Yesterday I finally got off my ass and went into the city.  Armed with what few maps I could find, I left here just before 8 AM with the intention of making it to one store in town and finding out a few things about storage of my vehicle.

Traffic, having been warned it was a nightmare, really wasn’t all that bad compared to many of the other cities I have navigated. It was slow in many parts that were supposed to be highways, and there were the regular problems of being in the wrong lane and having to make a turn when I didn’t want to, but having learned how to change lanes at the last moment (waving your hand out the window and just pushing into the right lane…begging…honking…whatever it takes, basically), things mostly went well.

I made my way downtown where there is a Rey, a large supermarket in these parts with a free parkade. I just parked there and worked the rest of my missions with taxis.

For those of you who might come here, you can get pretty much anywhere in the city for 2 buks, and it is just one hell of a lot easier to let them do the driving. The standard fare is 1.25, and add .25 per person. It can be a little more for farther places, but don’t let them rip you off because they will try. I have heard stories of charging 10 buks just to go a few miles. Cheap, compared to prices back home, but not here.

Anyways, the road out to the airport is one toll booth after another. There and back sucked five or six bucks out of my pocket, just in the search for a place to store my car. I finally found one and that is when I gave up on that idea.

A 4×6 meter bay, is $230/month, plus 5% tax. That’s around $1500 for 6 months. Woah.8| Not only that, but the place was FULL, and I would have to call at least 4 days in advance to try and secure a spot. So, if anyone wants to start up a real money maker, there is a town called Arriajan just outside of the city where it would be best to put another one of those. Sit back and rake in the cash.

Having said that, it makes the other option look much more attractive. The owners here know a guy…and he keeps his other car, a ’71 ElCamino (with a 454 big-block, headers, intake, carb, …ie the works. Nice Ride!) just down the road from here at his mechanics place. His mechanic was trained to work on hot rods, and knows his sh*t. I forget his exact qualifications, but there is a large amount of very highly trained people in this country.

Panama may be third-world, but just under the surface is a very educated and intelligent workforce that most people just take for granted. You have to remember that since the very early 1900’s (and even way before that), Panama has been an international crossroads, with exposure to high rollers from every country in the world that ships things through the canal. The wrangling that goes on in the Free Zone would make most from New York look like financial invalids. Not surprisingly, they often take advantage of people who carry this arrogant attitude around with them, and well they should, if you ask me.

I will get a few large tarps, and store it there beside it’s big brother. He will start it for me every once in a while, and deal with whatever needs dealing with, and there is no problem with trust. Not with the owners of this place just down the road.

Yesterdays’ adventure had a decent kick in the pants, though. Thinking I was smart, I took a picture of the page in the yellow pages of all the places to store things down here. It’s easier than copying it all down, and a picture gives better directions for a taxi driver, but when you get out of the cab, you should remember to take it with you. So, after two years, some 25 thousands kms of travelling, and thousands of pictures, I gave it to the cabby.   Plus a tip.

So, no more pictures from down here. I will get another when I return, as there is no use in getting one here. Central America can be a dumping ground for “less than perfect” product.  ‘Nuff said.

It’s now 7 AM and I am going to walk down to the end of the road to watch the sun rise.