An underdeveloped country?
First-time visitors are often amazed with the impressive skyline, first-class services and the relatively high standard of living of Panama City’s multi-cultural society –a sharp contrasts with the lifestyles of most Central American capitals. According to a recent study, the perception of prosperity in Panama is, in many aspects, not very far from reality. Panamanians are among the most educated, healthy and potentially wealthy individuals in the world.

The 2005 World Report on Human Development, released in Panama City in mid October, stated that Panama ranks 56th amongst a total of 177 countries and territories. The list of top countries, headed by Norway, goes from 1 to 57. Due to improvements in its macro-economic standing and overall educational and health levels, Panama has been able to jump five notches in one year, from No. 61 to 56 (last year’s scores showed a sharp decline from the development levels of previous years.)

The study, of course, failled to address the country’s poor wealth distribution scores which many economists consider to be among the worst in the region. For example, residents of Paitilla and Marbella (exclusive neighborhoods reminiscent of Miami or Manhattan,) enjoy a lifestyle similar to Spain or France, whereas those who live in places like San Miguelito, Curundú (six miles away from Paitilla) and the Gnobe Buglé Native American territories (western Panama) are compared to the populations of Haiti and some of the poorest countries in Africa. In other words, the richest ten percent of the population controls 65% of the country’s wealth, and the poorest 10% only gets 2.5% of the resources.

Despite these inequi-ties, no one can the growing prosperity of Panama’s middle class, fostered by the country’s open social structure and the growth of the financial, maritime and trade sectors in recent years. Even members of the less affluent blue-collar population are well-off when compared to their Central American counterparts. It is not a secret that many of these Panamanians have developed the "bad habit" of discarting furniture every two years in order to purchase new sets just in time for the Christmas holidays.

FRENADESSO expands horizons
The National Front for the Defense of the Social Security System (FRENADESSO), one of the most radical organizations taking part in the talks to amend controversial Law 17 (which seeks to save the country’s dying social security institutions) has announced that it plans to broaden its scope of action to target other "hot topics" of the country’s economic and political sphares, such as the project to widen the Panama Canal and the signing of free trade agreement with various countries. Earlier this year, FRENADESSO lead a month-long national strike seeking to overturn Law 17 which, among other things, raised the age of retirement in order to save the social security system. After weeks of street protests and riots, president Martín Torrijos posponed the execution of the Law in order to gain more consensus. FRENADESSO encompasses a number of public-sector organizations.

Inflation grows
To the average Panamanian, the term "inflation" is a foreign word –a reality affecting "far-away" countries where the life savings of millions often disapear within a 24-hour period. However, with the rising prises of oil, Ishtmians are having to pay more attention to their pockets. A recent economic report showed that, for the first time in 23 years, inflation rates in Panama have reached 3% The last time something like that happened here was in 1982, when the oil crisis of the late 70’s and early 80’s inflated prices by 4.2%. Inflation has risen sharply in the food sector (3.6%), housing (5.8%), and education (2.1%.)

The cost of public transportation is also going up. Panama’s National Transport and Traffic Authority recently announced price increases in 105 bus routes of the interior provinces –between 5% and 20%

In order to reduce costs, the government has prompted a substantial reduction in the price of fuel and has implemented a change in the working hours of the public sector with the purpose of curtailing traffic jams. As of this issue, the cost of a gallon of premium unleaded gasoline in Panama City ranged US$2.76 and US$ 3.13 –a harp reduction from a staggering and unprecedented US$4.00 per gallon in early October.

Panama has historically enjoyed inflation rates between 1%-2% due to the use of the U.S. dollar as legal tender and a relatively solid service sector which comprises the Panama Canal, the Colón Free Zone, an international banking center, a fledging tourism industry and a well-developed seaport system. These factors continue to foster positive economic growth levels and gives the country a measure of stability.

The bridge is located just north of the Pedro Miguel Locks.

The American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI,) a U.S.-based organization, recently granted Panama's Centennial Bridge its biennal Excellency Award. The distinction, shared with a group of seven bridges of the American continent, is sponsored by the ASBI and the Concrete Products magazine. Participating works are judged on the basis of design innovation, speed of construction, harmony with the environment, cost, and construction processes.

Panama's Centennial Bridge, the second permanent structure built over the Panama Canal, opened to traffic in August with an investment of US$104,337,000.00. Erected to ease the load of the 40-year-old Bridge of the Americas, Puente Centenario is a beautiful, steel-and-concrete structure that allows an easy, 25-minute trip from the district of Arraiján, in the west, to Panama City, in the east.

When you cross the border from Costa Rica into Panama, you will notice a large change in the dialect. True to its Caribbean orientation, Panamanian Spanish sounds much closer to Cuban or Puerto Rican than Tico or Nicaraguan Spanish. For students of Mexican or European Spanish, it may take a little getting used to. The biggest thing you will notice is that half of the S's are missing, specifically S's at the end of words and before other consonants. You will hear nosotroh ehtamoh instead of nosotros estamos. Also some of the d's and r's go missing. While you're in Panama, see if you can find where they hid all their consonants.

This dialect is most pronounced in the country. As fun as it is to talk like the locals when in the country, avoid using this country Spanish while in the city. Most city people view it as an uneducated dialect, and will give you funny looks if you drop your S´s.

Idiom
If from the United States, avoid referring to yourself as American. Panamanians are American too, Central American. You are from the United States. While you were probably taught in school to refer to yourself as "estadounidense", the most common catch-all for US and Canadian citizens is "norteamericano/a".

Visitors may be very confused by the Panamanian sense of humor, which finds great hilarity in all forms of slapstick, and often doesn´t get irony at all.

Authorities of the National Institute of Culture (INAC) recently prohibited all recreational activities (involving loud music) at the historical ruins and sites of Panama City’s old quarter. The decision can be interpreted as a measure to protect the 300-year-old neighborhood, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.

The Old Quarter, the former residential area of the city’s well-to-do until the early 20th century, was a victim of urban decay until about a decade ago, when local authorities began restoring the centuries’-old structures and mansions. Many individuals as well as private and public organizations, took advantage of this "Renaissance" at the Old Quarter to organize parties, weddings and fashion shows at a number of historical sites, to the detriment of the old structures.

Two years ago, the Flat Arch, a free-standing colonial structure that helped Canal builders choose the Panama route over of the Nicaraguan project at the turn of the 20th century (due to the low frequency of earthquakes on the Isthmus,) collapsed under the weight of time. Experts believe an important factor in the collapse of the Flat Arch was the growing levels of vibration caused by modern traffic vehicles in the area.

The Visitor's Cyber-corner

Whether you consider yourself an addict to the history of the Panama Canal or a nostalgic "Zonian" looking for your fondest childhood memories on the Isthmus, you simply cannot ignore the city of Colón. All you need to know about Panama’s Caribbean capital, from the days thousands of Black and Asian laborers laid down the first railroad tracks to the establishment of the Colón Free Zone, is found at www.geocities.com/coloncitypanama. The information is "spiced" with quotes, poems and anecdotes of the city’s founders and early residents, as well as late-19th and early-20th century postcards. The site’s most interesting feature is a rarely-seen, five-second footage of Col. William C. Gorgas (who led the sanitation campaign of the Canal Zone) riding on a passenger train in Colón. The footage’s speed and quality are not bad at all, considering the fact it was filmed circa 1914.

Early 20th-century post card of Front Street, Colón.

The history of Colón is completely different from that of all other Panamanian towns. Founded on what used to be a mosquito-infested, swampy island, Colón is a byproduct of the Panama Railroad, the world’s first transcontinental line. Intimately linked to the construction of the Panama Canal, Colón has always been an "international" city, profoundly influenced by the French (who led an ill-fated attempt to build the waterway), the Americans and the English-speaking Afro-Caribbean laborers who migrated to the Isthmus to build both the railroad and the Canal –the descendants of whom constitute the majority of Colón’s present population.

Early 20th-century post card of Front Street, Colón.