My one breath view of Panama, where I spent a month.
An ultra cosmopolitan place. The biggest reason for this is; Since workers from all over the world came to work in the construction of the Panama Canal and then did not return to their countries, you can meet people from unexpected places in unexpected places.. Of course, there are mostly Asian and Chinese people.. As in other Central American countries, the Chinese run the markets here as well.. I saw that they run many restaurants as well as the market.. The Chinese are so spread out in Panama that you go to a small island, there are two markets, both of which belong to the Chinese.. When I first came to the country, I thought this rich diversity of people could be beautiful, but after spending a month here, my decision changed.. There are still too many foreign workers in the country.. Because it is an expensive country, many people come here to work, especially from Colombia and Venezuela.. Caribbean blacks living on the Caribbean side are not the types who like to work very much.. Did they work 4-5 hours a day, that’s more than enough for them. The way I see it, they’re so used to the easy money from the drug business.. There are white-skinned people in the country, as well as those with jet-black skin.. But I can easily say this; I’ve never seen such cold and unfriendly black people anywhere.. For them, if you’re white, you’re gringo so you’re a US citizen, you have money and you’re a chipped goose. I witnessed it with my own eyes while entering a place in the evening on Bastimentos island, if you are white, you pay double the entrance fee compared to black people.. Seeing black people complaining about racism in this way, to be honest, surprised me a little.. Another feature of the country that strikes me as strange is that some parts of the country are indigenous and those regions function as if they were a separate country from Panama.. The Kuna Yala and Embera Indians have their own autonomous regions and are entered and exited by passport control.. Although it is said that the locals have their own police or security forces, I have not seen this in practice. So on paper, those regions are shown as if they are a separate republic from Panama, but in reality, everything is still under the control of the Panamanian Government.. I should also mention that there are representatives of these natives in the parliament.. The locals I mentioned have pretty much preserved their traditions.. Although lifestyles are modernizing day by day, Panama is still a boon for those who love this type of travel and want to communicate with the locals.. The most expensive country in Central America after Costa Rica. So I can say that it is a little expensive for us.. It is said that the country’s economy has been getting better in recent years, as the operation of the Panama Canal has been transferred to Panama.. Urbanization in the country is a bit strange. Except for Panama City, other cities are like district-style places in us.. Panama City, on the other hand, is a city that needs to be addressed separately.. While one side of the city is equipped with skyscrapers, business centers and shopping malls, the other side is full of slums.. There are gaps between. While Panamanians may boast of these modern regions, these two groups of people eventually come together in traffic or public transport.. Make a part of the city as modern as you want, unfortunately, the country can’t move up if you don’t touch the other side.. Spanish is the mother tongue in Panama with a population of 4 million.. Everyone uses US dollars even though they have their own currency, and the country’s main currency is something like the US dollar. With 2,000 USD, this is the country with the easiest residence permit in Central America.. Since Turkish TV series have started to appear on Panama TVs recently, they are aware of us thanks to the TV series.. It is possible to see casinos all over the country, regardless of the city center or outside.. Although it has extremely beautiful Caribbean islands and natural parks, it is a country that has not yet introduced itself as a tourist attraction.. If the region with more than 300 large and small San Blas islands was in Europe, it would surely be among the top 10 places that come to mind when it comes to a holiday, such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa or Venice.. The education system is generally like in other Central American countries.. Although it is said on paper that there are no soldiers in the country, the soldiers I met near the Colombian border said that they were professional soldiers.. In other words, although it is learned that he lava his soldiers when he does research, I can say that it is not so in practice.. They use police officers who look like soldiers to prevent drug trafficking or control border crossings, but as I said, when I talk to them, they say that they are not policemen, they are professional soldiers.. I witnessed the locals making serious protests when I entered and left the country.. They close the main roads and stop the vehicle traffic for days.. Until their wishes come true. Even though I didn’t go deep into the problem, local people I talked to said that this type of action is common.. In terms of security, if you follow the rules, you will not have any problems.. Pick-ups are very popular in the Caribbean.. It doesn’t make much sense to leave bags or valuables on the beach.. In Panama City, there are very dangerous streets that should not be entered even during the day.. The rules I mentioned are; not to enter these streets, to be prepared for snatching incidents. It may be a bit of a luxury to come and go here from Turkey just to see Panama.. But if you come to the surrounding countries, it should definitely be added to the list to see the natives of Panama or to go to the San Blas Islands.
You can watch a short summary of Panama in the video below;,
You can continue the travel article from the link;
Panama Travel Notes -2-