It feels like today was a blur! We all woke up bright and early for breakfast, before heading to Casco Antiguo; the old quarter of Panama City. The area has a long and colorful history, not all of it necessarily fun but all of it vital for understanding the context of how Panama came to be like it is. Our tour started quite simply in the V Centenario Plaza talking about the geography of the isthmus, before touching on some deeper themes, like what it takes for a country to be considered ‘independent,’ and how the framing of an event can vary wildly by the interests of whoever explains it. Even outside of that, we had can essentially be called a primer on a lot of the days ahead.

One of the beautiful aspects of Casco Antiguo is in the diveristy of what it has to offer, from urals on revolutionary history, to a glimpse at environmental and indigenous issues in the modern day.

After our tour, we decided by unanimous vote to head off and have lunch after a nap, which was greatly needed! We had lunch onour way to Las Tablas, and started our time in the city with a quick tour before sundown (and by extension dinner).