City of Only Some Lights

First, apologies for those looking at the few previous posts. WordPress has been upgraded to the snazzy new “Gutenberg” editor, and the old slideshow mode stopped working. I’ve got an interim version in those posts now, so you may want to go back and check them out if you actually want to see the pictures. Click the arrows on either side to navigate.

Panama City. Capital of Panama. Home to half of Panama’s population.

Driving in from the airport, we were impressed by all the high-rises, but wondering why there were so few lights on in them. They looked like apartments/condos, but they were dark for the most part.

We have since learned that they are built for the express purpose of laundering money. Built cheaply, claiming full residency, they are great ways to say you’re money is legitimate.

Turns out that since the U.S. turned things over, Panama has become a haven for dark money…Panama papers anyone? One can almost feel the “haves” chasing massive amounts of cash, and the “have nots” not even thinking about it.

Until recently, they were 139th out of 140 for worst education system. They are now up to 122. Being elected president is apparently license to steal hundreds of millions. Provide you escape as soon as your term ends, or at least spend a few years in prison, then have access to the millions you’ve stolen and hidden in offshore safe havens.

After our tour of the canal, we saw more. Kevin took us to the monument to the Chinese who helped build the canal. Not only was it a great view of the Pacific port, but it also points out how Panama has sold itself off to China They are investing heavily here, and there is little Panama will be able to do when the debts come due.

The area that was controlled by the U.S. military is now part of Panama. Where there was a fence is now a busy highway. We drove out the causeway to Amador, now a Smithsonian research facility. There we had lunch with a stunning view of the high rises of the city, although by then tempered by our understanding of what a monument to greed and corruption it is.

We ended the tour with a walk about Casco Viejo, where we were staying. Stay tuned…