Jessica Ramesch

Raised eyebrows…that’s what I got from people back when I said, “I live in Colón.” They weren’t exactly wrong to raise them. The province gets a bad rap because of its capital city, also named Colón. Steer clear. But outside of that one permanently down-on-its-luck city is one of the most underappreciated rainforest districts in the Caribbean.

“When our beautiful view is the Pacific Ocean and the warm breeze blows through our condo, we hardly feel like we are confined. If we have to stay in for an extended period of time because of Coronavirus restrictions, we are okay with that. We love it here,” says Jo Anne Burrill of her adopted hometown of Coronado.

While we wait for the boat to pull away from the dock, we pose in our orange lifejackets. The breeze is whipping our hair into our faces, and the sun is shining brightly. The ocean varies from intense sapphire to a crystal clear aqua. There’s exuberant greenery along the shore, and the striking city skyline gleams in the background. We all smile wide for the inevitable photo. Soon we’ll be digging our toes into white sands and wading into warm waters.

Asparagus soup with tarragon and goat’s cheese…roast turkey with oyster stuffing…delicate little pearl onions in cheddar cream. It’s a Mid-Atlantic-style Thanksgiving feast. And it’s being served up in Panama—a place where expats and locals enjoy coming together for this tradition from up north.

Panama City—a cosmopolitan capital on the Bay of Panama—has long stood as a testament to this region’s vast potential. Its gleaming skyline is composed of international banks, upscale hotels, and swank commercial and residential towers.