Casco Viejo

January 31, 2023

For my first real day off in Casco Viejo, I took the bike out to explore the dedicated bike routes – unloaded. It felt like a nice Saturday afternoon ride at home, only, several thousand miles away, and a lot hotter. I went down the waterfront on Balboa Avenue to look at my last hotel on the trip, as well as the bike shop somewhat next to it, except the bike shop didn't open until 9:00. So then I went all the way back past my hotel in the other direction on the Cinta Costera loop that goes out in the ocean a bit around Casco Viejo to the Amador Causeway. This Causeway is a little man-made jet of land that goes out to an island a few miles out from the mainland. There wasn't a lot of traffic this morning, which is always nice, and apparently on the Amador Causeway bikes can use the street exclusively from 4:00 to 9:00 in the morning. 4:00 seems kind of early, seeing how it does not get light until about 6:30, but whatever. I got some really great angle shots of downtown from there. Then went back to the bike shop after they opened to make sure they had a big box for me, and they do, so I'll go back there on Friday to get that and pack all my stuff in there then for the flight out on Sunday morning. Oh man, I hate to think about that already, but I guess its time. Until I retire anyway!

After my bike ride this morning then, I went out on Avenida Central from my hotel, which is a big long street dedicated to vendors that cars cannot drive on. It is no shopping strip like in Playa Del Carmen certainly, but it is very Panama; just full of the local culture. Then I finally just walked around the streets old Casco Viejo some more, down to the water, by French square. Around every corner is a new surprise, either a beautiful building, or some old rubble, but it's always a surprise, and usually has a nice cool breeze waiting too.

Then, just went back to the hotel room a little bit early because I had a couple of meetings that I needed to attend to.