Jump back, what’s that sound
Here she comes, full blast and top down
Hot shoe, burnin’ down the avenue
Model citizen zero discipline…
Panama, Panama
Panama, Panama
~Van Halen
Okay, we don’t really know what this song as to do with Panama, but it’s a song about one of the greatest countries we’ve ever been to! So, we’re using it!
Keishia and Arthur: Just Married!
Panama is really the start to the Guniverse! It was 2014, and we were to be married in February 2015. We decided in the summer of 2014, that we should plan a surfing trip, so that we could determine how we travelled together. What if the trip was a disaster, what if we don’t travel well together, and we were doomed and ill-matched?!
Let’s fast forward, we got eloped in a beautiful ceremony on August 24, 2014. Interestingly enough, and we were also scheduled to head to Panama a week later. So our “trial run” engagement trip, turned into a “sort-of” honeymoon!
We were headed to Santa Catalina, which is regarded as one of the best surf spots in Panama, if not all of the Caribbean. It’s world-class surfing, incredible natural surroundings, and we were prepared for 7 days of bliss.
But, first we encountered a slight detour in Panama City, the “understated” capital of Central America.
Imagine arriving in a foreign country, you’re newly married, and you’re standing at the baggage carousel, but your bags never make it around the turns. Well, American Airlines seemed to think that our bags deserved a night in hot-to-trot, Miami. So our first night in Panama, was quite the experience. That’s right, we are bag-less. We left the Panama City airport with the promise that the bags would arrive by 11:00 a.m., the next morning. It was a bit of an inconvenience. But you can’t negotiate with your bags being stuck in another country, so we moved on.
We rented our car, much to Arthur’s chagrin regarding driving through Central America, and we left the airport around midnight.
Yes, midnight.
It was pitch dark, they didn’t have any more cars with GPS, so we got a map, some bad directions in Spanish, and we drove around Panama City for an hour before we stumbled upon our Hotel DeVille in the city center. DeVille is a quaint boutique hotel, and we’d certainly return for the convenience and polite service.
After a night of some lame convenience store sandwiches and cheaply bought wine and beer, we turn in for the evening.
By our 2nd day, the bags don’t arrive at 11:00 a.m. as promised. Heck, the bags don’t show up until late in the afternoon. By this time, it’s much too late to make the drive to Santa Catalina, as it’s unfamiliar territory, and we’d arrive after in the countryside by nightfall. So we decide to stay an extra day in the city. Why not?
Panama City in the background.
And as luck would have it…Panama City is spectacular. It is one of the cleanest and most modern in Central America. It was absolutely pedestrian and strangely recognizable. Our hotel concierge leads us to mall-type shopping experience when we asked what could we do for the evening. We were amused at the familiarity of Guess, Bebe, Cinnabon, and Levi’s, but we were also delighted in the opportunity to see more authentic Panamanian art and style.
Keishia wearing the dress she bought in the Panama City Mall.
There is nothing else to do. Keishia picked up an exact replica of an outfit that she saw in a store window because, ummmm, our luggage is gone.
Later in the evening after some sunset photos around the city, our hotel concierge recommended an excellent steak and seafood restaurant, known as Market. The salmon, sea bass ceviche, and steak was divine, and on our travel guidebook’s “must visit” list.
Sea Bass Ceviche
Steak and Spinach
Travel Essentials for Panama City and Santa Catalina:
Flight time from the West Coast is about 4 – 5 hour if you connect through the mid west (say Dallas or Houston).
Time of Year:
We went in August, which was perfect for warm water, but watch our for thunderstorms, flooding, and power outages.
