There are always two ways...., October 6, 2007

When we entered Panama, we were given 90 day visas, as was the van. For one reason or another (including sloth), we let the van visa elapse without renewing it.

After a short time here, we quickly decided that our beloved van was inappropriate in Panama; apart from the main roads, the roads are too pot-holed and narrow, as are driveways, for the "monster" as our friend Rene calls the van.

We toyed with the idea of sending the van back to the States, to sell it there. We knew that the more we drove the van, the more we were tempting the god of fines. Finally, we decided not to hassle with selling the van in the States, which meant that we finally had to deal with registering the van in Panama so that we could sell it here.

After several weeks of unanswered e-mails, miscommunications, and frustrating phone calls, we were directed to Julia. Barbara visited Julia last week, and gave her all the van documents, including the out-0f-date visa.

Julia sent her "boy" to Aduana (must be the immigration office in Panama City?), and several hours later called with the news that the fine (for letting the visa elapse) was $500. Thankfully, we didn't rush to agree to pay this, because Julia went on to say, "As you know, in Panama there are always two ways of doing things. In this case, the immigration lady has offered to place the appropriate monthly stamps on the van visa. She can do this for $25 a month." Since we were four months out-of-date, our bill was $100. Love it.

Contrary to many of the North Americans, we are not offended by "the other way" of doing things in this part of the world. Hey, if it gets the job done and doesn't hurt anyone, what's the big deal? Besides, it is usually cheaper and quicker!