BUS THOUGHTS

A long bus ride, especially over a route that is frequently traveled, can bring a flood of random thoughts to mind, mostly triggered by sights along the route. Here are a few:

Credit – Consumer credit is much more available in Panama than in Peru. Folks here are free to go into debt. Construction and mortgage loans are widespread, meaning less unfinished construction projects. Consumer debt is also BIG business. There is a credit service store in every mall or strip mall. I checked online and their rates run from 18% on a secured loan to 50% + on unsecured credit. BIG business, but good mostly for the lenders.

Graffiti -  I see very little graffiti here in Panama, though one construction project did have some impressive “graffiti art” on the wall. Either it gets cleaned up really fast, or there is not the mentality for it. Another explanation might be that with very low unemployment, kids are busy working instead of tagging.

Apartments – Many apartment billboards that I’ve seen around the Emerald City tout square footage as between 600 and 800 Sq Ft. Quite small compared to the US, but certainly enough space for 1 or 2 people (maybe more?). It also keeps rents more affordable. About $400-500 / month gets a nice upper-middle class apartment – US style, with all amenities.

I haven’t noticed any racial discrimination, though there is clearly no love lost for Columbians. And there is clearly plenty of class separation between the very wealthy and the poor. But, I did notice that on the Caribbean side, the population, especially Colon and Portobello is almost entirely Afro-Panamanian. I guess that makes sense with all the slaves floating around the Caribbean back in the day. Also lots of blacks in the Darien, which was where many escaped slaves fled.
There does seem to be a local disdain for the Chinese shop keepers, who run most of the stores in Torti and are building a mini-mall here. “Their prices are too high.” And “They cheat you.” Are the main complaints I’ve heard. Still, they seem to do a brisk business.

Postal – Nothing like living in a 3^rd world country to make you appreciate the good old USPS. Postal service here is expensive, unreliable (especially for packages, which often go missing) and sparse. There is no home delivery and offices are closed on Saturday. Service is ONLY PO to PO, via “General Delivery”. The closest one to me is in Chepo, a 2 hour bus ride.
But two private companies - Mailboxes,Etc and Postal Express are opening storefront offices all over the City and even in rural areas. They piggy-back on the official mail service, but provide more local service. DHL, FedEx are only in the City. There must be UPS as well, but I’ve not seen them.

Coca-Cola – Coke never had any competition here like they did in Peru (Inka Cola). No sign of Pepsi. Coke has been here from the start and owns the soft drink market. When Coke laborers formed a union and wanted more pay, the CIA was sent in (so they say) and union leaders magically disappeared. There is a malted product “Malta” that is a popular alternative to soda. But, if you want a soft drink, it’s Coca Cola , Sprite or nothing.

Campo hats – The distinctive straw hat with brown circles and turned up at the front, is apparently a fairly local tradition (though I’ve only traveled here and to Colon). No such hats in Portobelo – baseball caps (turned backward on teens) rule the fashion scene there. Most sport logos from US sports teams and big corporations.

Grainger – WW Grainger, a love of my life and oft times savior thereof, has 3 stores in the Emerald City. For those who don’t know, WWG is the ULTIMATE parts supply store. If it’s not in their catalog, it probably doesn’t exist. Sadly, using WWG generally violates the PC creed of sustainability. I may be able to get parts from them, but my local counterparts could likely not navigate that supply route. So, we try and keep all materials local.