A Trip To Panama City :: essays research papers

A Trip To Panama CityDay 1We arrived at Omar Torrijos airport via American Airlines early in theafternoon. We purchased our required tourist cards (3 balboas, as US dollars becalled in Panama) at the airport, consequently caught a taxi for the 18 air mile ride to ourdowntown hotel. The ride in the battered, un-airconditioned car was ratherexpensive (30 balboas), that the driver spoke English and was very friendly. Wearrived at the hotel and checked in. plot my dad was checking in I bought aguidebook in the hotel lobby and read up on the history of Panama City. Theoriginal city was founded in 1519 by Pedro Arias Davila, known as Pedrarias theCruel, because of his eradication of all but three of the local Indian tribesduring his tenure in Panama. Davila used the city as a place to store Incangold before it was shipped to Spain. The original city was sacked and burnedin 1671 by a group of buccaneers led by Henry Morgan. The city was rebuiltwithin a year, this time on a peninsula 1 8 miles away and surrounded by astrong wall. This old Spanish city is now the in the middle downtown PanamaCity.Panama City is an international melting pot and its eating choices rangefrom American ready food to excellent internationall cuisine. Eager to begin oursightseeing, we grabbed lunch at a nearby McDonalds after checking in thencaught a bus. The buses in Panama are a tourist attraction in themselves. Theyare brightly painted, hung with fringe, and have constantly blaring Salsa andCaracas music playing. They are cheap (50 cents a ride). but are very crowded.After asking several drivers Donde va este autobus? we finally found one goingto the Plaza Independencia. This plaza is the main square of the colonial townand is bordered on one side by a cathedral with twin m different of pearl towers thattook 108 years to complete. On two other sides it is bordered by theArchbishops Palace, now a university and the Central Post Office. While in theold part of Panama City we also visit ed the Iglesia de San Jose and saw the deluxe Aaltar. This altar was in the original Panama City and was saved fromHenry Morgans pirates by a monk who painted it black to disguise it. When wefinished touring we returned to our hotel and then ate dinner at El Pez de Ora,one of the city famous seafood restaurants.Day 2We woke early and headed out for a morning of shopping at the Mercado