Panama City 2

I took a bus to the Presidential Palace and I didn't think the palace would be in the part of the city considered dangerous. The bus was taking turns through the winding roads of something which looked like Alfama in Lisbon. It's a very beautiful part of the city but very run down. It's right on the coast - some of the residential buildings, and the palace, overlook the water. The bus driver at one point stopped and called a police officer who "took me over" and walked me to the "Tourist Police Station". There they greeted me warmly and told me not to walk around the "Harlem" and offered to store my backpack while I was visiting the safe part of the Harlem. There was a lot of police everywhere... It's strange that the Presidential Palace is in such a dangerious area. But it is beautiful. It must look a little bit like Havana also - from what I could see in the movie about the Beuena Vista Social Club. When I returned I asked if it's possible to get a taxi but they gladly offered to give me a lift. Amazing! They drove me to the door of the hostel - the hotel in which I spent last night was expensive but I got to the centre too late to look for something else. Hostel Voyager International is very nice ($8). It's really an apartment turned into a hostel but the atmosphere is great - it's the atomsphere of a place in which people who travel the world live. I left my backpack here and I went to visit the Old Panama City which are just ruins of a cathedral and surrounding buildings, overlooking the sea. It's also a park and kids were playing ball with their parents, having pickincs, dogs were running around - nice. I took a nap on the grass in what used to be the parish house. It was very rejuvenating. I also visited the museum dedicated to the old city. Very interesting but I was the only one visitor. They were so happy to see me - I think people must be just bypassing it because it is a 10-minute walk from the ruinas. On my way to the hostel I realized I lost the address. I went to a pharmacy to ask if they had a telephone book but the hostel was not listed there and the daughter of the pharmacists offered to give me a lift to an Internet cafe so that I could find it there. The people are just amazing here. They are out of this world. There must be problems here if there's so much police, and I think much must be connected to the smuggling of drugs, but in general people have hearts on the palm of their hand. It took me some time to find the hostel - everything changes at night - and I am going straight to bed. I am roasted. It's really hot here. Hot and humid, like the worst summer days in NY. The city is very unusual. More about it soon. Much huggs to you all, thank you for your wonderful e-mails - I love getting them!!!