The Rhythm of Panama City

Bella Vista

After a few days of resting and  exploring the immediate area where our flat is we settled into a daily rhythm.  Turns out we could not have picked a better location in the city or a better Airbnb!  A few minutes walk from the flat is a Supermercado, two pharmacies, a public park and dog park right across the street and several major hotels should we need any pampering.  Our attorney's office is a 15 minute walk.

The Bella Vista/Congrejo area of the city is relatively safe and an interesting mix of new high rise condos and old style Spanish houses. The views from the taller buildings is desirable and the prices go up with the floor number.  Lots of construction is going on throughout the city

and Bryant took an interest in the various job sites as we walked or drove by.  Heavy construction was going on in 88 degrees at 90% humidity.  Walking is an effort in these conditions much less physical labor!

Our flat has a Mezuzah at the door and the street signs are also in Hebrew.  When walking the dogs for their thrice daily potty breaks in the park, I often see men with yarmulkas.  I feel a bit safer thinking this could be a Jewish neighborhood but I have not yet found a temple.

That pink building behind the street sign is our flat.  There are 5 floors with 2 to 4 flats each,  the ground floor being a museum and a legal library that is used by local abogados.  We are on the second floor with a view of the park from the balcony.

Dog's  Flat

The building has history with over 100 years standing which lends to the flavor of the accommodations. The ceilings are 14 feet high and the walls are original plaster.  There are no gas lines so cooking gas comes from a propane bottle sitting on the kitchen floor next to the stove.  Electrical lines are run through exposed conduit. Air conditioning is only in the bedroom. Our hosts have the flat sparsely furnished and accessorized but we have all we need and make do with a little creativity.  The layout is perfect for the dogs with stone tile floors and a private balcony that wraps two sides of the flat.  Perfect for lounging or doing doggy business when we are not around.   A steel security door both into the building and at our entrance from the stairwell allows us to leave the flat's french doors open for the dog's pleasure.

Parque Urraca (oohrocka) & Waterfront 

Parque Urraca Kids Play Area

(our pink building is behind the trees)

Public parks seem to be used constantly in the city.  Every day there are joggers, dog walkers and bikers in the park across the street by 5A (when I get up to walk the pack) and pick-up basketball games ensue at the end of each work day.  This past weekend, busses rolled up and kids of all ages spilled forth to take part in basketball tournaments for the entire day on Sunday.  Salsa classes are taught on the park's stage area and doggies are busy playing in the fenced area.  Music provides a backdrop and everyone behaves with the Policia patrolling the crowds.

Earlier that Sunday morning I watched a peloton of about 200 cyclists ride by likely for a practice race. No lack of spandex in that group!  They were headed toward Casco Viejo a few miles west with a chase car behind them.  We had walked by a bike store the day before and were surprised by the high end bikes and prices that we viewed through the windows.  Cycling must be a big sport here!

In the evenings we walk across the footbridge that connects Urraca with the waterfront path and grass area that is set up for family and physical activities.  It stretches for several miles along the bay.   We see young body builders using the par course equipment, kids roller skating and families picnicking.  Food carts offer shaved ice treats and drinks.  

On the Footbridge from Parque Urraca to Waterfront

Cost of Food & Specialty Ingredients

We have been eating all of our meals in and I have to say that groceries are not much cheaper than Beverly Hills.  Where is the 99 cent store when you need it?? 

Many of the special food items and manufacturers that I need... gluten free, paleo, grain free, lactose free... are available.  However, those items are 20-30% more than U.S. prices and the gluten free flours are twice as much!  Raw nuts, too, are expensive.  All this stuff is imported and I recognize most of the labels.  May be that I eat grain free for the duration.  Since ditching rice, corn, refined sugars and items with various ingredient gums used for binding, I have gotten my gut problems under control and actually dropped 8 lbs without even trying.  I s'pose all the exercise makes a difference, too! 

Water in Panama City is potable as in most of Panama.  Bottled water is only necessary in the outlying areas away from the towns.  We prefer to stay on the cautious side and purchase bottled water for drinking and use the tap water for all else.   So far, all tummies in this flat are doing fine!

Car Chicken & Other Observations

Driving around the city with WAZE calmly talking and Bryant yelling ‘look out!’ every 5 seconds is exhausting!  He is the navigator and I drive.  Waze does a great job overall with navigation.  However, most streets are not marked clearly or at all!   This way of navigation is much like instrument flying with an airplane.  You can't really validate where you are going but you have to trust that your instruments are providing the correct data.  When Waze points you in a direction....don't think...go!  

We are told that landmarks are the best way to navigate.  There are no addresses and each building is marked with a name such as Edificio (building) Magna Corp (which happens to be our attorney's office).  Or not.  At least you can pick an accurate general direction by becoming familiar with the high rise hotels and the neighborhoods they sit in.   A maze of one way streets adds to the challenge and lanes are constantly merging.  Two way streets all of a sudden become one way streets coming at you and construction cones add a steeplechase flavor.

Many intersections and traffic circles (yes there are many of those) have no lines in the road or signage.  The car that gets an inch ahead of another TAKES the right of way.  Yield?  I don't think that word exists in Espanol..at least not with driving.

Bryant figured out that using other drivers, especially the taxi drivers who have no fear, as a blocking mechanism (think football blocking and then the tackling would be the pealing out into traffic and hoping you don’t hear the scraping of metal) is the way to survive.   I’m learning the car chicken game and feeling less stressed each time I get behind the wheel. Sort of.  I’m glad we have an SUV… the streets have large sunken grates and open trenches on the sides.  Much of the pavement is in disrepair and then there are those tiny taxis.  I think the cars are made by Kia. They buzz around like little yellow gnats and are hard to see until you hear them... the horns blaring at you for cutting them off.

The sidewalks are not much better.  You need sturdy comfortable walking shoes and you HAVE to look DOWN when you walk! Forget using cell phones or doing video.  You could DIE.  The grate slats are large enough for a leg to go through, the curbs are often twice as high as what we are used to and there is those open trenches.  We’ve come across many weird obstacles in the middle of the sidewalks cautioning one another to step over this or side step that… sawed off metal posts that stick out a few inches, column stumps, padlocks locking something down below, drainage gulleys right through the walking path, utility pipe holes and major cracks with loose material.  Often the stairs leading up to a door do not have those anti-slip strips on them and when descending those stairs it is very difficult to see where the one step ends and the other begins.  Almost fell on my face and I WAS looking!!!

People watching has always been an interest for us.  No lack of interesting people to watch, for sure...  What I can't understand is how the ladies survive this heat dressed in clothes that look spray painted on.   The tighter the clothes are the higher the shoe heel appears to be.  Panamanians are not small people.  You've heard of the Brazilian butt?  Panamanians in general seem to not lack in that area either.  It is a wonder that broken ankles, necks or butts are not observed on a daily basis or that heat stroke doesn't take a toll.

Marina and Bay at Sunset Looking Toward Punta Paitilla