A tourist’s first impression of Panama City

Posted By: Panama Expertos on 09.04.2007
Views: 514, Published in sections: Life in Panama ::

When a tourist first visits Panama City, he or she would be anxious to know what is in store as the plane lands in the tarmac of the city’s airport. Lot would have been read and heard about the place that would arouse the curiosity of a visitor about the country in general and the city in particular. But there is no match to gaining first hand experience of visiting a new place in person.

As a tourist gets out of the plane in Panama City, the first thing that he or she would notice is that it is hot and humid out there. The wrinkly clothes in the suitcase would soon appear ironed out due to the hot and humid climate. The clothes become wet and sticky and it takes time to get used to the weather. But the nights are somewhat cooler with temperatures in the higher seventies.

Even though Panama City is said to be well developed, one can not miss the third world smell in the city. There are garbage heaps all around and the heat adds to the rotting of food and discarded fruits and vegetables. Taking a walk in the shopping area can be an olfactory nightmare. Even the Bay of Panama is equally smelly. The sanitation and hygiene standards appear to be low. The quality of construction of buildings as compared to U.S. standards is poor.

But despite all the above shortcomings, Panama City has its own charms. Via Argentina is beautiful at night. One can see toucans, sloth bears and monkeys at the Parque Nacional Metropolitano which is within the city limits. The public buses are attractive and the city is full of people with diverse culture and background. Calle Uruguay is the city’s main party joint and a visitor can enjoy Reggeaton and Salsa beats there.