2WannaBRetireesinPanama: CASCO VIEJO (end of our stay)

Our tour guide, Andre, makes a parking space here (couldn't get picture moved , so I left it alone!)

Friday meant the closing of our week in Panama. It meant leaving the interior of Panama and driving to our hotel (Marriot Courtyard Metromall where we stayed last year, since it is twenty minutes from the airport) outside of Panama City. We had a tour of the Old City at one pm that day given to us by Andre. He was to pick us up at the hotel and drive us through the congested streets of Panama City giving us a tour of Casco Viejo. After checking out of Manglar Lodge and having a great chat with the owner, Ivan, we decided to be brave and try a fonda for goodness sake! We arrived to Fonda Don Saul and actually sat down at a table this time (I wasn't expecting tables). The waitress spoke no English so we muddled our way through. Ray ordered eggs with tortillas, and I ordered eggs with _____? I couldn't understand what she said so I just winged it. They didn't have pan, but they had either tortillas or ____? The fried eggs were delicious. Ray received two eggs, and I had one? Guess I looked like I needed less, since I had those other things on my plate. And what a great surprise they were. We asked the waitress to say the name of the food SLOWLY, and we heard them to be called Hojaldras (simply fried dough). Oh, if I could have had some confectioner's sugar dumped on them, but still, they were so good! Like a plain donut, but better! Our meal was $3 for the food, $1 for bottled water and .65 for a Coke. With our bellies full (now at the end of the week, we are looking fuller all the way around!), we hit the road to find the airport and backtrack to the hotel. We didn't have a rental car on our last day in Panama in October, so Ray felt better seeing the airport and getting his bearings straight for the next day. We arrived to the hotel in about ninety minutes (a bit of traffic on the main road due to a car being broken down in the lane), and we were able to check right in.

Andre arrived at one pm telling us that on a Friday the traffic would be that much more. We would just expect traffic on the way back. We are used to this living in the DC area. It can take 45 minutes for Ray to get home or two plus hours. The places we visited with Andre on Friday were Casco Viejo, or Old Town, which is the historic district of Panama. Panama City was founded in 1519 and lasted about 150 years before good ole Captain Morgan burned it down. When rebuilt, it was built on a peninsula isolated by the sea and surrounded by defending walls. It is the only walled Spanish city on the Pacific side of the American continent. The walls are 25 feet tall man made of stone. Before touring the city, we walked up the steps of the old tower for outstanding panoramic views of the old and new, and fortunately we beat the tour buses! Andre buys his stamps from a woman sitting on a bench since he doesn't have to stand in line like he would at the post office. We then drove to Plaza Herrarra, parked our car in a place Andre made up for himself since there is so much construction going on and toured the area on foot. This is pretty much what I remember seeing: The Church of San Jose (Golden Altar), the Canal Museum, the Panama Cathedral, La Iglesia de La Merced, the Promenade along the water with many vendors and tourists, the French Embassy, the new and controversial bridge/road that Martinelli decided to construct out in the Pacific, and so much more! Once we were through with the tour, we sat in Plaza Herrara (in air conditioned car) for thirty minutes trying to make our way out of the town. This is when Andre told us it would take another hour to get back to the hotel. Ninety minutes later, we arrived to the Marriott thankful that he did the driving and he knew the shortcuts! We saw Brisas del Golf on the way back (a shortcut), and lots of cars and heavy rain! The rain contributed to the traffic along with it being a Friday at five pm. We left the plaza at 3:30 and arrived to our lobby at 5:45. Urg. Andre did not charge for the time in the car and was superb tour guide. We were famished having eaten at the Fonda nine hours earlier and thirsty, but I did not want Bennigan's at the mall again. We walked over to the Metromall where I had Wendy's for dinner! Not the way I wanted to leave Panama, but it was fast and good! I made sure I ate Queso Fundido (melted cheese on a grill with tortillas), and more helado. An early start on Saturday to the airport at six am. Bedtime was the usual nine pm.

The airport was easy to drive to from this hotel, drop off of our rental was simple, but the lines! We did self check out but still had to check bags--one line. We were amazed at the many people that were trying to catch flights at the last minute and in a rush trying to cut in line at the security gate but not being allowed to (!)--line two but went quickly. Then breakfast and waiting at a gate other than ours since the flight to Miami had not left yet and the gated area was roped off. Once the flight to Miami took off, we were allowed to be seated in our gated area until they called us up to be re-scanned and our bags run through the detectors. Chaos as usual, but much easier since they had electronic equipment this time. Line three. We knew that since we were sitting in the back of the plane, we would be seated first, so we stood in an unorganized line behind the first class, elderly and adults with children passengers--line four. No PA system used to announce the rows being called, but we figured it out by watching the gate attendant's every move, and the walked onto the plane. The rest of the trip and our weekend has been uneventful. The usual bill paying, laundry and grocery shopping. Work begins again tomorrow with my continuance of daydreaming about Panama.