On the Bus

Some observations and thoughts from my 4 hour bus ride this morning……..

The Coaster bus - my ride to the City

There is a tradition, of sorts, for passengers to say Buenos Dias (or other greeting), as they board the bus. Everybody on the bus responds in chorus. Not everyone does this – mostly older folks in the rural area. When we get close to the Emerald City it stops completely. It seems a little contrived and corny, but I like it. I’m going to start doing it myself.

Another bus tradition seems to be what I call “The Hot Seat”. This is the passenger seat up with the driver. I once asked to sit there and was abruptly turned down. On further observation, the seat seems to be reserved for rather attractive young women. Maybe not a rule or tradition, but it seems more than coincidence.

The buses that run from the City to “The East Side” – Chepo, Torti and Darien Province – are called “Coasters”. Turns out, that is because almost all of them are indeed Toyota Coaster buses. Duh.

I crashed more than a few of these

If you played with a balsa wood airplane as a kid, it might have come from the Chepo area of Panama. There used to be huge forests of balsa. But, the lumber folks cut them down and failed to plant any new ones and the industry collapsed. Maybe that’s why the little planes are now made of (yuck) Styrofoam.

The narrow block used in Panama

Construction Note : Concrete block here are about half the width of blocks in the US. This makes it easier to carry block to a remote building site, but also makes the wall less laterally stable. Also, since the soil in the jungle is mostly a red clay, with a thin layer of organics, river bed sand is used for concrete mixes. It is not consistent or clean, but seems to work OK. It is sold in little 10 kilo bags.

A little Spanish difference from Peru – In Panama an estate or ranch is called a “finca” , while it was “fondo” in Peru. Here, a “fonda” is a small restaurant. Also, fruit smoothies in Panama are “batidos”, not “liquados or jugos” as in Peru.

XTRA is one big chain here "SUPER 99" is the other.

Panama used to have small local “tiendas”, where you could get a meager assortment of goods, maybe even a few fruits or veggies. They still exist in the small villages. Then came the advent of the “Super”. In the City they are just like any big chain supermarket, in the rural areas, maybe ¼ scale. Anyway, now the small tiendas call themselves “mini-super”, which sort of cancels itself out. I guess.

The “Macarena” is not dead. I just heard it on the bus radio. Oh, Dear.

Line #2 of the Panama Metro is well under way. It will be mostly raised about 15 ft above ground, so cars can pass under it and it can get under over-passes. Same Spanish firm that built the beautiful Line #1, on-time and on-budget, is doing #2. The end of Line #2 was supposed to have been the airport. But, apparently the taxis drivers created a big fuss and that leg is “on hold”, and folks will continue to pay the $30-$40 to get into the City. I don’t see how the Metro would hurt their business much. Most folks arrive with too much baggage to schlep onto the subway.