A sign at the local coffee house in Casco Viejo, closed for regular operations due to COVID-19 restrictions, Panama City, May 2020

After months of forced confinement at home due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Panamanian authorities finally allowed residents to step outside in May 2020. It had been nine long weeks since I had last gone for a proper walk. Though life was far from normal, we were at least permitted to walk within 1 km of our homes, three times a week, for no more than two hours at a time, all while maintaining a 1.5-metre distance from others.

And what a joy it was!

A Walk Like No Other

For my first walk after lockdown, I chose Casco Viejo, the historic heart of Panama City. Every step felt liberating, as if I was rediscovering the simple pleasure of moving through the world.

Casco Viejo, usually bustling with locals, tourists, and street musicians, was eerily quiet. The normally lively plazas and cafés were empty, but their beauty remained untouched. Colourful colonial buildings, weathered by time, stood proudly under the bright sun. The familiar scent of the Pacific breeze, mixed with the distant aroma of Panamanian coffee, made me feel at home again.

Savouring the Small Things

I walked slowly, taking in every detail—the intricate balconies adorned with flowers, the sound of waves hitting the Malecón, and the sight of cats lazily stretching in the shaded alleys. Each familiar street felt both the same and different, like seeing an old friend after too long apart.

For months, my world had been reduced to the walls of my home, and now, suddenly, it expanded—even if just for a kilometre.

A Glimpse of Hope

This walk wasn’t just about fresh air or stretching my legs—it was about hope. A small but powerful reminder that, despite the hardships, we would eventually reclaim the simple joys of life.

Casco Viejo had survived centuries of change, pirates, fires, and revolutions—and it would survive this too. And so would we.

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