I have been meaning to commit this in writing since I returned from a
conference in Panama City. The conference was held last May in a
beautiful setting along with some truly inspiring people. Objective, yeah
you go to panama for the first time and you stay in some of the same
Places I stayed there are a couple of things you need to know.
# 1. NO CLOTHS. Now I never wore a cloth until my wife pointed out
the need for exfoliation. I don’t know how I survived
without instituting this in my life before, but nightmares have
it’s almost gone. In Plaza Piatilla they have hand towels and
They have bath towels … not a washcloth in sight. The puzzled looks that I have
of the waiters was priceless. Just an observation that is hotel
specific? No. There are also no towels in the hotels in David, Panama.
# 2. NO FREE SPARE PARTS. With the exception of high-end gastronomic establishments,
There is no such animal. This irritated me at first. It must be a
money thing, huh? Well yes and no. let’s go to the videotape. I was
watching the Latin American version of American Idol and I got my
answer. Do you remember how the three judges in the US version
always show the big chalice with the stamped mark so big
and so rich in color that it can be seen from the waiting room? Taking
a look at the Latin American table, we see cans. Yes, cans. AHA! FOR
track! Co2 filled taps are few and far between. Even the star
judges don’t get that kind of treatment. The coffee is the same.
You will pay for each and every cup. I also found this in David. From
Of course, you don’t need too many cups of Panamanian coffee to get your
slot in. Unlike American coffee, this is a REAL coffee mug.
# 3 US FAST FOODS I can eat anywhere. Some would say
therein lies my problem. It is a heavy burden. But a piece of KFC
the chicken in the mall in Panama is not the same chicken you wear
USA. It seemed to me that the spices had been cut in half. It was like
listening to a song you can barely decipher. You know it from
somewhere, but you can’t hear enough to really identify it. No
Ranch dressing either. I can live without it but my better half has
He is known to leave the premises grumbling at the ranch cases.
dressing empty.
# 4. THE MEAT IS RANGE FEED. Now this is a good thing. This is the way God
I wanted it to be. No hormones or antibiotics to mess up your system.
Pure, simple and rank beef. Nor do they age meat. This is
probably another key to longevity in small latitudes. Aged veal
is another way of saying “rotting meat.” Aging came to
tenderize the beef for fattening. A good idea at the time, except that you’re
basically eating a half rotten corpse. Trust me, you will live longer if you don’t eat semi rotten meat.
Although I guess that’s what I like. The options. I like to be able
I choose what I want, how I want to live (or die). It is certainly not due to the consumption of some chemically induced animal carcasses. The people of the mountain ranges enjoy one of the longest lives in the world. In light of this, I may be using hand towels again.