Page 54 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

52 Panama City
1
Panama City

Proudly positioned in the crook of land overlooking the Pacific, the soaring
skyline of Panama City surveys the ocean before it, much as Vasco Nuñez de
Balboa did when he chanced upon the body of water after a bloody journey
south across the isthmus almost five hundred years ago. From its inception,
the city has been situated on one of the world’s great crossroads, and it
has thrived on trade, attracting migrants from all over the world to a
cosmopolitan melting pot bubbling with energy and ambition. Panama has
long been considered a bridge between two continents and nowhere is this
divided identity more apparent than in the capital, where glitzy skyscrapers,
laser-lit nightclubs and chic restaurants more reminiscent of Miami than
Latin America are juxtaposed with colonial churches, clamouring street
vendors and chaotic traffic. Though it is the undisputed political, economic
and social centre of Panama and home to 1.5 million – more than a third of
the country’s population – the city has very little in common with the rest of
the country, which is often vaguely referred to as “el interior”.

On the southwest end of the bay stands the old city centre of Casco Viejo, a jumble
of immaculately restored colonial buildings, crumbling ruins and run-down housing
on a rocky promontory, while a few kilometres to the northeast rise the shimmering
skyscrapers of El Cangrejo and Marbella, the modern banking and commercial district,
and the penthouse apartments of Punta Paitilla and Punta Pacífica. Further east, amid
sprawling suburbs whose tentacles extend 30km along the coast, stand the ruins of
Panamá Viejo, the first European city to be founded on the Pacific coast of the
Americas, while west of the city centre the former US Canal Zone town of Balboa,
with its clipped lawns and restrained utilitarian architecture, retains a distinctly North
American character despite having been turned over to full Panamanian control in
1999. In the background, the Panamanian flag proudly flies on the summit of Cerro
Ancón, a surprising oasis of greenery on what was once a major US military base.
For the vast majority of visitors to Panama, the capital provides their first point of
contact. Many spend their entire stay here, since it makes a good base from which to
explore many of the country’s attractions while enjoying the material comforts of
sophisticated city living – the Canal, a handful of national parks and the Caribbean
coast as far as Portobelo can all be visited on day-trips. Other visitors, keen to leave
behind the frenzied construction and thronging streets and escape into Panama’s
outstanding wilderness areas, still linger a couple of days to savour the colonial
architecture of Casco Viejo and the vitality of the modern city, including its many
bars and restaurants.
While it is easy to tire of Panama City’s irrepressible energy, oppressive heat and
relentless traffic, it’s as simple to escape to nearby places of real tranquillity: the

Getting active on the Cinta Major domestic bus routes p.74
Costera p.66 Recreational activities p.76
Walking up Cerro Ancón p.68 Spectator sports p.84
Panamá Viejo’s treasure trail p.71 Buying outdoor gear p.85

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