An introduction to Panama from our New Correspondent In South America

Editors Note: Adrale Holland is our new Correspondent for South/Central/Latin America. Adrale will write a few articles every week so be on the lookout…

I can see the lights of Panama City from the port windows in the Captains office of this ship. I just came aboard today and now I can’t get off again until Christmas. I arrived in the country two weeks ago and have made good use of my time getting accustomed to what promises to be one hell of a new playground. Looking out over the water makes me wish that I was still pursuing that effort.

I spent most of my time in a dicey part of town called Calidonia. Its one of those low rent areas that still manages to eat away at your finances while overloading your senses. My first impression of the place was slightly overwhelming. You can go out at anytime of the day or night and see the same panhandlers and chicle salesmen combing the blocks for customers. Sit at any of the outdoor cafes and you’ve got your life’s work ahead of you trying to shoo away one needy person after another.

Calidonia is teeming with other sorts of people as well. There are Colombian girls from the land of the $1000.00 boob job showing more cleavage than they cover while they play escort to their new boyfriend for the day.

There are cops with pistol-grip 12 gauges in their hands standing around the entrances of casinos that serve as lobbies to 1 star hotels. And finally there are guys like me, gringos who broke away from stressful jobs or bad marriages or just boring lives to come to a place where they can enjoy what has become taboo back home.

Two weeks in the country hardly makes me an expert but after years of traveling, I know a fun place when I see it and there is definitely fun to be had in Panama. The wimps at international living consistently rate Panama in the top 3 of retirement places in the world and I can see their point. Visas are easy to get and once you’ve got one it is even easier to keep.

You can become a pensionado (retired person) at the age of 18 so long as you have a $1000.00 per month income and that entitles you to substantial discounts on everything from food to flights. I will get into the visa possibilities a bit more in subsequent articles but it’s basically one of the easiest systems I have seen. I may be anchored off the coast but I am definitely not done with the place.

I will be exploring the bars and barrios and putting it all down with a few observations thrown in to keep it interesting. I enjoy a healthy mix of danger and leisure so I intend for this column to reflect that. One article may be about an evening in the strip clubs on Via Espana and the next may be riding along with the policia in the state department discouraged city of Colon.

If there is anything you find intriguing about Panama or Central America in general, feel free to make a request in the comment box blelow and I will try to cover it. In the mean time I will be looking at Panama the way most of you do. From a distance.

Adrale broke ranks with his Texas tribe and set out to wander the earth. Years later his passport is much thicker than his wallet but the adventure continues. He has spent considerable time on every continent except Antarctica and is newly arrived in the middle American nation of Panama where he hopes to provide readers with a sense of whats exciting on that little stip of land between Mexico and Colombia.

Read All Articles By: Adrale Holland

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