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alamy, getty images, MAP: ROBERT LITTLEFORDHead to the summit of Volcán Barú, Panama’s highest peak,and on an exceptionally clear day you can glimpse theCaribbean Sea in one direction, the Pacific Ocean in theother, and breathe in one of the most expansive vistas anywhere.This is a land of many frontiers, where you can travel from thefrenetic urban boulevards of the capital to the pristine wilds of therainforest in under an hour; hike mountains in the morning andrecline on beaches in the afternoon.After living and travelling here for more than two years, I’veconcluded that this is the key to the country’s special appeal – itsstaggering diversity; its wealth of natural and cultural landscapes,all squeezed into a tiny, sinuous landmass. It continues to surpriseme with every journey I make.The capital, Panama City, has lately become a thriving symbol ofsuccess – a formidable economic engine driving rapid developmentacross the country. Boom times have brought scores of glitzynightclubs, boutique shopping malls and fine internationalrestaurants to the city, and the newly affluent, immaculatelygroomed and wearing fine designer clothes, make no apologiesfor their displays of wealth.Rising from the bay of Panama on an ambitious vertical trajectory,its Miami-style Area Bancaria (banking district) has evolved into aburgeoning hub of transnational enterprise, complete with gleamingskyscrapers and luxury high-rise apartment buildings. For strikingviews of the emergent skyline, take a stroll along the palm-fringedwalkways of the new Cinta Costera (coastal belt), a favourite ofstrollers, joggers, cyclists and inline skaters – after dark is best,when cool breezes roll in off the Pacific and the entire district isfiercely illuminated against the evening sky.Across the bay, Panama City’s historic quarter, Casco Viejo, isundergoing major transformations, too. For decades, many of itsfinest buildings were severely neglected and in shameful states ofdisrepair, but today, thanks to intensive restoration efforts, it israpidly gentrifying. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997,Casco boasts an intriguing blend of immaculately restored mansionsand visually compelling ruins. It’s a great district for idle strolling,its cobblestone alleys and plazas lined with an array of architecturalstyles from Baroque to Art Deco, neoclassical to French and Spanishcolonial. Don’t miss the Teatro Nacional with its operatic interiorand spiritually charged frescoes; the sumptuous Presidential Palace,home to snow-white herons that wander between fountains andcourtyards; or the Paseo de las Bóvedas, an old defensive sea wallwith bright ocean views and blazing swathes of bougainvillea.Bridging the gapDusk is an especially evocative time in Casco, when amberstreet lamps cast mellow tones over the ancient stonework, plazascome alive with thronging restaurants and bars, and the soundsof live salsa and jazz pull in the crowds at popular haunts such asHabana Panamá (a swinging glimpse of old Cuba) and Platea Bar.Panama City owes its cosmopolitan flavour – and its eclecticmusical output – to its unique geographic position between twovast continents and two equally vast oceans. When the pioneeringSpanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa became the firstEuropean to take a short cut across the isthmus, Panama’s fateas international crossroads was sealed. Today, 500 years of globalinterchange has left Panama with a diverse ethnic tapestry:European, North American, African, Chinese, Middle Eastern,Asian and indigenous bloodlines are all represented. For anPrevious page: Views of the Anton Valley, Colon. Above: A cyclist rides past PatillaPoint and Balboa Avenue at rush hour in Panama City. Opposite: Kuna lady intraditional dress on Playon Chico, San Blas Islands26 volume thirteen Summit