Carnival!

Note the gorgeous $6.99 jersey

Saturday through Tuesday was all about Carnival here in Panama. I had no clue it was such a big deal in this country - second only to Brazil! A ton of people left the city to go to Las Tablas (about 100 miles out), where the biggest party is supposed to be, and nearly every business here was closed for the entirety of the celebration. It felt like a ghost town, especially in my neighborhood, which is mostly government offices and literally everything was closed. Despite the mass exodus to the countryside, Panama City's event "Carnival de la City" was still very impressive. A half-mile stretch of the neighborhood Cinta Costera (a seaside road, boardwalk, and park system) was gated off, three main stages were set up, and the streets were lined with tents and booths for vendors. Live performances would start in the afternoon each day, ranging from local acts to famous Central American pop artists, and continue late into the night. And it was totally free! There were only two entrances and you had to show documentation and get a pat down from the National Police, so I guess the entrance fee was paid in the ridiculous amount of time spent waiting to get in. Each day was more intense and more crowded than the last, culminating in Tuesday's party which had a parade and a performance by some (allegedly) famous reggaeton guys. That night was basically shoulder to shoulder; I swear the entire population of Panama showed up.

Intern Sam with a dancer/drummer from the parade

My initial impression on Saturday night can only be described as overwhelmed. The space was enormous, yet somehow still insufficient for the amount of music being played, so in any given spot you would have two or three different speakers blasting different songs at you. Every fourth or fifth food/beverage stand would be set up with a DJ, lights, smoke machines, and a towering stack of speakers, repeating from one end of the grounds to another on both sides of the street. Folks would hang out, eating, drinking, and dancing at whichever was playing the music they were most into. And everywhere you looked someone was selling something. Kids and adults alike maneuvered through the crowds with trays of sunglasses, masks, silly string, and light up swords. People standing near huge bins filled with ice would call out advertising their beer and soda, and if you felt too lazy to walk the 10 yards to he nearest one (they were seriously everywhere) you could just wait for someone to walk by with a smaller cooler or better yet, buy a beer off a 5-year-old holding a six pack up in the air. For food, there were hamburger/hotdog/soda combos and barbecue plates at any of the hundred food stalls for the cool price of $1.50 or kebabs for 50c from any of the portable grills that lined the inner lanes of the streets. You'd be hard pressed to avoid seeing these barbecues - they were set up on top of wooden milk crates at chest level and had flaming beer cans (filled with grease?) on either side. I've never seen anything so precarious and dangerous looking. Wish I had taken a photo! Even a vegetarian had options here, and I could pick from yucca and plantains and beans to candied apples. To top it all off, if you wandered anywhere near one of the stages, you were at risk for being sprayed with water, confetti, and glitter. Even if you tried your best to avoid it, some kid with squirtgun and silly string in hand was sure to find you. I'm glad Carnival is a drawn out affair because the first night I managed to do little other than walk around like a zombie taking it all in.


Here are some of the highlights of my first Carnival experience:
- Got grabbed by a middle-aged woman as I was trying to leave one night and she wouldn't let me go until I danced salsa with her. I can't dance.
- Fell a good 2.5 feet into a manhole as I was watching the parade go by, and I consider myself lucky. In Panama City, the covers to sewers, electric/gas access, etc. are almost always missing and I should have known better when I stopped watching the ground to look at a float. My little hole was trash and water filled, but I came out without a scratch (how my injury-prone ankles survived I'll never know). I've seen others at least 5 feet deep with crumbling cement and exposed rebar.
- Saw the water/confetti spraying people picking up crates upon crates of eggs and got the hell out of there.
- Made "friends" with some people my age after buying beer from their cooler and they proceeded to take pictures with me at one of the reggaeton shows. I was aware of about half of the photos, the others I realized only after seeing the flash.

This is where I made some amigos

- Was warned by some Panamanian guy (also my age) to be careful of the people mentioned above because they might try something. He then proceeded to tail one of the other interns as we were leaving for another stage.
- FINALLY had a couple of late nights out!