Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Embassies & Consulates
More than 50 countries have embassies or consulates in Panama City. Their contact de-
tails can be found in the Panama white pages, listed under 'Embajada de' followed by the
country name in Spanish. Many embassies appear in the yellow pages under 'Embajadas'
or 'Consulados.' With the exception of the US and France, most embassies are located in
the Marbella district of Panama City.
Ireland, Australia and New Zealand have no representation in Panama.
Canadian Embassy
( 294-2500;
www.canadainternational.gc.ca/panama
;
Piso 11,
Tower A, Torre de las Americas, Punta Pacifica)
Costa Rican Consulate
( 264-2980;
www.embajadacostaricaenpanama.com
;
Av
Samuel Lewis, Edificio Omega, 3rd fl, Obarrio;
9am-1pm Mon-Fri)
French Embassy
(
211-6200;
www.ambafrance-pa.org
;
Plaza de Francia, Las Bóve-
das, Casco Viejo)
German Embassy
(
263-7733;
www.panama.diplo.de
;
Calle 53 Este, Piso PH, World
Trade Center, Marbella)
Netherlands Consulate
(
264-7257;
www.embajadaholanda.com/Panama.html
;
Calle
50, Marbella)
UK Embassy
( 297-6550;
www.ukinpanama.fco.gov.uk/en
; Calle 53 Este, MMG
Tower, 4th fl, Marbella)
US Embassy
(
207-7000;
http://panama.usembassy.gov
; Av Demetrio Basillo Lakas
783, Clayton)
Food
In Panama City there is an excellent range of restaurants serving everything from cheap
set meals to gourmet cuisine. Outside the capital and major tourist attractions, there is
much less variety. Panama's national dish is
sancocho
(chicken-and-vegetable stew).
Ropa vieja
(literally 'old clothes'), a spicy shredded beef combination served over rice, is
another common and tasty dish. Rice - grown on dry land - is the staple of Panama.
Green salads are hard to come by, but tropical fruit is abundant.
Meat figures prominently in the Panamanian diet. In addition to staples such as
bistec
(steak) and
carne asado
(roast meat), you'll encounter specialties such as
carimañola
(a
yucca roll filled with chopped meat and then deep fried). The most common snack is the
empanada, a turnover filled with ground meat and fried. Another favorite is the tamale,
which is cornmeal with a few spices and chicken or pork, wrapped in banana leaves and
boiled.
