Mi viaje- Panamá (nov/diciembre de 2005)

[Lesley D]

La ciudad de Panamá- por Lesley D

Ya de vuelta de mis vacaciones a Panamá pienso que éste es uno de mis países favoritos entre los que he visitado de Latinoamérica, sobre todo la capital. Éste fue mi tercer viaje, la última vez que estuve fue en el año 1999. Luego de seis años puedo decirles que Panamá aún sigue siendo uno de mis favoritos. Desde que bajé del avión sabía que iba a pasar un buen rato en este país tan acogedor.

Culturalmente hablando hay muchas semejanzas entre la RD y Panamá pero sin lugar a dudas Panamá tiene su encanto. Lo atractivo de este país centroamericano es la mezcla cultural, el bosque natural, la flora y fauna, la música típica panameña entre otros ritmos tropicales, los manjares, el clima (aunque es muy húmedo) y por supuesto el lenguaje panameño.

En los años ochenta Panamá atravesó por una de sus peores crisis económicas tanto que algunos panameños se desesperaron y se vieron forzados a emigrar a otros países en busca de una vida mejor. De hecho el PIB (Producto Interno Bruto) de Panamá en esa época disminuyó en un 13.2%. A través de los años noventa Panamá siguió mejorando en lo económico tanto que hoy en día es la sede principal bancaria de Latinoamérica. El centro de la ciudad tiene una mezcla de bancos, hoteles, tiendas, universidades y restaurantes. Las calles principales tales como Vía España, Calle 50, Avenida Balboa por sólo nombrar algunas siempre están llenas de gente y uno puede sentir el vaivén de la ciudad en cualquier momento. A esto se le suma el poder económico del Canal lo que siempre ha sido el sustento de la economía panameña por muchas décadas. Según los analistas aunque la economía de Panamá va progresando lentamente no se compara con veinte años atrás y las perspectivas para un futuro mejor son muy alentadoras.

Para los que visitan Panamá hay de todo. Se puede pasar un día entero en Vía España haciendo compras, se ofrecen tours del Canal a diario y si uno es amante de la naturaleza se puede pasar un día en las montañas. Asimismo, si le gusta pasar el día al aire libre puede ir de pesca en el río Chaguas (el más famoso de Panamá) o pasar un día en el famoso 'bosque natural' donde puede ver las aves tropicales del país. No se olviden de hacer un tour de la ciudad y de la zona del Canal en la famosa ‘chiva’ (así se llaman los autobuses de Panamá). Y por último para los amantes de la rumba (como yo) la vida nocturna panameña les ofrece una variedad incomparable.

A los que quieran visitar un país latinoamericano que tiene mucho que ofrecer y es semejante a la RD, pero diferente a su vez, les recomiendo que visiten Panamá. ¡Qué bello país!


LDG.

[AnnaC]

Good way to make us read in Spanish Lesley.

Glad you had a good time.

[Ricardo900]

Yeah, thanks for the headache Lesley
o
Gracias por un dolor de cabeza, pero me alegro de que su viaje estabas bien.

[Lesley D]

My post is not meant to give you a headache but rather offer anyone who is interested in some alternative reading. Also think of it as a different way to learn Spanish via reading. Go back and read my post in a few months and test your own comprehension.

I have a question for you though. Is what you wrote your own Spanish? I am curious because you have difficulty with very basic Spanish.

'gracias para' does not exist. It s/b 'gracias por'

'el cabeza del dolor' does not exist. It s/b 'un dolor de cabeza'

'estoy feliz su viaje estabas muy buen' makes no sense. There are many ways to express this but...me alegro de que xxx would be an appropriate lead off phrase.


LDG.

[Ricardo900]

Originally Posted by Lesley D

My post is not meant to give you a headache but rather offer anyone who is interested in some alternative reading. Also think of it as a different way to learn Spanish via reading. Go back and read my post in a few months and test your own comprehension.

I have a question for you though. Is what you wrote your own Spanish? I am curious because you have difficulty with very basic Spanish.

'gracias para' does not exist. It s/b 'gracias por'

'el cabeza del dolor' does not exist. It s/b 'un dolor de cabeza'

'estoy feliz su viaje estabas muy buen' makes no sense. There are many ways to express this but...me alegro de que xxx would be an appropriate lead off phrase.


LDG.

thanks for the corrections, hahaha. that's what happens when you learn in the streets "street spanish" I will hit the books!

Gracias por todos

[chuckuindy]

Now I want to go to Panamá.

Chuckuindy

[trina]

Me, too. My niece lived in Panama for one year, fulfilling a modelling contract. She has lived in various parts of the world, Panama and Portugal being her #1 and #2 favorites. Nice report, Lesley!

[Lesley D]

I am glad I have peaked your curiosity about Panama. I have had my eye on this country for the past ten years and this latest trip just confirmed that what I like about it is not an illusion. Although I have not visited all the provinces, the capital is the attractive aspect of Panama and what a capital city it is. It continues to develop considering the tremendous setback it faced in the eighties. I recommend a visit because I noticed foreigners limit themselves to one or two Latin countries and it's unfortunate because countries like Panama are hidden treasures.

This week I was telling my co-workers who are mostly Colombian, Venezuelan and Peruvian about Panama and they agreed and I quote one of them said: lo que pasa es que Panamá no tiene mucha publicidad turística. One co-worker did live there and he agreed completely with my assessment of the country. The only aspect he said is tough is the humidity and it's true. Panama City is second most humid city in Latin America. The most humid city is Maracaibo, Venezuela. So once again, if you are looking for a change from your usual DR trip try Panama. I don't think you will regret it. I almost forgot to mention it's great for bargain shopping. Your $ will go a long way!


LDG.

[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.

[Lesley D]

Thanks for your post. Listen I am in total agreement with you and there is no need to mince words per se regarding the DR. I responded to some other DR1 posters behind the scenes and I have told them that I truly believe the DR can learn a lot from Panama. In my opinion it is a role model LA country that is still developing but you can see the progress.

I follow Panamanian news via the newspapers and friends and the Canal has become an issue indeed. Since it was handed back to them from the US on Dec 31, 1999 surprisingly they maintained its efficiency. However, it does need to be widened and the question the Panamanian government is facing is the cost and profitability. Believe it or not but they offered to give the Canal back to the US.

In a nutshell Panama has everything in its favor and comparing it to the DR everything is in a lesser extreme. In regards to safety I agree with you 100% and more. Panama is much safer in every sense of the word. The country has tremendous potential and is very rich in culture. I will keep a close eye on Panama over the next few years.


Regards,

Lesley D