Murder in Alto Boquete

We found out this morning that a gringo was shot execution style in the back of his head in his home last evening.

There is very little violent crime in Panama outside of Panama City, where crime is typical of any large city. But in our small berg, murder is rare.

Every now and then, a gringo gets killed. Most of the time, there is a reason for it.

All of the past murders have been over a dispute with a Panamanian about money. Panamanians are very passive and express anger infrequently.

But, if pushed to far, they will retaliate.

Word on the street is that this victim was a bad guy, probably dealing hard drugs, like cocaine. He has a bad reputation. Given that it was an execution style murder, this makes sense.

They stole his car and it was recovered in David, a city 20 miles down the road.

We should know more about the details later.

Petty crime is rampant in Boquete. Theft being the big one.

To live here, you have to develop a theft consciousness. Or, you will get ripped off.

Anytime the culture is poor and there is a big disparity in income, theft is present.

This is the case in Panama.

A typical man makes about $400 a month. A typical gringo will spend $400 a week, if not more.

A typical man has no car. All gringos have a car.

All this visible prosperity sets up fertile ground for stealing.

And, most Panamanians are honest, in spite of the difference in prosperity. This in itself is amazing.

This is why we have a dog and we are thinking about building a fence. All for security against petty theft.

Just one of the costs of living in a country with a much lower cost of living.

We still think it is worth it.