Panama City - mmm not sure

28 September - 30 September 2009

We arrive in Panama City, and as we don´t have a lonely planet guide book, we are not quite sure what to expect. We are not planning to stay long just as soon as we can get a yacht that we want to go on, we will be outta here.

As usual we get a secure taxi from the aiport to our hostel "Mama ellna"= mama is full. This particular hostel is apparently the best for organising the charter yachts to San Blas and Columbia, which is why we have decided to stay here. We arrive at the hostel and the area itself doesn´t look too inviting. The look on Majas face says it all.....

The hostel itself has excellent customer service, Stuart (the owner is Australian and has lived in Panana for over 4 years), the rooms are ok, think underground bunker, meets prisoner cell block H with air con and you have what was our home for the next 3 nights.

We decided to head out and check out what was on offer - but wait no walking around this part of town, its a taxi ride everywhere (for your own safety of course)

The city itself is a mix of old and new - skyscrapers vs. colonial townhouses.

The old town itself is not relaxing, though very pretty. It felt like you had to be on guard the whole time, and mindful of who and what was around you.

We take time to visit the old old city, which was burnt to the ground by Brit pirate Henry Morgan. At this time the Spaniards decide to relocate to a more defensible position, the old town. The ruins were not spectacular, but worth a visit. The image of the cathedral, is iconic throughout Panama.
On our last day in Panama City we took a walk though the park metropolitan, with a quirky German girl called Kat, and an interesting Aussie bloke called Luke. The lovely walk was short lived as the heavens opened and we got absolutely soaked.

Thank goodness, we managed to find a taxi to take us back to the hostel for a quick change before we headed out to the Miraflores locks - Panama Canal. Well, we couldn´t visit Panama and not see the canal now - could we?

Maja was hugely disappointed with the lack of rushing water and fireworks - Adrian and Luke were impressed though as two huge container ships passed through the canal with inches to spare. Maja looked bored staring into space, and asking "can we go now?"