the rise of the isthmus

Arrived in Panama City, Panama today, after a 7 hour flight from Chicago. Still in the same time zone but the feeling is much different. After finally meeting with the lovely Chris (short for Christine), I made my way back to Casco Viejo- Spanish for Old Town- and was led by my tour guide around the small but quaint city. It is interesting here because there is quite a mixture of wealthy Panamanians, poor Panamanians, tourists, and street cats. The buildings are beautifully historic… but abandoned and in shambles. The cab drivers here are about as ruthless as they come in Chicago, and it actually amazes me that there are so many cars down here. The town is certainly small enough to walk or bike and with gas prices so high and public transportation so cheap, personal vehicles seem completely unnecessary. The Panamanians are dark and gorgeous friendly creatures though. I could provide a novel here but I’d prefer to explain with darling photos and captions. I’m living an entirely new experience here, no time for chit chat on the internet. 

Here is a distant shot of the skyline of Panama City. That’s the Pacific Ocean ahead on the right side, the tide is very low during the day time.

I suppose this would be their “downtown Casco.” There are always people out and about. 

This is the view from Chris and Simon’s studio apartment in Casco. Looks over the central park square where the locals hang out. 

Night time view of Casco. For a small town it is quite lively! Plenty of pubs :)