Still Seeking Shade!!

It's another hot one here in Panama City! We headed out for our usual breakfast but NEW staff were on duty! The chef of this day had the audacity to put green onion in my trusty #6 Omelette. If he had cooked my first omelette, I would not have gone back for a second and third. It's so fascinating what a difference the cook makes to a recipe! Maybe not as much love as our other servers put into it?

After breakfast we had plans to walk around the neighborhood to see if we could find a nice place for dinner tonight. It was truly astounding to notice how many large bars and restaurants were no longer open ... including the #1 Trip Advisor coffee shop. We are imagining that this was a result of the pandemic. In all honesty, though, we only got around the block (albeit a large block) before we had to find some shade. It was only 10:30am but already 30 degrees Celcius (feels like 33). Yes, it did indeed feel like at least 33.

We thought about heading down to the waterfront and wander around the Cinta Costera (which we erroneously thought was walking path out over the water) but then remembered that the tide would be out until 2pm. So, we opted to come back to the hotel and head to the pool until after lunch! And then, we can either order another Uber ... or ... we now have the option call Miguel! As we were walking around the block, he was one of the many taxis that offered us a lift. The special thing about Miguel is that he has business cards and speaks "Full English". This is a real bonus because there is not a whole lot of English speaking here. He also got huge props from us for his dazzling smile and his business acumen!! We were trying to remember if we have ever been in a city with more taxi cabs?? You don't have to find them, they come looking for you!! Ha ha ...

We cooled off in the room and then headed up to the pool for a bit! Thank goodness some cloud cover rolled in because when the sun was blazing, it was almost intolerable ... unless you were in the pool. The water in the pool was as warm as bath water ... but ... it kept the internal temp from rising too high!

We had a great little lunch at a lovely air-conditioned place just up the road from us! The old boy ordered a traditional Columbian soup. It had tripe and other slimey things in it!! He absolutely LOVED it. I could not even watch him eat it without gagging a wee bit. I ordered the traditional Panamanian Chicken soup. It was absolutely delicious! Panama is wonderful in many ways ... but ... I, personally, am not so fond of the food. The old boy loves it, but for me ... it is a bit too much in terms of fried fare. So, this soup was so refreshing ... with chicken, potatoes, plantains and corn. I could have lived with a bit less cilantro, but I am not complaining.

We then headed over to the Malecon in hopes that the clouds would continue to provide a barrier between us and the sun. And, of course, we had to take a picture with the PANAMA sign.

The old boy also searched out Trip Advisor and discovered the #3 rated restaurant in Panama City is right near Cinta Costera ... so ... we decided to head over there to see if we wanted to enjoy our last dinner in Panama at a really nice place. It is called Casa Casco and is a "perfect blend of antique and avant-garde divided into 5 floors, where you can entvjoy 3 fabulous restaurants and a Terrace (rooftop) with a panoramic view of the city." It truly was beautiful ... but ... after taking over 30 minutes to get home in rush hour traffic ... we opted to stay a little close to home. BTW - our Uber driver took us for a 'short cut' ... to avoid the traffic. We're not convinced it was any better but he tried. He also tried to sell us a tour to a beautiful beach ... and ... he tried to sell us a residence. This was more the experience we might have expected from a cab ... but once again ... you had to give the guy props for his initiative!!

Our final meal ended up being at Azahar instead. It was closer to home and rated #4 in Panama City on Trip Advisor. It also had five $$$$$ ... so ... it was not cheap, but the old boy was craving fresh lobster. So off we went. And, it was an incredibly delicious indulgence! The buns were yorkshire pudding and were served in a drawer! The old boy enjoyed Lobster Thermador and I had a sun dried tomatoe ravioli. We finished it off with a molten chocolate cake! It was decadent and entirely extravagent! And ... such a nice way to end off our time here in Panama.

We board the ship tomorrow! We catch you all later then.Baca selengkapnya