Panamá City Travel Forum

Hello!

A friend and I will be in Panama City right after Christmas until January 2, when we'll start heading north. Where should we be for celebrating New Year's Eve (quetion mark here, mine's not working) Or should we start heading north and celebrate somewhere else in the country(qm) We speak Spanish and we prefer places with more local people than tourists.

Cheers!

Hugo

Oi Hugo,

Tudo bem? If you want to stay in Panama City, check out the Hotel El Panama, the have a good bar there, with a good selection of music for mixing. It is right in the center of the city, and you can walk easily to many good restaurants. I recommend Cafe de Asis, or El Trapiche...both very typical! For something a bit outside the city, you might want to check out Las Tablas, on the Azuero pennisula....about 5 hours drive by car. Still further out is the city of David....in the province of Chiriqui....where very few tourist seem to go. A few miles outside of David....and a few hundred feet higher is Boquete, and a great hotel, but, more tourists. (It is said that the most beautiful women in Panama come from Chiriqui! Ahhh, sort of like Santa Catarina, rsrsrs)

Uma coisa....driving outside of Panama City is sort of like driving between Rio and Vitoria at night, entende?

Boa viagem, Hugo!

JAC

Oi de novo, Lobo!!!

this all looks good! Do you know how they celebrate new year's(quetionmark) To Boquete I will go anyway... I won't drive, I'll take buses, so I hope they do a good job. The Panamá City-David is dangerous at night or during the day too(questionmark) WHat is the problem (questionmark)

Hehehe, I'm glad I'm off to their Santa Catarina hehehehe
Hugz!

Hugo

Oi Hugo,

Well, they drink a lot of cachaca....dance for hours....and drink more cachaca! (But, nothing special, like sacrificing a virgin, or something like that! rs) I think that with all of the larger hotels in Panama City, you might find more going on there than in the interior. But, I would call the Gran Hotel Nacional in David to see what they have planned for that evening. Also, in David there is Panama Bill's American Bar & Grill....which should have one great party that night! Busses for David leave from La Gran Terminal de Albrook. Busses are a great way to travel, and better than a rental car. (What I meant about the highway was this...rental cars may be targets for bad people. On a bus, there is safety in numbers!) Also, in Boquete, you will find the Hotel Bambito, which may or may not have something special planned for New Year's Eve. (Ahh, unless you find it interesting to sit in the hotel bar, and listen to a retired army general talk about what he did during WWII!) All things considered, I think that while Panama City offers you more choices, I myself would feel safer in David! And for less money!

Enjoy your trip, my friend!

JAC

Thank you again!

But let me ask: isn't there anything on the streets, like New Year's in Brazil(questionmark)About the sacrifice of a virgin, it's too bad... since I've always spent ner year's in Brazil, I got used to that part of the ritual, specially the moment we give the virgin's flesh to the monkeys and the anacondas... In Buenos Aires, Brazil's capital, it's specially interesting... hehehehehe enough!

Thanks also for the tip on the roads. I hate to travel with paranoid thoughts, that's why I never read the "Dangers and Annoyances" section of Lonely Planet Guides... Gee, those guys are paranoid!!!

Good to know that David is a good place for new year's... How about Bocas del Toro(questionmark) And just one more question: do they in Panama celebrate NY's with fireworks(questionmark)

thanks!!

De nada, Hugo. In truth, I cannot recall any organized activities or fireworks in Panama while I was there, and nothing like Rio at all! As for Bocas del Toro....it is a beautiful place, very laid-back, with a lot of friendly folk. (Hint....take a good book with you!) It seemed like most of the larger parties were at local night spots in Panama City and David. (However, the last time I was there, I spend a good portion of the night saving a virgin from some kind of sacrifice....but, I was younger then!)

In the next few days I'll see if I can find out more info for you from friends who still may be down there, and will get back to you!

JAC

De nada, Hugo. In truth, I cannot recall any organized activities or fireworks in Panama while I was there, and nothing like Rio at all! As for Bocas del Toro....it is a beautiful place, very laid-back, with a lot of friendly folk. (Hint....take a good book with you!) It seemed like most of the larger parties were at local night spots in Panama City and David. (However, the last time I was there, I spend a good portion of the night saving a virgin from some kind of sacrifice....but, I was younger then!)

In the next few days I'll see if I can find out more info for you from friends who still may be down there, and will get back to you!

JAC

If you want to meet local people, at least people that use to live in the former Canal Zone - this bar called "Lum's" near Albrook and Diablo in the old Canal Zone is having a huge New Years party. $25 cover, includes open bar, food drinks and bands.

I will be in panama in December 2007 . What is happening in Las Tablas on New Years Eve ? Any other ideas how to spend that evening in Panama ?