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Panama City

Panama City Three days in Panama City. The canal, the shopping, the big city! - (102) more edit 2007-11-01 - rec# 113

Every three months we take an obligatory trip out of the country for three days to "renew our visa". Our neighbor and friend Elvira has been wanting to show us Panama City and she had some research she also wanted to do. So off to Panama we three go. Panama is this other city...no, I really mean it. Panama is this OTHER CITY! Large, modern, no holes in the streets, sky scrapers going up everywhere. Unlike San Jose in about every way. I understand that there is a great deal of vacancy in the condo buildings there. But, as I understand, they were built to launder money, so what the hay. We were in the center of town and it seemed to me that every third building was a bank. But I'm told that the banking laws in Panama make it the city of choice for central and south Americans to launder money so you can't be surprised by that. Unlike San Jose there are armed police and military everywhere. They don't give the impression of nice "tourist police" as can be found all over San Jose. They strike me much more like the MP's I'd see on military bases. The poor sections of town were in much starker contrast to the richer sections than I've ever seen before. The beggars on the street more hopeless. I couldn't help but think that THIS was the image of Costa Rica that the "NO" side of the TLC was afraid of. In Panama prices are lower, goods are more abundant, quality and variety in the stores much higher, gas cheaper, cars cheaper, roads MUCH better. I'll take Costa Rica any time. I city, a country, a nation is made up of people, not concrete. We had a tour of the locks and "old city" scheduled for the first day. Promptly at 8:30am as we waited in the lobby the bus left without us. After about an hour of haggling we got it rescheduled for 1:30. We learned our lesson and waited for it in the street. We had the bus surrounded before the driver had a chance to get away this time. This is the first time I've ever seen the canal and locks. Quite an international project! Started by the French in 1880, finished by the Americans in 1914, returned to the Panamanians in 2000 and soon to be expanded by the Chinese. The "old city" is where Noriega was dug in when the US invaded. Eighteen years after the invasion the area still looks like a combat zone. This is NOT where the rich live, however it IS where the national theater is. I suspect there is some movement towards cleaning up that part of the city. But the area is full of life. We wanted to to back and walk around taking pics, but that will have to wait until we return. Deb and I, of course, have to go looking for churches and we found a really nice one with a huge crypt below it. As unlike us as it seems we spent much of the final day in a ... "gasp" ... can I really SAY IT? We spent much of the final day in a ... M ... MA ... (oh hell!) ... a MALL. I had to once again look around and wonder how much money was laundered here. Albrook Mall is just outside of town and is the largest, cleanest, and most pleasant mall I've ever been in. It's really designed for kids. There's a Merry-Go-Round in the center and each of the wings has a theme. One is Dinosaurs, other Giraffes, Penguins, Hippos, they all have there own place. Directions are often given as "Go the the Giraffe, turn left and then follow the flamingos until you get to the penguins". It was a good trip. Once again I'm reminded how well Deb and I "fit", we can go anywhere and do anything together. It's good to be home.