Casco Antiguo — the Old City



We started the morning gathering in the hotel lobby where we met everyone here for the reunion. Some participants we have met before and some, particularly their family members, we met for the first time. There is one alumna from one of the groups when Jim was coordinator; it is so nice to see Rocio from El Salvador. She was a student in 2009-2011. 

Our first stop was a park situated on the edge of Panama Bay, not far from our hotel. There are large letters that spell Panama. We spent a few minutes there and took a group picture and individual pictures.



We then went to Casco Antiguo, which is the old, colonial portion of the city. We had a guide who took us on a waking tour for about three hours. Our tour guide was fantastic and we learned so much about not only the colonial history, but also about the indigenous people.  The tour included several churches, two museums, and several stops at historically important/interesting spots. 







We think we mentioned that’s it’s the rainy season. That means it rains a lot, whenever Mother Nature’s mood strikes, lightly or heavily.  It rained — and poured — much of the morning. But it’s not cold and most just carry on. 

We visited a museum specifically about one of the indigenous groups, and it was a very well done. There are seven major indigenous groups in Panama, each with different languages and cultures.  The indigenous history coupled with the tumultuous colonial period and issues that the canal construction and management created, makes for much to learn about Panama. 





Some of the indigenous people sell crafts that they make. We made a purchase from this beautiful woman — it will go on our wall of travel mementos. 



After the tour we went to a mall, the largest in Central America, where we all were able to get some lunch and walk around. We got back to the hotel at about 4pm — Kristi and I took a rest/nap. 

We invited Rocio and her friend Fatima to have dinner with us. Just around the block we found a Colombian restaurant. Everything, especially the empanadas, was fantastic!  It was nice to see and catch up with Rocio in person. 





We also got a show!


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