TAILORS AND TOURISTS
As my usual traveling companion, Herodotus, doesn't much care for the tropics, I decide to bring along John le Carre's The Tailor of Panama, which seems a fitting choice. I start reading it during layovers and am quite enjoying it. This trip I'm flying Ontario to Houston to Panama City. I'm the only one in my row during the Houston flight, which I take full advantage of, though still don't sleep. The Panama City flight is more full and thirty minutes late.
Until recently, the main tourist trade of Panama was through ports of call, where hordes of cruise ship inhabitants would disembark for a few hours of sightseeing and shopping. As such, Panama's accommodations for the overnight crowd are still developing. For instance, only recently have tour buses become air conditioned and, while wake-up calls at hotels are enthusiastically written down, they are rarely, if ever, actually made.
Before leaving on this trip, many people asked me what was in Panama. I do not have an answer. Apart from some knowledge of the history of the Canal, I am shamefully unaware of this country. That alone is reason enough to visit.
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