Michael: The Bottoms and What Not

The last rooster crows
With neither competition
Nor hens to care for.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Yesterday was tops so today lets finish up with the bottoms.

Again, I’ll start with what I’m lounging around the house in early in the cool dark of the morning; a pair of running pants. They’re black and a little more sleek than sweats, but sweats would serve the same purpose.

I have several pairs of Lulu Lemon commuter pants. They’re very comfortable and can pass as dress pants, but I rarely wear them. Again they’re more bank/fiesta pants than everyday wear.

For out and about bottoms I prefer performance knickers. Most men wear pants, but some Panamanian men wear knickers so I don’t look like a complete foreigner wearing them. I can also use my knickers to run and hike in so it makes them more versatile than shorts.

I do have a couple pair of casual shorts and running shorts, but I rarely wear the casual shorts and could easily get by without them. To my surprise I do see quite a few tourists and Panamanians hiking on the forests trails in shorts. They must either be more tolerant of bug bites than I am or slather on much more bug spray than I would care to. When I’m out on the trail it’s in knickers if I’m jogging and hiking pants if I’m walking.

Underneath the pants/knickers are underwear. I have several pairs of running boxers as again, I find these to be more comfortable and versatile than your old fashioned bun hugging briefs.

When I run or hike in knickers I usually wear calf sleeves or long socks, but if I’m just going shopping I can skip the socks and sleeves and stroll around in my Teva sandals - a very popular ex-pat shoe choice. I also have a pair of flip flops to walk around the house. And, again for those occasional visits to government offices or party invites, I have a pair of closed toe comfortable, but reasonably dressy, Birkenstocks.

At one point in my life I did like to hike in sandals, but even if I still did that in the states, I wouldn’t do it here. I like my toes and it’s very rocky here. Also, even if you’re not worried about rocks and snakes, the ants here can pack quite a bite.

Lastly, there’s the head. The sun is pretty intense here so I always have on either a running cap or a Panamanian style hat; and sunglasses, though not common here, are a good idea.

Head protection is an area where women seem to be a bit brighter than men. They’ll use an umbrella to protect themselves from the sun, whereas men seem to be too macho to go that route. Though just like in the states, some women make ridiculous choices in footwear, so I guess it kind of balances out.

Outside of running gloves to protect my hands on trail runs, which is as uncommon here as it is in the states, that about does it. A couple of pairs of pants, a few knickers, running or gym attire if you’re so inclined, underwear, socks, sandals and flip flops, a hat and a pair of sunglasses and you should be ready to dress comfortably while you’re living the good life in the Panama Highlands.