Published on Dec, 2019
Jose Montenegro spoke English and Spanish and as I was a solo traveler, I felt extremely comfortable being with him for about 5 hours during my layover. Upon landing in PTY, I met with Sr. Montenegro at the airport and we began our day where he was able to customize the tour to my liking as well as my timing to ensure prompt arrival for my next flight. We started off the day getting souvenirs in Albrook Mall, then receiving historic information from Sr. Montenegro-- who is extremely knowledgeable!-- at Calzada de Amador and Casco Viejo. We then had an amazing lunch of my choice-- I opted for ceviche, fried fish, and fried plantains-- at the Mercado de Mariscos (FYI: be prepared to pay in USD cash!), and ended it at Miraflores, the Panama Canal, which was the highlight of the trip. We were lucky and saw a cruise ship, a catamaran, AND a third boat passing through. We stayed about an hour there (wishing I had more time to see it pass through completely) and it was truly incredible to witness this phenomenon. If you have a long layover in Panama City, this is definitely the tour you should be taking! Also, I cannot fail to mention how he is so encouraging in taking photos and is patient and enthusiastic with your photographic needs! You will not be disappointed and will leave enriched about Panamanian history and culture and wanting more!
