Two weeks in Panama City

I rented a very nice apartment in Panama City, capital of the Republic of Panama, overlooking the Panama Bay, which is part of the Gulf of Panama. Yeah, they seem to really like that name around here. Yet, nobody knows the original meaning of the word Panama. I'm on a sixth floor, in a building called La Gaviota (building don't have numbers here, they have names), with a relaxing view to the Pacific Ocean.

I'm in the newer part of town, full of very tall buildings. When La Gaviota was built in the 1980s, it was the third tallest building in the country with its impressive 18 floors. Now it's surrounded by many buildings over 50 floors. It's on Avenida Balboa, named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to lead a land expedition from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The money here is also named after here, but only the coins because for paper money Panama uses the American dollar.

To the east of where I live, there's an area called Panamá Viejo, what's left of the original city. It was mostly destroyed in 1671 by forces led by the famous pirate Henry Morgan, as part of a war between England and Spain. Today, the only building standing is the cathedral tower, the rest is all ruins. I climbed the 115 steps to the top of the tower, and also visited the nearby museum, which shows the interesting history of the area.

To the west of where I live, there's another old part of Ciudad de Panamá, the Casco Antiguo, founded in 1673 to replace the town destroyed by the pirates. That's the most touristic area now, with the new cathedral (which took over a hundred years to build), other churches and convents (some in ruins, some still up), several government buildings, the National Theater, and many restaurants and stores.

Not surprisingly, I have visited a few museums. The Museo del Canal Interoceánico de Panamá, despite the name, covers most of Panama's history. Lots of interesting things to see, especially (for me) the Pre-Columbian artifacts. The AMCA, Arte y Museo del Casco Antiguo, has a small but strong collection of modern art, including Alexander Calder, Sol LeWitt, and Victor Vasarely, among others. The Museum of Contemporary Art was less exciting, with an exhibition of blue textiles by José Guzmán and Iva Jankovic. The Museo de la Mola was my favorite. The molas are textile rectangles made of colorful patches of fabric sewn together onto a larger piece, created by the indigenous Guna people. Very captivating.

I also visited the famous Panama Canal, of course, but didn't find it visually captivating. The history and the political plots around its construction is are much more interesting.

And the food?

Panama has the best ceviche I ever had, and you can find it everywhere (I like to go to the Mercado del Marisco, where they sell fish, just to eat ceviche). If you don't know, ceviche is raw fish (or other seafood) marinated in citrus and seasonings. Here in Panama the mix includes lemon juice, chopped onion, celery, salt, and lots of cilantro. Usually it's served as an appetizer.

There are several other delicious things to eat around here. Ropa vieja (literally "old clothes") is shredded stewed beef with onions and bell peppers. Arroz con pollo is shredded chicken risotto. Carimañolas are little fried cilinders of yuca stuffed with ground meat. Patacónes are fried slices of pounded flat plantains. Dulce de guineo is what they call banana bread. You can eat well here.

Any side trips?