Shopping
For many visitors, shopping is the main reason to come to Panama, and today people from all over Latin America and the Caribbean come here to buy consumer goods - electronics, designer fashion, jewellery - which are available here at a lower cost and in greater variety than elsewhere in the region. You can buy almost anything you might want in the bazaars and superstores of Panama City, often at a lower price than in Europe or the US, and the country is also home to the second largest duty-free zone in the world: the Colon Free Zone . Goods from all over the world are traded here in vast quantities, and though most business is in bulk, you can find good bargains (though you may have to pay duty when you return home). Panama also produces some beautiful handicrafts . The most famous and exceptional are the molas - brightly coloured cotton cloths intricately decorated with abstract designs created by a system of reverse-applique - made by the Kuna people. The mola has become something of a national symbol and are sold all over the country. The Embera-Wounaan in Darien produce exquisite carvings in wood or tagua (a palm seed known as "vegetable ivory"), mostly of birds and rainforest animals, while the artisans of western Panama, and in particular those of the Azuero Peninsula, produce a wide range of handicrafts including pottery, lurid fiesta masks,  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
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leatherwork, and straw sombreros. The brightly coloured dresses and fibre shoulder bags ( chacaras ) of the Ngobe-Bugle people also make beautiful and practical souvenirs. Sadly, authentic Panama hats come from Ecuador. Almost all these handicrafts are available in Panama City, in shops and in cooperative artesania markets (listed in the guide), but of course if you have the time it's much more rewarding (and cheaper) to buy them from the artisans themselves.
Your Tips For Panama
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