(Friday 3/26) After checking out NYTimes' 36 Hours in Panama City, Panama and my trusty Central America on a Shoestring (thanks, Lonely Planet!), I was eager to get to Panama City, Panama (not to be confused with Panama City Beach, FL). Kelly and I arrived for our 8:15am direct COPA airlines flight to said destination, only to have the staff inform us that there were not seats for us. As we had purchased our early flight in order to spend the whole afternoon exploring the wonders of Panma's capital city, we were not well pleased with our attendant's message. He assured us we would see the next flight out as well as $150 vouchers from COPA, an additional night's stay in Panama to make up for the afternoon lost, and a free transfer of our return flight from Friday (4/1) to Saturday (4/2). We spent the morning in a luxurious Managuan hotel (I didn't even know this place existed!) and enjoyed a free buffet breakfast/lunch.
Our 12:30pm depature on COPA flight 411 routed us through El Salvador, giving us the opportunity to meet traveling scouts from Guatemala. Am I the only person who didn't know that scouting was international? Apparently there is in fact a Central American Scouts convention in Panama this week. Fascinating.
Upon our arrival in Panama, we held our breath waiting for Kelly's luggage to arrive. It did. Thank goodness. After our flight was somehow too full without us this morning, I was alittle wary of the airline provider. However, after the attendants provided us with our hotel reservation for next Friday night and free transportation from the airport, my negative first impression (I can't get to Panama because you oversold my flight?!) was changing rapidly (You're giving me an extra night for free with $50+ worth of transportation and $30+ worth of food ANND a $150 voucher!? Wow...you can mess up my flight whenever you want!). Like I said, good things come to those who wait.
Our nice taxi driver educated us on all things Panama during our 30 minute ride to Luna's Castle, our hostal in Casco Viejo. He was a Bocas del Toro native, perfect for us as we'll be traveling to the beach town of Bocas Monday-Thursday. As we neared the town, my jaw dropped as I saw the expansive skyline. He pointed out the new Trump Tower (shaped like a D for Donald), the Hard Rock Cafe, different malls and construction projects, all as we cruised down the well-lit, well-paved, Miami-esque Avenida Balboa. Have I ever mentioned that there's only one skyscraper in all of Managua, and that's being generous? And that most of the roads don't happen to have street names? I guess having your capital city lying across fault lines isn't the best idea, but the Nicaraguans make it work.
I can see why Panama is nicknamed the "Miami of the South." However, as we crossed into the more delapitated - dare I say more charming? - area of Casco Viejo, I entered streets that reminded me at once of Portugal and Cuba. I knew from that first taxi ride that I was not in Managua anymore. We arrived at Luna's Castle to find that our hostal is funky, arsty, friendly, and completely stocked with all the amenities one could desire: a kitchen, computers, hammocks, a book exchange, free towels, new friends, and a bar downstairs with "loud art" (waiting to see what that's like). And so with a quick exploration of Casco Viejo and a 10% off dinner at Aroma's Cafe thanks to our hostal's discount armbands, Kelly and I settled downstairs for a bit to make some new acquaintances and sample some domestic drinks.
You know what, Panama? I think we're going to get along just fine!
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