Canal-side

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After another overnight with our purple friends in David it was onwards to Panama City. As the canal was the only thing that we knew about Panama pre-arrival we had it embedded in our itinerary from day one. However, with the rest of the Central American capital cities that we had encountered so far leaving us less than enthused, we wondered what Panama’s capital would offer during our five night visit.

Getting off of the bus when we arrived in Panama City's new substantial out of town transport hub felt different. The normal over anxious swarm of taxi drivers looking to fleece their next victim was absent. There was an information office that did indeed provide information rather than the usual covert sales spiel to which we had become accustomed. This capital city had trumped those before it in the first five minutes and it was to continue.

Panama City had been billed as a fairly charmless westernised capital that should not distract a traveller for too long away from the rest of the country's attractions. It was indeed stinky, noisy and not without its dangers for the unsuspecting traveller. However, from the highly painted neon adorned antiquated ex-American school buses that ceaselessly chug the city's streets to the seemingly faultlessly trustworthy locals this place had character and unexpected appeal. Combine this with the fact you can view in full flow one of the most ambitious engineering projects humankind has completed and nature reserves chocked full of exotic birds and animals all a short bus ride away, and you’ve got a pretty remarkable attraction to explore. We took full advantage and apart from getting horribly lost one evening due to being overly ambitious with our knowledge of the bus routes we successfully and very enjoyably manoeuvred our way around the city.

Our next stop will be a significant change in the pace of life as we leave Panama City's skyscrapers for a hostel bang slap in the middle of Panama’s only cloud forest.

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