Off to JFK – Panama City bound!
The limousine arrived at 2:15 AM for a 5:30 AM non-stop flight on Copa Airline to Panama City, Panama. A straightforward drive with little traffic arriving at JFK in plenty of time to check luggage, go through security and customs.
Copa Airline was great and reasonably priced (round trip/non-stop JFK to PTY - $563.30) - on time and the flight was smooth and no nonsense. The food on the other hand was not so great. I will concede that maybe my meal was lacking because I checked the vegetarian box under meal preference when I made my reservations - needless to say a semi-cardboard platter full of warm spinach with chopped onions and a small dinner roll wasn’t very appetizing.
When I landed in Panama City it was 10:45 AM right on time. (FYI: Panama is on EST Currency: Panamanian balboa (B) = 100 centesimo’s. The official paper currency is the U.S. dollar, which is accepted everywhere at the rate of B1 = US$1. Suggestion: bring small U.S. bills, nothing larger than a twenty and lots of singles – this way you won’t get back Panamanian money as change or at least it will be in limited amounts) The weather was ideal; about 82 degrees (Dry season: January to April - Rainy season: May to December). It was wonderful stepping off the plane under an umbrella of vivid blue sky and the warm rays of sunshine beaming onto my very pale skin; even the humidity was a welcomed feeling coming from a cold winter in New York. Plus, for the next several weeks this trip would be carefree from the day to day appearance concerns; no need for make-up or blow dryer. I would have no fuss hair; nothing to do aside from an occasional scrunch after washing!
I arranged to have a driver from the Veneto Hotel, where I was going to stay for the night (Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel, Eusebio A Morales Ave and Via Veneto Str Panama City, 0831 00181 Panama) pick me up keeping things as effortless as possible. Highly recommend if going to Panama for the first time and you don’t know your way around or how the locals drive – you are better off hiring a driver. It’s inexpensive, some have AC and much safer. Panama City drivers make New York cabby’s look like amateurs!
Retrieving luggage, going through customs, purchasing a tourist card ($5.00) from the airline and the drive from the airport was fast and uncomplicated. To enter Panama a U.S. citizen will need a current passport and a tourist card that can be bought from the airline when you arrive and no need for special vaccinations or shots. On the drive I had the opportunity to see some of the landscape and the Gulf of Panama (North Pacific Ocean). The drive from Tocumen Airport to the Veneto Hotel is 12.5 miles (20km) and took about 30 minutes.
Panama occupies the southeastern end of the isthmus forming a land bridge between North and South America, (Spanish Canal de Panamá lock-type canal, owned and administered by the Republic of Panama, that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the narrow Isthmus of Panama. The length of the Panama Canal from shoreline to shoreline is about 65 km (40 miles) and from deep water in the Atlantic (more specifically, the Caribbean Sea to deep water in the Pacific about 82 km (50 miles). Panama City, the capital of Panama is located on the Gulf of Panama with an enchanting panorama of colorful wooden fishing boats, enormous tankers, sailboats and cruise ships off in the distance. Sprinkled throughout the city lie deteriorating neighborhoods with traces of their colonial beginnings, massive skyscrapers and exposed relics of former Spanish communities illuminating the contrast of old and new.
There is a lot of construction underway; the influences of a modern world making Panama City a center for finance and trade. In sharp contrast is a considerable amount of run down homes and businesses – there is a unique sense of history and character mixed in with wealth and poverty. The blend is subtle and does cause some concern for visitors that aren’t familiar with the boundaries from neighborhood to neighborhood. There is a criminal element as in any city, and more prevalent in certain areas, but a strong police presence is very obvious. Aside from more serious crimes, the most common in the touristy areas is pick pocketing. On every corner there are police and guards (policía de turismo), especially in Casco Antiguo the historic center of Panama City where the Presidents Palace, Palacio de las Garzas (Palace of Herons) is located.
The Veneto Hotel has a casino, beautiful outdoor pool w/a full service bar, a fabulous health spa, gym, business center w/ internet service, sushi bar in the lobby, gift shop and 4 restaurants. My room was about $175 a night. There are a lot of very nice traditional hotels in the city with a more Panama feel to them and cheaper. Because I was alone and have never been to Panama I felt safer staying in a hotel with a familiar name on the higher end and in the center of the financial district.
Unknowingly I arrived on the last day of “Carnival”, (celebration is always 40 days before the Christian holy week). It was amazing to see all the colorful costumes and a challenge distinguishing between male and female…similar to New Orleans “Mardi Gras” but without the beads! Panama City officials are actually contemplating banning the celebration because of the crowds and spike in crime. There was also some kind of “Miss Teen Panama” contest being held in the Veneto; literally hundreds of young beautiful girls dressed to the nines wearing their district sashes, stilettos, slinky evening gowns and diamond tiaras strutted around the lobby. As a result of Carnival and the contest the Veneto dinner menu was limited and they ran out of wine because of the unexpected amount of visitors – seemed odd for a four star hotel. Service was a bit slow at my table for one, but the waiters were very attentive to the other tables seating all the contestants.
The next morning before heading out to pick up supplies in Colon City for my sailing adventure to the San Blas Islands, I did a little local site seeing.
The limousine arrived at 2:15 AM for a 5:30 AM non-stop flight on Copa Airline to Panama City, Panama. A straightforward drive with little traffic arriving at JFK in plenty of time to check luggage, go through security and customs.
Copa Airline was great and reasonably priced (round trip/non-stop JFK to PTY - $563.30) - on time and the flight was smooth and no nonsense. The food on the other hand was not so great. I will concede that maybe my meal was lacking because I checked the vegetarian box under meal preference when I made my reservations - needless to say a semi-cardboard platter full of warm spinach with chopped onions and a small dinner roll wasn’t very appetizing.
When I landed in Panama City it was 10:45 AM right on time. (FYI: Panama is on EST Currency: Panamanian balboa (B) = 100 centesimo’s. The official paper currency is the U.S. dollar, which is accepted everywhere at the rate of B1 = US$1. Suggestion: bring small U.S. bills, nothing larger than a twenty and lots of singles – this way you won’t get back Panamanian money as change or at least it will be in limited amounts) The weather was ideal; about 82 degrees (Dry season: January to April - Rainy season: May to December). It was wonderful stepping off the plane under an umbrella of vivid blue sky and the warm rays of sunshine beaming onto my very pale skin; even the humidity was a welcomed feeling coming from a cold winter in New York. Plus, for the next several weeks this trip would be carefree from the day to day appearance concerns; no need for make-up or blow dryer. I would have no fuss hair; nothing to do aside from an occasional scrunch after washing!
I arranged to have a driver from the Veneto Hotel, where I was going to stay for the night (Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel, Eusebio A Morales Ave and Via Veneto Str Panama City, 0831 00181 Panama) pick me up keeping things as effortless as possible. Highly recommend if going to Panama for the first time and you don’t know your way around or how the locals drive – you are better off hiring a driver. It’s inexpensive, some have AC and much safer. Panama City drivers make New York cabby’s look like amateurs!
Retrieving luggage, going through customs, purchasing a tourist card ($5.00) from the airline and the drive from the airport was fast and uncomplicated. To enter Panama a U.S. citizen will need a current passport and a tourist card that can be bought from the airline when you arrive and no need for special vaccinations or shots. On the drive I had the opportunity to see some of the landscape and the Gulf of Panama (North Pacific Ocean). The drive from Tocumen Airport to the Veneto Hotel is 12.5 miles (20km) and took about 30 minutes.
Panama occupies the southeastern end of the isthmus forming a land bridge between North and South America, (Spanish Canal de Panamá lock-type canal, owned and administered by the Republic of Panama, that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the narrow Isthmus of Panama. The length of the Panama Canal from shoreline to shoreline is about 65 km (40 miles) and from deep water in the Atlantic (more specifically, the Caribbean Sea to deep water in the Pacific about 82 km (50 miles). Panama City, the capital of Panama is located on the Gulf of Panama with an enchanting panorama of colorful wooden fishing boats, enormous tankers, sailboats and cruise ships off in the distance. Sprinkled throughout the city lie deteriorating neighborhoods with traces of their colonial beginnings, massive skyscrapers and exposed relics of former Spanish communities illuminating the contrast of old and new.
There is a lot of construction underway; the influences of a modern world making Panama City a center for finance and trade. In sharp contrast is a considerable amount of run down homes and businesses – there is a unique sense of history and character mixed in with wealth and poverty. The blend is subtle and does cause some concern for visitors that aren’t familiar with the boundaries from neighborhood to neighborhood. There is a criminal element as in any city, and more prevalent in certain areas, but a strong police presence is very obvious. Aside from more serious crimes, the most common in the touristy areas is pick pocketing. On every corner there are police and guards (policía de turismo), especially in Casco Antiguo the historic center of Panama City where the Presidents Palace, Palacio de las Garzas (Palace of Herons) is located.
The Veneto Hotel has a casino, beautiful outdoor pool w/a full service bar, a fabulous health spa, gym, business center w/ internet service, sushi bar in the lobby, gift shop and 4 restaurants. My room was about $175 a night. There are a lot of very nice traditional hotels in the city with a more Panama feel to them and cheaper. Because I was alone and have never been to Panama I felt safer staying in a hotel with a familiar name on the higher end and in the center of the financial district.
Unknowingly I arrived on the last day of “Carnival”, (celebration is always 40 days before the Christian holy week). It was amazing to see all the colorful costumes and a challenge distinguishing between male and female…similar to New Orleans “Mardi Gras” but without the beads! Panama City officials are actually contemplating banning the celebration because of the crowds and spike in crime. There was also some kind of “Miss Teen Panama” contest being held in the Veneto; literally hundreds of young beautiful girls dressed to the nines wearing their district sashes, stilettos, slinky evening gowns and diamond tiaras strutted around the lobby. As a result of Carnival and the contest the Veneto dinner menu was limited and they ran out of wine because of the unexpected amount of visitors – seemed odd for a four star hotel. Service was a bit slow at my table for one, but the waiters were very attentive to the other tables seating all the contestants.
The next morning before heading out to pick up supplies in Colon City for my sailing adventure to the San Blas Islands, I did a little local site seeing.
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