Fast Food Nation

They got all kinds of American fast food here in Panama City:
McDonalds (everywhere).
Subway
Dunkin Donuts
KFC
Pizza Hut
Burger King.
Quiznos (was a shock to see).
Many others.

Of all the places I saw, Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits was the biggest shock. At least on the West Coast, there's not many of them in US.

Oh yeah, the McDonalds here sells fried chicken...not a sandwich, actual fried chicken.

Being someone who used to go crazy on fast food (in the not too distant past), this place will be a test of my willpower in moments of weakness or starvation.

I ordered Dominoes Pizza one night because it was late and I didn't want to go out. It actually was really good.

UPDATE - Evel Kneival Real Estate Agent

An update to my early post about the hit-and-run real estate agent...

When the couple (looking for apts) finally were let out of the agents car, they took off down the street. The wife looked back, and to her surprise, she saw the agent shaking hands and laughing with the person whose car he just hit.

Go figure...Panama!

Looking for an apt = Patience

It seems like all apts in Panama City are rented through Real Estate agents. There are so many places to look at and so many different areas and options. The search will wear you out.

Impatience may make you regret your decision...

Find a good agent who will really listen to you and get you the best deal...otherwise you might pay too much!

Black People

Yep...they definitly are here. I'm not seeing tons of them in the city, but I'm seeing enough from all economic classes so I at least feel at home...

Fat Cribs!

Went to look at apts today. Looked at two that were $900 a month with views that looked like this...

One of them had a view of the water, plus a dope pool and sauna.

I might be in one of those...

Evel Knievel the real estate agent

Another couple who will be working at my school went with a real estate agent to look for apartments.

The agent took them in his car.

No more than 2 blocks from the hotel, he hit a car and kept on going. The car he hit started to chase his car. While trying to get away from that car. He hit another car. Then that car started chasing him. While trying to get away, he backed into a third car. The couple tried to get him to stop during all this and let them out. Eventually he let them out and took off. The couple had no clue where they were, had no passport or ID, did not know the address of the hotel. Luckily the husband had some money in his pocket and knew the name of the hotel.

By the way, this real estate agent WAS RECOMMENDED BY THE SCHOOL THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING AT. :)

Welcome to Panama!

For the record, I like Panama!!!! Right now its WAY to early to make any judgements or generalizations about this place. :)

Jeff Lewis the golfer and the woman with no teeth

On the plane from Orlando to Panama, I sat next to Jeff Lewis, an ex-pro golfer.

Jeff is an interesting guy who talked with me about his career, Tiger Woods and being a consultant in golf course design.

He told me a story about a tournament he did in Calcutta:

While in Calcutta, Jeff was advised not to give anything to homeless or street people. After winning some good money from the tournament, he saw a very beautiful woman on the street with a baby. He smiled at her and she smiled back, showing that she had NO teeth, just black gums. He felt sorry for her and gave her $10. By the time he got to the hotel, he had so many people pulling on his arms, he thought they were going to rip them off, literally. He claims that if it wasn't for the cop that shot his gun in the air, he would not have survived.

A couple other interesting things he said about Calcutta:
1) Some parents in Calcutta maim or remove limbs from their newborns on purpose...so they can get more money when they beg.
2) He had a taxi driver who hit a pedestrian on the street. People chased the cab, pulled out the driver and (probably) beat him to death in the street.

Customs and My Turntables!!!!

Had more trouble getting my stuff through the Orlando Airport than Panama customs.

Even with the baggage limits, Copa airlines let me and my lady check 6 bags and bring 4 carry ons. The Copa check-in lady was very nice and even gave me a discount.

Traveling with an Xbox, mixer and other electronics...I had to take it ALL out for homeland security.


Customs and immigration in Panama was a breeze. No lines, no hassle. I'm not sure if they customs agent even looked at all my bags on his x-ray screen.

Got to hotel, setup my turntables and re-connected all the pieces back together (I seperated them so I could bring the parts as carry on luggage).

Turned on the Technics (turntables) and the arm that holds the needle would not stay on the record!!!! I was pissed that either Southwest, Copa, Orlando airport, Oakland airport or Tocumen airport was manhandling my turntable cases that I checked in.

Went to bed pissed.

Woke up at 6:30am, adjusted some screws and got the tables working normally. THANK GOD!!!!

I'm Here!

Feeling lazy so here are some Quick Observations...



1) Spanish is spoken by the locals here.
2) Locals expect you to speak Spanish
3) Its humid, but not unbearable here.
4) Google maps is still worthless for Panama City
5) Big women are not afraid to wear tight clothes
6) Prices for American items are the same here as in the US
7) Prices for local items are pretty low compared to US items
8) There is a Quiznos here.
9) Forget about street signs, you gotta find you way by landmarks (example: turn left at the subway, go 2 blocks, turn right at the big church, etc...)
10) Some Panamanian's cut off their words when speaking (do instead of dos for "2")
11) Not many folks walk around downtown (at least Sat and Sunday)
12) Pineapple rice drink...very good
13) Shrek is a new movie here. (I saw it almost 2 months ago in the US)
14) Downtown area has about 10 times more sky scrapers than I thought