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Travel Related
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PANAMA CITY |
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 If
the world had to choose a capital, the Isthmus of Panamá would be the
obvious place for that high destiny .
-Simon Bolívar, 1826
Few cities in Latin America can match the diversity, cosmopolitanism and
sheer energy of PANAMÁ CITY : polyglot and post-modern before its time,
in many ways it is closer in atmosphere to the mighty trading cities of
Asia - Hong Kong or Singapore - than to anywhere else in the region.
Situated on one of the great crossroads of the world, the city has
always thrived on commerce, and its unique geographical position and the
opportunities it presents have attracted immigrants from all over the
globe. Though it is the undisputed political and social centre of Panamá
and home to almost half its population, Panamá City's gaze is fixed
firmly on the outside world, and its inhabitants pay scant attention to
what they refer to rather vaguely as "the interior". Open-minded and
outward looking, the population is among the sharpest and most
sophisticated in Central America.
With a spectacular setting on the Pacific bay of the same name, with the
canal on one side and lush, forested mountains rising behind, Panamá
City encompasses some startling incongruities. On the southwest end of
the bay stands the old city centre of San Felipe , a jumble of crumbling
colonial churches and nineteenth-century mansions, while 4km or so to
the northeast rise the shimmering skyscrapers of El Cangrejo , the
modern banking and commercial district. Further east, amid the sprawling
suburbs, stand the ruins of Panamá Viejo , the first European city to be
founded on the Pacific coast of the Americas, while west of San Felipe
the former US Canal Zone town of Balboa retains a distinctly North
American character despite having been returned to Panamanian control in
1979.
Those who find the city's ceaseless commercial energy overwhelming,
meanwhile, can easily escape: to Isla Taboga , the idyllic "island of
flowers" some 20km off the coast; along the Amador Causeway that juts
out into the Pacific beside the canal; or into the Parque Nacional
Metropolitano , the only pristine tropical rainforest within the limits
of a Latin American capital. Panamá City is also a good base from which
to explore the rest of the country - the canal, Colón and the Caribbean
coast as far as Portobelo can all be visited on day-trips.
The City
The colonial city centre of San Felipe (also known as Casco Viejo - the
old compound) is the most picturesque and historically interesting part
of Panamá City and is home to many of its most important buildings,
several museums ...
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