When travelling, the number one rule should be to have fun. But in addition to having fun, you should immerse yourself with the local culture and learn a little. The tour I took through the El Chorillo neighborhood was a combination of both. I knew there was a colorful history to Panama and I heard about the infamous El Chorillo neighborhood so I began to search for local tours of the neighborhood and that’s when I found out about Victor of LOCAL IN PTY (https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g294480-d19448336-Reviews-Local_In_PTY-Panama_City_Panama_Province.html).
Victor is a local tour guide who strives to teach you about the history and culture of Panama. When you book with Victor, you support local and help with grassroots causes.
I booked the El Chorillo tour with Victor, it is called “the 2 faces of Panama” now. Victor was friendly, helpful and easy to book with. He was very knowledgeable, and taught me about a whole other side of Panama. We started in Casco Viejo, learned a bit, and then made our way over to the El Chorillo neighborhood, which has been known as a “no go zone” and has a reputation for gangs. On the tour Victor shows you a number of politically charged murals, street art, we met a famous local soccer star, where I was invited to a party later that night, and visited the former gym of famous boxer Roberto Duran. We also visited the “plaza de los aburridos” which means the park of the boring, which was far from that. In the park the locals play dominos, drink, gamble and listen to music. Finally we stopped, met some locals and tried the street corn.
It was a very interesting and informative tour. There was something about seeing the change from Casco Viejo to dilapidated, worn down wooden buildings and colourful graffiti within a matter of minutes. Despite being run down, there was a charm to the buildings and neighborhood.
While touring, you will learn about how El Chorillo came to be. It started as a neighborhood for the immigrant workers of the canal. But when former dictator Manuel Noriega began to get involved with drugs and Pablo Escobar, the neighborhood turned into a haven for drug activity. Then when the Americans invaded Panama in 1989 the neighborhood was virtually destroyed and the inhabitants left forgotten. The neighborhood continued to be plagued by gang activities until it slowly began to get cleaned up in recent years. It was a fascinating history lesson, and was even better to learn while walking through the rugged streets of the neighborhood.
Throughout my time in Panama, I didn’t find the people to be overly friendly, except Victor and the people of El Chorillo, whom were the most welcoming and friendly people I encountered in the country. Victor was great, he was super friendly, informative and I still stay in contact with him on occasion. Victor also offers tours to the San Blás Islands which I wish I had time to do. I would recommend the tour for anyone travelling to Panama, and you can contact Victor on his Instagram @localinpty or click the link below.
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