Mercado De Mariscos Cinta Costera

This guide to the Mercado de Mariscos on Panama City's waterfront traces the hall back to June 30, 1995, when it opened funded by an unlikely source: Japan's foreign aid agency, whose plaque still greets you at the entrance. You'll hear why the mayor's office needed outside help, and how the building was designed to cut fishermen loose from the traders who once kept their profit. The guide follows the daily chorus of skiffs bumping the pier before sunrise as more than a thousand boats unload straight onto the stalls. Linger at the outdoor ceviche stands, where the bargaining still plays out cup by cup.