We saw far too little of Panama. That’s a real shame, because it’s beautiful. With white beaches, green jungle, cool mountains and Panama City, the country is bursting with possibilities.

At least we got beach in Guna Yala, a bit of jungle in Shelter Bay, and the city life of Panama City. From Shelter Bay Marina, with the adjacent San Lorenzo nature reserve, we’d also drive the rental car into Colón now and then. Partly for lunch breaks in air-conditioned restaurants, partly for hardware-store runs and first laps through the supermarkets. For the big crossing we can already stock up dry goods.

Colón has a large port with a free-trade zone and, thanks to its position on the canal, is a tourist destination despite its poor reputation. From the terraces of the shopping centers you can watch the bustle in the harbor and out on the water.

Panama City is contrasting the economically struggling town of Colón. That it is an important financial center for South America already shows in the high-rise towers, one lined up after the next. And one shopping mall after another. The historic old town is lovely at every corner, and from a tourist’s perspective it’s a joy to stroll through Casco Viejo’s breezy streets lined with magnificent colonial buildings.

Otherwise, most of life plays out in air-conditioned rooms or cars. Anyone living here understandably has little desire to sweat away the whole day, and hence prefers to stay indoors — or to sit nicely cooled in traffic for a while. Something else that’s well air-conditioned: the city’s museums. Frank Gehry, for instance, designed Panama City a colorful building devoted to the country’s nature, showing how drastically the world changed through the geological formation of the Isthmus of Panama.

Our own passage through the Panama Canal impressed us deeply, and we’re fascinated by how the canal came to be and all the stories around it. So we head to the visitor center at the Miraflores Locks. Not to watch a ship pass through (we know how that works by now), but for a richly detailed IMAX documentary and for the museum shop. We are definitively not leaving the country without canal merch. Beyond the canal’s origins, it’s also intriguing to better grasp the cultural consequences of this colossal project. The fusion of American and Panamanian culture is felt across the country. We’re in Central America and yet quite often feel reminded of our time in the USA.

Of course, we also eat our way through Panama City. For us, the city is a culinary highlight. Admittedly, our verdict might be slightly skewed by the gastronomic privations of the past weeks and months. When it comes to ceviche and coffee, however, we’ll vouch for the city.

For long-distance sailors with the Pacific to tackle, Panama City is in any case a great place for the final preparations. Buying special boat parts can sometimes get tricky, but doctor’s visits, shopping and parcel logistics are easily handled by taxi or Uber. We spend the last days busy and comfortable in the Marina Las Playitas, and after one final round to the vegetable market, the fuel dock and the immigration office, we set sail toward Galápagos.