Stuff you need backpacking around Panama

Languages  Spanish (official), English 14% note: many Panamanians bilingual

Spanish Dialect

If you cross the border from Costa Rica into Panama, you will notice a large change in the dialect. True to its Caribbean orientation, Panamanian Spanish sounds much closer to Puerto Rican than Tico or Nicaraguan Spanish. For students of Mexican or European Spanish, it may take a little getting used to. The biggest thing you will notice is that half of the S's go missing, specifically at the end of words or before other consonants. You will hear nosotroh ehtamoh instead of nosotros estamos. Also some of the d's and r's go missing. While you're in Panama, see if you can find where they hid all their consonants. This dialect is most pronounced in the country [aka. interior]. It can be funny when you talk to locals there, but try to avoid using this "country Spanish" when you´re in the city. Most city people view it as an uneducated dialect, and will give you funny looks if you drop your S's.

Idiom

If you're from the United States, avoid referring to yourself as "American." Panamanians consider themselves American too (Central Americans) although they never refer to each other as Americans. While you may have been taught in school to refer to yourself as American "estadounidense," the most common catch-all for US and Canadian citizens is "Norteamericano/a." There is some debate over the use of "norteamericano/a." "Americans" actually living in Panama never hear a Panamanian refer to themselves as American. Nor do they ever hear a Canadian referring to themselves as an "American." Visitors may be very confused by the Panamanian sense of humor, which finds great hilarity in all forms of slapstick, and often doesn't get irony at all.

Indigenous Languages

Panama has a lot more indigenous culture than some neighboring countries. In Kuna Yala you will hear the native Kuna language spoken. In the Ngöbe-Buglé Comarca, as well as in Chiriqui or Bocas del Toro, you might hear the native Ngöbe-Buglé (Guaymí) language, although the Ngöbe and the Buglé are very quiet around foreigners. If you ask directions from one of them, you will probably just get a hand or lips pointed wordlessly in the right direction.

English

Much of the Caribbean Coast of Panama was settled by Jamaicans. More recently, the descendants of those settlers seem to be speaking more Spanish, but a lot of them still speak English, albeit a very Caribbean variety. Only a few years ago, the canal used to be controlled by the USA. The US has given the canal back to Panama, but many people in Panama City and other areas near the canal still speak English as a second language.

If Panamanian food has to be summed up in one word, that word would be culantro, which is a local plant that tastes like cilantro, except that it has a much stronger flavor. But there are a variety of restaurants to choose from. If you are looking for spicy, there is indian, or restaurants that serve "picante de la casa", which will probably blow smoke through your ears. There are Arabic restaurants, Italian, Chinese, Mexican... whatever you're in the mood for. If you get tired of eating beans or gallo pinto in the rest of Central America, you might want to head towards Panama. Since Panama has a little more Caribbean influence than other Central American countries, you'll see a lot more plaintain than beans here. If you like your food picante, Panama may not be the place for you. They definitely have several hot sauces, but most brands range from weak to really weak. Instead, look for homemade ones which are for the most part as hot as any Mexican or Caribbean sauce. You will really impress Panamanians when you down their fieriest stuff without flinching. As with other parts of Central America, the favorite meat seems to be chicken, although it doesn't seem quite as ubiquitous as it does in Costa Rica. The food of Bocas del Toro is even more Caribbean than the rest of Panama. Many of the dishes contain coconut, unlike in the more Latin parts of Panama. You can get excellent food really cheap if you look around. The equivalent of a 5-star meal with drinks can be US$8-30 in some places.

National beers are produced (Balboa, Atlas, Soberana, Goldbest, Panamá), but don't measure up to a good import. Balboa is the best of the domestic brands. Many women favor Soberana. Beer can cost as low as 35 cents a 12 oz. can. Carta Vieja is the main domestically produced rum. Seco, a very raw white rum, is the national liquor. Seco con leche (with milk) is a common drink in the countryside.

Listen

Music is definitely one of the highlights of Panama. Salsa music seems to permeate everything in the Latin parts of the country. Reggaeton originated in Panama and is also very popular. In Bocas del Toro, you will hear a lot of Reggae with Spanish lyrics. Check out the summer music festival in Las Tablas.

Party

Many discos and bars plague the Capital City. The area known as "Calle Uruguay" has probably a dozen or so nice discos and bars within a 2 block radius, and is the best place for partying. Great spot for "bar hopping". There are also very nice discos and bars on the "Causeway" or "El Amador".

• Guru: the newest and biggest club. Located on "Calle Uruguay". Hotspot in town. (Early 2008)
• Mystik: located right next to Guru. Used to be the hotspot in town.
• The Gallery / Blue Room: replaced Liquid and is still one of the more popular clubs.
• Buzz: like Gallery, it is located outside of the "Calle Uruguay" area.

Older Clubs (Some of these have been replaced, or closed.)

• Next [2] The biggest one!
• Liquid [3]
• RockCafé [4]

Panama is home to the hemisphere's largest free trade zone, the Colon Free Zone. There are also a number of large, American-style malls, such as Multicentro, Albrook Mall, and Multiplaza Pacific. However, prices vary widely from mall to mall--Albrook is quite cheap, while Multiplaza is home to designer boutiques and very high prices. Generally Panama is a good place to buy consumer electronics, clothing and cosmetics. Traditional Panamanian crafts can be found most cheaply at artesania markets. In Panama City, the best are found at the market in Balboa, with the Panama Viejo market coming in as a close second. Panama's best-known craft is the mola, intricate reverse-applique handwork made by the Kuna. Molas can be bought at either of these craft markets, or from vendors on the seawall in Casco Viejo. Other Panamanian crafts include carved tagua nuts, cocobolo carvings of animals, and woven palm-fiber baskets. There is a smaller craft market in El Valle, which specializes in soapstone carvings and other central Panamanian crafts.

Money

Panama uses the Balboa and the US Dollar as its currencies. The balboa is equivalent to the US dollar and has exactly the same value, but in reality the Balboas only exist as coins that are equivalent to the US coins. There are no 1, 5, 10, 20, or 100 Balboa bills because the US Dollar bills are used freely in Panama in that role. If you're traveling on US Dollars, which is a very good idea in Central America, it will be very easy to pay with US dollars in Panama. The US Dollars may be called Balboas as a denomination, but the US Dollar has been the official currency since 1904. If you're from the US, one oddity about Panama will be change. Panama mints its own coins in the same weights and sizes as US coinage, but with Panamanian stampings. Because a legal treay (1904) between US and Panama the Panamanian coinage is completely interchangeable with standard US coinage in Panama. You may get a handful of change back with a conquistador on the quarter and an Indian on one of your pennies, but Lincoln on the other penny and Roosevelt on the dime. Panama also still mints half dollars. You may hear these half dollars called pesos, so don't think you've accidentally ended up in Mexico. Some Panama's coins are made by the US Mint. Incidentally, if you run short on change in the United States, Panamanian coins work in parking meters, payphones, vending machines, etc. You can typically use a credit card at all hotels in the capital, as well as medium-sized regional cities (David, Las Tablas, Colon, Santiago, Bocas del Toro, etc.). Restaurants, grocery stores, and department stores in major cities will also usually take credit, or even debit cards. However, outside the capital using your card could be difficult. US ATM cards worked in Panama up through the first part of this year, but some banks' cards are no longer functioning. Though Panamanian ATMs function on the Cirrus/Plus system, they may not take cards with the Interlink symbol. Make sure you're carrying a lot of cash (especially small bills) and understand how to take cash advances out on your credit card. Traveller's checks are not widely used. Many businesses do not accept US$50 or US$100 bills at all. Most of those that do will ask for your passport and store your data/serial numbers of your notes in a special book. The reason is that many US$50 and US$100 bills have been counterfeited.