Before actually venturing to Calle Uruguay, I passed through it twice on consecutive tours of my new home city, Panama. The most interesting bar to me, by far was Sahara. From the outside it looks like there are two entrances, one leads you up an outdoor staircase that is framed by a circular white tunnel, and the other is a metal entrance ramp where the doorman sits collecting money from the male party-goers. Despite that fact, the bar always seems to have a larger number of girls than guys, especially after you weed out the prostitutes.
It turns out, if the tunnel second-story entrance has a purpose, it is not for the lay person, and hence to me remains a mystery. Between these two entrances is what I consider to be the best part of the bar – the covered outdoor sitting area with shiny metal tables and chairs, an outdoor bar and bathroom facilities, and music videos playing all night long. It is curiously never crowded, and I have never had a problem claiming one of the 20 or so tiny metallic tables that offer you the option of being served at your table for no extra fee, although tipping is of course always nice.
Inside the bar is a fun, almost American atmosphere. The back corner has two pool tables set behind the bathrooms, and to the right is the long wooden bar. On the right wall is a long row of couches with tables and chairs in front. The center piece of the bar is the stage where live performers come about four days each week. They tend to be cover bands singing classic rock tunes in English and Spanish, leaving the harder rock varieties for Unplugged, the bar across the street.
There is ample space to dance, seeing as how fewer people actually dance to that kind of music. Through the course of the night I met a large number of English-speakers from all over and some from back home in the states as well. The bar definitely attracts a variety of party-goers, mostly those that share an interest in soft alternative live music over the reggaeton and electronica that is so popular in other venues along Calle Uruguay.
Andrew Cowan lives and works in Panama with a <a href="http://www.panamarealestatepros.com"> Panama Real Estate</a> Company as well as <a href="http://www.thepanamareport.com"> Yahoo Panama</a>.
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