Panama
7. The people
The people here are rather laid back, never worry about much, even the poor are happy with their slum house as long as it’s quiet and peaceful. I guess the climate plays a role in that. Of course there’s agitation about the rich elite and the government who are stereotyped as corrupt and always filling their pocket with any taxes (explaining why there is never any money to repair the roads), but still many people could care less. Generally the people look at someone like me as a gringo, which is rather annoying because everyday I have to fight with cab drivers about the fare which they think they can increase by a dollar orso just because I’m a foreigner. Some go nuts if you don’t accept their price and so I ended up one evening on some impossible place because he refused to drive me any further if I wasn’t going to pay his price. Sorry for him but 5 minutes later I was in another cab going home for half the price he wanted to extort from me. The reality is that there’s just too much cab drivers out there so the price stays low fortunately. But I’m not taking any cab anymore unless we’ve agreed on the price beforehand. Unfortunately this way of thinking is pervasive and I feel like I’m walking around as if I’m expected to pay everyone for really everything and every bit, and it has to be the gringo price of course so pull out your wallet please.
By the way, if you Dutch people get a little lonely and/or need to refresh your Dutch, go to the cafe El Rincon Suisa, where a bunch of Dutch people meet every first wednesday of the month at 7 pm. I actually didn’t make it there, so don’t get mad at me if it’s boring.
8. The food
Nutella is hard to get ! Anyways, since my fitness program doesn’t permit too much of that fatty stuff, my 3 pots that I finally found in a huge store in the los Pueblos shopping mall will last me some time.
My fave restaurants
Crepes & Waffles (Calle Uruguay and Causeway): very good icecream and crepes (and waffles of course)
Carlitos’ (in garage near Via Espana): cheap and very good pizza
Mostaza (Casco Viejo): ultra good, the cuatro leche dessert is a must !
Bennigans (Avenida Balboa): very juicy and delicious, but you just need to be able to deal with the english/american atmosphere
Alladin (in front of Hotel Marriot):great lebanese food (shawarma). they have another franchise in the Multicentro but that one is not as good.
For some really juicy cake or desert try Cafe Bahia in hotel Ceasar Park.
In Colon I had this great meal just from a guy on the street who made typical panamanian food (rice with beans, chicken/beef/squid, plantains, .. ). Very good, but I haven’t been able to locate something similar in Panama city anywhere near where I live. This is more something to find in Calidonia and perhaps Santa Ana.
Icecream
Il Gelatiere: OK
Crepes & Waffles: very good, especially for ice coupes
Casa de Helados Y Frutas (calle 50): very good and cheap