Well, we came to Panama and it was closed! Not really, but it's getting pretty close. The ongoing protests/riots in the area have been getting worse and closer so a lot of the people who work in Casco Viejo simply can't get here to open the shops and restaurants. Not that we are starving, though. Tuesday night we found a nice little Mexican restaurant, Mezcalito Pub Bistro, that was open and had a good meal (the place was boarded up by yesterday). Wednesday we had a good seafood meal at a kind of funky Peruvian fusion place, Marea. And on Thursday we found a really good lunch spot, Super Gourmet Coffee Shop for paninis and lovely baked (not fried!) empanadas, so good that we got some more for takeout for dinner later, since the protests were moving that evening into the heart of Casco Viejo, where the government buildings are, and we did not think it would be a good idea to head out for dinner.
So food has been taking a bit of work but has been OK. On the other hand, other things to do have been a bit more of a problem. Since we got here, we have been trying to go to the Canal Museum, but it was always going to be open "mañana", that is until yesterday when they put up a sign saying that it was closed indefinitely.
From our rooftop we had seen this very colourful building across the bay, on the Amador Causeway. My first impression was that it looked like the Guggenheim Museum, but with colour. Well, we looked it up and it is the Biomuseo (all about biodiversity) and it was also designed by Frank Gehry, thus the resemblance. We decided on Wednesday morning that that would be a good walk (about 1 1/4 hr.) and headed out up Avendida A. Now, I mentioned that some of the areas bordering on Casco Viejo are quite sketchy, but our driver from the airport had said that this stretch was OK in the daytime, but not at night, but I guess that was before the protests. Anyway, a nice man in a tour company shirt stopped us and told us in no uncertain terms that we should not walk that way, that it was a "Red Zone", so we hailed a cab. The Biomuseo was interesting, particularly the parts about the many diverse effects of the rise of the Panama land bridge between the Americas and how it changed climates worldwide, affecting most species on earth, and even caused an ice age.
Thursday, we decided to head out to the Miraflores Visitor Center at the Miraflores Locks on the canal. We weren't sure we would be able to get there but I booked an Uber and he seemed to think it was possible, but when we got halfway there the highway was blocked solid so we headed back. We'll try again today. Back in town, people were getting really serious about preparing for riots. Lots of places were being boarded up and the police and army presence was really stepping up. It was quite surreal sitting outside in the rain under a big umbrella at Casa Blanca, one of the more upscale bars in the old town, right around the corner from the Presidential Palace, and watching the troops moving back and forth getting prepared. We went home and stayed in for the evening. We did go up on our roof and could hear the protests, but could not really see anything. We'll see what it looks like out there today!
2025-02-08