Buenos Dias y Bienvenidos Panama City Panama!

Wandering around Panama City I found myself thinking,

"Three years ago if someone had suggested investing in Panama I would have laughed and thought they were crazy!"

Like most people I knew little of Panama. To the best of my memory it was a small country, somewhere in Central America, with a canal for shipping and I recalled talk of a dictator roaming about. A wake up call followed by some internet research changed my life and my knowledge of Panama forever. 

My journey began as I prepared my apprehensive family for a different kind of vacation. We removed our jewellery, left our "nice" clothes behind, donned our backpacks and boarded a plane in Toronto. Less than 5 hours later we landed in Panama. Something had to be wrong! There was no stop-over and the time was the same. How could this world away be less than 5 hours, non-stop from Toronto and in the same time zone?

After arriving at the international airport in Tocumen we drove along the modern toll highway (Corredor Sur - the south run)  into the city. Reaching the point where the highway is built out over the ocean, I looked to my right and noticed the ruins of Panama Viejo. (On a later trip I arrived at night and enjoyed a special little treat as the site is lit by flood lights and looks quite impressive and beautiful in contrast to the modern condominium towers of Punta Pacifica, directly in front.)

Our whirlwind adventure began with a hotel stay, in the heart of Panama City, for just over $50! Close by we noticed all of the night life and modern conveniences of any major city. It really was as modern as Miami, just as we had heard - too bad we left our nice clothes and jewellery behind! And where was this "Third World Country" we had been led to be afraid of? Although the city was busy and the drivers pretty crazy it reminded me of many other older big cities - perhaps Montreal or Rome or Paris.

Rich pre-Colombian heritage of native populations stretching back over 12,000 years was still evident in the art and artefacts. Of course the Spanish Colonial period combined with some French influence is most obvious in the architecture of Casco Viejo, a wonderful and romantic part of the city. The protective fort walls (circa 1673) still stand along the edges of Casco Viejo - direct translation means 'Old Helmet' which is quite appropriate considering it was a location chosen for it's safety and ease of defence. Prior to Casco Viejo the city was located to the north east. This is 'Panama la Vieja' although it is commonly referred to as Panama Viejo. Panama Viejo was founded in 1519 by the conquistador Pedro Arias de Ávila, better known as Pedrarias. In 1671 the city was sacked and burned to the ground by the notorious Welsh pirate Henry Morgan. There really is little left beyond a few ruins but it is certainly worth a stop or drive by.

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