Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
come in denominations of US$1, US$3, US$5, US$10 and US$20 and offer English-
speaking dial-up instructions. Buy at least US$5 for an international call.
Connecting to an international operator from a residential, business or pay phone is
easy. To connect with a local international operator, simply dial 106. For an international
operator in the USA, dial 109 (AT&T). To reach a Costa Rican operator, dial 107; for a Co-
lombian operator, dial 116.
The increasing frequency of wi-fi in accommodations also means that if you're traveling
with a laptop, you can just connect and call for pennies. Some cafes provide headphones
for internet calls.
Time
From the last Sunday in October through to the first Sunday in April, Panama time is in
line with New York and Miami. Because Panama does not observe daylight saving time,
during the rest of the year (April through October), Panama is one hour behind New York.
Panama is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and one hour ahead of the
rest of Central America. If you're coming from Costa Rica, be sure to reset your watch.
Toilets
Panamanian plumbing generally is of high quality, although most places will ask you to
place used toilet paper in the trash bins provided instead of flushing it away. That's be-
cause narrow piping may cause clogging.
Be advised that in Kuna Yala and in some parts of Bocas del Toro, whatever you flush
goes straight out to sea. While you certainly can't stop nature from calling, be sure not to
flush anything else down the toilet that doesn't belong in the sea.
Public toilets can be found mainly in bus terminals, airports and restaurants. In Spanish,
restrooms are called
baños
and are often marked
caballeros
(gentlemen) and
damas
(ladies). Outside the cities, toilet paper is not always provided, so you may want to con-
sider carrying a personal supply.
Tourist Information
Autoridad de Turismo Panamá
(ATP, Panama Tourism Authority; 226-7000;
www.atp.gob.pa
; Vía Israel, Centro Atlapa, San Francisco; 8:30am-4:30pm Mon-Fri) ,
formerly known as IPAT, is the national tourism agency. In addition to this head office, ATP
runs offices in Bocas del Toro, Boquete, Colón, David, Paso Canoas, Penonomé, Porto-
belo, Santiago, Villa de Los Santos, Las Tablas, El Valle and Pedasí. There are smaller
