the tv news in panama is warning people to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun this week. they issue this same advisory every year (april 9-15th), because every spring the sun lines up over panama, exposing us all to a more direct blast of the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

you wouldn’t know it by looking out the window today; it’s overcast and cool. since i got back to Panama city, the weather’s been in the 70’s and 80’s, the rains of spring have returned, and the tree across the street has begun to flower again.

panama city panama - quaint north american notions of winter and summer have little meaning in equatorial regions. oh sure, the seasons change, but the tropical heat and humidity hangs around like an out of work brother in law.

hot weather’s not a major issue for most of us. the typical traveler can drink mojitos by the pool, swim in the ocean, or retreat into an air conditioned hotel room and raid the mini bar. but for tropical sex workers the heat can pose some unique challenges. read more»

i’ve always loved the rain. when I was a lad I would dream of the rainy season. I’d picture myself in a thatched hut with a beautiful, bronzed-skinned girl. She’d swat mosquitos from her naked breasts. I’d angrily pound the keys of a rusty Underwood. I was writing the great American novel. Hemingway would weep. read more»