I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Margaret.

A couple of the ports of call on our cruise have been in Panama and Costa Rica. Visually they are very beautiful countries. Lush vegetation abounds everywhere you look and the wildlife is like nothing we’ve ever seen outside of a zoo. Crocodiles, Caymens, Iguanas, Jesus Christ lizards (yes, that’s their name), Howler Monkeys, White Face Monkeys, Two toed Sloth’s, Three toed Sloth’s, Long Nose bats, so many birds I can’t remember them all, and even leaf cutter ants were all to be seen on the tours we took. It was very exciting to see them in their idyllic native habitat rather than behind the bars of cages.

Unfortunately, though those animals may not have been behind bars, bars are still used very extensively in those countries because of another type of animal found there. It is sad to say that the two legged animal known as the Homosapien Thiefus would seem to be quite abundant just about everywhere we went. It is a sad observation to make that the overwhelming majority of buildings we saw… from expensive condo’s and homes to business buildings and even a lot of humble shacks had every window and door festooned with sturdy security bars. Even more bazaar was that a lot of buildings, in addition to the bars, also had a wire or brick fence around the perimeter of the property which was topped with razor wire. Literally the appearance was the reverse of a zoo where the animals were on the outside with the people cooped up inside. More than one person told us that any house that is unprotected or without someone in it all the time will be stripped of all possessions in short order. Another security measure, if you own a home that you don’t live in all the time, is that you can pay someone as little as $80 a month to live in the house for you while you’re away. Some of you may think that that all this isn’t quite so different from some neighborhoods around the United States. That may be true to some extent but this situation was found EVERYWHERE we went in Panama and Costa Rica… not just in certain neighborhoods.

Now, as interesting as all that sounds, there is yet another observation that really takes the cake. With the high price of gasoline these days, some people have taken to the habit of fueling up their car and then driving off without paying. You don’t even want to think of doing that in Panama. Driving past numerous gas stations, I noticed more than one that had a bullet proof vest wearing armed guard posted by the pumps. With a shotgun at the ready, they make sure that no one “forgets” to pay. If they do forget, they’ll still pay… possibly dearly.

Pictures in the gallery.