We had a very long day getting to Panama, largely due to a 6 hour layover in Houston. The day started at 3:15 AM wake up in order to make a 5:30 AM departure out of Colorado Springs. We managed to pass the time in Houston without getting terminally bored. Caroline and Jeanne found a pleasant way to pass the time. Jon and I, on the other hand, were not quite as fortunate.
The four flight to Panama was fine. I made a point of writing Panama City, Panama in the title because there is a Panama City, FL as well. One of the flight attendants said that a week ago there was a passenger on board who in mid air told them he thought he was going to Florida. His tickets said Panama, but that is not where he wan't to end up. Surprise.
We didn't get to see much of Panama because it was dark when we arrived. But by all appearances, it is a modern city and if the language were English, it would not be much different than a big American city. I did see the Golden Arches and a couple of Subways. We have today to recover from our long day yesterday and explore the center city a bit.
Our hotel is very nice. The people at the front desk were friendly and helpful. The language is a bit of a barrier, but not unworkable. Fortunately, Jeanne knows a bit of Spanish and I have my handy-dandy dictionary on my iPhone. Our room, as you can see is quite spacious and comfortable. It did take us a while to adjust the temperature in the room. The man who helped us with our luggage turned it on and set it at 16C. That is low 60s in F. I turned it up to about 20 (68 F), but even that was way too cold. I finally got the fan set on low and the temperature up to where it is possible sleep without freezing. The bed had a sheet and a very thick comforter. For me (first person will generally be Chuck), the T would have to be 55 or lower to sleep under that comforter. In any case the hotel is perfect for our short stay in the city before the cruise. Jeanne, our hotel finder, did her usual great job!
This is the furthest south that we have ever been. Panama is about 9 degrees north latitude. As a result, the ratio between daylight and dark is close to 50-50. The furtherest south we have been before this is either Israel or the Florida keys (I'm guessing the latter, but would have to look on a globe to be sure).
At 7:35 AM Panama time (6:35 CO time) it is 0 C in COS (32F) and 25 C in Panama (77F). Predicted highs are 11C and 33C (52F and 91F). BTW, 91F is a cool day in Panama for this time of year.