Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
I blogged daily during the trip, but something happened each time and wouldnt allow the blogs to post. I will finish the trip up with a blog that covers everything we did from the 20th till the 22nd. I am sitting in the Tocum airport in Panama City now.
june 20th
We started the day of with our ritual of cashing 200 in travelers checks at the Banco de National. After that we caught a cab to the Albrook mall. The Albrook Mall is PCP's newest mall, and it did not disapoint. It is two stories and over 1KM long. Ali and I could not finish the mall in one day. We purchased 18 items mostly shoes, clothes, purses...etc. for around 120$. The prices are great. The mall carries most of the popular American and European brands (which are priced about the same as the US), they also carry a number of other brands which are dirt cheap. It is not unusual to see womens sandals for 1.99 or Mens leather shoes for 10.99.
After the Mall we took a long nap, and went out for a drink before dinner. For dinner we went to the Wine Bar, which is a quaint Italian Restaurant which was recommended all over the internet. It didn't hurt that that is is located less than one block from our Hotel. The ambiance was great and the food was good to very good. We enjoyed the dinner. Afterwards we went back to the Salsa bar which is located in the Fiesta Casino.
June 21st
We started the day with our ritual of cashing 200 in travelers checks at the Banco de National. The walk is about 5 blocks. We had about 400$ left over in checks, and so we cashed them at a check cashing store for 4% per check...ouch. After cashing out the remainder of our checks, we found a cab to take us to the Panama Canal. We went to the Canal museum which is located at the Miraflores locks on the Canal. The museum was better than good, and there was a 15 movie about the Canal that was interesting. We also went up to the observation deck and watched a Cargo ship get raised 9 feet in the locks. it was great to see the Canal in action, since it has been on my top ten list of things to see. The Canal is one of the largest sources of revenue for the country, and it brings in over 1Bil in revenue per year (no wonder the Panamanians wanted it back). It is definitely a source of pride for Panamanians. They are very proud of the Canal.
After the Canal tour we went to another mall, Multi-Plaza mall. This mall was 3 stories and about the size of Phipps. It contained stores for all of the high-end US and Euro retailers. Needless to say we did a lot of looking and not much buying. Ali found some jewelry for cheap that she liked.
For dinner we went to one of the best restaurants in town, Rincon Suizo. The service and food was great, except for my main course. I decided to do with a lobster over pasta, but the sauce was not the best. Everything else was was great (Risotta, salad, Ali's Chicken...) The total meal with drinks was $80, and it was by far our most expensive meal of the trip. I would go back, but I would eat of their other menu. We learned later that they have two menus one Swiss one Italian. We ate off the swiss menu. Something must have gotten lost in translation, because we did not hear that........ We went back to the Casino afterward and had a few drinks before calling it a night.
Sunday June 22nd
We slept in on our last day. We decided to go back to the Albrook mall and finish going in the stores we missed. We purchased some more things at good prices. ali found some jewelry and I found some shoes. That took up most of our afternoon. Afterward we went to an early dinner at another Italian restaurant (they are very popular in PCP) and went to the Casino to watch Panama vs El Salvador in Soccer. I have never witnessed a crowd so crazy for a sporting event (and I have been to Oakland to see the Raiders). The entire Casino was standing room only, and no one was gaming. Panama scored first, and I thought the place was going to riot. I saw two guys take of their shirt in the Casino and get hoisted to the top of the crowd. After that score it was all downhill for the Panamanian team. They lost 3-1. Soccer is more than a sport in Panama. It is a source of pride for the country. Ali and I were the only ones not wearing Panama red in the Casino (or at least it seemed) and the age of people watching varied from 18-old as dirt.
Overall
Overall this was a great trip. If we had to do it again, we may do a few things differently, but it was a very good trip. We got to learn a lot about the culture of Panama in a non-tourist kind of way. It was rare to see Americans outside of the Casino or find a Panamanian that spoke fluent english. The people of Panama seem to be very honest people, and the country is growing at a drastic rate. Over 100 highrises are currently under construction in PCP alone. 100, that is right. Americans and Europeans are buying into the country and the economy is growing. If we come back, I think that we will change our itinerary and see more of the islands and less of the city...been there done that.
Thanks for reading.
- comments