Taking the Good with the Bad


Taking the Good with the Bad

(7 votes)

Written by Matt Landau

Monday, June 18 2007

There is of course the Panama of postcards: shiny skyscrapers, remarkable beaches, and can’t-lose real estate deals that appear to be hanging on every branch. All very attractive and well worth the visit, if you like that sort of thing.

But what the guidebooks and media kits won’t tell you, and that which I find most endearing, is the fact that the country does have flaws: a humble reminder that Panama is not necessarily the perfect paradise people make it out to be.

A beautiful girl I once knew, happened to have an extra toe: a knobby-like piece of flesh stemming from the instep of her right foot. When she wore open shoes, I would joke her about it often, calling her things like mutant turtle and good old six-toe. I eventually learned to accept this flaw and might end up marrying the girl if I can ever find out where she’s escaped to.

I don’t know why real estate websites do it, personally, but this non-stop barrage of publicity, claiming Panama to be perfect, is starting to get under my skin. Because when visitors arrive, their expectations are often so high, that not even a popsicle forest or a sea of chocolate syrup would make them happy.

When you go to China and poop in a hole in the ground, that’s part of the experience. Crowded, sweaty bus rides in Egypt and eighteen dollar martinis in Manhattan are similarly awkward, but alas, they’re part of what you sign up for. So often, you’ll go home afterwards and tell friends not about the beauty and grandeur of the Eiffel Tower, but rather how you got accidentally locked in your hotel bathroom for four hours. “They had to use a hatchet to get me out” you’ll say.

The accidents of trips are what last.

To the seasoned traveler and investor, glitches like these are simply things you sign up for when you book your flight. They realize that imperfections are what make new countries great and if it was humdrum monotony you were looking for, you might as well take to your grandma’s basement, where familiar blankets and that recognizable mothball smell will woo you to sleep.

A true traveler knows how to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

That’s not to say that all the defects in Panama today are good ones. Granted, the country clearly needs help in the tourism and real estate industries in terms of regulation and standards, but in reality, who am I—the visiting gringo—to complain. Dodgy areas are not acceptable either, and that’s where I’m OK drawing the line. But as long as Panama’s imperfections don’t put me in imminent danger, it’s only fair to go with the flow.

My father once told me, upon finding that I had tied my younger brother to a coffee table with duck tape for nearly one full day, that in child rearing, you have to take the good with the bad, and I think that applies here nicely. The beauty of Panama, lies not entirely in its modern malls or brilliant retiree benefits. It also lies in the country’s blemishes, whether they be unpaved beach roads, quirky public transportation or rusted fish shacks.

Point is, don’t have unrealistic expectations about Panama. It’s a terrific country with a lot to offer and the happiest expats know how to take the good with the bad; accepting the country’s flaws just as they might those dreadful rolls around their middle-aged hips.

Comments (2)

Esteb23: I agree

I am a real estate broeker in Panama City and I agree with your citings. Too many peoples come to Panama with big expectations or not realistic expectations and I can not make them happy. It is difficult and something that we needs to change.

June 18, 2007

RB: nice article