Hookers, Slums, and Ankle-breaking Sidewalks

Although wine bars, restaurants, and galleries are slowly moving in to Casco Viejo, most of the old colonial houses have yet to be restored to their former glory. Away from the historic core, most streets are shabby.

Dear International Living Reader,

Panama City, the pelican-patrolled crossroads of the Americas. I’m here as a first-time visitor--and the editors at IL have asked for my warts-and-all take on the place.

Well, the skyscraper skyline of offices and apartments is impressive. So too are the mega-malls, such as Multiplaza and Multicentro. You’ll find good coffee for under a dollar--and excellent restaurants where mouth-watering seafood costs 30% to 50% less than in the States.

You’ll also find a Pacific Ocean setting with sandy beaches almost on the doorstep...and some of the world’s best deep-sea fishing. Then there’s Panama’s unparalleled pensionado program...the low living costs...the proximity to the U.S. For those seeking an urban lifestyle, Panama City’s attractions are understandable.

It isn’t paradise, though. My overall impression is of a Third-World city...albeit one with plenty of First-World trappings. I wasn’t expecting to see so many slum areas--or so many impoverished people trying to scratch a living. The rich-poor divide may come as a shock.

Pedestrian friendly? Hardly. In fact, you risk being run down every time you attempt to cross a road. Be careful in the Casco Viejo, the colonial-era quarter, where ankle-breaking sidewalks await the unwary. That said, the Casco Viejo (also known as San Felipe) is intriguing. Left to rot for decades, it’s now an up-and-coming neighborhood--but only in parts.

Although wine bars, restaurants, and galleries are slowly moving in, less than 20% of the old colonial houses have been restored to their former glory. Away from the historic core, most streets remain shabby. This other Casco Viejo is a world of paint-peeled, moldering mansions...of sagging wooden shacks in the last throes of dilapidation. The taxi to International Living’s office (in a wonderfully-restored colonial building cornering Plaza Catedral) passed through some unsavory-looking slums.

The best place to see the barrio’s regeneration is around Plaza Francia and Plaza Catedral. If you get a chance to peek inside a restored mansion, their inner courtyards with pattering fountains make you feel like you’re glimpsing the old Spain of the conquistadores.

Wrought-iron balconies cascading with flowers provide a pointer toward what may eventually await the rest of the neighborhood. However, what will happen to the slum-dwellers, I don’t know.

Being truthful, I’d have to say that although Panama City is fascinating to visit, I could never live here. Too much big city edginess. And the noise levels actually hurt my eardrums! Car alarms shriek away all through the night...music blasts from everywhere.

It’s far too sultry in Panama City. Away from air-conditioning, I found it much too hot and humid for comfort. But this is a personal observation from a cold-weather enthusiast...someone who’d much prefer to live in Vienna in deepest winter!

And don’t get me started on the taxi drivers--I met the world’s worst taxi driver here, and might have to do some jail time as a result...but more on that tomorrow.

Steenie Harvey
Roving Europe Editor (on loan to Panama City), International Living

P.S. Although I didn’t intend investigating Panama City’s seedy side, it’s easy to find yourself knee-deep in hookers. If you doubt me, have a late-night drink in Sparkles Bar in the five-star Miramar Intercontinental, the venue for International Living’s recent Import-Export Workshop. Heaven alone knows what trashier bars are like.

Editor’s note: Hookers, slums, and ankle-breaking sidewalks? Ouch. That’s a pretty harsh review of the world’s top retirement haven. But we asked for it. "Steenie," we said, "Go to Panama. Find out everything there is not to like about the place, then tell our readers all about it." Was she wide of the mark...or on target? You decide--during our "Panama Uncensored" week, we’ve arranged a way for you to explore Panama for $1. Take a look.