A Question

[Keith Smith]

Hi Party People. Does anyone here have any experiences regarding Panama? I'm considering going there for a week in September. Thanks.

[denvermike]

... in response to A Question, posted by Keith Smith on Jul 21, 2002

Hi Keith,

I have been to Panama.  I went once with TLC and once on a  business trip. I am still emailing a couple of ladies in Panama. Panama City is by far the biggest city. Panama City is relatively safe compared to Colombia.  But there are parts of the city that would be quite dangerous at night for a gringo due to street crime.

A lot of people speak English in Panama City because of the American influence over the years with the canal.  The US dollar is basically the currency there, so you don't have to exchange money.

The economy is somewhat bad there now with the departure of the gringos at the canal.  Most things are fairly cheap with the dollar for us.

It is certainly one of the most hot and humid places I have ever been to. It is the same humidity raining or not.

The ladies are mixture of many cultures, Chinese, Black, Indian, Hispanic, White and the like. Many of the women are darker skinned. I have been told the best looking women come from the province nearest Costa Rica (can't remember the name).  I met three ladies from the city of David, which is in that province, and they were very, very nice looking. All were slim with long black hair.  The ladies of Panama that I met all seem to have a very sweet disposition.  In general, in my opinion, the women of Colombia are better looking but ladies from Panama have nicer personalities.  Most of the people love gringos.  There is still some hostility among the poor who lost their jobs after the US invasion.

Prostitution is completely legal in Panama.  There are many cat houses that are well known in town. There are many Colombian women in Panama illegally who have excaped the problems in that country.

I plan a visit soon to see some of the ladies I met on the last trip.

mike

[papa suave]

... in response to Re: A Question, posted by denvermike on Jul 22, 2002

Hi fellow gringos,

Denver Mike, the name of the province where David is located is called Chiriqui.

I lived in Panama for 3 years, while stationed there at the Air Force Base. I have nothing but good things to say about Panama. The women are great and generally friendlier than Colombianas in my opinion. Since there were so many US servicemen stationed there until Oct 99 (Thanks alot Jimmy Carter...) a good deal of the people speak at least basic English. This greatly helps you non Spanish speakers. I haven't been there since early '97 so I can't give advice on any clubs to check out. As far as beaches, Playa Gorgona is nice. A one hour boat ride to Isla Taboga is a nice way to spend the day with a lady friend. It is god awful hot there, so be prepared to sweat alot.

I recommend Panama to anyone. A beautiful country with beautiful women.

[Keith Smith]

... in response to Re: Re: A Question, posted by papa suave on Jul 24, 2002

Hi. Once again, thanks for your input. I will speak to my travel agent tomorrow.

[Keith Smith]

... in response to Re: A Question, posted by denvermike on Jul 22, 2002

Hi Mike. Thanks for your input. I really appreciate it. Don't get me wrong; I haven't given up on Colombia. But it would be nice to see what Panama is about. Thanks again. Take care.

[denvermike]

... in response to Re: Re: A Question, posted by Keith Smith on Jul 22, 2002

Hi Keith,

Just a few more points about Panama.  Lonely Planet has an excellant book on Panama.  It is considered a smart thing to marry a gringo.  Americans are typically well liked due to the long history of the canal.

Panama City is a very modern city, and there are many nice (air conditioned please!) hotels.  Food is cheap. The Hotel Panama has a very nice disco to try out. The water is safe to drink out of the tap.

I understand there are some really nice beaches up toward the city of David.

There are many attractive women in Panama City. In fact one of the most attractive latinas I have ever met was from Panama City. All the ones I met were working, and not the least bit desperate.

Last time I looked the flights back and forth to the USA were not very expensive.

The men of Panama are exceptionally macho, and if you wear shorts on the street you'll even get cat calls and whistles.  In Colombia a gringo stands out like a sore thumb, but in Panama nobody hardly even notices
(unless you wear shorts).  A lot of foreigners live in Panama.  There is large banking community in Panama.

A trip to the Miraflores locks on the canal is worth the trip.  They have a nice presentation of the history of the canal in both English and Spanish.

The taxi drivers are great, you can get one for the day fairly cheap. Most speak enough English to get by.

Panama City is a very old city dating back to the very early 1500s. A tour of the old town is quite interesting.

There is a strong American influence everywhere, there seems to be a McDonalds on every street.

[Keith Smith]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: A Question, posted by denvermike on Jul 23, 2002

Hi Mike. How are you? Fine, I hope. Now, I'm leaning on going there. Thanks again.