The First of Firsts

1/11/26

Today we docked in Fuente Amador, a “suburb” of Panama City.  Florida has a Panama City….we’re not talking about that one.  This was the authentic Panamanian experience.  This was also the first completely new port from WC23, “the first of firsts”.   It was ….well ….exhilarating to be in a completely new destination full of both mystery and surprise.   We marveled at so much we didn’t expect which made this a truly delightful port day.

But I’m ahead of myself.  Though we actually docked last evening, we weren’t allowed to disembark till 7am this morning.  Because we had no plans ashore, I decided to workout first, then breakfast and then we’d formulate a plan.

As mentioned before, days on a cruise have the most wonderful way of finding their own rhythm if you let them.  I’ve mentioned that 3x now because it’s so ridiculously out of character for me.  I’m organized, planned, intentional, structured and efficient.  That was my super power in my 40-year career.

Allowing the day to find its own rhythm is the opposite of every one of those attributes, especially efficiency.  It should drive me bonkers and yet, I’ve learned to trust the process.  No, actually, I've learned to trust the lack of process.

My workout was good, my weight is back to where I started and I’ve almost finished my first audio book, Ina Garten’s Be Ready When Luck Happens.  Next on the docket is Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Living.  I’ll provide book reviews in case you’re interested.  Breakfast was the best yet as I dabbled into the Asian section of the buffet.  Asians also love cruising and therefore are well represented by the cruise line, especially in the buffet. There you'll find traditional Asian breakfast options like congee are highlighted just as much as the vegetarian and gluten free options. 

I made a mixture of garlic fried rice, pork adobo, chili oil, mushrooms, bacon and topped it all with a fried egg.  It may not sound appealing, but it was outstanding.  The balance of flavors, savory, spicy, salty, combined with the textures of the soft egg and crispy bacon were a hit.  Just grabbed a bowl and started layering in the already prepared options on the buffet.   How easy is that?  Did I really just say that?  I guess I’m channeling my inner Ina.  I think she’d be pleased with me.  Next stop, the Hamptons.

While I was “channeling”, our new Canadian friends texted about meeting up to experience Panama together.  Shortly thereafter, our new Utah friends did as well.  We coordinated to meet at 9am at the gangway.   Sherri unfortunately still wasn’t feeling up to par due to some sniffles and decided to stay on board.  So it would be the 5 of us.  We briefly chatted about our options which were to organize a taxi tour and, if that didn’t work out, walk to nearby shops.

Fuente Amador has a fantastic cruise terminal, clean, air conditioned, organized…..until you get outside the building but before you’ve left the property.  The taxi operators SWARMED us, aggressively and relentlessly.  I never felt unsafe, just annoyed I wasn’t allowed to work with just 1 driver at a time to discuss options and of course, bargain.  My controlling side took over and, in Spanish, I let each aggressive taxi driver know we wouldn’t even give them an opportunity.  They prey on weakness and our desire not to be rude….but you need to match their rudeness and be definitive and direct in thwarting off those whose behavior is a clear indication they’re out for one thing only….$$$$.   I never looked back to see the looks on the faces of our Canadian and Utah friends, but I can only imagine it was a mix of both shock and gratitude.

We ultimately engaged with just 2 drivers, the first a woman who started at $50 pp and wouldn’t come down.  The second was Jaime, a retired navy gentlemen with dual citizenship in the US and Panama.  His English was excellent as you would imagine and, having strategically overheard our negotiations with the woman taxi driver, he started at $40 pp.  Progress.  We chatted more, I hesitated, $30 pp he offered.  "We’re almost there", I said.  I offered $25pp and we’d tip based on the quality of the tour and the vehicle.  DONE. At first he proposed a midsized SUV for the seven of us (we learned they come in pairs, a driver and a guide).  I said no, I wanted a van as we’d be in and out a lot and an SUV’s 3^rd row seat was not appropriate for adults.  He worked his magic and we were off in a beautiful, big, new 12 passenger van with GOOD TIRES 😉.

Immediately, we were stuck by the absolutely gorgeous skyline of Panama City across the bay from Fuerte Amador.  It was outstanding.  It looked like NYC across the Hudson River.  The buildings reminded me of Dubai’s exceptionally unique architecture.  I was in heaven. 

We drove over the Bridge of the America’s, which we had gone under the day before, to a scenic overlook currently under refurbishment by the Chinese.  The Panama Canal is important to the Chinese for obvious reasons.

We then proceeded by van to the Old Town, which to my surprise, Jaime escorted us the entire time, narrating various facts and figures.  Normally, they talk in the taxi and then let us explore on our own.   We shopped a little, stopped at historical points of interest, like an ancient orphanage.   He mentioned that Old Town had very specific requirements about renovations such that buildings had to be razed and reconstructed with modern engineering  and materials  BUT had to look exactly like what it replaced.

The city’s brick streets and blend of British, American and European architecture made it warm, familiar and welcoming. 

Art installations peppered the landscape too.

The people were terrific, prices fair, temperature was perfect at 80 with a light breeze.  I don’t think it could have been more perfect and I’d absolutely consider being an expat there.   I hear it’s incredibly favorable for American’s.  Here’s a site I’ve stumbled on that discusses the pros and cons.  It is officially an option for us…..not kidding.  I really loved the city.

Move to Panama? What You Need to Know | Retire In | Move to Panama

We then went to another scenic overlook specifically to take a picture of the most interesting building in the city.  What do you think?

Then another scenic opportunity along the way.

Lastly, we headed back toward the ship and the adjacent shopping area where I got a geocache (more on that later).  And then back to the ship, just a few minutes shy of 4 full hours.  I paid $35, and the others paid about the same.  He ended up with $160 or $125 + $35 tip.  I think it was a win/win for everyone.   Most of the tours thru Princess were $100-$150 pp, so a substantial savings with minimal risk and a BETTER tour experience because it was personal, on our time-table and we lost no time boarding or getting off a large bus.

I had a small, quick lunch after a quick stop in our stateroom to change.  Then I worked on the previous day’s blog in the Crooners Bar with a 24k Margarita.  I love sipping on it all afternoon out of my Yeti tumbler.  Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for dinner.  We sat at a nice table with the folks we met the first night.  Dinner for me was a vegetarian stir fry but with a salmon filet added and my wife got paella, also with a salmon filet.

The show was OK, interesting, different.   A husband and wife acrobat team themed to Charlie Chaplin and silent movies.  It was worth seeing once.  Then we headed to Crooners for my nightly Hot Pants drink from Henry.  It was about 8:15 by now and I realized, I was exhausted.  I’m averaging almost 20,000 steps per day, which is amazing.  So off to our stateroom to decompress, recount the day and prepare for an extra hour of sleep as we set our clocks back.  My body clock doesn’t change that fast.  It’s 4am ship time the next day as I started writing this.