We set the alarm because we needed to be at the bus station to buy tickets one hour before departure. It wasn't particularly early, it's just that we're getting lazy after being in the islands. We arrived at the bus station a few minutes before 8am and were shouted on to a bus that was leaving right away - we would just pay for our tickets on board. So much for buying them an hour before but it did mean we would get to Panama City an hour earlier than we anticipated.

We were on a coach and managed to get 2 seats together at the very back of the bus. The air conditioning was not working properly though and it was even hotter where we sat because the heat from the bus' engine was coming from directly below us. Half way through the trip, Maria managed to change seats to a slightly cooler spot after a few passengers got off in in Santiago. As we neared Panama City, most people on the bus were beginning to get irritated and complaining about broken AC and the lack of TV or music. Apparently we were on one of the very few old buses remaining in the network, perhaps if we waited for the 9am we might have had a more comfortable journey.

The traffic was heavy on the approach to the city and was almost at a standstill although that did give us a good view as we crossed the Bridge of Americas. Apart from the view down over the water running from the Panama Canal into the Pacific, the next most striking thing was all the skyscrapers in the city. We haven't seen a high rise since the UK, and there were tons of them here.

The traffic eased off after the bridge and we were soon pulling into the Albrook bus station, it was enormous and full of buses, not just empty bays. A Metro line has just recently been opened in Panama City, so recently that it still looks very new and some people look scared when riding on it, holding on whiteknuckled. It is similar in style to Madrid's metro although not the price, for the grand sum of 35 cents we were whisked off to Via Argentina, half way across the city, in just a few minutes.

Our hotel, the Principe Hotel and Suites, was only a few minutes walk from the metro station. We knew the hotel had only been open for a few months and it was very cheap compared to other hotels in the area, our fingers were crossed that it was opening pricing whilst it built up it's reputation. The lobby looked extremely nice but many hotels often have old and dated rooms behind a flash new lobby. When we walked into our room, we were taken aback - it was huge and very well decorated. There was nothing more we could ask for, it had brand new modern bathroom fittings and the comfiest bed and pillows imaginable. With a pool for Maria, a TV for David's World Cup viewing and excellent WiFi, it was everything we needed for a very comfortable stay.

The hotel was in one of the better and safer neighbourhoods, El Cangrejo, and seemed very nice when we went for a walk later. It has a lot of residential apartments but also loads of restaurants on the main Via Argentina which is regarded as one of the city's best locations for eating out.

We had dinner at El Caribe and as the name suggests, it specialises in Caribbean cuisine. David had very yummy but extra spicy jerk chicken and Maria had a coconut 'bacalao' stew. The stew itself was very tasty except the cod was dried, as opposed to fresh, and was very salty. Fortunately we had ordered a bucket of Coronas that were on special so there was plenty of beer to quench the thirst. We were even given free t-shirts which came as a surprise. We had a table by the pavement and hawkers come past occassionley trying to sell their wares. This guy held up a t-shirt and David thought he was selling it at first but he was just showing us the logo before giving us one each.

We have six nights in the city to do some sightseeing, a bit of preparation for South America and to chill and enjoy the metropolitan atmosphere. Even though we've only been in the city a few hours, it's got a nice feel to it...