Panama taught me how to be brave. Amid the insane rush-hour traffic in Panama City, the torrential summer rains that lashed me like daggers from the sky, the huge yellow jackets dancing around me at the pineapple market, the steep, slippery, sharp rocks of the Chagres River, and the crumbling buildings of Casco Viejo, I not only survived but also enjoyed every minute of this adventure-packed trip to Panama and the canal zone.
Lucky for me, I did not have to drive myself around the city. I took taxis and Uber. “In Panama City, stop signs are just a suggestion,” one taxi driver told me. As he whipped around impossible corners, trucks cut off cars, and cars cut off trucks and buses. Pedestrians cut off cars, trucks, and buses! Lanes merged from all four directions at once.
My first trip to Panama was during the rainy season, with sweltering heat and relentless downpours. I brought a short umbrella, but my travel buddy did not. We spent an entire afternoon searching for a small umbrella that would fit in her luggage. No luck. She ended up buying a big umbrella she never used and had to leave behind. We got drenched on our canoe trip back from the slippery rocks of the Chagres River to the Embera Village. I ruined my expensive Panama hat, and my purse got soaked, including my passport and money.
On our way to the monkey island, our tour guide took us to the Pineapple Market to taste this sweet, delectable gem, the “Queen” or “smooth cayenne,” known for its sweet flavor and low acidity. There, I was swarmed by huge yellow jackets, hundreds, maybe thousands! I asked the guy at the market whether they stung, and he said yes, he got stung multiple times a day. Great!
On my second trip to Panama, I stayed in Casco Viejo, Old Town, in an old Airbnb right across from the town square. The hallway floorboards were so thin I could see through to the first floor. The view from my balcony was a street lined with crumbling building shells, waiting to be bought and remodeled. Apparently, Casco Viejo’s rules require that the buildings’ exteriors be preserved.
Casco Viejo was beautiful and very lively during the day and evening. There were street singers and musicians, indigenous dancers, horse-drawn carriages, shaved-ice vendors, El Chino market, and Fonda, where they serve cheap, abundant, and delicious local eats. I even tried Panama’s famous Geisha coffee at Fernando’s suggestion during our city tour.
From Panama City on the Pacific side of Panama, I took a car-and-boat tour to Colon and the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. I saw three different types of lock systems in the Panama Canal.
Panama not only taught me to be brave but also to appreciate the beauty of the old town and the exotic rainforest, and the warm, friendly people who greet everyone as if they were old friends.
GrowingOlderHopeWiser 
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