Amador Causeway is one of the top attractions referenced both by Panama Tourism as well as virtually every other tourism related website. They tend to focus on shopping, bike rentals, and generally the more touristy activities. This isn't our thing. Instead, we loved the Amador Causeway for the walk, the views, and more importantly as a mechanism for understanding Panama history and its strategic importance to the United States. /*!...
A short trip from nearly anywhere in Panama City, the nature preserve of Metropolitan Natural Park is an amazing way to experience the plants and animals of a tropical jungle as well as views of the city. As foreigners the entry fee is $4/adult and $2/child. Walking to the park is a hard pass for us as there don't seem to be good safe routes with sidewalk. And while we could have taken a bus the time involved when compared to the...
The Cinta Costera (literally Coastal Strip), is a hidden gem in Panama City. It's a strip of park next to the Pacific Ocean that runs from Democracy Plaza and Punta Paitilla all they way to Casco Viejo. The park is well manicured with lots of different types of trees and plants. You will see date palms, golden pothos vines, birds of paradise, and many more. The Cinta Costera also features a wide bike and rollerblade path next to an equally wide...
Previous Next One of the most enjoyable parts of travel is finding and trying very local cuisine. Part of the planning a good trip is figuring out what are the key dishes and beverages that are consumed by the locals and are there any specialties that may be impossible to get elsewhere. These meals all have histories worth understanding and very much reflect local culture.On a personal note, I cringe every time I see an American fast food chain...
Flying from Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) to Panama Tocumen Airport (PTY) was a piece of cake on Copa Airlines. We were in the air just shy of 5 hours and the PTY airport was virtually empty on Thursday afternoon at about 2 PM local time. We breezed through immigration and customs and then set off with a few immediate goals. First, Panama Metro to our Airbnb in Bella Vista. Second, Find the Airbnb itself and get checked in. Finally, get food...
We started training for Volcán Barú in early February with multiple hikes around the Northern Virginia region. Most of these hikes were along the Appalachian Trail, giving us lots of uneven terrain (rocky) and plenty of elevation. I'm excited to say that training is over! We're headed to Panama next week. After exploring Panama City for the first week we're heading to the town of Boquete in Chiriquí. If the weather cooperates we'll be...
Our Panama vacation is almost here!!! It's hard to believe but we are now just inside of 2 weeks to go before our flight to Panama City (PTY) from Dulles Airport (IAD). I'm slightly concerned about disruptions given all the havoc on United Airlines flights over the past week or so but... We're flying Copa Airlines (flight 357) and they don't fly a lot out of Dulles so fingers crossed. We also depart about 9:30 AM so with luck there...
Of the many personalities that regularly appear in my podcast feeds, Dr. Bill Schindler | Eat Like a Human seems to be one of those most grounded in a historical perspective. His approach to food, how it has been found, prepared, and consumed, and the role of tools in this process just makes a ton of sense to me. It also helps that his speaking style is devoid of much of the over-the-top claims (typically without evidence) that is found with...
A few weeks ago on a Sunday morning I woke DJ out of his teenage weekend slumber to drag him along to pick up some scapes. I didn't think much of it at the time, but as we headed out to the garlic farm he asked me: "What are scapes anyway?" This led to a fun discussion about how garlic grows, what scapes are, and why I was driving out to a farm to pick up three pounds of them. In the end, we had a great father/son experience, as silly as it...
We can't wait for Panama this summer. Planning is taking a good deal of time for a number of reasons though. First, Hillary and I see this as a second dry run for a minimalist, nomadic, post 2026 period in our lives. And Second DJ will be doing two weeks of camp in Panama as well so we've got to make sure he is sorted. Planning for DJ revolves around making sure he has the right amount of clothing, but not too much. The Amigos International...
