[singlepic id=6445 w=320 h=240 float=center]It’s 10:30 A.M. and eleven interns, including myself, are ready to take on Panama City. First stop on the agenda: the Fish Market.
We began walking along the boardwalk, the city at our backs and the Caribbean to our left. From that moment, we all knew it was going to be a great day. Our first pit stop was at a shaved ice stand. Here we watched a local shave a giant block of ice and BAM there was a snow cone. It was a little different from your standard snow cone, considering malt milk was an option as a topping. We all thought it was cheese that you sprinkle on your popcorn, but the flavors were on point.
[singlepic id=6443 w=320 h=240 float=right]After walking about 30 minutes, the most pungent smell came in and around our noses. We were getting close to the Fish Market. Everyone was complaining about how awful it smelt, but I’m not going to lie I kind of liked it, it made me feel like I was at home. My father is a fisherman so I grew up around fish guts and have become prone to the smell. It’s actually kind of gross if you think about it. Anyways, we arrived at the fish market and several stands were set up to get food. Ceviche is a huge hit in this area, only a buck for a cup, which also goes very well with a Balboa on draft. While people were grubbing, me and a few of the interns went inside the actual market. WOW, so much fish so little time. Every type of seafood you could imagine was at this market, and talk about cheap prices. All the fisherman were extremely friendly and one could tell that they enjoyed their job, they were so passionate about their fish.[singlepic id=6440 w=320 h=240 float=left]
[singlepic id=6444 w=320 h=240 float=right]Next stop on the agenda was sight seeing in Casco Viejo. Talk about a hidden gem in the capital city, this place is absolutely beautiful and I highly recommend everyone to see it at some point in their lives. Old churches, squares, and cobble stone streets make Casco one of a kind. Since we were on a travel roll, we all decided since we’ve come this far we had to make it to the canal.
Six of us piled in one cab, and the other five of us piled in a second cab. Little did we know we were in for a hell of an experience. Music was on full blast with bass bumpin’ out of the trunk all while our driver was acting like a maniac, peddle to the medal through crowded streets of the city. We arrived at the canal the same time as the other cab full of people.
Typically, a cab ride runs from about $2- $10 in the city, and trust me they are not afraid to rip you off. One of the directors, Max Cooper, told all the interns if they do try to rip you off, run. Yes, run away from the cab driver because half of the time they won’t come after you. WRONG.
We get out of the cab and hand the driver $8. Everything seemed good to go until he consulted with the other driver and was expecting us to pay $15. None of us were having this, so we ran away. We booked it up the stairs to get to the entrance of the canal. Thinking this guy is off our backs, he shows up unexpectedly at the ticket booth. He runs over to the security guard and tells him that we refused to pay him and not to let us into the canal. And what do you know, we couldn’t get in until we paid up. We ended up paying him $15, which is a pretty steep amount.
A little shaken up after this, we ready to see some ships pass through the canal, and drink some Balboas obviously.[singlepic id=6441 w=320 h=240 float=center]
Moral of the day, don’t run away from the cab driver because you will get chased.