Friday, March 3, 2017

Mixed Bag

Construction near a station. Green screens are safety nets for workers

Panama Metro construction
The first line of the Panama Metro subway, which I get to ride anytime I’m in the City, proved so successful that a second line was started about a year ago. Line 2 is totally above ground and elevated and MUCH
Finished column with top support
longer. Construction is progressing rapidly. They hope to complete in 2018, which from what I see, is totally probable, given that about 1/2 of the route has completed track.
Construction is completely modular. First a 10 ft diameter hole is drilled in the ground for each support pylon by an enormous moveable drill rig. That is filled to ground level and a round pylon, with a massive amount of
Finished track section
steel rebar is cast in place, using slip forms. Then, the top cross piece is also cast in place. Finally, huge sections of precast track are shipped to site and lifted onto the cross beams by gigantic twin cranes.
It’s been quite a treat for me to watch the process unfold.




Another Interesting Bus Person
One of the things that improves the 4 hour bus ride into the City are the people I meet. I really enjoy talking with the locals and get a lot of otherwise unavailable insight that way. Today, my partner across the aisle was Jorge Batato, grandson of a slave brought in from Antigua to work on the Canal. His father also worked on the Canal, as did he  for 40 years. His wife was housekeeper for the family of one of the Canal executives. Talk about family tradition.
He just retired 2 years ago from his job as Captain of one of the dredging barges, worked his way up from deck hand. He has a Canal pension and Social Security, so I’m guessing he’s sitting pretty. He also owns his home in one of the residential communities that the Americans started for workers to encourage home ownership (exporting the American Dream) and even gave mortgages, which would not have been available otherwise. His only complaint about the American ownership was that blacks were paid less than whites for the same job. This practice stopped when Panama was given control of the Canal in 1999. Hard to fathom an American outfit discriminating like that in the 90’s. But now he worries about his pension, due to corruption in the Panamanian company.
He also witnessed the US invasion (Operation Just Cause) up close and personal. He was at his parent’s apartment, when it was hit with US missiles. He said it was crazy - there was no reason to destroy an apartment building of relatively poor people. HE said the soldiers were “ very mean” and treated them badly , offering little medical help.
He made no bones about his anger at the US regarding El Presidente Trump. He chewed me out pretty good “How could you be so stupid?”. His fear (and the fear I hear from others) is that Trump will hurt the world economy and maybe start a war and possibly use nuclear weapons. I had little to offer in defense, except “I didn’t vote for him”.
The only thing that saved my hide was telling him about Peace Corps and the water & sanitation work I’m doing. He liked that and gave me his address (about 3km from the Peace Corps office) and phone number so I can have dinner some time. His wife makes a killer ceviche, I’m told.

Whip Scorpion
Family Tradition
I just found these two roaming the cottage. I assume they are prodigy of the larger resident found last year. Lest you think they’re spiders, that mystery was solved last year when I discovered they are actually “Whip Scorpions”  nontoxic to humans, but voracious insect eaters.
So, between these guys, the geckos, bats and froggie – who needs an exterminator? They do all my bug control for free.


Beiber Comes to Panama
The local radio, TV and road side billboards and banner are all blaring the message “Beiber is Coming”, “BEIBER is COMING”. Like it was the Second Coming of Jesus or something. On the bus today, two teenage girls were screaming “Justin Beiber, Ah Dios Mio” when we passed a billboard.

I thought the kid was dead and buried by now. Just not so. I’ve never seen the attraction. Or any discernable talent. Unless singing by autotune passes for talent these days. I’m guessing it’s all about the hype. And I’ll give his PR staff credit  they know how to build a mountain of hype.

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