Santiago 3/1/09 by Michael Wald

Santiago is a great launching spot from which to see all of Panama.It is by far the cheapest city in the country, and yet it has almost everything you might need.

The hotels in Santiago are clean and cheap.Unless there is a wedding or convention, it is generally easy to get a room.

The buses leave Santiago from 3 different locations, depending on which busline you are using and where you are going.But Santiago is small enough that you can actually walk from one bus station to the other.The best station to get off at is called "Piramidal," named after the architecture of the building which has a large pyramid on top.At that station you have a decent hotel by the same name.Next to it you have the best shopping center in Santiago called the Galeria (look for the sign that says Kentucky Fried Chicken). The shopping center has the best supermarket and general store, Machetazo, and also a branch of Speigel, a large hardware and appliance store.Right next to the shopping center there is a McDonald's with all the same fare that you'd expect.

If you walk in the direction of McDonald's from Piramidal, you will come to several other hotels.The nicest in town hotel is the Galeria Hotel which is attached to the shopping center.Further down the street are several other hotels.

You don't have to leave Santiago to see sights.There is plenty to do right in town.As is typical of Panamanian towns, the center of the city is the cathedral.Take a taxi and start there.Taxis in Santiago are very cheap, $1-1.50 and only extraordinary service warrants a tip.The cathedral sits next to the town park.Off the corner of the park is a great little museum with wonderful pre-Columbian pieces from the area.It's a small museum allowing you to get closer to these fine pieces than you usually can in the typical big museum.Don't miss it.

Facing the museum, the mayor's office is to the right.Continue past the mayor's office, make a little zig in the road to the left and continue straight.You will enter the outdoor market area in a block or two.Take your time walking through the market.There you can buy a typical Panamanian "pintada" hat or fresh produce.A building houses the butchering and fish market.You will probably know you are there by the smell.

Since I am on the subject of shopping, there is a good shop for typical Panamanian artisanry at the bus stop called Los Tucanes.At that bus stop there is also a very good cafeteria which has typical as well as more Western choices.Los Tucanes is located on the way to Cocina de Abuelo's restaurant which I will talk about a little later.

The outdoor market area is actually 1 block off the main street, called Central Street, or Calle Central or simply "Central."There are a handful of very Western stores there.Check out Speigel (a True Value franchises) or Elecktra (from Mexico City) if you are interested.Also you can find bank branches and Panamanian-style department stores with their wares displayed on the sidewalks in front of the stores.

From where the market ends, turn left and walk until the road dead ends (a few blocks) and then turn right.Look for another Speigel store that specializes in paint. You will see a huge beautiful building kitty corner from this Speigel store.This beautiful building is the famous "Escuela Normal," where I work on assignment as a Peace Corps volunteer.If you want a personal tour of the school or Santiago, ask for me at the office. The reliefs on this building and in the lobby are beautiful and an architectural highlight of Santiago.Note, if you happen to turn left out of the market area too late, you may run right into the school without having to turn right.

At this point you have seen most of the sights.You can take any bus that runs near the Escuela Normal and it will end up at El Terminal.

If you are in town late, there are a few night places.Along Central there is a casino with large screen TV's playing popular sporting events.In the Galeria shopping center there is a 3 screen movie theater which are sometimes in English with Spanish subtitles so you can understand what's going on.On some nights there are baseball games at a huge Western-style baseball field which is a few blocks behind the Escuela Normal.You can spot it by its super bright lights which illuminate the night sky.

There is an active disco area on Central, too, at the opposite end from the Cathedral.The disco's usually operate only Wednesday-Saturday nights.You can reach this area by starting at the Piramidal and taking the street that goes behind the Shell gas station for about 1 mile.Right past the large building with fountains in front is where the disco area is.If you are walking to the discos on Central from the direction of the Cathedral and you reach a pedestrian overpass you've gone too far.That overpass is right next to a shopping center with a Casa Gala, another very good and well priced option for Western style shopping in Santiago.Before you reach you will see a good typical food restaurant called Tropicalisimo.Add this to the list of restaurants I will discuss in a moment.

Right before you get to the disco area on the north side of Central is a place called Cheesecake +.It doesn't look like much with its pink exterior, but it is the best bakery in all of Panama.They also have spectacular homemade ice cream, very fattening.If you happen to hit it early around lunchtime, this place has the best homemade gourmet pizza, $1 a slice.

There are a number of good restaurant options in Santiago.All of the ones I will mention here are on the fancy side but do not have the fancy price tag of similar restaurants in other places.The restaurant at the Galeria Hotel can always be counted on for a good meal with good service, and the hotel also has the best American style bar in Santiago.From the Galeria Hotel looking in the direction of McDonald's you see a pedestrian footbridge.About equal distance on the other side of the footbridge, you will find a "Do-It Center" on the other side of the street.Do-It is an Ace Hardware franchisee that feels and looks like a Home Depot inside.Don't cross over the street to see it yet.Instead look across the street from it for the good eating option called Cocina de Abuelo.It has a bar, a fancy restaurant, a great wine collection, outdoor eating option, and a disco (known as Flamas) on some nights.

Another restaurant option is also at a hotel, but it is not within walking distance.Take a taxi to La Hacienda Hotel, just a mile or two out of town, for the best Mexican food and atmosphere you can find in Panama.It's not like Mexican at home, but it is good.The hotel is also a great place for a resort stay, too.It's pricey, but it's to relax and enjoy.

You can rent a car in Santiago from Budget, Thrifty or Mary's (a local company), all within walking distance of the Piramidal bus terminal.Renting cars is expensive.If you have a car or know someone who does, there are several places you can go within 20 minutes.The coliseum or "colisio" has a good restaurant and there are a couple of others nearby.Visit Atalaya's purple church where annually in February there is a pilgrimage. Drive to Port Mutis to see working fisherman and eat good fish.Visit La Colorada, an old and picturesque town settled by the Spanish, especially known for its Christmas decorations.All of these places can be reached by bus from the main bus terminal, called "El Terminal."

You can reach the terminal by walking past Cocina de Abuelo and turning left at the bridge over the highway.Walk about 2 blocks to the only traffic light in Santiago.The terminal is just past the light.

Now that you know you're way around, here are a few other hotel options.In the market there are a couple of pensions that are really cheap and probably very loud as they sit over bars.In the disco area there is a hotel that is probably very loud on disco nights.Across from the terminal there is a hotel.There is also a hotel on the street that runs behind the cathedral to the left past the cemetery.

If you happen to come to Santiago during its Patronales celebration in July, it's parade has cowboys riding unique dancing horses.These are like nothing else you have ever seen!

If you want to get a little more adventuresome, you can take a bus from the terminal to almost anywhere in Panama.Some of my favorite nearby spots are Chitre (with the closest airport) and San Francisco (the oldest church), each about 1 hour away by bus.

As I write this there are other good options coming on board, including a hotel on a lake slightly out of town.Santiago is the fastest growing community in Panama.While David is larger, it also is pricier as it has a large American enclave living there.Santiago still retains the charm and low prices of the interior.So stay tuned and enjoy.