Day 1 Panama - Are We There Yet?

Panama City is sometimes called the Miami of The South. But the Panamanians joke: "Except we speak more English." That description is dead-on. It's alarming how similar these two places are. I'm really not sure if I've left. The architecture in the area of the city where I'm staying, the cusp of "El Cangrejo" and "Area Bancaria", is vintage Hialeah. It's dated and haphazardly placed - like Mike Brady was the City Architect and Oscar Madison the Head of the Zoning. It's mostly 1960s era strip malls, fast-food chains and the occasional misplaced high-rise. (Click on photo to the left for a detailed look.)

As with it's Florida cousin, Panama City has too many cars for too few lanes and this prompts people to write their own traffic rules. Crossing the main drag, Via Espana, falls somewhere between Russian Roullette and Sky Diving. (Photo Below).

But in spite of it's appearance and automotive chaos, I like being here and walking the streets. I relish exploration for its own sake and thoroughly enjoy the anonymity found in the formula of distance plus population. But making everything more enjoyable is that I have a great hotel. It's also a casino, so it's got a buzz to it and is on par with what you'd find in smaller place in Las Vegas. It's clean and well decorated and will give me a great place to crash and clean-up.

Finally, a personal anectdote highlighting this feeling that Panama City is all too much like Miami. I didn't get to the hotel, because of weather delays, until about 5 o'clock. I was hungry and wanted to grab something quick so I went to the Subway restaurant off the lobby of the hotel. The Panamian girl taking the order didn't speak English, so when I told her how to make my sandwich, I had to do it in Spanish. Well a couple of times per month I go to the Subway 2 blocks from work. Everytime I go there and tell the girl behind the counter how to make my sandwich...I have to do it in Spanish.

So one of the best things about being in Panama is that I don't feel like I'm in a foreign country...and one of the worst things about being in Panama is that I don't feel like I'm in a foreign country.

Tomorrow I'll reveal the details of my off-the-beaten-path tour of Panama with my new Panamanian friend Jose, my introduction to Panama Night Life and Joba Rules!!! Below, there are a few more pictures of the area around the hotel. See if you can tell a difference between Panama and Miami.