Mark Palmer writes for Mail Online about his adventures during a layover in Panama.
Why, with great food, skyscrapers and colonial secrets, there is more to this fine country than a giant canal
We had no intention of going to Panama City other than the airport as we changed planes on the way to Jamaica from Cuba.
But we missed our connection and had to hunker down in this extraordinary hub, with more skyscrapers than almost any other city in the world — but also with a Unesco World Heritage Site in the exquisite form of its Old Town, which was built after an Englishman, Captain Henry Morgan, ransacked the original Spanish settlement in 1671.
If you do find yourself there, check in to Las Clementinas, a charming Thirties hotel. We loved its colonial fans, potted palms and high-minded books. Breakfast in the garden is a treat.
From the roof terrace you get an astonishing view of the city’s futuristic skyline, which includes a building known as The Screw. Its upper storeys look like a giant spiral staircase and the whole confection is made of green glass.
Our first stop was a stall selling Panama hats for £20 each.
Suitably attired to go out in the midday sun (which reached 98 degrees), we marvelled at the colonial buildings, plenty of which are being restored by the government.
And therein lies a problem. Many are occupied by desperately poor people who don’t want to move. We couldn’t help hoping they win their fight.
From the old city walls near Plaza de Francia you see dozens of ships waiting to use the Panama Canal, and the Panama Canal Museum reminds you of its huge importance.
Built by the U.S. between 1904 and 1914, the canal is the most significant engineering feat of the 20th century.
We admired the Metropolitan Cathedral, dating from 1688, and the National Theatre, near a square that turns into a huge outdoor dining room at night, with five or six restaurants desperate to entice you. At one point we were serenaded by two sets of guitarists playing different tunes.
But Panama City came as a revelation.
Grumpy on arrival, we left secretly pleased to have missed that flight.
All of this is true but the true beauty of Panama is the rest of the country far from the awful traffic and mess in Panama City. There is Chiriqui Province which is the place where most of the food is grown and there is a volcano and beautiful mountains and the highlands where the temperature stays between 65 degrees F and 75 degrees F