canopy Tower Ecolodge and Nature Observatory.
The tower may now be much nicer than it was when we saw it but the birding is probably about the same.
It was one of the highlights of our trip.We hope to return someday. Leave a Comment
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These creatures that look like a cross between a rat and a rabbit were all over the place on Ancon hill Leave a Comment
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The Mercado del Marisco (Fish Market), in Santa Ana district, at the intersection of Av. Balboa and Av. Eloy Alfaro, offers another great opportunity for local people watching and for a taste of routine local life (on that regard also see my tip on Avenida Central in the "Things to Do" section).
It is a crowded, lively, colorful market with plenty of stalls selling seafood and ceviche (citrus marinated seafood salad), prepared onsite. I had a very enjoyable experience here and come across many friendly people who nicely let me take photos of them at work.
I visited the Fish Market in the mid-morning hours and I would assume those are the best hours for doing it, though the market opens very early in the morning. There is no much else in the area and most likely those interested shall come here in purpose. Every taxi can take you there.
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For a week of reading glossy magazines on Panama and its diverse cultural life,
primeval forests and convoluted history, I never got the chance to be privy to
one of the most interesting moments in Panama's existence. Fortunately and
magically it happened on the last day when travelling to the Tocumen
international airport, the taxi driver chose the fast and painless toll highway.
At a certain moment he had to stop his monolog on Mel Gibson?s pursuits and
change the topic. The area we were literally flying over was the spot where the
American commandos came to collect their friend Noriega. All of that is just
fine but the poor cream-of-the-cream of the army did not realize that they were
dropped in the sediment of fecal matter coming from the less-than-perfect sewage
system. It must take a master of the plume and letters like Shakespeare to
convey the bewildering joy of the driver depicting the soaked up to their necks
in excrements crying for help. Leave a Comment
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Our short trip to panama was all organized around one single event, that takes place only once a month: the full transit of the Panama canal... which was quite and experience, albeit a very long one, too. We were picked up at hour hotel at 6.30 AM and taken to the marina where our boat would leave from.
The trip was very enjoyable and on the same boat there were only the people who had opted for the shorter partial transit tour. All together we passed the two first sets of locks, navigated the Gaillard Cut (also called Culebra Cut) which is the most scenic part of the trip, and ended up in Gatun Lake, where they disembarked.
This first art of the tirp was the most interesting, but it's also true that the boat was a bit packed. After most of the people left, the transit became less interesting but much more relaxed and, as we were sailing towards Colon, we witnessed some really amazing sunsets. For this reason I would suggest you take the full transit rather than the partial transit.
The company we used (see details below) was recommened to us by a Panamese VTer. The trip costed us 165 USD per person and it turned out to be the cheapest of all the companies we had contacted ourselves. We were very happy with their service and we have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone. A word of warning: the food that's served on the boat is highly toxic (greasy and fatty - real junk food) - so do bring your own food on board. Leave a Comment
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The dock on Avenida Eloy Alfaro, near Casco Viejo, provides terrific views (and to those interested chance of terrific photos) of Casco Viejo, the Panama City Bay and Punta Paitilla.
The dock is also an attraction itself with the local people at work. The photos attached will give you an insight of the place.
You can walk to the dock from Casco Viejo, following the waterfront on Av. Eloy Alfaro. Those interested should consider that that is not a nice area of the city, and be careful.
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This is a small neighborhood plaza in Casco Viejo, a few locks north of the Plaza Francia. Leave a Comment
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We were on our way to Carnival in Rio. My boyfriend and I booked a flight on COPA. And, like many COPA flights, we were scheduled for a layover in Panama City for 9 - 12 hrs each way. (9 - 12 hrs in an airport terminal?! There could never be that many Duty Free stores to pace through. And, trust me, I've been through the largest ones!) So, disregarding convention, we paid a $5 tourist visa and reserved a $10 rental car for the day. We went to see the Miraflores Locks the first leg and discovered the Old City on the second.
Word to the wise: If you decide to do the same, pace your time wisely. Add 30-60mins for refueling and local traffic. You are driving through a country that you don't know well. Leave all valuables, which you've decided to handcarry, in your trunk and securely lock. Plan to arrive 90-120mins before your next flight. All flights to the U.S. will cause you another scrutiny of luggage checks.
Misc: 1.) You will need to inform the rental car counter that you are a "transit" passenger and do not have a hotel because you will not be staying the night. 2.) Yes, you will need to purchase a visa each time you enter Panama. 3.) Just about everywhere in Panama will take USD.
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