The Republic of Panama is a small country in Central America that is famous for offshore banking, the panama canal, and Colombian hookers. The better bars and nightclubs in the capital of Panama City are frequented by hundreds of prostitutes who come from neighboring Colombia to service the local elite, employees of multinational corporations and the occasional sex tourists.
The situation is so pervasive that the government issues special "alternative visas" to Colombian prostitutes, and allows them to work legally at strip clubs and massage parlors. These establishments are limited in the number of prostitutes they may employ at any time, and the women may stay up to nine months. The situation is legal, however the rates can be high because local officials extract "unofficial fees" to process and keep the paperwork in order.
The vast majority of Colombian prostitutes simply enter Panama on ordinary tourists visas, and work informally among the more fashionable bars and discos. It is unlikely to visit to any upscale bar or even mall in Panama City and not see groups of Colombian prostitutes. Any single male tourist, either alone or with a friend will definitely be propositioned when overtly looking at these girls in public.
Another place to find hundreds of freelance Colombian prostitutes in Panama is the erotic services section of Mundo Anuncio, which has replaced Craigslist as the dominant provider of free online advertising for hookers.
The print edition of the local Presna Libre also carries ads for hookers, however Mundo Anuncio can add more then one hundred listings with photos in less than twenty four hours. The ads that quote a price ask for between $70 and $100 a session, however everything is negotiable in the Republic of Panama.
Any strip club in Panama City is also a whore house, however the rates can be as high as several hundred dollars and the transaction will be recorded as a suite rental or bottle of champagne.
Massage parlous more frequently function during the daytime, charge between $50 and $100 a session, however the quality of the women can vary substantially. They are also some bar business that while not quite strip clubs provide hostesses to either share a drink with the customer or have sex in a back room.
While many of these businesses function with prostitutes that have the appropriate "alternative visas" invariably some girls will slip in who have just the normal tourist visa. Police or immigration will typically arrest and deport girls in this situation unless they can come up with a bribe of up to $1,000.
The risk of being caught with a tourist visa in a business licensed for prostitution is so high that many recently arrived Colombians prefer to just work the normal bars or advertise for outcall services online. They may suffer some police harassment, however if their tourist visa is current it is much more difficult to make a case against them or extort large payments.
Businesses that provide incall services in Panama City generally operate with licenses for prostitution or end up being closed by the authorities. Outcall, however is everywhere, which makes choice of hotel or apartment a very important decision for a tourist.
Those with vehicles can take advantage of "push button" motels where a couple in a car drive into an open garage door with connecting bedroom. Payment and the delivery of beverages are handled through pneumatic tubes or conveyors so that the motel staff never see the guests.
A common question is simply why are there so many Colombian prostitutes in the Republic of Panama?
Understanding the answer requires knowing that there are hundreds or perhaps thousands of Colombian hookers working Panama City at any one time, and not so much the country as a whole. Colombia is a nation of 45 million people that borders Panama, which comparatively is a small republic with less than 4 million people. Panama City is a financial center with a modern infrastructure, supported by the massive international trade brought by the Panama Canal.
It's easy to understand that prostitutes follow the money, and Panama City apart from being is an air transportation hub for Latin America has plenty of money.
A girl can hop on a flight from Bogota or Baranquilla for a couple hundred dollars in airfare and come back with thousands of dollars and a suitcase full of cut rate designer clothing in just a few weeks.
The temptation of easy money is undeniable and Colombia has some of the most beautiful women in the world. The gene pool in the Republic of Panama is comparatively shallow. The younger, more attractive women in Panama simply have better options and holding yourself out as a prostitute in such a small country can quickly ruin a reputation.
Panamanian women involved in the sex trade tend to come from the rural countryside or need to work in order to support a child. Working class men in Panama are notorious for impregnating women and not proving support.
The local hookers tend to fill a gap at incall locations following large scale immigration raids. There are also low end bars known to locals that have operated without any sort of permits and paid off the right people decades ago. These are the sort of places where the local talent, mostly bottom feeders work in the sex business.
Finally, keep in mind there are dangers to sex tourism in Panama. Prostitutes with alternative visas are required to have a weekly medical screening, and the Colombian girls in general are informed about condoms and their health. Since these girls also enter the country through the airport they are likely to be at least eighteen and will have a passport.
Apart from being caught with an underage girl a male sex tourist has very little to worry about from the police in Panama. While there are some laws against prostitution they are no police stings for solicitation, and the only possible charges are administrative and not criminal, much like a parking ticket in the United States.
As a practical matter never offer a bribe to a police officer in Panama. When the police stop girls with tourists in Panama they are of course looking for a bribe, usually about $20, however it is best to give the money to the girl who will pay off the police.
Above all it is important to be polite to the police and understand that the worse case scenario is that the suspected prostitute will be taken for questioning. Men who seek the company of prostitutes are the victims and the women who trade money for sex are the petty criminals.
Sex tourism in the Republic of Panama can be part of an entertaining vacation. Remember that most of the action can be found incall and online due to the large influx of Colombian talent. A trip to the mall in Panama City during the day or the vicinity of the Veneto Casino is likely to end in a sexual encounter. At night the bars are packed with prostitutes and deals can be made for less than the $200 or $300 charged for sex in the strip clubs.
The most important thing is that in Panama it is possible to negotiate sex for $100 with an absolutely stunning Colombian hooker who could command $500 or more in Las Vegas. A weekend in Panama City is ample opportunity to enjoy all the vice the city has to offer.
The above article is taken with permission from latinblush.com and is intended as an comprehensive introduction to the situation in Panama.
Original Article with Links
Panama City: An Introduction to the Hobby and Situation
