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Originally Posted by abe
Thanks for the post--I did a nine day trip there about 18 months ago and got an overview of the country that pleased me very much. I have spent a lot of time on the North Coast of the DR, and very little in the rest of the country. But comparing the two is actually difficult in my mind because Panama is significantly less "lawless" than DR.
I say lawless in an affectionate way--not a critical one. The exuberance of the DR people is a delight, but it has a way of making some things less than safe--like highways for example. I saw far less of that in Panama. The "luz" seemed always to work everywhere I went in Panama--although in the San Blas Islands they used generators.
Casco Viejo in Panama City may some day be the equal of SD in charm once it gets restored. The potential is clearly there.
The Canal is the biggest factor in Panama and will be a two -edged sword. It needs to be expanded to make it efficient for the next 100 years and it remains to be seen what that does to/for the environment and to the influence of the Chinese in the country.
Mountains and beaches--cities and pueblos--an amazing Kuna population that is pretty much self-sufficient and apparently protected from government takeover of its land. That Indian influence is starkly different from DR and very interesting.
Both great places, but Panama seems "safer" to me.
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Panama is a very delightful country.
The only negative thing I don't like about Panama is the weather in certain times of the year. When the heavens begin to pour rain, all it seems to do is rain and rain and rain and rain!
But, Panama is a nice country, overall.
However, one cannot ignore the American influence in Panama. This influence of the Americans, which is even more than the influence was in the DR, since Panama pretty much owes its independence to the Americans, also includes the work ethic.
In general, around Latin America the work ethic is much more relaxed than in the US or Canada, and I think Panama has picked up some of this attribute, though typically Latin American, they still find time to sit and chat!
Also, don't be fooled too much by categorizing Panama as one thing, because there are two types of Panama's. There is the Panama along the Canal Zone and then there is the rest of the country, which is hardly developed, at least not to the extent it is along the Canal, especially Panama City.
In any case, Panama is a nice country.
-NAL
