Has anyone ever been to Panama?

Question

tell me your experience

is Panama a good country for you?

how were the airport,the city and the beaches for you??

Answer 1

I long for Panama every day so I try to make it back at least once a year.I wish I could go back there for good.

Answer 2

I'd say that Conde_c_b did answer the question to his best and my vote goes to him for providing the best answer possible.

Answer 3

I am sure someone has been to Panama, I think people actually still live there.

Answer 4

I have been to Panama plenty of times to go to the nicest beaches that there is. The people are very kind and above all the taxi rides are d**n cheap.  You can go to anyplace that you want to, from your hotel to the nearest shopping mall, for under 2 dollars.

The food is great and it is very much reasonable and it isn't 20 or 30 usd a plate.

Answer 5

i just returned from traveling the country for 3 weeks alone and had a fabulous time! i met so many nice people. each town i went to i wanted to stay longer. you can travel all over by air for very little but pack lightly. baggage allowance sometimes is only 25lbs. i flew into san jose, costa rica then to boca del toro, panama. it is much cheaper to fly to costa rica than panama city from florida, although spirit air is starting flights in january. i intended on staying 1 night before continuing on to david. but it was such a laid back friendly town that i ended up staying 3 nights . i think the people there were the most friendly of all of the towns i went to although everyone was great everywhere. it was the off season for tourists so i was able to meet alot of locals. then i flew to david, the capital of the province of chirique. i had purchased property in the nearby mountain town of volcan so i finished the closing at the attorneys office, went to lunch with the seller, who by this time was like family and he drove me to volcan. i spent 2 nights at a beautiful bed and breakfast but had to leave because it is cold in the mountains at this time of year and i wasn't fond of that! before leaving i did go to another little nearby town (can't remember name) by taxi for dinner at a tiny cafe. i invited the driver and his girlfriend, who was along for the ride in for soda. dinner and their drinks cost $2.50. going back down the mountain i then stayed 4 nights in david where it was much warmer. i stayed at the "best" hotel in town which cost with tax $58.00 a night. it would by our standards probably be considered a 3 star at best but they had wonderful restaurants and i usually have room service for breakfast which never was more than $5.00 with tip. i have friends there so i shopped with the 12 year old daughter in the days and went out with her mother and other people that i know during the nights. the only complaint i had was that i was there on their upcoming memorial holiday and the MARCHING BAND started every night practicing from 5:00 until 10:00 across the street but it sounded as though they were in the room! from david i continued my journey to panama city. it is a beautiful modern city, looking very much like south beach in miami. i had a beautiful room with a columned porch on the ground floor where i could just walk out the sliding doors to the pool. there are many excellent hotels there many with casinos and nightclubs. i was able to get the room for only $135.00 a night through travelocity. it easily would have cost $225.00 or more here. because of the holiday weekend the hotel was booked already for some of my time so i "downgraded" to a hotel that wasn't as grand as this but i liked just as well. my room was on the 11th floor with a door that led out to a small balcony and overlooked the canal and the city. so beautiful. i loved just sitting out there (no chair) listening to my ipod and just looking at the view. i even had a front row seat for the memorial day parade!at some point i met some people from miami that had grown up there and went to the school for the military kids. they gave me a tour of the city. there are beautiful homes tucked away in the city and mountains that the ordinary person would never see unless someone took them. the shopping was incredable. designer shoes for $20.00 a pair. i found a pair that i bought there in the window of a miami shop for $129.00. i would love to have gone to colon, which is where the import/ export happens but it is well known that it is very dangerous there and not a place to go alone, especially for a gringo. but one of my taxi drivers was a big former army special service military man from chicago who had married a local women, moved there and started his own business. he had worked the drug corridor in colombia for 5 years and spoke 5 languages. my intentions were to have him take me but unfortunatly i ran out of time although i did use him for most of my taxi service while there. you will find all the drivers have their own business cards so when you need one you can call them on their cells. it is also best to purchase your own cell phone there. the rate is much better than you can get with your american carrier. they also know all of the best places to shop, eat, dance. most people speak a little english but its a hit or miss game on whether you find someone that is fluent but they are all very willing to try and understand and help you which is the way i met alot of the people. trying to get directions. many times they just laughed, them with broken english and me with broken spanish and would just wave for me to follow them. on a previous trip there while searching for property at one point we traveled up the river in a motor boat whose motor kept stopping and was driven by a little old man with his straw hat (the owner) to see an island that he had for sale. he then used his machete to cut down a path for us to walk on. going back we saw whales circling his island. we also stayed in the san blas islands where huts were built out over the water. that area is very poor but beautiful. the biggest problem was misquitoes. we were given a can of off upon getting off the boat and took it everywhere.  it is one of the best diving areas. we kyaked around part of the island, walking thru the jungle on tree roots, sinking to our knees in mud,  to see the howling monkeys that until then we had only heard. flying out was a little shaky. they pass around a passenger list where you must write down how much you weigh to make sure the plane isn't overweight. then upon take off (from the cow pasture runway)they reve the engine and lift off just before reaching the end which drops into the ocean! as you can see you can have many adventours if you enjoy them or shop till you drop and make many friends if you open yourself up to them. i have visited many central and south american countries and have found everyone nice but in my opinion panama is the best.the dollar goes so far, violent crime in extremely low although petty theft is high, there is always something to do no matter what you feel like doing and the people are wonderful.