With Rodrigo safely locked away in a container (we cannot imagine how hot it must be inside that container), we went out to explore Panama City. We had a late breakfast of Zucaritas (the local Frosties) and toast and headed to ‘Panama Viejo‘ around noon to meet Nate and Sarah. It’s within walking distance of the hostel, but with the heat and humidity we were sweating like crazy when we got there. Somehow we managed to skip paying the entry fee – which is always a nice bonus to start the day! Panama Viejo is the remaining part of the old capital of Panama. It was attacked in 1671 and destroyed.
From Panama Viejo we took a taxi to Casco Antiguo, which is the historic centre of town. The taxi ride was almost like GTA Panama City – with wrong turns and driving in opposite directions – but we made it safely to our destination. Lunch was pretty high up on the list so we went and found a nice restaurant ‘Tantalo‘. Marijke ordered the sushi which was super delicious, even though they contained ketchup and cheese :).
We took a little tour of ‘Casco Viejo‘, the historic district of Panama City, where you can see the remains of churches and convents.
All these historic sites are very different to the real Panama City, which is a congested city with skyscrapers and construction zones. Five days here are enough to give you a serious dose of road rage! We walked for miles trying to find a bar to have a drink. We finally found the ‘Hacienda Real‘ and had a beer and iced tea there. We also got 4 free cups of delicious chicken soup due to a small misunderstanding with the staff. Afterwards we walked a bit and took a taxi back to the hostel.
Tomorrow we head to the airport to fly to Colombia! Hopefully the boat with the car will also be leaving tomorrow!
It’s all over the front page
You give me road rage
Racing through the best days
Keep Calm and Drive South 