The center of Americas: Panama City

What a surprise after 46h of travel! It looks like I am back in Dubai!!

Haha, yes, really the first views of Panama City from the plane are made of tall, white with glass-facades skyscrapers, aligned along the waterfront, just behind the Canal entrance. I was clearly not expecting this, and this is not just few towers, there are many.




I will spend about 5 days here with some P&G friends (Ana & Tania), to relax and discover a bit this city in the middle of the Americas.
I slept most of Tuesday, to catch up from this long travel across the Pacific, and was delighted to enjoy at night few Ceviches (raw seafood dishes with various sauces & spices) with Ana and her friends, in a great peruvian restaurant. This will be a pick for the next months to come, clearly!









On Wednesday 19th of June morning, time to move and discover the area. From Ana's flat on the 38th floor, the city's views are as expected from the plane, like Dubai or Singapore: tall towers all around laid along the waterfront.









Ok, though very different from Europeans cities, nothing special for "new emerging cities" I would say, it unfortunately looks like now a recurring theme around the world... architects should stop designing standardized buildings!

So the key city area to discover, is the Casco Viejo, or Old Town. Indeed, located on 1 of Panama's bay tips, Panama's old quarter features many architectural styles, from Spanish colonial buildings to French and Antillean townhouses built during the construction of the Panama Canal. I was visiting while the tropical weather decided to be wet and stormy, so not much light for pictures...

Plaza Francia & the France consulate ;-)

The area is nice, and will be even more in about 1 year, as actually almost every street and buildings are in renovation.















Walking across the small streets of this quarter feels like you are in Spain, with a mix of Carribean influences. And because we are on the tip of the bay, on the opposite, the modern city of Panama rises up, showing its glorious buildings and skyline.

Panama skyline... with a big storm coming!

Ruins & skyline behind

Some ancient building ruins remain, emerging here and there... they are trying to preserve and restore them, it should really be great in few years.

I'll have to come back with more sun and once all constructions / renovations work are done, this will be much better and easier to frame! But so far, posting few pics of the area:

An old church ruins

Street view

Palacio Bolivar

Iglesia Catedral (that is the name!)

Street paintings

Colorful colonial house 

Colorful colonial houses

City skyline view

From Tania's place, North of the city at Costa del Este, we can see the other side of the skyline... and also the mangrove type shores Panama has been built on, and which still makes most of the country's shores.