Page 49 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

Travel essenTials BASICS 47
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS Phones
Jan 1 año nuevo. new Year’s Day. apart from very remote villages, where the lone
Jan 9 Día de los Mártires. Martyrs’ Day, phone box – assuming it works – may be the
in remembrance of those killed by Us community’s only means of communication with
troops in the 1964 flag riots.
Feb Carnaval. Five days up to and the outside world, phone boxes are becoming less
including ash Wednesday. common. easy to use, with instructions in english as
March/April viernes santo. Good Friday. well as spanish, some phones accept both coins (5¢,
May 1 Día del Trabajo. labour Day. 10¢ and 25¢) and cards; others only accept prepaid
Nov 3 separación de Panamá de phonecards (generally $3, $5 and $10) which you
Colombia. anniversary of the 1903 can buy at shops, Cable & Wireless offices and local
separation from Colombia and primary pharmacies. note that some cards can only be used
independence Day. for either international or local calls but not both.
Nov 4 Día de la Bandera. Flag Day. seven-digit phone numbers denote landlines – the
Nov 5 Día de Colón. Celebrating Colón’s first three digits comprise the area code – whereas
separation from Colombia. eight-digit numbers are for mobile phones.
Nov 10 Primer Grito de la independencia.
“First Cry for independence”, marking the Making a call
unilateral declaration of independence
from spain in la villa de los santos. To make a call to Panama you need to dial the
Nov 28 4 independencia de Panamá de international prefix (generally 00), followed by 507 –
españa. Celebrating independence from the country code for Panama – followed by the
spain in 1821. number. local calls to landlines anywhere in
Dec 8 Día de la Madre. Mother’s Day. Panama cost a pittance and are usually free from a
Dec 25 Día de navidad. Christmas Day. hotel room. international calls are also relatively
cheap provided you do not use a hotel phone.
some internet cafés (and Cable & Wireless offices)
open on sundays too, and Chinese-Panamanian also have phone booths and offer decent rates for
supermarkets often open early (6.30–7am) until international calls as well as a degree of comfort,
late (10pm–midnight); some of the larger outlets of quiet and privacy. Off-peak time for international
the major supermarket chains, e.g. super 99, extra calls is between 6pm and 6am, and at weekends.
and el rey, are open 24 hours.
Churches rarely have official opening hours; Mobile phones
most are open from around 8am until early Mobile phones have mushroomed in Panama,
evening, with the odd one closing for lunch. which now has as many different numbers – almost
Most government offices, businesses and shops 3.5 million – as it does people. Mobiles have trans-
close during the several national public holidays. formed the lives of some indigenous communities
When the public holidays fall on or near a weekend that live far from the main population centres, and
the government often grants a puente (bridge), at the can be very useful for travellers too, especially in the
last minute, usually for a Monday or a Friday, making a more remote areas when wanting to confirm
long weekend and prompting a mass exodus from transport or a reservation from a dugout in the
the city to the beach or the countryside, with a Darién. Crucially, though, coverage varies among
scramble for plane tickets and accommodation – the four service providers – Mas Móvil (from Cable &
check Wqppstudio.net/publicholidays.htm. note that Wireless), Digicel, Movistar and Clarocom – in
services shut down in Panama City on august 15 to particular regions, especially in the Darién and Guna
celebrate the foundation of Panamá la vieja, while Yala, where your need is likely to be greatest. ask
other towns and cities have their own multiday festiv- locally which provider is best before you buy a siM
ities during which most places close.
Over some public holidays, as well as during national USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS
elections, ley seca (literally dry law) is enacted, which Ambulance red Cross T455;
means that alcohol can’t be bought or consumed seguro social T107 – both are free
during that period, and nightclubs and other places of Directory enquiries T102
entertainment remain closed, although black market International operator T106
booze is fairly easy to get hold of and in remote areas, Police T104 (including traffic police)
the law is less rigorously observed.

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