Panama: Day 1: Casco Viejo.

After the Canal, we went to Casco Viejo, an old, fascinating corner of Panama City by the shore. It's an area of stark contrasts that somehow works together. The buildings are beautiful and ornate, and yet also dilapidated and decrepit. The architecture is both classically Spanish and French, looking somewhat like the French Quarter in New Orleans. And yet the buildings are home to poor residents and squatters. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and yet it's also surrounded by what appeared to be a shantytown.

Like most poor places that have inherent coolness, Casco Viejo is slowly gentrifying, with some acclaimed restaurants and hip bars moving in. Still, it's a place the guide books warn about treading at night or veering off a certain path. The cabbie rolled up the windows and locked the doors as we approached, and looked queasy when we asked to be let out in a rather decrepit street. But the neighborhood was instantly appealing, at least to us.