10 Shocks of Visiting Panama

Oh yeah, it was even great when I first saw it. Hey there fellow travelers, Mark here with Walter's Rooms. Hey, we're in Casco Viejo in Panama City. And today we have for you our 10 things that shock tourists when they come here to Panama. And I want to start with this one. The difference between the Pacific coast and the Caribbean coast of Panama. It is unbelievable the difference. Yes, there is the Continental Divide, so the rain is different on different sides. But honestly, if you go to the Caribbean side with San Blas Islands and Bocas del Toro, You have the Caribbean vibe, you have the white sand and the crystal clear blue water snorkeling, all kinds of fantastic things, and then you come over here to the Pacific side and you've got the darker sand, you've got basically surfing you can do when you're here, much more like I would say rough and tumble kind of coastline when you're here. It's so kind of shocking just how different it is when they're so close to each other. That's the first thing we'll talk about and kind of leading on to that is realizing that, hey, the second shock is You can have a sunrise on the coast and a sunset on the coast in the same day. Like literally, you can be over in Colón and you can wake up and see the sunrise come up. Then go back, take a nap, have lunch with a friend. Then drive across the country in two or three hours. Get here to Panama City, watch the sunset on the Pacific, and then come to the rooftop bars here in Panama City. And honestly, you can have both in one thing. And so for tourists to see that, to see the Pacific coast, and basically the Atlantic coast kind of here, You have those two things, it's just a fantastic experience, and it surprises people that you do it all in such a short amount of time, though I will warn you about the winding roads later on. Now another thing that shocks tourists when they come here to Panama is just the amount of nature you can take in when you go coast to coast when you are here, because yes, there are gorgeous beaches, whether you're in the Caribbean or you're in the Pacific, you gotta have a great time there. But inland, when you have the rainforest, the national parks you can go to, heck, Even if you're just here in Panama City, you can go to the municipal natural park and get beautiful views and beautiful hikes in nature, and you can have that. Oh, you want to go see some waterfalls? Yeah, you can do that. You want to take some boat trips on the canal and the rivers to really see monkeys and sloths and birds? Yeah, you can do that. I mean, there's just so much nature that's here that really shocks people. Although, I will tell you, don't be shocked if your tummy gets a little turned because the... Getting around Panama can be kind of shocking for how long it takes because the locals won't tell you how far it is in kilometers. They'll tell you how far it is in literally hours because, yeah, the Google Maps thing doesn't really work when you have all those winding roads. Also, your stomach might not work after those winding roads so a little hint from our don'ts coming to Panama video, don't forget to have a puke bag. If you're going to be taking road trips through the country because of all those winding roads, but you need to do it because the nature is beautiful all year round. And one other thing that's all year round that'll shock you is the, yeah, the heat and humidity and ow, those dang bugs. Oh, another thing that's going to shock you when you come here to Panama is just the heat, humidity and bugs when you come here. Look, it is hot. It is humid. It is buggy all year round. And you got to prepare for that when you come here. Stay hydrated. Don't worry, you might be shocked. You can drink the tap water when you're in Panama City. In the big cities, you're okay. But make sure you're staying hydrated to beat that heat. Make sure you're bringing really good sunblock, applying it often, having a hat, those kind of things to really make you safer in the sun and the heat. And that humidity just doesn't make you miserable. It also impacts your snacks, but also the bugs. The bugs will eat you alive. I mean... You can have the spray, you can have the wipes, you can have the bands. Those bugs are still going to get you. And I mean, I've been in hotels where literally they warn you about the mosquitoes. They warn you about the chiggers, the little, the little like no-see-ums kind of thing. So do be aware of that. You'll be surprised just how much you like melt when you're here and how much the bugs will get you, but also how the locals don't care because they have to deal with it all the time. Now, a snack surprise that isn't so nice when you come here to Panama is how fast Things will go stale when you are here. If you get your tasty cookies, or you get chips, your plantain chips, whatever, and you open it up, you've got to eat things right away. Because of all the heat and humidity, the moisture in the air will turn cookies into mush, will turn chips into blandness. So be aware of that. It is a very sad shock when you are here. But there is a good shock about some other snacks you might find that you didn't think about coming here, like Chinese food, Chinese snacks. Oh, yeah. Another thing that might shock you when you come here to Panama are all the Chinese stores, but also the Chinese snacks you can get at some of those stores. So literally, you can get your little dim sum dumpling here, maizena, I think it was, and enjoy it when you are here. So don't be surprised, don't be shocked if you're like, wait, good Chinese food, good Chinese snacks? Oh yeah, really good when you're here. Now another thing that tourists mentioned and locals mentioned as well that they think it kind of shocks tourists is that there's no stereotypical Panamanian person. I mean, Panamanians are from all over. They're Americans, right? And all Americans are from all over the place, right? And Panamanians are no different because you'll have a lot of people that have history from the Caribbean. You'll have people that have families come here from Colombia, from Peru. From Mexico, from all over, you see a lot of Chinese immigration here now. And there isn't really one stereotypical Panamanian. And so you come here and anybody can be Panamanian. So don't be surprised if people just start speaking to you in Spanish. Don't forget, you might want to know a few words before you come here. But honestly, because anybody can fit in. And that kind of surprises tourists that, look, you can look like me. You can, well, maybe not husky like me, but. You can look like pretty much anyone from anywhere in the world, and you can fit in here, okay? And I think we could say there's no stereotypical, like, Panamanian, but I will say there's one thing that every Panamanian can agree with and something that shocks tourists is just how impactful and important the Panama Canal is for Panama economically, culturally, for the soul of the people, because the Panama Canal really is one of the impetus that really made... Panama, because if you didn't know, Panama used to be connected with Colombia and parts of Peru for Gran Colombia. And having the Panama Canal was one of those things that helped it break away, right? And so it is really impactful. Historically, but also bringing in those people from all over the Caribbean Latin America to help build the canal and the people that stayed here you have that but also if you're a tourist how it's going to impact your visit if you're taking a cruise ship through if you're staying at Playa Bonita here and you see the line of ships waiting to go through the canal you're going to go see Monkey Island or maybe it's going to take a boat ride on Lake Gatun you have All these things that are really brought to life and really exist because of the canal. And it's a truly amazing experience. If you're an engineering person, you'll be wowed when you go see the three locks on each side. And if you're not, even when you're like doing a boat tour and you see those huge ships coming through, you're like, oh, wow. You're like, why am I taking boats and ships? Am I five years old again and ships and trains are my coolest thing? Yes, you will have that when you're here. And the canal is one of the things. It is super impactful. I don't want you to miss it when you do come here. Because honestly, when people think of Panama, they think of Panama Canal, so you really need to enjoy it and go and do that. Another thing that surprises tourists when they come to Panama is Panama City actually has a really good metro you can use. It's safe, it's clean, it's effective, which is really nice. I know that it shocks tourists when they come to Panama. It's just how safe you feel when you come to Panama. This is one of the safer countries in Latin America, so you can come here and enjoy your time and not worry all the time about checking your wallet, do I need to be worried? Yes, you have to use like normal... Traveler common sense, but in general Panama is very safe and you'll see lots of tourists coming here with their kids as well So don't be surprised when you feel safe when you're here in Panama now another thing that surprises tourists when they come here to Panama is the Panamanian definition of time and service. Look, you got to have patience when you come to Panama, whether you're getting tours, you're going to restaurants, you're waiting for your menu, you're dealing with government agencies, you're going through, you know, passport control, things will take a little more time. Do not I repeat, do not get frustrated because it will not make a difference. But I have seen some tourists go, Oh, why does everything take so long when I'm here? Why is it like that? Well, just realize that is part of coming here. So don't be shocked. Don't be surprised. Just be ready. So have yourself some patience. Give yourself extra time when you're gonna do things when you're here. Now, another thing that really surprises tourists when they come here to Panama, is they come to Panama City and they see all the high rises, literally. It's not just Casco Viejo with the historic buildings. You go to the newer part of Panama City and it is insane how many high rises there are. Like more high rises than you'll find in Miami. Over half of the tallest buildings in Latin America are here in Panama City. And it's kind of like, whoa. I don't really expect to see high rises like that when I'm there or when I'm here in Panama. But you will. And my favorite is the Corkscrew one. That's my go-to one. But yeah, you're kind of surprised when you go, wow, that is a lot of high rises here in Panama. Whether you're here in Casco Viejo enjoying the history or you're going to be on San Blas Islands enjoying you know the crystal clear blue waters or the Panama Canal, I hope these kind of things that surprise you when you come to Panama will get you more excited to come visit because it is worth visiting. Though the heat and the humidity and the 4,000 bites I have on my legs May say otherwise, it is a cool place to visit. I'll say bye from here in Panama City in Casco Viejo, the old town. Bye, oh wait, yeah, the Panama Canal even has its own memorial, its own monument. There's the monument to the Panama Canal right there. Adios from Panama.