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54321
Frommers Star Ratings System
Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listed in this guide has been ranked for quality and value. Heres what the stars mean:
| Recommended |
| Highly Recommended |
| A must! Don't miss! |
AN IMPORTANT NOTE
The world is a dynamic place. Hotels change ownership, restaurants hike their prices, museums alter their opening hours, and busses and trains change their routings. And all of this can occur in the several months after our authors have visited, inspected, and written about, these hotels, restaurants, museums and transportation services. Though we have made valiant efforts to keep all our information fresh and up-to-date, some few changes can inevitably occur in the periods before a revised edition of this guidebook is published. So please bear with us if a tiny number of the details in this book have changed. Please also note that we have no responsibility or liability for any inaccuracy or errors or omissions, or for inconvenience, loss, damage, or expenses suffered by anyone as a result of assertions in this guide.
CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Food and travel writer Nicholas Gill lives in Lima, Peru, and Brooklyn, New York. His work appears in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fool, New York Magazine, and Roads & Kingdoms, among others. He is the co-founder of Newworlder.com, a website dedicated to exploring food and travel in the Americas.
ABOUT THE FROMMER TRAVEL GUIDES
For most of the past 50 years, Frommers has been the leading series of travel guides in North America, accounting for as many as 24% of all guidebooks sold. I think I know why.
Though we hope our books are entertaining, we nevertheless deal with travel in a serious fashion. Our guidebooks have never looked on such journeys as a mere recreation, but as a far more important human function, a time of learning and introspection, an essential part of a civilized life. We stress the culture, lifestyle, history, and beliefs of the destinations we cover, and urge our readers to seek out people and new ideas as the chief rewards of travel.
We have never shied from controversy. We have, from the beginning, encouraged our authors to be intensely judgmental, criticalboth pro and conin their comments, and wholly independent. Our only clients are our readers, and we have triggered the ire of countless prominent sorts, from a tourist newspaper we called practically worthless (it unsuccessfully sued us) to the many rip-offs weve condemned.
And because we believe that travel should be available to everyone regardless of their incomes, we have always been cost-conscious at every level of expenditure. Though we have broadened our recommendations beyond the budget category, we insist that every lodging we include be sensibly priced. We use every form of media to assist our readers, and are particularly proud of our feisty daily website, the award-winning Frommers.com.
I have high hopes for the future of Frommers. May these guidebooks, in all the years ahead, continue to reflect the joy of travel and the freedom that travel represents. May they always pursue a cost-conscious path, so that people of all incomes can enjoy the rewards of travel. And may they create, for both the traveler and the persons among whom we travel, a community of friends, where all human beings live in harmony and peace.
Arthur Frommer
Panama Citys Casco Viejo or Old Town
The Best of Panama
F or such a thin squiggle of land, Panama offers travelers a surprisingly diverse selection of landscapes, cultures, and experiences.
In Panama City alone, modern skyscrapers contrast with 18th-century architecture, and a 10-minute cab ride from downtown puts you deep into rainforest teeming with wildlife. From the cool, fertile highlands in the Chiriqu region to the thick lowland jungle and white-sand beaches of Panamas tropical islands, this tiny nation packs fun and adventure into a small package. In addition, Panama boasts a rich history and a melting pot of cultures, including seven indigenous groups, many of whom maintain their customs today. Best of all, the country is gloriously free of tourists. But get here soonPanama is far too attractive to stay a secret for long.
Panamas best Authentic Experiences
Eating Ceviche at the Mercado de Mariscos (Panama City): Have a taste of the rich waters off the countrys Pacific coastline with a sample of ceviche, finely diced and marinated fish and/or shellfish, from a Styrofoam cup sold at one of the many carts in Panama Citys most famous market. If the tall glass jars and piles of just-caught seafood on ice is a bit too raw an experience for you, step outside to the slightly more formal market stalls with full menus of seafood dishes. See .
Walking Through a Coffee Plantation on the Bar Volcano (Chiriqu Highlands): The rugged, 3,505m (11,500-ft.) Bar volcano, the highest point in the country, is the centerpiece of Volcn Bar National Park and a bioclimatic island. Its home to a wild, dense rainforest packed with bamboo gardens and towering trees dripping with vines and sprouting bromeliads and orchids from its trunks and branches. Near Boquete, the slopes of the volcano are home to some of the most prized coffee plantations in the world. See .
Exploring the Canal Zone (near Panama City): Seeing the modern marvel of engineering that is the canal will show you how .