Last Day in Paradise

What a wonderful morning and lunch. We strolled the Casco Viejo, buying trinkets and smoking Cuban cigars. A local man, Conrad Grant, began walking with us as an informal tour guide. He was 73 and of Jamaican descent. His grandfather was brought to Panama to work on the canal. He pointed across the bay to the multiple high rise apartments and told us that it was not Panama but Miami. The rents for newly remodeled buildings in Casco Viejo run $1,500 and up, this in a country where 80% earn less than $300 a month. It’s an interesting neighborhood. Buildings being refurbished for the well off and expats next to buildings half collapsed and filled with squatters.
On the walk back to the hotel we visited the city’s fish market and had cups of ceviche. I never cared for ceviche before visiting Panama. Here it seems an altogether different dish, clean, fresh and cool. It’s typically enjoyed as an after work snack with a beer, a perfect accompaniment to a hot day. We couldn’t order the beer with it due to a holiday but it was a wonderful lunch all the same.
This afternoon its off for the obligatory visit to the canal locks and then exploring the “Miami” part of the city. So much to do and so little time, it looks like additional visits are in order.