Panama: between San Blas and Bastimentos #2/3

 We had planned a night in Panama City after our "adventure" by San Blas that I mentioned in the previous publication. The idea was to rest between the two main stages of this trip. And rest in a nice hotel that would allow us an evening stroll in the Casco Viejo of the capital. The hotel was really good and very well located in one of the squares of Casco Viejo, although too expensive for what it offered, supposedly a five star service.We arrived at Casco Viejo at the end of the day, after we had landed, waiting for the transport from Carti to the capital, and about two hours of road, half of which on those and up and down the winding road in Guna Yala lands.

A shower, changed clothes, stretch our backs and went out to dinner in a beautiful restaurant, one of the many that Casco Viejo offers. After dinner, already tired, we still strolled the streets of this old quarter of the city, walking through almost deserted streets where, here and there, a bar expelled sounds of Caribbean music to the warm air of the evening and the yellow lights of the restaurants painted the new and restored sidewalk of the narrow streets lined with old colonial houses, formerly wealthy nobles of the kingdom of Castilla. 

Yes. Casco Viejo is a beautiful neighborhood with several centuries of Spanish colonial history in the style of many of the cities of Latin America inspired by the Spanish architecture of the time of the discoveries. And yes, it is a safe place where you can walk freely and have access to bars, shops and restaurants that are increasingly appearing as a result of the frenetic works of recovery of this neighbourhood everywhere, still a few years ago discovered by the government of Panama as a tourist priority. Like many cities that have been discovered by mass tourism - and very much in the image of what is happening with Lisbon - the Casco Viejo has a recovery program that goes through the eviction of those who live there and always lived and transforming the heritage of centuries into a cute little park, arranged, where in every door there are restaurants, souvenir shops, restaurants; all this change losing the soul and becoming something of fake. 

But it was a very nice stroll after dinner and we slept very well, leaving the tiredness of the "adventure" left behind.

In Miraflores

The next day would be reserved for the trip to Isla Bastimentos , our new "adventure" in Panama, but travelling  to Panama and not visiting the Panama Canal is like going to Lisbon and not eating a "pastel de Belém". Having the flight to Bocas after lunch, we had booked the morning to visit the Panama Canal in the most known locks area: Miraflores.

Miraflores is the locks zone of the Panama Canal more accessible for who is in the capital of the country. Being about 10 kilometres from Casco Viejo, and therefore it really worth a visit: nice facilities with museum, amphitheatre where a short and interesting documentary about the canal is screened, bars and the visibility of the operations of the ships crossing the canal; it's really practical for those who have only some hours available to spend there, as we had. Arriving there at around nine o'clock in the morning, we found ourselves perched amidst the crowd on the balconies of the building, watching two ships pass right in front of us. It is advisable to visit Miraflores, either in the morning or in the late afternoon, as the traffic of ships stops in the middle of the day to change direction. Well worth this visit!

Then... a while after leaving Miraflores, we check in at the airport; a short walk to an almost self service pizzeria; and back to the airport. We were ready to embark for another phase of this trip.

Bastimentos was waiting for us!