I perhaps wrongly presumed it would be a smooth travel day, flying from Managua to Miami to Panama, however it probably wasn't any better than my travels on the chicken buses in Nicaragua. Customs and Immigration checks in the USA during my layover were a mess, as they always seem to be at big ariports in that country. And on the flight from Miami to Panama we were caught in a split second pocket of turbulence where for a moment it felt like we were about to go down. But we made it, and following a debate with a taxi driver over the price of a cab to my hostel (frustratingly this is becoming a common occurrence where metered taxis don't seem to exist around Central America), I slumped into my hostel bed at around 11pm.

A couple of days here was enough time for a decent mix between some sightseeing, relaxing, and even managing to squeeze in a workout. On Friday I hopped on the Metro towards Casco Viejo, where on the way I stopped off at the Mercado de Mariscos to sample some fresh Ceviche. Delicious and cheap, yet since I've left Peru it has become clear nothing will ever top the Ceviche I enjoyed in Lima.

Casco Viejo (Old Town in English) is very different from the rest of Panama City. Whereas the surrounds of my hostel is filled with businesses, high rise buildings and apartments, Casco Viejo feels like a purpose built colonial area for tourists. It is beautiful however, and upon entering I immediately regretted my choice to stay at a hostel outside of the old town. I visited the Panama Canal museum, then hunted down a particular cafe recommended on a blog I found online, which serves one of the most popular variety's of coffee in the world - Geisha. Geisha coffee is one of the most premium and expensive coffees in the world and can be sold for up to $170 a pound. Panama is one of the top producers of this special blend of coffee, and just one cup will set you back around US$9.

On Saturday I visited the famous Panama Canal. In the entry line I got chatting to Iraisís, a girl from Venezuela who was also visiting Panama. It was a good thing I had someone to talk to as there wasn't a boat due to pass through the canal for another 3 hours after we arrived. Only there was one problem, she barely spoke a word of English, and my Spanish doesn't extend much further than the basics of conversation.

After staying to see a few small, and one incredibly huge boat pass through the canal, Ira and I headed back to Albrook Mall for a late lunch. It must've been a strange site to others in the food court - seeing two people having an extended conversation almost entirely via Google Translate, although the food court also contained a full size carousel you'd see at a fair ground, so maybe our conversation wasn't the strangest thing there.

The mammoth Dalian Highway passes through the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal

This morning I went for a run along Cinta Costera, a beautiful long stretch of waterfront park where many people run, bike, walk or just sit on a bench and people watch, and after almost passing out under the intense Panama heat and humidity, I cooled off in the hostel pool. I went back to the local mall to buy a few things in preparation for my boat ride through the San Blas islands tomorrow (taking me to Colombia), then hunted down another cafe serving the Geisha coffee. It's a good thing I'm leaving tomorrow as I can see this coffee quickly making a considerable dent in my daily budget. Yet as I sat back in my chair, feeling no remorse at the exorbitant amount of money I'd spent on only 2 coffees this day, I felt somewhat proud of my tenuous grasp of Spanish that had made my conversation with Iraisís all the more difficult - for it also allows me to sit in a cafe full of people, and yet be completely unaware of the conversations unfolding around me, in my own bubble of quietness amongst the numerous voices competing for my attention.