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This covers a lot of topics. I will carve it up and put segments in the appropriate sections if enough people feel I should. A separate post on driving in Panama appears in the Panama Travel category.
NOTE: I am not an old Panama hand, merely a pair of fresh eyes linked to what is, perhaps at times, a relatively insightful mind. Since I don’t plan another Panama trip until next year at the earliest, I will depart the forum for awhile, but want to leave something constructive to help pay back you fine folks for your pre-trip advice. This article includes some of the tips you provided – I don’t claim to have come up with everything myself.
More Fun Than Expected:
Baseball in Aguadulce. Having attended about 2,000 games in seven countries, I did not have to be dragged to watch the Lena Roja de Coclé. According to Wikipedia, in the past 67 years of Panamanian major-league baseball, Coclé has won the title… well, it hasn’t. Not being a high-profile glamour team, it probably doesn’t draw a lot of gringos, especially those running around with two cameras.
It is fair to say I was an oddity who drew his share of attention, but in my basic Spanish, I could talk a little beisbol with local fans (I brought postcards of my favorite park to give away). This provided my best chance to mingle with Panamanians person-to-person, not gringo-tourist-to-someone-serving-him. By the second or third night, the fans had begun to adopt me as one of their own. As much as I have ever felt about a place, I feel I will be back.
On my fourth day, a fellow who spoke English asked me if I wanted a baseball signed by one of the Coclé players who had spent time in the North American major leagues – a major accomplishment. I asked how much the ball cost. “It is free.” I do not collect autographs and have never heard of the player, but it meant something for them to give me the ball and so it means something for me to have it.
Munching fried plantain chips and listening to the steel-drum band in the stands, it felt (and is) thousands of miles from the sterile experience sold in most American and Canadian ballparks (even Estadio Nacional in Panama City lacked character; the atmosphere – or lack of it – felt as unremarkable as that of any big stadium in the States, and management had the same compulsion to fill every quiet moment with music or sound effects as if we need to have our eyes and ears stimulated every nanosecond, but I digress). Beisbol in the provinces is a gem.
The league does a poor job of promoting itself. The schedule did not appear on its website (www.fedebeis.com) until opening day. But I can provide directions to parks.
If you are not a hard-core baseball fan, Panama won’t make you one. But the game provides a window into everyday Panamanian life far from turistas. If you’re driving through Aguadulce, La Chorrera or David at night sometime February through April and see bright lights a few blocks from the highway, you might check out what’s under them.
Well, It Was Worth a Try (Experiences that Didn’t Live up to My Expectations)
1) The Canal. As fascinated as I am by big boats (we didn’t have a lot of oceangoing freighters in the American Midwest), I figured I’d want to spend at least two full days at the Miraflores Locks. A couple of afternoons did the trick. Once you’ve seen a few ships go through, you’ve seen them all. It’s the same process each time and it unfolds so slowly that it lacks the drama I anticipated (I did not take a full- or partial-transit; perhaps the process is more exciting as seen from inside the locks). But if anyone knows how I can get a tour of a freighter, please let me know.
For a free and less formal way to see the Canal operations, head a few kilometers north to the Pedro Miguel Locks. This seems to be where regular Panamanians gather to view their Canal. Just pull off the road (there’s plenty of parking), get a hot dog and a can of pineapple juice from one of the vendors and join the 20 or so spectators. The Visitors Center is better for up-close action and an explanation of what’s happening, but Pedro Miguel made me feel less like a tourist.
2) The Panama Canal Railway. I've taken trains in 19 countries and expected this to be one of the high points of my Panamanian journey – until I rode it.
My reaction: Is that all there is?
First of all, it's a short ride. One hour and ten minutes to cross the country. On trains that cover a longer distance, I am just getting settled in after 60 minutes. The route lacks jaw-dropping scenery, though it skirts the rain forest and gives you a better view of it than you’d get from the road (the tracks need a narrower right-of-way than do highways; in some places, you can almost touch the trees).
The Panama Canal Railway doesn’t just cover distance. It also provides a trip back in time – this, to me, is its selling point. The wood-paneled passenger cars, large picture windows and attentive service give you a glimpse into the glory days of train travel. Try the dome car, in which windows surround you on all sides, even above.
But I spent my time "outside,” on one of the open-air viewing decks. Why not be as close to the scenery as possible? But less-adventurous types will want to stay in the coldest air-conditioning in Panama and watch the country roll past through the big windows.
Here’s what you won’t see: The Canal. Not much of it, anyway – the tracks are too distant. The view is much better from Av. Omar Torrijos.
For the vast majority of riders, to whom train travel is a novelty, the Panama Canal Railway is probably worth the ride. I recommend it to visitors and to expats who want to experience, if but for an hour, the way we got around before Interstate highways and jet travel (the well-heeled folks, anyway). Veteran rail riders will want to add the PCR to their “collection,” but should prepare to be underwhelmed.
Odds and Ends:
1) Buses. In the Panama City terminal, at least for the Colon buses, tickets are not sold at the boleterías inside the station, but on board the bus. You will, however, need a pass just to gain access to the boarding platforms.
Bring an Ipod or bring earplugs unless you like bad action movies at eardrum-splitting levels. That’s what passes as entertainment on the Colon buses. Even if you like bad action movies, you might be disappointed. One was dubbed *and* subtitled in Spanish. Another had no picture, just the sound.
If this is what all intercity buses feature in Panama, it must feel like one hell of a long ride to Costa Rica.
2) Colon. No guidebook writer likes Colon. They all warn of its dangers. Even a Panamanian policeman, a Colon native, said I should not go there alone. One guidebook says about the walk from the train station to the bus station, “Make sure you stay on the left-hand side of the road, hugging the fence, otherwise you are likely to get mugged.”
Please.
Maybe the whole town turns dicey after dark, but the downtown area, home to the bus depot, was just fine in the daytime. I walked the six blocks to the train depot with no problems and no hint of them. Just people going about their business.
Did I get lucky? Maybe, but I doubt it. Makes me wonder if the whole town gets an undeserved rap, though, from the bus and train, I didn’t see anything interesting enough to make me want to return and test my theory. The point is, don’t let Colon’s reputation scare you off. Be aware of your surroundings, but don’t succumb to fear.
Restaurants
Skip over this section if you want the best recommendations for duck l’orange or veal cutlets. I am at home in greasy spoons where the waitress greets me as “Honey.”
1) Café Coca-Cola. One of the worst meals I ever had. The carne asada should have come with a chainsaw, not a knife. Next time, I’ll order something else. I say “next time” because this is an absolutely fascinating place whose atmosphere lives up to the guidebooks’ breathless recommendations. Rarely have I visited a place that gave me such a sense of place. I felt I definitely was not in Kansas anymore.
2) Niko’s Café. I wanted to bring it home with me. Fast, cheap and good – a damn difficult combination to achieve. I didn’t spend near the amount of time I expected to have in Panama City or I would have tried some of the other working-class places where typical Panamanians go to eat typical Panamanian food, so I am not saying Niko’s is the best, just that *I* would be happy to return.
3) Restaurante Los Tucanes (Santiago). A truck stop open 24 hours. My kinda place. A cafeteria like Niko’s. Good, fast and cheap like Niko’s.
Hotels
1) Holiday Inn at the City of Knowledge (Panama City). A great place to stay if you want to pretend you’re not in Panama. This could be a high-end HI anywhere. I picked it for the Canal view, and the hotel delivered. But I realized that, if I were planning to *visit* the Canal, why would I need a view of it the rest of the time? It is too far to see much at night from the balcony and I would be sleeping through eight hours anyway.
After I arrived, the star attraction of the hotel was the neighborhood that surrounded it. It appears to have been an American village during the days in which the U.S. ran the Canal, now occupied mostly by non-governmental agencies like the U.N., and a bowling alley. Architecture, especially the differences between regions, fascinates me and I spent a terrific evening strolling around the enclave. But you don’t have to stay at the hotel to do this.
The Holiday Inn makes a good base from which to escape from Panama City to the west without dealing with city traffic, provided the bleeping Via Centenario is functioning as it should. If you’re used to luxury, you will probably find nothing lacking at this Holiday Inn. But as more of a Super 8/Ibis guy, I will try to find a humbler, simpler place next time.
2) Riande Continental Aeropuerto (Panama City). Not much of a step down from the Holiday Inn in terms of creature comforts, but a big step down in price. Just minutes from Tocumen airport, it is very convenient for late-night arrivals, early-morning departures or for anyone who wants to get that last harrowing drive through Panama City out of the way.
3) La Hacienda (Santiago). Weird. Someone’s idea of what a Mexican ranch looked like in the 19th century. Quirky. Comfortable. Vibrant paint schemes. I must get some of those drugs the designer was abusing when he or she came up with the concept.
4) Hotel Hong (Santiago). It was cheap and I was not mugged. For my third choice having arrived in town at midnight without a place to stay, that’s not bad. I would return.
Dress
1) The guidebooks are right: Few people in Panama wear shorts, even in casual settings like a baseball game. Blue jeans are the norm. If you want to look like a tourist (or like you’re 16), wear shorts.
2) Nobody in Panama wears Panama hats.
3) Moisture-wicking shirts. Where have these things been all my life? Pricey but light as a feather, they don’t soak up perspiration as do heavier cotton knit shirts. I have found a new staple for my summer wardrobe.
For first-time visitors to Latin America, Panama is a great place to get a flavor of the region with fairly little hassle. There’s no need to change money or to wonder how much something costs when converted to U.S. dollars. Panama uses the dollar. To me, the worst part of overseas travel is the overnight flight, but Panama City is only 2:20 from Miami – all done in the daytime.
Gracias, all, for helping make my trip go so well.
--
Steve Holmes
Gringo-in-Chief
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Originally Posted by nicholetonia 
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