To get from Panamá to Colombia, one can go by air or by water. The two countries are actually connected by land, though by the mysterious Darién Gap, and it is extremely, out-of-the-questionably, 100% discouraged to make the journey through the jungle; the Pan-American highway even dead-ends out before recommencing in Colombia. All this to say we did not even consider going by land and chose to get to South America by sea on a trip especially popular in backpacker circles, San Blas Adventures. Four days and three nights spent island-hopping (less than two hours travel/day) the picturesque Panamanian San Blas Islands, destination northern Colombia. The only thing standing in the way between us and this paradise vacation was a 18-hour bus ride to Panama City and a bit of time, just under a week. So voilà, our time in Panama City in photos:
Border crossing!
Casco Viejo, the up-and-coming neighborhood where we stayed
Cat/rat size inversion
Panama City skyline
We met up with our friend Helen, who we had met through school in Guatemala, and who was taking classes in Panama (from the Fuentes Georginas blog!)
Our hostel, Luna’s Castle, was a huge, sprawling, labyrinth of a house situated above a popular bar. From the back, we had a front-row view of a run-down apartment building (off to the right), giving us a window into the lives of the families that called this place home.
Panama Canal
A view over Casco Viejo from the lookout Cerro Ancón; you can see the causeway that encircles the old neighborhood
A Chinese friend we made on the Panama Canal visit. An avid soccer lover (especially German’s national Mannschaft team), she goes by her nickname, Figo, after soccer star Luis Figo.
Downtown Panama City
Fresh fish market; we bought a pound of tuna for $3.50 and it was delicious
Next stop, San Blas Islands!
This Framerican Life 
J’adore la photo avec le gros rat et le petit chat !
Je n’imaginais pas Panama City aussi “gratte-cielé”.
Bisous.
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Nous non plus n’imaginions pas Panama City comme ça. Le quartier “moderne” ou “financier” a tout d’une métropole des USA. Mais en réalité quelques rues plus loin on retrouve les quartiers délabrés, pauvres, parfois peu recommandés et les foisonnement et manque d’ordre typique des villes latinoaméricaines.
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I think the same as Brigitte did not expect to see so many sky scrapers…. what I was surprised is to see the 2 Panama’s one so very modern and the other so seemingly poor. Dad was laughing so hard looking at Julien sitting on the bench with that statue… he doesn’t usually laugh so wholeheartedly.
It continues to amaze both of us how many connections and friendships you have made on your travels. It seems so simple to make arrangements as you go. Really proud of both of you to be in the midst of an epic experience. I hope your continue to be safe and to not hesitate in letting us know if you are in need of something we may be able to send.
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People often told us Panama City is just like the US: skyscrapers, US brands, they even use the US dollar! Casco Viejo reminded us a lot of Cuba; a lot of abandoned buildings that appeared to have had a magnificent past. What was odd, though, was that all the bars and cafés were very upscale and expensive, it seems to be a hip area. Y gracias!
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i have never been to panama, but i have glanced at this tiny piece of land since my childhood … just thinking we have managed to connect both sides and the engineering that went into it…
did you get a chance to visit to third set of locks under construction ?
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