Panama

Panama is the southernmost country in Central America. The official language is Spanish but minority languages like Kuna and Guayami are also spoken along with a version of Jamaican patois or creole called Guari Guari. Panama is ethnically diverse. The terrain includes mountains, jungles, waterways, and coastal lands. Overall the climate is tropical. Panama is the habitat for diverse animal species, such as ocelots, golden tree frogs, and endangered chiriqui olingos. Mainstays of Panama’s expanding economy include banking, tourism, and trading. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Panama Canal in the early 20th century, and tolls from passing through have provided significant income.

The Camino de Cruces National Park has an incredible rainforest in the heart of Panama City. clearly, the Panama Canal is an important sight. Tours can be pricy, and cruising between the urban Balboa and Colón on the Atlantic Coast is very time-consuming, but you can get a great view from Miraflores Locks on the Northeastern side of Panama City. In Parque Nacional Coiba, you can kick back on sandy beaches or do some whale-watching amidst other wildlife.

Maize, rice, wheat flour, plantains, and yucca are common starchy staples. Typical vegetables include tomatoes, greens, and cucumbers. Pork, beef, and most of all fish are popular fleshy foods. Ceviche is practically a national dish, and if you’re pescatarian or omnivorous it would behoove you to sample widely. You can even drink the runoff liquid from marinated ceviche, leche de tigre, rumored to be a hangover remedy. Try a tamale wrapped in a banana leaf, or some coconut rice.

You can find vegetarian or even vegan Panamanian and Chinese restaurants, the prevalence of which makes sense given how old and connected the Chinese community is in this place. There are also bakeries with whole grain or gluten-free breads, and a few health food stores here and there. If you want a delicious cold cocktail, try either a seco sour made with a local sugarcane-based spirit, or the slightly complex Panamanian version of sorrel drink containing sorrel sepals, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, water, and a splash of rum. Aah, that’s nice!