I hung out with friends from the United States, Jim and Shelly. I was also nursing a bad cold.
Jim and Shelly live in the Casco Viejo neighborhood of Panama City. The area is also known as the San Felipe district. It is the second oldest section of Panama City. Panama Viejo is the oldest section of the city; however, back in the early days it had problems with pirates continually destroying it. So the city moved to the Casco Viejo section. The Casco Viejo district reminded me of the French Quarter district of New Orleans in the United States. However, the buildings in Panama City are in disrepair. They are not in as good a shape as those in New Orleans. However, there is an active restoration project in progress. There were run-down buildings with people squatting in them. Located next to that building would be a newly restored building.
The downtown area of Panama City is huge and has many new high rise buildings. I do not believe that anyone has informed Panamanians that there is a current global economic crisis. The downtown area has a beautiful skyline. I was told that Panama City has more banks than any other city in the Americas. That would be North, Central, and South America.
My friends Jim and Shelly
Non restored Casco district