Panama Trip (Day 3)

Thursday 12/28: Panama Viejo + Miraflores Locks
We didn't have to leave for the day until 9am, so I was able to swim many mini-laps in the pool before getting morning coffee at Starbucks and joining Mr. E for breakfast at the hotel. Our morning excursion with the group was a short walking tour through Panama Viejo. During our free time, we climbed the remains of the cathedral tower to get a panoramic view towards the city skyline and then explored the new museum that presents the history of Panama and the various cultures that have influenced the country over the past five centuries.

Lunch was back at the hotel, which gave us a chance to freshen up in our room before heading off to the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center for the afternoon. We got there just in time to see a big cruise ship finish its transit through the lock chambers, and we had a section of the 2nd floor viewing terrace reserved for our group, so we had lots of space to watch several other ships travel through the locks as well.

I attended the documentary showing in Spanish, and Mr. E watched it a bit later in English. We procured our first set of souvenirs at the shop and then returned to the hotel. Very...very... very... slowly. Yikes! So much traffic! It took us almost two hours to get from Miraflores back to the Marriott!

Once we arrived, we gathered in a meeting room on the second floor to watch a performance by six dancers, who demonstrated the rumba, salsa, and other traditional Latin American dances. Our dinner buffet was in the same room, but we went out for a brief trip to the mall before eating so that I could buy a book for the return trip home. Then we packed up to get ready for the 7am bag drop and 8:30am group departure tomorrow.