Forget Me Not: 5 Reasons to Remember Panama City

Posted by Jude Buttle on Monday, July 28, 2008

Known for having one of the seven wonders of the modern world, Panama City has so much more to offer than just a canal, there's fine food, stunning skyscrapers and an old town that is straight out of a Graham Greene novel.

Panama Canal - photo by lyng883

1. Food

Panama City reflects the rich tradition that the country has in the culinary arts and has a vast array of fresh and tasty fruits, herbs and vegetables. Combine this with influences from the Europeans, Native Indians and other Latin American countries and you have a selection of some great and varied cuisine.

Popular dishes include Ceviche, which is a very common appetizer found throughout the country. Typically lemon juice and spices are added to corvina (sea bass), which actually cooks in the acidic content of the lemon, creating a nice, fresh tangy taste.

Arroz Con Guandu is probably the most common side dish seen in Panama, where rice is cooked with beans and other spices to create a simple meal that is full of fabulous flavour.

If you're hungry for a typical local dish then Sancocho is the solution. Found everywhere in Panama, Sancocho is a type of chicken soup.

Hojaldras are commonly referred to as Panamanian Doughnuts. Essentially dough is deep-fried and topped with sugar, a simple sweetener to start the day.

2. Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo - also known as San Felipe or Casco Antiguo - is the historic centre of Panama City. It's an area of decaying colonial grandeur, striking architecture, peeling paint and decrepit, flower bedecked balconies.

UNESCO declared Casco Viejo a World Heritage Site in 1997. It's a city within a city and one from a different age, offering an unusual blend of architectural styles, most notably ornate French and Spanish influenced buildings.

At its tip lies the French Park, a monument to the French builders who began constructing the Panama Canal in the 19^th century.

On the walkway around the monument, visitors have a panoramic view of the Amador Causeway, the Bridge of the Americas and of Panama City's skyscraper skyline to the east. A plaque on the walkway commemorates the firing of canon shots to drive away a Colombian warship and consolidate Panama's independence from Colombia in 1903.

Casco Viejo has some excellent museums, including the Interoceanic Canal Museum, which traces Panama's history from pre-Hispanic to modern times and the amazing story of how the canal was constructed.

3. Panama Canal

This man-made phenomenon is one of the seven wonders of the modern world and joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the canal has had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America.

The concept of a canal in Panama dates back to the early 16th century, but the first attempt to construct one began in 1880 under French direction. After this attempt failed and saw more than 20,000 workers lose their lives, the responsibility of building it was taken over and completed by the United States in the early 1900s, with the canal finally opening in 1914.

The building of the canal was plagued by problems, including disease (particularly malaria and yellow fever) and a number of landslides. By the time the canal was completed, nearly 30,000 workmen were estimated to have died during the labour put in by the French and the Americans.

The length of the Panama Canal is approximately 51 miles and since its opening, the canal has been enormously successful and continues to be a key conduit for international naval trade. The canal can accommodate vessels from small private yachts up to large commercial vessels.

4. Metropolitan Nature Park

The Parque Natural Metropolitano (Metropolitan Nature Park) is situated just outside of downtown Panama City and stretches along the Panama Canal.

The park has several unique bird species and other animals such as tapir, puma, alligators and Titi monkeys. There is also a collection of native orchids, some of which continually bloom throughout the year.

5. Skyscrapers

The Panama City skyline is pierced by numerous spectacular skyscrapers. With more than 110 high-rise projects being constructed and 127 already built, Panama City is placed 65^th in the world for the amount of tall buildings it contains.

The tallest completed building in Panama City is Torre (Tower) Aqualina, which stands 210 m (689 ft) tall.

For several years, Panama City's skyline remained the same, with only a handful of buildings exceeding 150 m (492 feet). At the beginning of the new Millennia the city experienced a large construction boom, with new buildings rising up all over the place.

In 2009, Panama City will have two super-tall skyscrapers when the Torre Planetarium and the Torre Central are completed.

Conclusion

So with stunning skyscrapers, a historic centre full of character and a man-made wonder, it's easy to see why Panama City is so popular as a place to visit, reside or basically just experience.

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Forget Me Not: 5 Reasons to Remember Panama City

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