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Panama: Six Destinations to Spend the Winter Months

First Time Reader: Why Panama? – This blog explains the rational of the trip and this series of blogs.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/lobo/excursions/1266327384/tpod.html

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Lobo's "Almost" Real Time

February 16 -19, 2010

I had a great stay in Boca del Toro on Isla Colon. Unfortunately I only reserved for three nights and with the “Carnevale” going on, there were no other rooms available. On the other hand, how many nights of the Carneval can you take? Alas – this was not Rio.
 I decided not to pass up visiting Volcán in the highlands north of David . That was a good move as the drive to Volcán and particularly Cerro Punta and Guadalupe offered spectacular scenery.

I am back in David for the fourth time. It is starting to feel like home as you can’t beat the $16 room at the Residencial Avenida with WiFi and no hot water. The expats that stay here, the two Toms, and others that pass through here are a ready source of information and conversation. The price of coffee has now dropped to 30 cents at a nearby snack bar and the Multi Café no. 1 and Multi Café no. 2 continue to offer up tasty food at bargain prices.

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Lobo Flash (….I am coming to the realization…)

Yesterday I accompanied the Tom from Detroit to a local shopping center to see a rocket car that will be trying to set a ground road speed record on the Pan American Highway. (Yikes, is it smooth enough for that kind of speed?) . Afterwards we went to a casino for the lunch buffet. That was an eye opener. Let’s see – fish soup, selection of pork chops, fish, sausages, beef, salad, vegetables, soft drinks and dessert – all for $2.50! It was a great meal. So remember ….casinos for the lunch buffet are a bargain in a land that is full of bargains.

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I always dreamed of being somewhere where I could buy a 30 cent cup of coffee and this is not just any coffee but Panamanian coffee. Panama has some of the best, if not the best coffee in the world (later blog).

I am lingering here in David to catch up on some blogging before heading for nearby Costa Rica, hopefully tomorrow –February 19, 2010.

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January 27, 2010

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Panama: Six Destinations to Spend the Winter Months

Panama City

Destination No . 1 of 6 (in no particular order)

Gran Terminal Nacional de Transport

Part 4 of 7 on Panama City

This is a grand name for a grand bus station.

Alright, let me go out on a limb one more time.

“Gran Terminal Nacional de Transport” or “Albrook Terminal” or as it is simply referred to “Terminal” is the largest (70,000 sq. feet) bus station in the Americas (and just to make sure this statement is correct let me add, “that I have seen”).

I have seen some large bus stations in my time but none were larger than the Bus Station Retiro in Buenos Aires. In my opinion the Terminal in Panama City tops it not only for size but also for architecture. It has a “gran” design worthy of the important role that it plays in the transportation network of this country.

http://sketchup .google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=8f861412607d7278583ae8949bf11b56

Since buses are almost the only game in town for long distance ground transportation this centralization of all the bus lines going to all parts of Panama and beyond was an important step forward. The grandeur of this place is a monument to national pride and the steady cash cow that the Panama Canal represents to this country to pay for a project like this.

Once you have seen the Argentinean or Mexican bus systems all others in the Americas pale by comparison. So it was difficult for me to stop comparing and in that process Panama comes up greatly lacking.

The only long distance buses that resemble Mexican busses are the Busscar buses that run between Panama City and David, those that continue to San Jose, Costa Rica or Nicaragua and those that go to the very popular tourist destination of Boca del Toro (later blog). They are the only ones that have decent storage in the belly of the bus .

The other buses that go to various parts of Panama are glorified oversized vans with only the smallest of baggage space at the back and lots on top of the roof. Travelling with a large duffel bag on wheels there is always a certain apprehension as to where my baggage will be stored.

Somehow it works but designing buses without decent storage space baffles the mind.

Every bus has a driver and a helper who manages the passengers and collect tickets (from Panama City) or money.

It all seems to work fairly well.

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Lobo Flash (…I have come to the realization that……)The other day I was passing through the “Terminal” during rush hour and I was amazed that I seemed to be the only non-Latino in the entire station . The Spanish origins seem less evident in the population of Panama than in Mexico, for example. There are a fair number of Mexicans who could pass for “Norte americanos.”  That is not the case here in Panama. As for the lack of other tourists I have heard it said that tourism is only the 12th source of income for Panama.       ----------------------------------------------------------Lobo Tip no. 1

While travelling in Panama have a good supply of coins, especially quarters as they come in handy in all kinds of places. At the bus station for example, a quarter will get you into the washroom. It will also be needed to take one of the “Diablos Rojos” or Red Devils to various parts of town. Somewhat irritating are the turnstiles at the Gran Terminal that require five cents to get to the inter-city buses. (not the local buses)

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Lobo Tip no. 2

The Niko’s Café, a self service restaurant in the bus station, is a convenient place to eat as the food is good for cafeteria style cooking and the prices are cheap.

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Also to be found at the Terminal in the roadway between the Albrook Mall and the Terminal are the “Diablos Rojos” or old school buses painted in mostly red colours (some are green) whose drivers drive like “bats out of hell” while roaming the streets of Panama . The area around the driver is the real highlight of the buses as images of Christ and other religious artefacts vie for space with other trinkets and streaming banners. Flashing lights and booming Salsa music are also the norm. Another tradition is to wrap everything near the driver that can be wrapped, like the steering wheel, in layers and layers of red shiny tape. The destination of the bus is painted on the windshield and that won’t mean much unless you hang around Panama City for a long time. A major role in the “Diablos Rojos” is that of the helper. He screams the destination of the bus loudly to anyone within earshot while hanging out of the bus or bus window, collects the fares near the end of the trip as well as manages the seating arrangements. He also shouts the names of the upcoming destinations. Only men with leather lungs need apply. Finally don’t forget you pay when you get off so have your quarter ready.

The helper makes quite an effort to solicit passengers. Apparently the first $100 of the day goes to the owner of the bus and the rest is split between the driver and the helper . If that isn’t an incentive then I don’t know what is.

I heard this evening that the red devils are badly maintained as the government is to phase them out in the same way they phased out none yellow cabs. The “Diablos Rojos” storied existence will then pass into history to be replaced by more modern buses that can only dream of creating a similar image for themselves.

To gain access to the “Diablos Rojos” there are no turnstiles requiring a payment of 5 cents. It’s simple – just get on, then sweat whether the bus is going where you think it is going (the high temperatures in Panama City will greatly help in accomplishing this end) and if you are lucky, get off at your destination all the while paying careful attention to your pockets.

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Albrook Mall

The mall is located right next to the Terminal .

http://www.inpanamacity.com/shopping-centers/albrook-mall-28-thread.html

For a nice little video about the mall go to:

http://www.albrookmall.com/

You can even download a map in case you get the urge to shop the next time you come to Panama City.  

No matter how you put it, a mall is a mall is a mall. That’s the viewpoint of someone who does not like shopping.

Whether it is the Great Lakes Crossings Mall in Pontiac, Michigan, Opry Mills Shopping Center in Nashville, Tennessee, Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton,Alberta or the Ala Moana Center in Hawaii they are all the same, right?

Not exactly, they all have variations in architecture, features, characteristics and levels of opulence . Considering all that, Albrook Mall in Panama City may even rate at the bottom of the heap because it is described as a “low end” mall.

My introduction to the Albrook Mall came early in my visit to Panama. Shortly after my arrival in Panama City it was a lady from Columbia who shared the “colectivo” van from the airport with me and mentioned that she was coming to Panama to do some serious shopping at the Albrook Mall. I have heard it being referred to as “the mall where Central America shops”.

If this is the mall where Central America shops I am sure that the shoppers would also go to the Multiplaza located closer to downtown that prides itself in having all the high end stores.

For a summary of Panama City shopping:

http://www.panamaexpertos.com/panama-malls-and-panama-shopping

I may have heard reference to Albrook as “the mall where Central America shops” but the reality is that the biggest mall in Central America is in ---- get this – San Salvador, the capital city of El Salvador . So one thing is for sure, the Albrook Mall is not the biggest mall in Central America but then on the other hand it is located in the most cosmopolitan city in Central America that offers much more than the Albrook Mall like an incredible selection of empty condos to invest in.

http://theelsalvadorgringo.com/2009/05/11/biggest-mall-in-central-america/

So what can be said about the Albrook Mall?

It is unique in that it is located on the former Albrook Air Force Station, a US military base that was turned over along with the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999.

So the name “Albrook” lives on in the mall, adjacent Albrook Regional Airport (former air base runway) as well as adjacent Albrook Bus Terminal also referred to as Terminal Nacional or Gran Terminal.

Finally in the grand Panamanian tradition of “do you need to ask, isn’t it obvious”, it occurred to me that in my half hour walk through this mall I never saw a map of the layout of the shopping center . I was met with “no se” responses from security guards when I asked for the location of a map. Finally my long search was rewarded with success as I found an information desk only to be met with a phlegmatic “no tenemos” – we don’t have it. Yes, how stupid of me. How could I have expected the information desk to hand me a pamphlet showing the location of all the hundreds of stores. We North Americans have such a sense of entitlement and are so spoiled. We really don’t need a map, we will eventually find the store we want, even if it is “mañana”.

In all fairness I have discovered that in writing this blog that there is a plan on the website. So if you need it, it’s there for you to print.

In the evening I went to Manolo’s Restaurant on Via Veneto, across from a Casino (there are several casinos in downtown Panama). I was amazed at the scenery in the restaurant and was later to find out it is a local hangout for some of the “working ladies” of the area . …more in a later blog.
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Comment on the photos:

I have too many photos of the Busscar buses that are in limited use on some major routes and not enough of the stretched vans that are the norm for most routes in Panama. I will have plenty photos of those as I travel around the country.

Feedback: travelswithlobo@yahoo.com

(e-mails are not published in blog)

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Coming Soon: The Panama Canal