Panama - Last day in Panama City Sept 22, 2022
We have arrived in Boquete, but I think I will tell you of our last day in the Sauna Season of Panama City yesterday. Instead of going out to Casco Viejo (Old City) on Thursday as planned, we had a taxi take us to the MultiPlex Mall. Casco Viejo is a walking town, and with thunder, lightning, and pouring rain falling at a moment's notice at any time of the day, it is not a good place to walk-about. Meanwhile, I needed a pair of closed-toe shoes, so we went to the mall. The Uber X driver dropped us off at the mall entrance closest to Tony Roma's Restaurant and the Marriott for only $3.67 in a lovely Lexus - whew!
The MultiPlex Mall is based around a multi-screen movie theater and is attached to a large Marriott Hotel complex. We knew of it because we stayed at that Marriott the night before starting our Panama Relocation Tour in late January. I had commented in January that hanging out at the malls in Panama is much like any mall in the USA - same stores, same styles, same food court.
We asked the Mall Information Desk for their recommendation for casual but not sports shoes, and they sent us to two designer stores - not my style. But, on our way, we found Payless Shoes, who have the Florsheim franchise, and within 10 minutes, I had chosen a pair of shoes from Brazil which fit well and came in size 8/39, but not a 7.5 (I was concerned about stretching, as there were no straps). Cute, half price at $27, and they go with everything I remembered to bring with me. Ta-da!
New shoes accomplished. My feet had been feeling off and crampy, tingly and not wanting to bend, and the shoes I wore were feeling smooshy. I am not used to wearing the same shoes for days on end, and the wet and wild weather was not conducive to letting the street water run through my footwear. Miguel was so pleased! He said he had never been shopping with a woman that didn't involve at least three stores and 27 try-ons before returning to the first store to buy a 28th pair.
Having accomplished that, we repaired to the Food Court, where we had ice cream. One thing about the Panamanians is that they like their chocolate dark - no messing around with milk chocolate here. When you find Guitard chocolate squares here, they start with 62% and go up to 91%, and I didn't know Guitard even offered 91%. I got a dark chocolate ice cream that was so luscious that one scoop covered me for lunch and dinner, and I didn't want anything else to crowd in on the happy space in my tummy. Miguel had Maracuya ice cream; maracuya is a tart passion-type fruit that he first had in Brazil when we visited, he never knew it in Guatemala, but it is common in the lower and hotter lands of Central America - and after his double scoop, he wanted lunch promptly. We went to a different part of the food court, and I took a few photos for you while he ate his wraps from Fitness Food. Carl's Jr, Applebee's, Cinnabon, KFC, Subway; the number of USA franchises is silly.
Between the USA stores, hotel chains, and food chains, I feel that they should just name these places the Malls of the Americas. Really, there is no clue as to where your geographical location is; Brazil, Panama, Michigan, they are all the same.
I did include one Mexican food photo reference, below, Tacontento - Miguel and I both got a different cultural pun. Tacontento (get it?). Miguel kept saying, "Get it? Esta contento instead of esta bien?" And I was saying, "Get it? Sharing the co from both words to make one long word that covers both?" He didn't get mine, and I didn't get his joke references, but we both thought it very clever on the owner's part.
Meanwhile, you can easily find food from India, Asia, major and minor, and many places worldwide, but not so often from Mexico - interesting!
Our Uber back to the hotel picked us up at the TGIFridays Mall entrance and whisked us back to the Panama Zen hotel in a sleek Audi for $3.36. As soon as we got in the door to the hotel, the thunder, lightning, and rain reigned!
I spent the evening packing our 5 suitcases to check and 5 carryons to haul to our Copa flight to Boquete yesterday. We had another Uber slated to pick us up at 12:30 to get us to the airport on time for the one-hour flight (as opposed to a 7-hour drive) to David, where Antonio from Mexico would pick us to bring us to our AirBnB in Boquete.
Tomorrow, I will fill you in on the trip to Boquete and the calm that has already beset me!
MaryBea y Miguel
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