CALL OF THE OCEANS
Panama sits at a crossroads—the only place in the world where you can watch the sun rise over the Pacific and set over the Atlantic on the same day. Apart from its eponymous canal, I don’t know P much about this isthmus country, which rose from the ocean to connect the continents of South and North America about 2.8 million years ago, permanently changing currents, climate and biodiversity. I heard rumours of a burgeoning gourmet scene in Panama City, with innovative restaurants built inside restored colonial buildings, but it is the opening of a new luxury eco-hotel on a cluster of remote islands, with white-sand beaches and coral reefs teeming with wildlife, that really pique my interest.
My best friend and I start and 18 centuries, when Panama was part of the Spanish Empire. Today, these historic structures vie for attention with the towering skyscrapers of the city’s central business district, giving even Manhattan a run for its money.
