…how about Panama?
Apples and Oranges from South America. Panama has 3.5 M people including under 1.2 M who live in/around Panama City. Does that sound like a big city? Well Buenos Aires has a population of 13 M. When you look at the panorama of Panama City’s skyline, it’s hard to imagine that it only equals the population of Edmonton’s metro area…
So what’s it like? A mix of Spanish Colonial, French and American influences, nestled between the Pacific and tropical rainforest and next door to one of the modern wonders of the world, the Panama Canal. Panama City has a great mix of rhythms and themes; ‘western’ influence with all the craziness of latin america. Depending on where you set foot, you can be mingling with the ultra-rich, in the grime of city life, or a witness to cultures of the past.
Over ten years ago, Panama was given the keys to the kingdom by the U.S. They now own and operate the Panama Canal, which generates over $3M a day of revenue for Panamanians; that is about $1 a day per capita! With plans to open a wider canal in 2014 along with steadily increasing their international banking footprint, Panama is sitting pretty indeed. And just because North America sneezes does not mean Panama gets a cold; the biggest customers of the Canal are of course the Chinese.
I myself didn’t have time to explore the rest of Panama, but having both coasts within 2 hours and being surrounded by rainforest is reason enough to go back and explore, not to mention that Panama City is the hub of Central America. The idiosyncrasies of latin culture are alive and well here, meaning you should expect to wait for everything. But your reward is to come away with a more open and laid back mindset. What better frame of mind to have whilst sipping a ron con coca on the patio?
Top sights in Panama City? Casco Viejo (colonial city), Canal Zone, the nightlife. Check it out on Flickr.
