Thank you for answering. Like you, I, and just about everyone else, spend hours on traffic BUT, it´s just so in ANY big city in the US. In Houston, for example, if you drive the 610 Loop towards either downtown, via I-59, or vice versa...or if you take I-95 to the IAH airport or ANY of the exits in between you WILL spend two to three hours stuck in traffic too. About the food: food here is JUST like food in the States and there are, as you well know, a great variety of local and international "cuisine´s" to choose from. Prices will vary depending on where you go and what you eat. There are a whole bunch of delicious local foods to enjoy if you´re willing to try them out. I spent time, as obviously you did, in Europe, Asia (both South Pacific and South West Asia...) While there, specifically in Korea, it took me a full year to gather courage enough as to try kimshe....Katusas lived in our barracs and, If you have EVER smelt kimshe while it´s being prepared, then you know what I´m talking about "gathering courage" to eat it. What a surprise!! Kimshe is very, very good!!!. What I´m getting to is that Panama, as EVERY country in the world, has good and bad...just have to learn to navigate, find what you like and do your best to get along with the local populace....just as in the US and anywhere else you choose to live...