One Beautiful Day in Panama

Photographer: Jim Battin Where: Every city can be called a “city of contrasts” and Panama City is no different. Here we are in Casco Viejo, the “old quarter” of the city. The building in the background speaks of the city’s past, while the street art in the foreground is the work of an artist today. Together, they speak of a city in continuous transition and a community of diversity.

Photographer: Bob Where? There is something special about standing on the beach, as this man does near Punta Manzanilla on the Caribbean coast in eastern Panama. You may be alone, but the surf provides ceaseless motion and sound. It is huge, but it doesn’t frighten you, it calms you. You don’t really “look” at anything, you experience it. It is not static, it is a living creature in its own right.

Photographer: Jim Battin Where? Condos are rising all over Panama City as people from many nations seek a home in the capital of a rapidly expanding economy. Old residents don’t always appreciate them, but they do add their own color and style to the city as do these in the Marbella neighborhood.

Photographer: Jaime Where? It’s amusing. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Panama City on vacation. They come to see the Canal, walks the streets of Casco Viejo, have fun in the casinos, and any number of other things. So do those of us who live here not take vacations? Of course we do. Where do we go? Many places, one of them is this hotel on Isla Contadora, one of the Pearl Islands in the Pacific, a short plane or boat trip from the city.

Photographer: Sharon Where? Okay, so maybe this isn’t your favorite life form! But even spiders are colorful and beautiful in Panama. This little friend was seen somewhere in central Panama on a trip. She was quite happy to pose, but poses no threat to anyone (unless you’re a fly).

Photographer: Bob Where? We have plenty of fancy restaurants in Panama City. Indeed, a diverse and delicious selection of good places to eat. But it’s in the countryside that we find the restaurants we most often remember weeks later. This is Doña Docha in the little village of Cañita in eastern Panama, not far from Lake Bayano. A lunch of boneless chicken breast, a pile of french fries, and a small salad will cost you $2.50. But beware! If you get a Coke, that will be an extra 35 cents!

Photographer: John Moses M. Where: The “times have changed” in North America with the arrival of Daylight Savings Time (Summer Time). As they “spring forward” an hour, we are quite pleased to remain exactly where we were and will continue to be. As the sun sets on the shores of the Caribbean near Punta Manzanillo, we salute our friends to the north, but remind them that the sun still sets as it always has in Panama.

Photographer: Jaime Toro Where? How nice to find an unexpected visitor as you return to your hotel room! Such was Jaime’s experience when visiting Contadora Island in the Pearl Islands off the coast of eastern Panama. His new friend is a peacock, pavo real in Spanish or literally “royal turkey”! Royal, indeed, and a good friend to have on a beautiful day in Panama.

Photographer: John Moses M. Where? We have shown several photos of the area surrounding Panama’s second-largest lake, Lake Bayano. This is a look at the largest lake, Lake Gatun. Like Lake Bayano, it is a man-made lake, but every bit as beautiful as any. Panama Canal traffic crosses Lake Gatun on its coast-to-coast journey. Gatun is also an area that is attracting considerable real estate interest with several new developments planned for the near future.