Panama Trip (Day 2)
Wednesday, December 27: Hop-On Tour + Caravan Orientation
We managed to find basic info about a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of Panama City, so after breakfast at the hotel, we headed off on foot along Avenida Via Israel towards the Multicentro Mall. We stopped at the nearby Starbucks along the way, as the hotel coffee was truly awful! Our walking route introduced us to some of the iconic buildings in the city skyline and also offered some fun Christmas decorations:
Given the warm temperature, we appreciated the shade on one side of the street as well as the cloud cover. We arrived at the Mall around 9:30pm and learned that the next bus would arrive in about 40 minutes, so we wandered around a bit and made a few purchases at the pharmacy while we waited. We got seats on the top towards the back and were very appreciative of the covered canopy to protect us from the sun and the drizzle. The guide provided commentary in both Spanish and English, but we couldn't hear much due to the traffic and bus engine. We still really enjoyed completing the entire circuit to see many different areas and get a bit more oriented to the layout of the city. When we reached the Biomuseum on the Amador Causeway, a series of strong rain showers broke through, and we got a bit damp since the canvas canopy couldn't hold back all of the water!
After the tour, we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Mr. E ordered the Cobb Salad and I got a special preparation of grilled salmon and a simple side salad. No onions or mayo anywhere in sight -- yay! We got a bit toasty as we walked back to the hotel, since most of the clouds had disappeared, so we decided to take a dip in the small pool outside the Fitness Center on the 2nd floor rooftop terrace, where we met a family from Minneapolis who were part of the Caravan tour that had started yesterday.
Dinner was the buffet at the Pacific Grill as part of the Caravan group, since our tour began this evening with an 8pm orientation session. Mr. E and I got cocktails at the Lobby Bar to bring with us, and our Tour Director, Gerardo Moreno, wrapped up the briefing by 8:45pm. I headed back to the room to relax and write, and Mr. E went to the mall to buy a Panama hat and then paused for more beverages at the Lobby Bar.
Our Caravan group was relatively small, with 36 participants, including a few multi-generational family groups. Gerardo is originally from Mexico but has lived in Panama since 2009, when he helped to scout out and launch the Caravan tours here, which began in 2010. We eventually learned much more about his life and work experiences throughout the tour.
We managed to find basic info about a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of Panama City, so after breakfast at the hotel, we headed off on foot along Avenida Via Israel towards the Multicentro Mall. We stopped at the nearby Starbucks along the way, as the hotel coffee was truly awful! Our walking route introduced us to some of the iconic buildings in the city skyline and also offered some fun Christmas decorations:
After the tour, we had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. Mr. E ordered the Cobb Salad and I got a special preparation of grilled salmon and a simple side salad. No onions or mayo anywhere in sight -- yay! We got a bit toasty as we walked back to the hotel, since most of the clouds had disappeared, so we decided to take a dip in the small pool outside the Fitness Center on the 2nd floor rooftop terrace, where we met a family from Minneapolis who were part of the Caravan tour that had started yesterday.
Dinner was the buffet at the Pacific Grill as part of the Caravan group, since our tour began this evening with an 8pm orientation session. Mr. E and I got cocktails at the Lobby Bar to bring with us, and our Tour Director, Gerardo Moreno, wrapped up the briefing by 8:45pm. I headed back to the room to relax and write, and Mr. E went to the mall to buy a Panama hat and then paused for more beverages at the Lobby Bar.
Our Caravan group was relatively small, with 36 participants, including a few multi-generational family groups. Gerardo is originally from Mexico but has lived in Panama since 2009, when he helped to scout out and launch the Caravan tours here, which began in 2010. We eventually learned much more about his life and work experiences throughout the tour.
posted by jms | 6:07 PM
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