A Trip To Panama City :: essays research papers

A Trip To Panama city day term 1We arrived at Omar Torrijos airport via American Airlines early in theafternoon. We purchased our unavoidable holidaymaker cards (3 balboas, as US dollars arecalled in Panama) at the airport, then caught a taxi for the 18 mile ride to ourbusiness district hotel. The ride in the battered, un-airconditioned car was ratherexpensive (30 balboas), but the number one wood spoke English and was very friendly. Wearrived at the hotel and checked in. While my tonic was checking in I bought aguidebook in the hotel lobby and understand up on the history of Panama City. The veritable city was fixed in 1519 by Pedro Arias Davila, known as Pedrarias theCruel, because of his eradication of all but tercet of the local Indian tribesduring his tenure in Panama. Davila used the city as a place to store Incangold before it was shipped to Spain. The original city was sacked and burnedin 1671 by a company of buccaneers led by Henry Morgan. The city was rebuiltwithi n a year, this time on a peninsula 18 miles away and surrounded by astrong wall. This old Spanish city is now the in the mall downtown PanamaCity.Panama City is an international melting galvanic pile and its eating choices rangefrom American fast food to excellent internationall cuisine. keen to begin oursightseeing, we grabbed lunch at a nearby McDonalds after checking in thencaught a bus. The buses in Panama are a tourist attraction in themselves. Theyare brightly painted, hung with fringe, and have constantly rumpus Salsa andCaracas music playing. They are cheap (50 cents a ride). but are very crowded.After asking several drivers Donde va este autobus? we finally found one goingto the Plaza Independencia. This plaza is the main square of the colonial townand is bordered on one side by a cathedral with twin mother of pearl towers thattook 108 years to complete. On 2 other sides it is bordered by theArchbishops Palace, now a university and the Central position Office. While in theold part of Panama City we as well as visited the Iglesia de San Jose and saw theGolden Aaltar. This altar was in the original Panama City and was saved fromHenry Morgans pirates by a monk who painted it baleful to disguise it. When wefinished touring we returned to our hotel and then ate dinner at El Pez de Ora,one of the city famous seafood restaurants.Day 2We woke early and headed out for a morning of shopping at the Mercado