“First we shape our buildings, then they shape us, then we shape them again—ad infinitum.”—Stuart Brand, 1994.
Last Wednesday I attended a business meeting to inquire about a management software for a recently acquired customer who is interested in consolidating all of his companies under one platform. The name of the company that is marketing the software in Panama, Colombia, Guatemala, and Venezuela is ElConix Inc. It’s general manager is Moisés Vega; a remarkable intelligent and articulate business person. The software we are purchasing is ElConix Open Enterprise S7. We are placing all our eggs in this basket. I’m sure the results will exceed our expectations.
My impression is that ElConix Inc. is a blast of fresh air in the stuffy confines of software companies. That is why we placed our bets on it. I can’t wait to start implementing the software in the near future on a gourmet hotel in the highlands of Boquete.
When I was ushered into the conference room, the adjacent huge window displayed a magnificent view of the amazing skyline of Panama City, which I think is one of the best in Latin America. I was so impressed, that I asked Mr. Vega if I could return and take pictures from this spot. He immediately agreed.
Counting the hours, I returned to ElConix’s office on Friday. It was not the perfect day to take pictures, mind you. It had rained all night and all morning, and the city looked gray, gloomy and misty. Anyway, the pictures had to be taken and they were waiting for my arrival. I got there at 09:00 a.m. with both of my cameras—just in case. As you probably know, one camera is a compact P&S Canon PowerShot A720 IS and the other one is a DSLR Canon EOS Rebel T2i.
It was still raining lightly in the metropolis as I took the pictures, so you will notice a fuzzyesque (is there such a word?) characteristic in the shots. But that is the way it was, and nothing could be done about it.
This is the face of Panama City during a damp drizzling morning. The temperature was nice and cool. If you are sweating out blazing temperatures in the States, Panama is the place to come to enjoy a perfect weather. A few drops of rain will feel like a blessing.
These are the pictures. Here we go. (Click on the pictures to expand them.)
Snapshot of the beautiful Panama City’s skyline taken from a window on the fifth floor of a building located about five miles from the urban center. As you can see, you can see a faint reflection of the camera on the shots. Tried my best, but couldn’t filter them out. Please bear with me. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Take notice of the misty look of the city during the rainy morning. I think it adds to the magic of the city. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
The modern area of Panama City has many high-rise buildings, which together form a very dense skyline. There are now more than 110 high-rise projects being constructed, with 127 high-rise buildings already built.The city holds the 40th place in the world by high-rise buildings count.
Take notice of my camera reflected on the window’s glass. Photo by ©Omar Upegui R.
If you can’t stand the rising mercury in your area, hop in a plane and come down to Panama. It will be the best decision you will ever make. Take my word for it. Good Day and Welcome to Paradise.
Great photos. The drizzly day doesn’t make any difference when it comes to just geting a sense of the place. I’m surprised by the number of tall buildings. I shouldn’t be – you’re a center of commerce, after all, and on an isthmus. All that deal-making has to find a home somewhere!
I’m glad you enjoyed the pictures. For the last three decades Panama has had a steady economic growth and political stability. For example, last year our GDP grew 10.6 percent which was the highest in Latin America and one of the highest in the world. This year we are expecting our economy to grow around 10.0 percent.
When the Panama Canal’s expansion and the Metro are finished circa 2014, we should keep our economic growth stable at least for the next ten years. If the world’s economy improves (e.g., United States and Europe), this could mean further growth to our country which is based on world commerce.
We are growing so rapidly, I can’t find my way through the speedways. I’m planning to buy myself a talking GPS just to drive in the Metropolitan Area, and I’m not kidding. I feel like a tourist in my own country, for Pete’s sake.
Anyway, while Europe is trying to put its house in order, we seem to be doing pretty good. (Fingers crossed).
BTW, I enjoyed your post early this morning. What a nice way to start a Sunday morning. Thank you so much for your excellent writings.
Regards,
Omar.-
Hi, Omar – this seems to be my week to be sending around links. I do think you’ll enjoy this. There’s a woman in Ecuador named Lisa Brunetti who is an artist. She’s just opened a show there, and here’s the marvel. It’s called The Mola Series ! I’ve linked to a page showing more of her art, but if you go to her home page, it shows Lisa, some gallery-goers and her art being mounted in the gallery.
She’s done a beautiful job of reinterpreting molas into another art form. I’m glad to read that she does some educating about the Kunas and such, too. Isn’t it an amazing world?
An amazing world it is my dear Linda. You will never know where a surprise might pop up like the magician’s rabbit.
I’ll take a look at her work. We are very proud of our molas as you are well aware.
Thanks for the links. Keep them coming.
Best Regards,
Omar.-
Can there be anything better for a person who likes to write than the ability to create one’s own words?
Hi Richard:
I still don’t know if the word is in the dictionary. Anyway, I think you guys understood what I meant. English is still a confusing world for me, even though I study it at least two hours per diem.
Tell me about your bike rides, please.
Take Care,
Omar.-
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”
Henry Ford