In timpul vizitei in Romania multi m-au intrebat cum e Panama fata de Romania si am avut dreptate sa zic ca din punct de vedere economic e cam acelasi lucru… Interesant e ca in ultimul clasament al tarilor in functie de produsul intern brut pe cap de locuitor al Fondului Monetar International, Romania e pe locul 68 din 181 de tari iar Panama e pe locul… 69
Printre tarile care o duc mai bine decit Romania si Panama sint Oman, Trinidad si Tobaga, Antigua si Barbuda, Gabon, Libia, Botswana si chiar Bulgaria (locul 67). Canada e pe locul 12 iar USA pe 6. Lista completa e disponibila pe wikipedia.
Din 3 noiembrie (ziua nationala) au inceput sarbatorile in Panama. De acum e mai mult liber decit se lucreaza, sau cel putin asa ai impresia. Mai jos e un extras dintr-un articol din panama-guide.com care descrie extrem de bine perioada asta (in engleza, sorry):
Ah yes, it’s now just about the “most wonderful time of the year” in Panama. It rains like hell in November which then turns into the Panamanian Summer (dry season) – and during these months nobody wants to work – at all. The holiday season officially starts next week, and now you won’t be able to get a damn thing done in this country until after “Semana Santa” (Holy Week) – Easter will be on Sunday 4 April 2010 next year. So mark your calendars accordingly and set your frustration meters to “calm the hell down.” In November the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 28th are all official national holidays to celebrate Panama’s independence from Spain, Colombia, as well as Flag Day. There will be a lot of celebrations and parades, and most importantly – buttloads and buttloads of beer. Mother’s Day is always on the 8th of December, and Mom likes beer (urp). From there we slide right into Christmas, New Year, and lots more beer to celebrate all of that stuff. They typically outlaw sales of beer for Martyr’s Day on 9 January, but it’s still a holiday so stock up and plan accordingly. Carnival in 2010 falls on Monday Feb 15 and “Fat Tuesday” Feb 16. Of course that means you can get anything done from 12 to 17 February. Few gringos know that the expression “Fat Tuesday” actually comes from the Latin “ego imbibo nimium damno beer per carnival quod iam ego sum pinguis” which means “I drank too much damn beer during Carnival and now I’m fat.” The hangover lasts until Holy Week in April. You can expect that anyone who’s supposed to be working will only have one thing on their mind – how can I get paid more money right now so I can buy more beer to drink during (fill in the name of extra long holiday weekend here). They are going to tell you that they have some kind of a problem, their dog blew up, dead grandmother, sick aunt, bad hair day, butt boils – whatever. Just smile, hand over the money, document everything, and set your phasers to “chill.” April is just around the corner, so enjoy the dry season once it starts. Might as well, because you won’t be able to get a damn thing done anyway…
Un video proiect cu noua centura (autostrada) care se construieste in Panama City. Am vazut lucrarile si e impresionant pentru ca totul se face in mare (ocean). Practic vor ‘impinge’ oceanul cu vreo 200 de metri mai incolo
Se pare ca cea mai buna cafea din lume (asa zice articolul din ziarul englez The Guardian) se face in Boquete, cam la 30 Km de unde stam noi. O livra s-a vindut la licitatie la $117 (aproape $250 kilogramul). E adevarat, cafeaua in Panama e foarte buna, si noi cumparam cafea de Boquete dar la pret normal. Oare sa fie cea vinduta la licitatie de 50 ori mai buna?
La sfirsitul lui martie am fost intr-o scurta vacanta in Costa Rica (Playa Zancudo). Am mers in acelasi loc (chiar acelasi hotel) in care am fost intre Craciun si Anul Nou, pentru ca ne-a placut destul de mult si e relativ aproape de noi.
