The prices of foods and medicines depend on a lot of factors, but in Panama food at least is a lot cheaper than in the United States. Part of it is because the prices of a few staples like rice and sugar are controlled by the government, but another major factor is the existence of a large alternative market of street vendors whose competition keeps the big supermarkets from raising prices too high. This alternative market also provides a means of survival in a country that has few programs like welfare or unemployment insurance. Moreover, while the prices of medicines manufactured by the multinational pharmaceutical companies are high, a lot of Panamanians use medicinal plants like those sold by the woman shown above.

These scenes are from El Mercadito, a block off of Avenida Central that's lined with vendors' stalls. Some of the guides to living in or visiting Panama warn you not to go to this place, but with a little bit of common sense you can safely enjoy the scenery and bargains of El Mercadito and Avenida Central in general. Don't walk around the neighborhood wearing such "mug me" signs as flashy jewelry or an expensive camera hanging around your neck. Don't carry and certainly don't display large wads of cash. If you are going to buy enough produce to fill both hands with grocery bags, it's usually better to take the stuff you buy back to where you are staying in a taxi. Also, know that when the sun goes down, the hard-working and respectable vendors go home and you won't want to meet some of the people who come out to play in the shadows. Photos by Eric Jackson

This time of the year avacados are cheap and plentiful. The bottles are full of yellow nance berries, a fruit that most gringos don't like but which is a popular part of the Interior-style cuisine.

Garlic (foreground) and beans (background) are key staples if you want to eat like most Panamanians.

The cost of living is very inexpensive if you are a vegetarian in Panama. Beware, however, of pesticides that are less carefully regulated than in the industrialized countries. The relative scarcity of organically-grown foods is one of the drawbacks to life down here.

Here we have the much-heralded and awful-tasting noni. The fruit sells eight for a dollar in El Mercadito, which would be a reasonable enough price if, as is sometimes claimed, it cures all that ails ye.

Also in this section:
Business & Economy Briefs
Panama City's El Mercadito
Environmentalists buying logging concessions
Now's the time to buy --- NOT!
Tax hike for Americans working abroad avoided

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