WATCHING THE WORLD SLIP
BY |
| Canal House view for dinner |
Returning to Panama for
a greatly needed escape from the Northeast winter has been easy, because Janet
has been in charge. She, as always, has planned this trip down to the tiniest
minutiae. Airline tickets, parking, two separate hotels in Panama City, two
different resorts in Bocas del Toro and even one at the Philadelphia airport,
car and boat transfers, dive shops and cooking classes are all under her
purview.
All I have to do is find
my wallet.
Included in her
planning is taking advantage of the perks that come with traveling and as she
has attained “Platinum” status our layovers are spent in the Admirals Clubs at
both Philadelphia and Miami. We get free seating and boarding upgrades and free
checked luggage and she is constantly monitoring for “deals” and makes ROI
decisions that helps perpetuate her elitist ranking. Case in point we are
staying at the Radisson Panama Canal, but not because it sits directly on the
waters leading to the Panama Canal, but because this stay will gain her the
most loyalty points.
SERENDIPITY?
All of her planning may
seem untenable to others, because on the surface it seems there’s no room for
exploring, or as I like to say, ‘getting happily lost’.
From past personal experiences
though “my way” is akin to a headless chicken running around aimlessly and from
recent experiences traveling with Janet we still are graced with good luck and
serendipitous discoveries.
WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE
WE?
Well, the reward for
her planning is the Radisson Panama Canal which is indeed right on the canal.
From our well-deserved poolside perch, we watch the ship traffic entering or
leaving the Pacific Ocean side of the Panama Canal. Smaller boats are moored in
the Balboa yacht club as the much-larger tanker ships glide slowly beneath the
Bridge of the Americas.
We stayed in the area
when we were last in Panama when our ship docked at the Amador Causeway and we
are a short drive from the UNESCO World Heritage site, Casco Viejo the beautiful
old section of Panama City. The soaring high-rise buildings are thankfully
further away.
As we have been here
before we are not touring the Miraflores Visitor Center for the Panama Canal, and we are
limiting our time in Casco Viejo to a cooking class.
OFF SCRIPT
When you (Janet) plans
well there are always opportunities to go off-script and explore. Yesterday we
did just that. After settling into our hotel, we opted to stroll along the
waterway before eating dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.  |
Ropa Vieja tacos
at Canal House |
We happened upon the
Canal House, a local joint with a thatched roof and shifted plans to eat there.
Not thinking it was odd the place was packed for a mid/late Monday afternoon;
it did feel like a Sunday afternoon; we found a table and somehow ordered
drinks and food. Staff barely spoke English. Janet had Shrimp ceviche and I had
Ropa Vieja tacos that exploded with flavors and we ate while watching massive
cargo ships slip silently by on their way to or from the Panama Canal.
It was a beautiful stop.
CANAL HOUSE PANAMA
CARNAVAL
Turns out we were in
the middle of Carnaval, that mash-up to Ash Wednesday and Lent. There are
celebrations in Panama City, but people mostly view it as a family holiday and
escape the city to visit “home” and celebrate there. Panama City officials have
been pushing to make it a more prominent activity for years and today (Tuesday)
there will be a parade along Cinta Costera and much later the “Entierro de la
Sardina” (yeah, they bury a sardine that officially ends Carnaval), but we are
not venturing farther than the old city and our cooking class.
Hopefully no one hands
me a shovel, we have a plane to catch in the morning.
Thanks for reading.
Love Janet and greg
© 2026 by Gregory Dunaj
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