Paradise Found

I have recently spent a few weeks in Panama. During my time there I was able to travel out of Panama City to different parts of the country. It really is a fascinating place – the contrast between the hustle and bustle of the city and the solitude of the rest of the country is very tangible. (The picture here is one of the roads out in the west of the country).

One of the biggest eye-openers was the driving in Panama. As a result of my experiences, here are a few driving definitions:

• Panamaniac – anyone who attempts to drive in Panama City. Imagine Rome with twice the traffic and half the rules. If your heart needs a jump-start, try pulling out onto Via Espana and driving out to Bridge of the Americas
• Panamax – some people think this term has something to do with ships. Panamax is actually the term for a Panamanian Taxi Driver – it is derived from the words Panama and Mad Max. If the current lane is blocked, just drive up the wrong side of the street at ninety miles an hour. If you can’t pull out onto a junction, just mount the kerb and drive across the pavement. If someone tries to edge in in front of you, just blast them with a sawn-off shotgun. (OK, that last one may have been a slight exaggeration).
• Bus – in most countries buses are well-behaved vehicles, but in Panama they are custom-painted old American school buses which are built like tanks and driven like Ferraris – which makes them more effective than ICBMs with a two hundred person payload on board.
• Crater – normally something you would find in volcanoes – in Panama you find craters in the roads. Hit one at thirty and you will lose your teeth. Hit one at sixty and you will lose your marbles.