Irving Saladino and our backpacks are here :-)

After wondering for three days if it would ever happen, we were extremely relieved when we finally got our backpacks this morning !!!!!!!!! Today it hasn’t stopped raining, but we are smiling again… at the same time this is a good opportunity to update our little blog…

Yesterday we walked in the “Parque Natural Metropolitano”, a kind of mini-jungle within city-limits with amazing views of Panama’s impressive skyline, and a vegetation that we’ve never seen before…we must have lost more or less 1kg sweating…that’s what this tropical weather does to you.

The ‘Casco Viejo’ (old town) is very small but pleasant. A lot of the colonial houses are very run-down, but we think that this makes out part of its charm. Although considered the wealthiest city in Central America (it is the economic capital of the region, and most big companies have their seat here), Panama Ciudad isn’t exactly the safest of cities we’ve seen – taxi drivers can go on for hours listing all the areas that we should by no means enter… don’t worry parents: we are sticking to safe areas, easily recognizable by those where the police is present and many people walking around.

A colourful addition to Panama’s capital are the buses they have here – old American school buses painted with beautiful graffiti by Panama’s street artists.
Yesterday evening we also visited an area called the Causeway – a palm-tree lined calzada for Panama’s rich and beautiful, connecting four little islands full with open-air restaurants, a ayacht club, and VIP areas. The views of the little harbour around here are pleasant, but we didn’t like its fake, americanised atmosphere.

Today was a very special day for Panameños: Irving Saladino has arrived!! We forgive you for not knowing him… but if you only spent 5 minutes watching Panamanian TV – any channel – any time – you would know him: he won the first ever Olympic medal for this country: Gold in the Long Jump. He was received today by thousands of flag-waving locals, and local rappers are already hip-hopping songs devoted to him.