Panama protests and road closures?
Replies: 8 - Last Post: Feb 27, 2013 8:16 AM Last Post By: maliante
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Panama protests and road closures?
Hello,Does anybody know what precisely is going on regarding road closures due to protestors in Panama? My boyfriend and I spent the evening excitedly planning our dream trip to Panama (a road trip from Panama City to Boquete, with stops in between). However, in the course of our research, it came to our attention via the US State Department website that since February 2012, protestors have "intermittently" closed down roads, sometimes trapping foreign travelers where they are. We did some more research on the matter, and save a few paragraphs on Panama-Guide (which requires a paid subscription, so I haven't gotten the full story from there), almost everything reports on protests from last February. Does anybody know what is going on at the present moment? We were hoping to travel in about a month. Also, if it is relevant to whether it is wise we make this trip under potentially volatile circumstances, we are American, neither of us speaks Spanish and this will be our first time in Central America. Any guidance is appreciated!
1
Just go,and don't worry about it.Panama is full of Americans.....Very unlikely you will have any problems,but if you do you will just need to change the route a little or sit and wait...
2
I'm currently in the David/Boquete/Volcan area and there have been no road closures or protesters on the roads in the five weeks I've been in Panama.I wouldn't worry about it. Enjoy your trip.
3
I live in Bocas and I have not heard a thing. I think they closed the bridge in Changuinola for a couple of hours a few months ago but thats it. Even if something happens when you are here, you dont need to worry. They are mostly peaceful protests and most times if the road is blocked you just get off your bus, walk around the block and get on another bus.5
#4"part of going to this regions"
Do you mean Panama or the province of Chiriqui or Central America?
I spend a lot of time in Panama and something is not always being protested, strikes, riots, shutdowns, labor/unions etc. etc, ect......
Does happen but not very often and not anything to really worry about.
6
He probably meant Central America :)About 18 months ago I was in Panama and a protest blocked the road I was on - minor inconvenience though as after about 3 hours we continued past.
In Tegucigalpa a couple of months later teachers were protesting and taxi drivers refused to drive in certain parts of the city because they wouldn't be able to get thru - thus some 20 minute taxi rides took an hour. Again, not that big of a deal.
4 months ago in Xela I was blocked from crossing the street for nearly an hour before I could cut across a parade that must have went on all day. The parades of school children walking thru teh cities have been more inconvenient for me than any protest - but your mileage may vary and perhaps I've just been lucky. Personally I wouldn't worry about it though, but also don't get angry if you have to change your plans at some point.
8
He must mean Central America because he hasn't been to Panama but I don t know why he would be talking about all of Central America if he hasn't been there.
