Scared to visit Mexico? How about Panama?

by Chris Owen on

News reports of ongoing crime and attacks on travelers in Mexico have land vacationers looking for alternative destinations and cruise ships headed in the opposite direction. Sure, those beheadings, murders and shootings are happening in remote areas of Mexico for the most part, but stories of such activity combined with travel warnings by trusted sources are enough to shift our focus elsewhere.

A look farther south, past Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua finds the welcoming and relatively-safe-compared-to-Mexico nations of Costa Rica and Panama.

Checking in first with the US Department of State for travel warnings or alerts, Costa Rica has the higher rating of the two.

“Adventure tourism is popular in Costa Rica, and many companies offer white-water rafting, bungee jumping, jungle canopy tours, SCUBA diving, and other outdoor attractions. U.S. citizens are urged to use caution in selecting adventure tourism companies.” says the Department of State, adding “The Government of Costa Rica regulates and monitors the safety of these companies, and registered tourism companies with operating permits must meet safety standards and have insurance coverage.”

Still, the murder of an Argentinian tourist on Thursday raises the question of security and safety for tourism in the Central American country which receives every year more than 2 million visitors.

It seems there is danger anywhere if we look hard enough.

Maybe we should look at this whole security issue a bit differently by seeing where construction of new tourist destinations is happening. With the idea that surely no responsible company would build a multi-million dollar property someplace unsafe to travel, let’s take a look at Panama.

The Westin Playa Bonita Panamá, the first Westin in Panama, is set to be unveiled in October of this year. Currently under construction, the 100 million dollar beach hotel will offer the largest meeting and banquet space in the Republic of Panamá and is being brought to life by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and Bern Hotels & Resorts.

“We believe the first Westin in the Republic of Panamá is one of the most exciting new prospects the destination has seen in decades. Our goal is to create an exclusive lifestyle beach hotel that showcases the Republic of Panamá’s natural beauty and redefines the nation’s travel industry,” said Herman Bern Jr., President of Bern Hotels and Resorts. “The beach hotel will cater to the luxurious demands of a diverse set of international consumers that visit the destination. With our premier location, accommodations and amenities, we will provide guests with an inimitable business or leisure experience.”

Conceived as what the operators call “a contemporary luxury oasis”, the 611-room Westin Playa Bonita Panamá will offer beachfront views of the Pacific Ocean through the lobby’s massive floor to ceiling windows along with seven restaurants, four bars and 65,000 square feet of meeting space.

A 20-minute drive from Panamá City, the beach hotel is also in close proximity to various attractions, historic landmarks and national parks. Known primarily for the Panama Canal, Panama also lists world-class surfing, a low risk of hurricane problems and use of the US dollar as it’s currency among other reasons for Americans to visit the southernmost Central American country.

Panama may be just far enough away from Mexico to avoid crime problems that spill over the borders of neighboring countries yet positioned quite nicely to be a good choice for secure travel in a warm-weather climate.

22-year-old Ali Philbrick thinks so and will call Panama home for the next six months as she teaches English to middle or high school students in the Central American country’s capital reports Gazzette.net.

“While I’m young, I might as well help people,” said Philbrick, who earned an undergraduate degree in math in 2010. “The ability to speak English is really important to [Panamanians] because with the Panama Canal, their economy is changing.”

Panama is the newest program opened by WorldTeach, a nonprofit organization that provides about 500 volunteer teachers annually to meet needs identified by foreign governments.

Companies building, non-profits sending in people to help, these are all non-typical, documentable indicators of a safe destination to visit. While travelers are urged to be aware of security alerts and warnings and pay attention to news reports, it seems there is often more to the story of travel security.

Airbnb: Six awesome experiences

by Alex Robertson Textor on

Last autumn, after having tracked the Airbnb buzz for a while, I finally took the plunge and reserved rooms through the site in Panama City and Bogotá for my two-stop December jaunt.

About a half-hour into my first pit stop, it was already clear to me that the service was a perfect fit for budget-conscious travelers. (For the record, I’m not the only Airbnb fan at Gadling. Check out my colleague Elizabeth Seward’s Airbnb post published earlier this year.)

For those unfamiliar with it, Airbnb is a rental service. House or apartment owners list their spare beds, rooms, or entire living spaces for rent on the site.

What makes Airbnb distinct? First of all, owners are paid 24 hours after the reservation begins, a delay that helps weed out dishonest landlords. Another important detail: if there is a problem with a rental, guests can contact Airbnb to void payment. I was comfortable with Airbnb from the outset in light of these consumer protection safeguards, and the fact that everyone is encouraged to evaluate one another following a stay was icing on the cake. Landlords can’t get away with false advertising, and poor behavior on the part of a guest or host will also be exposed through reviews. Good hosts and guests can both build up positive profiles via strong reviews.

Overall, Airbnb is pretty scamproof if used as directed. In a review of comments and criticisms of Airbnb online, it appears that some people have been scammed after making a payment on a rental outside of the Airbnb payment system. Payment via the Airbnb payment system, it should go without saying, is a much safer bet. Here’s a tiny piece of advice: If any property owner you contact through Airbnb urges you to bypass the Airbnb payment system and directly wire them money, cut off contact and report them.

Overnight, I became a fan of Airbnb. Seldom had I found such cheap accommodations in such comfortable surroundings, and with the added benefit of an instant social network of locals taking an interest in my welfare. I’ve experienced just two annoyances of the most minor sort: a host in Panama City who never messaged me back and a hostess in Tel Aviv whose room was not available despite being advertised as such.

But where did I stay? What were my accommodations like? And what did they cost?Panama City. In the Panamanian capital, I stayed in a high-rise in a wealthy neighborhood just down the street from the US Embassy. I had my own bright bedroom and a private bathroom. My host introduced me to some of his favorite restaurants and dined with me on two of my three nights in the city. An American expat, he was full of helpful tips and friendly asides. The damage: $72 per night.

Bogotá. I lucked out here, with a beautifully swank apartment near the center of the city (see above for a balcony-level photo of the street in front of the building.) My hosts were phenomenally kind. They served me breakfast, drove me around, gave me advice, and introduced me to their friends at elaborate dinner parties. It was here that I had the incredible experience of sampling homemade ajiaco, a delicious Colombian potato soup. The damage: $60 per night.

Amsterdam. I stayed in the funky neighborhood of De Pijp over the week of Christmas, first by myself for a night (sharing the space with my hosts) and then with my family for a week (by ourselves). De Pijp is an exciting, dynamic neighborhood. The apartment was beautiful if small and the only downside was its draftiness, particularly noticeable due to the frigid temps. The damage: $62 for a single room; $243 per person for seven nights for the entire unit.

Oslo. Before my February visit, I was terrified of Oslo’s price index, and justifiably so, as it turned out. What made Oslo affordable was my rental room, a quiet little space in an apartment about a kilometer from the train station. I shared kitchen and bathroom with the very friendly owner. The damage: $76 per night.

Tel Aviv. I stayed in the superhip neighborhood of Noga, next to Jaffa. My temporary studio, a factory conversion, had high ceilings and a pleasingly post-industrial decor. I had the entire studio to myself for two nights. On my final morning in Tel Aviv, my hosts showed up, chatted with me about a number of topics, and then drove me to the train station. The damage: $119 per night.

Jerusalem. I stayed in a hilly, residential part of West Jerusalem. I had a tiny apartment of my own, an annex to my hosts’ apartment, with a bathroom, a little kitchen, and access to a back garden. My hosts, long-term peace activists, were wonderful for conversation, information, and mid-morning coffee. The damage: $84 per night.

Airbnb has been in the news recently. Ashton Kutcher was announced as an investor and advisor in late May. Last week, it was revealed that contact salespeople working for Airbnb surreptitiously contacted property owners advertising on Craigslist to expand listings.

Panamanian surfer rides wave for 41 miles!

by Kraig Becker on

The Panama Canal is truly a modern wonder of engineering and construction. Stretching 48 miles in length, it offers a narrow corridor of water between North and South America through which ships can pass to and from the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. This past weekend, champion surfer Gary Saavedra grabbed his board and hit those waters, hoping to set several new records in the process.

On Saturday, Saavedra made history by becoming the first person to ever surf in the Canal, but that was just the prelude to what he really had in mind. The 13-time national champion of Panama hopped on his board and began riding a wave generated by a lead boat, and then proceeded to surf for 3 hours, 55 minutes, and 2 seconds straight, covering 41.3 miles in the process. Both of those marks are new records for time and distance in open water.

The ride was no simple walk in the park however, as Saavedra had to deal with windy conditions, plenty of choppy water, and the wake generated by a number of passing cargo freighters sailing between the oceans. The long ride took its toll physically as well, as he rode the final hour with a cramp in his leg which is ultimately what brought an end to his day on the water.

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday huh? What did you do this past weekend?

[Photo Credit: Associated Press]


Panama City: Casco Viejo rising

by Alex Robertson Textor on


Casco Viejo is on the edge, but of what?

Depending on who you talk to, Panama City’s old town, Casco Viejo, has either already peaked or only recently managed to identify how it might achieve its prime.

The neighborhood is inarguably gorgeous. Beautifully renovated structures share space with completely decrepit buildings. There are plazas, churches, convent ruins, and, at one extreme, a fortress wall. The National Theatre lies within its borders, as does the Presidential Palace.

There is a well-manned Tourist Police office as well, and a smattering of cute cafes, restaurants, bars, galleries, and shops. And yet, even with all these facilities, there is an appealingly abandoned feel to many blocks. These ignored buildings, some with internal foliage peeking through open windows and many with wrought-iron balconies and gates, continue to be a primary feature of the neighborhood.

In fact, there has been a buzz in Casco Viejo for some time, and paradoxically it is this very buzz that has encouraged the abandonment of many buildings. Between 1990 and 2000, the population of Casco Viejo fell by almost a third, to under 7000, after the passage of a law designed to encourage the rehabilitation of buildings. This law prompted property owners, operating under the assumption that gentrification was imminent, to kick their poor tenants out. (Many of the neighborhood’s tenants generate no money whatsoever for landlords. They are destitute, and were originally relocated to unoccupied Casco Viejo buildings by Panama’s Housing Ministry.) Interestingly enough, many buildings remain unoccupied today. For greater real estate history, check out this article in the Panama News a few years back.

It looks as if many empty buildings may remain abandoned, at least in the near future. In August 2010, the government suspended plans to invest in previously scheduled renovation projects in the neighborhood.

So what’s in the cards?

One possibility is that Casco Viejo will become more of an artist colony. In the Panama Report, a publication devoted to travel and investment in Panama, Jesse Levin suggested in a 2009 article that Casco Viejo’s stop-and-start pace of gentrification has happened in part because the ‘hood simply heated up too quickly, leaving a massive gap between those who could make a purchase at the top of the market and Casco Viejo’s “natural” new inhabitants: people of moderate means in the domestic creative class.

Another possible future of the neighborhood can be glimpsed in the emergence of Las Clementinas, a very nicely detailed guesthouse and restaurant-bar in the heart of the neighborhood, which opened in November. It’s hard not to be impressed by Las Clementinas. It’s got beautiful rooms (pricey for Panama City, at $240 per night) and a popular restaurant-bar. I ate dinner there alone, surrounded by rich Panamanians celebrating a birthday and a few fellow tourists. The meal’s highlight was fufu, a somewhat spicy Caribbean soup. The food was fine, and the atmosphere was outstanding down to the last detail.

Las Clementinas is posh, and it is posh in a particularly Panamanian way. It feels like it belongs in Casco Viejo. But if another dozen businesses like Las Clementinas open up in the neighborhood, what will happen? Will Casco Viejo slowly but unavoidably morph into a cliched overdone tourist destination, terribly pretty but lifeless?

Whatever the pace and whatever the outcome, Casco Viejo’s current state prompts consideration from locals and visitors alike about what makes a tourist neighborhood special and wonderful to visit.

Looking for more Panama? Check out Darren Murph’s much-visited recent post on Panama for Gadling here.

Massive floods close Panama Canal but end of world not near

by Chris Owen on

Ship transit through the Panama Canal was suspended Wednesday as flood waters, the worst ever recorded, made transit impossible.

17 hours of prolonged heavy rain forced the closing, only the third time since the canal opened 96 years ago and the first time because of flooding. Panama’s civil protection system declared Eastern Panama on high alert and issued evacuation orders for over 1000 people in dozens of flooded neighborhoods.

Reopening on Thursday, operations are back to normal at this time and no cruise ship itineraries were affected reports CruiseCritic.com

The Canal also closed in 1989 when the United States invaded Panama to depose bad guy Manuel Noreiga. In 1915 and into 1916 landslides closed the Canal, only months after it opened.

In case you missed it in history class, the Panama Canal was built by the United States between 1904 and 1914. It serves as a link between the Atlantic and Pacific ocean and handles more than 200 million metric tons of cargo every year.

Flickr photo by galif548