This is a great article sent in by Sally Heath about her experience coming to Panama.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect from Panama City. Panama City is not a place that one hears much about in Britain (although I understand that it’s becoming quite a popular destination for Americans). However, while researching Central American holiday destinations, it had come as a surprise to me to learn that Panama had been effectively owned by the USA until 1999. Upon being returned to its people, the nation of Panama had gained what has been described as a ‘blank canvas’ to remake in their own image. The idea of this blank canvas gripped me. Britain is an ancient nation, thoroughly entangled in history. To visit a nation in the process of making itself was an exciting prospect to me, and I was intrigued to see how the Panama Project was going. The best place from which to do this, I decided, was the capital itself – Panama City.
A Great Surprise
A little research told me that Panama in general and Panama City in particular were welcoming places, with a reasonable infrastructure and minimal socio-political turbulence. I had also established that February was a good month in which to visit (although it still felt hot and humid to me, I’m assured that it was a lot cooler and drier than at other times of the year)! However, I still stepped off the plane at Tocumen International Airport with limited knowledge of what to expect. If I’m perfectly honest, the soaring skyscrapers and thoroughly modern, commercial look of Panama City surprised me – and I was even slightly disappointed in an odd sort of way. After all, one modern city looks much like another, and I felt a little cheated at flying to the other side of the world just to arrive somewhere which could, from its initial outward appearance, have been a European city (were it not for the climate). However, closer exploration soon proved my initial reservations wrong. Although Panama as an independent nation is relatively young, Panama City itself is the oldest continuously occupied European-based settlement on the Pacific coast of the American continents, having been founded in 1519. There is plenty of evidence of this ancient lineage within the city and its surrounds. Once I tore my eyes away from the sparkling skyscrapers, I began to see that Panama City had a unique character all of its own, with plenty of historical and cultural influences imbuing the architecture and ambiance.
Cheap And Friendly
Alongside the Panamanian balboa, Panama uses American dollars as currency. This made it reasonably easy to exchange my British pounds for a good rate. I’ve been to the USA before, so was reasonably up to speed with the relative cost of goods and services there. I was bowled over, therefore, when I checked out Panamanian prices. For a major world city, Panama is astonishingly cheap – so much so that I more than once flirted with the idea of moving there and living a life of luxury on my relatively meager UK savings!
Culturally Rich
Ok, if you’re an opera buff, or like heading out to a classical concert in full evening wear, then Panama City is unlikely to float your boat. However, for everything else it’s pretty much perfect. The city is teeming with great nightlife, which is varied enough to provide something to suit every taste. I personally adore getting drunk in rooftop bars, and Panama City was kind enough to oblige me with such a great range of these that I rarely got home before midnight. There are also restaurants and cafes serving food of every kind – given the general cheapness of things within Panama City, I even treated myself to a gorgeous five star meal at a fraction of the price it would have cost me back home. The Panamanian culture was also in evidence everywhere as I wandered the streets, from artwork to impromptu performances and musicians, I felt delightfully saturated with the cheery, friendly ambiance of Panama. Ever since I got home, I have been saving up to go back, and cannot wait to explore this wonderful city further!