We rode a bus for too long to get here. The bus goes west to go east in Costa Rica. We arrived at 3:30 AM. Then we realized it was now 4:30 AM because the time changed. Jill slept in a food court until the security guard roused her. We found our way to the other airport by city bus and then a taxi to our hostel. We slept for a few hours. By noon we were ready to explore. We walked over to Panama’s marvel of engineering, the Metromall. After briefly considering Fuddruckers for lunch we went to Tacontento; it’s debatable if we made the correct decision. We headed out on the bus to the downtown. We walked down a conveient but crowded walking street. It was a market with sellers; there were also people with PA’s yelling about different things every once in a while. I saw dance troupe performing some hip hop, and a woman selling a miracle cure. Jill suggested it was like the Minnesota State Fair. We walked through a park and the people disappeared. We were in the rarified atmosphere of San Felipe. This is the oldest neighborhood in Panama. It was built after Henry Morgan, the pirate, destroyed the city in 1671. Since 1997 it has won the tourist lottery with UNESCO World Heritage status. People in Panama hats and linen pants snapped pictures. Brilliant white restorations build a romance about the place. It’s not complete and there are many unfinished and un-started restorations. In appropriate places stands selling hats and jewelry lined the streets. The area is beautiful and tranquil but the difference between it and the bustling city at it’s doorstep is stark. We walked back into the city and discovered the gleaming new subway. For 35¢ you can cross the entire city. We found supper and then found our bed again. It was a long day.
