PanamaMap
January I always thought that the country of Panama is two hundred meters wider than the canal, which, in turn, is about fifty meters wide. And this entire area, thought I, is taken up by duty-free shops. As it turns out, you can drive across the country for five hours in one direction and still not hit the border: by area, Panama is slightly smaller than Serbia and slightly larger than Sierra Leone. ![]() Clerk windows here are designed with a narrow slit in the center which widens towards the bottom. The resulting shape resembles an Erlenmeyer flask. ![]() Like in Chile, there are stands with baskets for trash bags everywhere. ![]() Like in Costa Rica, spots where people have died are marked on the asphalt. ![]() Like in the US, there are occasional neighborhood watch signs: anyone suspicious will be snitched on to the police. ![]() River names are indicated on roadside concrete safety barriers. ![]() The bus stop signs all look similar, but always have slight variations. Doesn’t take long to gather a collection of diversely idiotic depictions of passengers. ![]() A Panama sign prohibiting littering on the highway. ![]() A pedestrian crossing. ![]() By law, electricity meters must be located close to the road on a freestanding concrete stele with a canopy. Why not just on the nearest pole, like in half the countries in the world, is a mystery. ![]() Billboard-size ads are printed on vinyl here rather than pasted together from large paper panels. For this reason, billboard backings consist of spaced-out metal sheets instead of one continuous solid surface. Half of them are difficult to read as a result, due to the light shining through the gaps in the back. ![]() Various commercial vehicles are liberally decorated with religious and other motifs. ![]() But nothing in the world can compare to a tricked-out Panama bus. The actual buses here are the same as in other Latin American countries: Blue Bird American school buses. But the way they’re decorated gives trucks in India and rickshaws in Bangladesh a run for their money. The driver is left with a clear gap of about 20 cm on the windshield to see through. ![]() It goes without saying that the decorations cover the entire side of the bus. ![]() And continue all the way across the back; not even the mudflaps get a free pass. The buses are particularly impressive at night, when the strings of sequenced LEDs and regular lights covering the entire body of the bus light up. The carousels in Austria pale in comparison. ![]() AguadulceMapSugar is produced here. ![]() And salt. ![]() PenonomeMapA bench. ![]() A funeral. ![]() Payphones. ![]() A payphone booth. By the way, all the payphones in the country belong to one company called Cable and Wireless. ![]() All the municipal parks have free municipal Wi-Fi. Someday, in the 31st century, we’ll get there too. ![]() Regular mail service is poorly developed, and mailboxes can be found only at a post office. ![]() El Valle de AntónMapAnd here’s the post office. ![]() The city is perfect for quietly whiling away your retirement years in Panama, far from the sounds of the ocean. ![]() A trash can with an inconvenient depository opening. ![]() Panama CityMapFrom afar, it resembles Hong Kong. ![]() The city is bustling with life, skyscrapers are being erected, cranes lift palm trees into them. ![]() The lower stories of buildings under construction are equipped with special canopies to catch falling bricks and other debris, like in Rome. ![]() The city is rapidly developing and growing. All thanks to the freight traffic. ![]() And right next to all this—slums. ![]() A payphone in a nice neighborhood. ![]() A payphone in the suburbs. ![]() In a bougie area: a jogging path and a pretty view. ![]() In a working-class neighborhood: well, I grew up in a courtyard like this. ![]() Every new expensive building is embellished with super-tasteless columns that are topped with grandiose and somehow particularly unattractive capitals. ![]() The no-frills accommodations nearby: ![]() Part of the cozy old city remains intact downtown, having survived the bombings. ![]() A sign indicating a traffic light ahead. ![]() Fire hydrants in the capital are squat and heavyset. ![]() Single bus shelters all have giant trash cans. ![]() Double bus shelters don’t merit a trash can. ![]() The CanalOh yeah, almost forgot. The Canal, right? ![]() Well, it’s just an ordinary canal like any other. Exactly the same as when it was first built. They haven’t even changed the gates since 1914. It’s not like much could possibly happen to them, after all. ![]() |
january
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january
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january 2011
Panama
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