[JerryM]

Last time I was there was in '70 on the way back from a tour with USCG Squadron 3 off the Coast of Vietnam. I expect it has changed a lot since then. In those days it was one of those places combining all the best and the worst of Latin American tourist traps. There were a lot of excellent buys on all manner of imported goods from all over the world and some very interesting historical sites. (Old Panama City was raided by the privateer Henry Morgan in 1670. Unfortunately England was no longer at war with Spain, so he was recalled to England to be tried as a pirate. Fortunately the king was in a good mood, so he knighted Morgan instead of hanging him.)

I don't know if it is still that way today, but back in the day, Panama was one of the premier areas in the world for "sex tourism". The outskirts of Panama city held some of the raunchiest clubs and show bars to be found anywhere.