Panama Scouting - Day 8 - MultiPlaza Mall
Today we moved to the Marriott Multiplaza Hotel in preparation for the Relocation Tour to depart from here on Saturday morning (I was off by a day). Tomorrow we get our Rapid Covid tests, required within 24 hours of the tours start on Saturday morning at 07:30. Neither of us functions well at that hour; our comprehension skills are low and intelligible conversation is unlikely. Luckily, this is a week-long guided tour, so we have time to catch up throughout the week and display our social skills at later hours.
I get a chuckle out of the marketing for "Rapid Covid" testing. You get results within one to three hours rather than 2-3 days as with the PCR tests. However, standing in line for 4-5 hours for a Rapid Test seems to me a bait-and-switch tactic. We had the same situation at the Seattle airport with the additional pain of being charged $250 each for the required test. Here, the cost is $50, and we will require another negative test within 24 hours of boarding our plane to return to the USA on February 9. Total cost for testing to travel to one country is $700. A woman we met flew from Connecticut to Guatemala to Panama to Columbia and had to prove Covid negative for each country, even when she stayed only 36 hours in Panama!
As we left the Panama Zen hotel today, the desk clerk asked Miguel about our plans and when she heard we have another 3 weeks in Panama, jokingly asked him what he did to deserve such a long vacation. He explained that he saves his vacation up and takes 5-6 weeks at a time. She was amazed and responded, "that would never happen in Panama". The Panamanian government sets a minimum monthly salary of $500 for 45-50 hour weeks (not regulated exactly, but most jobs are Monday through Saturday noon), and provides public health services for all. Miguel's advantage of having union-negotiated benefits of almost 7 weeks of vacation a year after 26 years of service, and a wage at the top of the pharmacy tech range is difficult to even imagine here - "syndicates" or unions are illegal in Panama, and across Central America.
Our new hotel, the Marriott Multiplaza, is at the Multiplaza Mall, a gated compound. You have to pay to park so you can wander an oversized complex with movie theaters, a food court, luxury stores, and a children's play area, on three levels.
It is as though the Mall of America was copied and pasted in Panama, with an "s" written in pencil after America. Nike, Converse, Old Navy, Forever 21; you would be forgiven for thinking yourself in Miami, rather than in Panama, especially since the prices are in US dollars (standard currency in Panama and Ecuador) and the prices are similar or slightly less. Macy's, Nordstrom, and Penneys are missing, but I hardly noticed with the blast of USA.
Miguel and Juan Carlos discussed Panama's shopping tourism during our tour earlier this week. From friends across Latin America, Miguel knows of people who bring their whole family to Panama to shop, fit their purchases into large suitcases that can return as personal luggage, and then have family stores where they can sell brand names at a reasonable price at home because they avoided the export and import taxes of shipping. Having the Canal gives Panama access to a world of goods, right off the boats. Miguel's brother said he has always wanted to come to Panama and buy "designer" or fancy brand names to resell in Panama, but he never had the start-up funding to both make the trip and buy the clothing and electronics to bring home in luggage.
Tomorrow is Rapid Covid test day, and more mall food. A very peaceful day in Panama, and we hope, for you, too.
Buenas Noches from Panama!
MaryBea y Miguel