Some of Panama's Changes
How
can Panama be only 13 years old if Columbus discovered it in 1502, and Old Town
was established in 1519?
I learned on a recent trip to this
Latin American country that Panamanians consider the country wholly free and independent only from the time when the canal
was turned over to them in December 1999. Being such a young country many say the
population is searching for a national identity.
In 1997, soon after Noriega was
deposed and arrested, Panama City had 1400 hotel rooms. Today there are over
15,000 rooms and many more on the drawing board. National and global chains started building
hotels a couple of years ago. International visitors increase every year and
are approaching a million annually.
The economy has not only expanded, it
has exploded. The canal is undergoing a 5 billion dollar expansion that will
double its capacity. Wealthy Americans and South Americans are buying second
and retirement homes. Some things are moving a little more slowly. Slums are
slowly being removed and replaced with high-rise apartment buildings. People
are buying old buildings and renovating them for affordable housing, often
getting youth off the streets to fill jobs while teaching them skills.
Proper addresses are still difficult
to find; people still refer to the old XYZ building on the corner, then turn
right for a block and a half and at the big tree turn left. You get the
picture. There are almost no street signs.
Traffic grid-lock is a 24/7 problem,
although a new two-billion dollar subway system is due to open soon and should
alleviate some of that problem. In contrast sidewalk disrepair is common and
reminded me a lot of a similar situation in Cuba. It is wise to watch your
step!
Old 16th century ruins,
the result of Henry Morgan’s rampage, are still visible and visitable, standing
in contrast to a forest of green, blue, yellow skyscrapers. In Panama City a
hundred skyscrapers are completed and another 150 are under construction with
still more on the drawing board.
A new museum has opened. The first
international film festival took place last year, and the 10-year old Panama
Jazz Festival is going strong. The first micro-brewery is a year old.
Petty crime and poverty still exist
and probably always will to some degree, as it does in most large cities. Old
Spanish Colonial Casco Viejo is
quaint with its newly cobbled streets, plazas and rum bars. Within its 40
blocks, on the far end of Panama City, there are 7 squares, 6 churches,
including the San Jose Church with its golden altar, and a multitude of new
restaurants. The area is becoming a popular tourist draw.
Panama is not a culture built around
the dining table. But the old adage of the food being starchy, fried and basic
is slowly changing, and will continue to get better as chefs have better access
to better ingredients.
The canal has been the attraction in
the past. It is a long full day transit all the way through the canal. Today
many large ships enter on the Atlantic side, go through two locks into Lake
Gatun and then turn around to exit as they entered. If you want to make the
full transit read the literature carefully!
Today Panama is trying to change and
make the once ho-hum destination into a world class metropolis and a major
leisure destination, and it appears to be well on its way of reaching that
goal.
This is a general overview of Panama City so more detailed
posts will follow in the weeks ahead.
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