Panama’s Casco Viejo (Old Town)

Panama City’s Casco Viejo

For our first full day in Panama, we decided to spend it in Panama’s Old Town, or Casco Viejo. This is the older settlement portion of the town but is wonderfully preserved. It boasts these beautifully colourful Spanish colonial buildings. And walking through the small streets, every corner you turn transports you back to a different time. All of us really enjoyed the beautiful sunny morning, strolling through this very lovely part of town.

Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus

Inside of Casco Viejo, are the ruins of an old Jesuit church called Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus. After doing a little research, not only was it destroyed by fire, but also further damaged by an earthquake years later. It’s an interesting stop since it “sticks out” from all its neighbours. There’s even some parts where you can glimpse across the street and see the familiar colourful houses. Nonetheless it’s worth a quick stroll through to gain an even greater appreciation of the history.

Brunch at American Trader’s Hotel

After an hour or two of exploring, we stopped for brunch at the American Trader’s Hotel. The American Trader’s Hotel is a fairly upscale hotel and the brunch is extremely tasty. While a bit pricey, we didn’t mind one bit. With it being such a beautiful day, the tasty food, elegant decor and great company, we really enjoyed our time. Already pretty excited about our morning exploration, we were eager to see what the rest of this area has in store for us.

Casco Viejo (Continued)

After Brunch, we continued our walking tour of Casco Viejo. This time, heading towards the water. Along the water is a bit of a walk/market setup that has a few local vendors setup on one side and also a great view of Panama city on the other. At the end of the walkway, we arrive at Plaza de Francia which is a monument that is dedicated to the French for their involvement in building the Panama Canal. We also spent some time here looking at the water, since every now and then a boat or two heads into the Panama canal. We continued to stroll, taking in the sights and architecture.

Pedro Mandinga Rum Bar

After a few hours of walking around, we eventually find ourselves at Pedro Mandinga Rum Bar. Actually, we saw it earlier but felt it a little too early to be indulging in rum at the time. However, now, we arrive just in time for Happy Hour and so we were “happy” to partake! We sampled a few of their cocktails along with a few snacks to keep our bellies from only having alcohol in them. I’m not entirely sure how long we actually stayed here, but it was a fair bit of time! In our defence we did “use” the bar to wait out an afternoon rain storm. Though in all honesty, none of us were complaining about it either.

La Michoacana Paleteria

When the time did come for us to leave the bar, our next stop was La Michoacana Paleteria. This is a cute little popsicle shop we heard about. Especially after an afternoon rain and things are feeling fairly humid. An ice cold Popsicle really hit the spot. I ordered a watermelon one where the bottom has a green portion that makes the whole thing look like a slice! A very cute shop and one I’d recommend if you’re ever in the area.

While happily walking around with our popsicles, another bout of rain started. We managed to take refuge in a nearby hostel to wait it out. While waiting, the debate of whether to take an Uber home, or continue exploring was going on. Thankfully, with the rain looking like it might lighten up, we decided to press onward to our next stop.

Mercado De Mariscos

That next stop is the Mercado De Mariscos, or Fish Market. Its a fairly busy spot where local fishermen can sell their catches. By the time we arrived it was mid afternoon and unfortunately a majority were packing up for the day. Since we weren’t buying fish anyways, the stroll through the market was quick. However, adjacent to the market is a large outdoor “food court” where every food stand is a seafood food stand. And in front of each stand are their own sets of chairs and tables if you are eating at a particular stall. In front of each stand are people trying their best to entice you to sit down at their particular restaurant. After shrugging off the a few aggressive employees, we eventually sat at one and ordered a few things to share. While the fish market is cool, our main goal was always the food. We were excited to try things like ceviche, fried fish and clams. None of it disappointed, and in no time, everything was devoured!

Marriott Birthday

Eventually, we did head back to our hotel in the late afternoon.  To my (our) surprise when we returned to our room, the staff at the hotel set up some small birthday surprise for me! I didn’t mention it before, but this trip did occur over my birthday! I suspect the staff, with access to my loyalty account attached to the reservation noticed and set it all up! I’m appreciative of the attention to detail by the hotel staff and go this extra mile for me! Thanks AC Hotel Panama City!

With most of our adventuring in the morning, we spent the rest of the afternoon “chilling” and spending it in the rooftop pool of our hotel. I think with the heat, humidity, walking and rum a relaxing afternoon suit us all just fine!

Concolon Panamanian Street Food

For dinner, we went to Concolon Panamanian Street Food.  Since this place came recommended by a few, we decided to check it out for my birthday dinner. I was not disappointed! Although Latin food has never been my absolute favourite cuisine, I did really enjoy the food here. The sheer variety that is available and also seemingly different styles of cooking really stand out. We had everything from soup, to deep frying to rice. All of it tasted amazing and I really enjoyed it all! I also want to thank the Sister, Gimpy and FunkyCat for not only travelling with me on this trip. But also to celebrate my birthday with me!

With our bellies full and birthday celebrated we made our way back to our hotel for the night. Tomorrow we will be heading to the causeway islands and the Punta Culebra Nature centre to try and see some sloths!