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Breezy, Probably Unfair Generalizations About Panama Based On An Hour At Tocumen International Airport
Writers are famous for blowing into places for a very short period of time and then spouting off on them as though they were experts. Click on my name here and you'll see that I'm just as guilty as everyone else. And writers with a hell of a lot more talent than me have done the same thing.According to Paul Theroux's "Tao of Travel," D. H. Lawrence spent just a week in Sardinia, but needed 355 pages to describe the trip in his book, Sea and Sardinia. Graham Greene spent just 18 days in Liberia preparing "Journey Without Maps," and Rudyard Kipling never went to Mandalay, the subject of his famous poem. Bruce Chatwin would wash up in a place for an hour or two and somehow get three chapters of dialogue-driven material, much of it likely fabricated, without breaking a sweat. (Theroux wisely doesn't disclose how long he spent anywhere)
The hazard of writing non-fiction is that there will always be readers who know more about the topic you're writing about than you do. Travel writers record their impressions of a place and then duck for cover as people who live there or know it very well take justifiable shots at us.
I had all this in mind on Valentine's Day when I had an hour to kill at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama. Like most Americans, I know very little about Panama, but I wondered what I could pick up about the local culture from wandering around the airport for an hour. Here is what I noticed. I hope that those who know Panama well will use the comments section to set me straight.
See through pants. The first thing I noticed after stepping off the plane was a middle-aged woman's ass. Mind you, I was in the airport with my wife and two children, but even my wife couldn't help but notice it.
"Dave, look at this woman's outfit," she whispered with a nod, as though it had somehow slipped past me. "Her pants are totally see through! You can see her ass."
I wanted to get a photo of it, for posterity, but I didn't want to get too close, and from a distance, it wasn't possible to detect how shear her stretch pants were. I didn't see anyone else in a see-through outfit but I did spy plenty of women in very tight, form-fitting attire and even the airport janitors looked quite fetching in their uniforms.
Treasure Chest: As I stood underneath an airport monitor marveling at all the exotic places I could connect to in Panama (Manaus! Belo Horizonte! Ascuncion! Cali! M.A. Gelabert?!) my sons made a beeline for one of those horrible feed-a-dollar-and-your-child-will-get-the-prize-they-don't-want machines called Treasure Chest, which was full of stuffed animals and other assorted junk kids love.
My three year old will plead with us to feed coins into these machines and then, invariably, commence a meltdown of biblical proportions when he doesn't get the thing he wants. I swear that Tocumen has at least 100 of these exact same machines all called "Treasure Chest." And my sons approached every last one of them, harassing us to buy them something. In some areas of the airport, there were two of these machines back to back. Why so many? Obviously Panamanians must be into spoiling and indulging their children.
Wealthy elite. Panama is a relatively poor country but the rich elite must be damn good shoppers. Rolex, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Caroline Herrera, Lacoste, and Salvatorre Fergammo all have locations in the airport, not to mention other upscale retailers I wasn't as familiar with. My favorite was Harmont and Blaine, an upscale Italian store with a WASPY name and logo featuring two dachshunds. (Short sleeve polo shirts sell for $90) Most of the posh stores were empty and it seemed like the only places doing any business at all were selling perfume or electronics.
No Bargain. Here's all I know about the cost of living in Panama: a pizza sub and a small bottle of water from a Subway sandwich shop cost me $11.50 U.S. Even by airport standards, that is ridiculous.
Could I get a newsstand, please? You can find a decent newsstand and/or bookstore in almost any major airport in the world. But I looked very hard for one at Tocumen and asked several people to guide me and came up empty. I finally found a very small place with a modest selection of magazines (all in Spanish save Time and Men's Health) but, oddly enough, they had no newspapers. Not even local ones.
I asked the woman where the papers were and she said they get them in the morning and by the afternoon they're all gone. I suppose one could take the optimistic stance that this shows avid readership but I found the lack of reading materials in the airport a bad indicator for the country's literary scene, and indeed, the list of famous Panamanian writers online is pretty modest.
But one woman I asked in a perfume shop who was talking to a guy that looked like a Panamanian drug lord straight out of central casting was nice enough to give me her copy of "La Estrella," a 164-year-old daily newspaper that is apparently one of the oldest in Latin America.
Beisbol and boobs. After I'd seen enough of the airport, I sat down and leafed through "La Estrella," which was full of coverage of the country's baseball championship between teams called Metro and Occidente, and seemingly random photos of bodacious women. One particularly fetching photo, which appeared in the Sports section under the headline "La Apasionada" (The Impassioned), featured the porn star Sophia Rossi, who makes Pamela Anderson look like the flat-chested girl next door. (And has been romantically linked to the baseball player, Pat Burrell)
Diversity. I spent the rest of my time people watching and, while you never know where people are from, the diversity was impressive. There were people of every skin tone, befitting a country that's long been a crossroads and a melting pot. I was only in Panama for an hour, not even enough time to get Van Halen's song of the same title out of my head, but I saw enough to know I want to go back. Next time, I'd like to actually exit the airport.
[Photo credit: Dave Seminara]
See through pants. The first thing I noticed after stepping off the plane was a middle-aged woman's ass. Mind you, I was in the airport with my wife and two children, but even my wife couldn't help but notice it.
"Dave, look at this woman's outfit," she whispered with a nod, as though it had somehow slipped past me. "Her pants are totally see through! You can see her ass."
I wanted to get a photo of it, for posterity, but I didn't want to get too close, and from a distance, it wasn't possible to detect how shear her stretch pants were. I didn't see anyone else in a see-through outfit but I did spy plenty of women in very tight, form-fitting attire and even the airport janitors looked quite fetching in their uniforms.
Treasure Chest: As I stood underneath an airport monitor marveling at all the exotic places I could connect to in Panama (Manaus! Belo Horizonte! Ascuncion! Cali! M.A. Gelabert?!) my sons made a beeline for one of those horrible feed-a-dollar-and-your-child-will-get-the-prize-they-don't-want machines called Treasure Chest, which was full of stuffed animals and other assorted junk kids love.
My three year old will plead with us to feed coins into these machines and then, invariably, commence a meltdown of biblical proportions when he doesn't get the thing he wants. I swear that Tocumen has at least 100 of these exact same machines all called "Treasure Chest." And my sons approached every last one of them, harassing us to buy them something. In some areas of the airport, there were two of these machines back to back. Why so many? Obviously Panamanians must be into spoiling and indulging their children.
Wealthy elite. Panama is a relatively poor country but the rich elite must be damn good shoppers. Rolex, Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, Caroline Herrera, Lacoste, and Salvatorre Fergammo all have locations in the airport, not to mention other upscale retailers I wasn't as familiar with. My favorite was Harmont and Blaine, an upscale Italian store with a WASPY name and logo featuring two dachshunds. (Short sleeve polo shirts sell for $90) Most of the posh stores were empty and it seemed like the only places doing any business at all were selling perfume or electronics.No Bargain. Here's all I know about the cost of living in Panama: a pizza sub and a small bottle of water from a Subway sandwich shop cost me $11.50 U.S. Even by airport standards, that is ridiculous.
Could I get a newsstand, please? You can find a decent newsstand and/or bookstore in almost any major airport in the world. But I looked very hard for one at Tocumen and asked several people to guide me and came up empty. I finally found a very small place with a modest selection of magazines (all in Spanish save Time and Men's Health) but, oddly enough, they had no newspapers. Not even local ones.I asked the woman where the papers were and she said they get them in the morning and by the afternoon they're all gone. I suppose one could take the optimistic stance that this shows avid readership but I found the lack of reading materials in the airport a bad indicator for the country's literary scene, and indeed, the list of famous Panamanian writers online is pretty modest.
But one woman I asked in a perfume shop who was talking to a guy that looked like a Panamanian drug lord straight out of central casting was nice enough to give me her copy of "La Estrella," a 164-year-old daily newspaper that is apparently one of the oldest in Latin America.
Beisbol and boobs. After I'd seen enough of the airport, I sat down and leafed through "La Estrella," which was full of coverage of the country's baseball championship between teams called Metro and Occidente, and seemingly random photos of bodacious women. One particularly fetching photo, which appeared in the Sports section under the headline "La Apasionada" (The Impassioned), featured the porn star Sophia Rossi, who makes Pamela Anderson look like the flat-chested girl next door. (And has been romantically linked to the baseball player, Pat Burrell)Diversity. I spent the rest of my time people watching and, while you never know where people are from, the diversity was impressive. There were people of every skin tone, befitting a country that's long been a crossroads and a melting pot. I was only in Panama for an hour, not even enough time to get Van Halen's song of the same title out of my head, but I saw enough to know I want to go back. Next time, I'd like to actually exit the airport.
[Photo credit: Dave Seminara]
Filed under: Podcasts, Panama, Transportation, Airports, Central America
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Trek to Kothaligad Feb 18th 2013 8:27AM
"Excellent job done and nice informative blog posted.
Thanks"
Expat Feb 17th 2013 5:11PM
One hour in the unreal atmosphere of an airport (any airport) is enough to judge a country? Have you been to Disneyland? Perhaps you could substitute "Americans" for the "Panamanians" in your unfounded comment that "Obviously Panamanians must be into spoiling and indulging their children." Also such "factoids" (no data cited) that "Panama is a relatively poor country." Please check sources rather than make things up. Good to know, tho, that those of us who are looking for reliable reporters can skip anything with your by-line.
Dave Seminara Feb 17th 2013 11:00PM
Thanks, Expat. First impressions can be misleading but the only "mistake" you site is my comment that Panama is a "relatively poor country." I stand by this statement and the facts are on my side. Have a look at this paper from the World Bank on poverty in Panama linked below. Here are some quotes from it:
"Despite Panama's relatively high-income per capita, poverty remains pervasive. Over one million people (37 percent of the population) live below the poverty line. Of these, over half a million (19 percent) live in extreme poverty. One-half of all Panamanian children are poor."
"Panama's (income) inequality ranks among the highest (in the world) — on par with Brazil and just below South Africa, two of the most unequal countries in the world. Panama's poorest are very poor and the richest are very rich."
"Over 16 percent of all children under five (close to 50,000) suffer from some form of malnutrition."
"Poverty in indigenous areas can only be described as abysmal. Over 95 percent of residents of indigenous areas (197,003 people) fall below the poverty line and 86 percent live in extreme poverty."
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/EXTPA/0,,contentMDK:20207841~menuPK:443285~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:430367,00.html
Z Schmee Feb 18th 2013 11:49AM
I enjoyed the article. However I think one obvious connection should have been made that separates Panama from other places. Yes it is poor, but why are designer stores, treasure chest games full of Chinese crap and older women showing off their butt implants all within a few feet of each other? Clearly the fact that much of the worlds merchandise passes through the Panama canal must have some trickle down effects. Designer cloths, electronics of all varieties, dirty & clean money from around the world and more all get left in Panama. It is an indicator culture if their ever was one. However outside of the cosmopolitan hub that is Panama City exists a much more family centered society proud of their beautiful country. They don't give a damn about airports! I think you should take your family around and get to know Panama.
Tupapi Feb 18th 2013 4:31PM
I think this article was doomed to fail from its conception. You have to understand that most people you see at Tocumen airport are NOT panamanians, as Tocumen is the Hub for Copa and most passengers are traveling through, connecting, say from Buenos Aires to Havana, etc (like you were). The stores in the airport are there keeping the international traveler crowd in mind, not panamanians as a whole. The stores are a reflection of the demand and what sells. The article is a misguided effort to write without proper material. It's "reaching", and I think the author knows it. I suggest you use the information you say you acquired in this hour at Tocumen and maybe write an airport review, rather than the sorry piece you have presented here.
Tupapi Feb 19th 2013 10:01PM
Oh, and BTW, did you know unemployment in Panama is less than 4%? What's unemployment in the U.S.?
Elena Hernandez Feb 18th 2013 10:51PM
Indeed, an unfair generalization of Panama. Tocumen is the Hub of the Americas, 7 million tourists pass through there every year, most of them not Panamanian. The woman with the "see through" pants was most probably not a panamanian, and the vending machine for children is not a culture here in the city or elsewhere, its put there for people like you who are just in transit and your children are bored. Any airport in the USA or Europe that sells food is more expensive than Tocumen, just because it's Panama it doesn't mean that we have to sell cheap. Oh, and Sophia Rossi has nothing to do with Panama. Baseball does, we kick ass. Come back and enjoy the city, beyond Tocumen and Copa Airlines.
Gustavo Feb 19th 2013 7:28AM
It's amazing how somebody can write such a lousy article.
Have you ever been to Orlando Airport? talk about expensive stuff for kids at Universal and Disney Stores. Haven't you been to any Brookstone stores located at most U.S. Airports? Miami has Swaroski stores, not cheap my friend. Oakley store at O'Hare, you guessed it! Not Cheap!
You complained about the vending machines but you kept pumping coins into it. Could it be that it's an alternative to have a bored child running all over the place?
Have you ever been to Panama City (FL) Airport? Drunk Springbreakers in tiny shorts, bikini tops and flip flops. Does that means that all U.S. women are like that?
I have seen american backpackers, covered in dirt and smelly as a garbage can, sleeping in the floor of Guatemala airport while waiting for their flight, does it mean all americans are like that?
Try to put things in context. You were at the airport! 90% of the people you saw were not panamanians!
As Elena said, you should come back and try the real Panama. You'll love it!
Alejandro G Feb 19th 2013 10:43AM
Have you even traveled before? go to any airport in the world and buy a Sandwich and bottled water and it will be cheaper here in Panamá than there. You have no context whatsoever, and i as a well traveled panamanian find your post disrespectful to us and to your fellow countryman.
I dont care that you disclaim that they are breezy and probably unfair. That disclaimer is a Joke. You are a Joke.
Markseminara Feb 19th 2013 8:45PM
AJ, This guy must not be a certified global travel expert like you, amigo. I'm with you on this whole thing, as I have been tracking airport pricing globally for the past 6-9 months, very actively. You got it right there, AJ, Panama is at the bottom of the list, cheap as a hooker in Haiti. Actually, us Panamanians have the best airport prices on men's magazines, Spanish fly and a variety of essential necessities to make it through our country without catching syphillis. As a fellow countryman, we need to provide a basic guide to foreign journalists on how to respect us without dis respecting us, especially our women. It is very warm here and there is no need for wearing lots of heavy clothing. Tight is right for our country women. adios amigo.