Panama is such an amazing country
and surprises everyone who visits. I
joke with our friends that if they are
planning on coming to Panama be prepared
to be overwhelmed.
Also, I warn them
that almost everyone I know has either
bought property or is considering
buying.
So Why Panama? Is there a reason -
No, There are several reasons -- the
opportunities are plentiful, albeit the
prices are going up.
We have really
taken to the Caribbean coast as it
offers so much nicer water and beaches.
address
WhyPanama
Costa del Este
Panama
City, Panama
They Need
Your Love
They Need Your Love - animal shelter in
Arraijan near Panama City. Hundreds of
dogs and cats that have been rescued
from a life on the streets, starving,
hurt, and unloved.
The
2010 Spay Panama calendar is now
available and it's their best ever! Both
Panamanian AND U.S. holidays are
labeled. The pictures featured are all
of formerly homeless dogs and cats that
were neutered and lucky enough to have
been adopted. All proceeds go to support
the wonderful efforts of Spay Panama to
control the overpopulation of unwanted
pets. Since its inception in 2002, Spay
Panama has sterilized over 24,000
animals! The yearly calendar is their
main fundraising tool and they really
need your support. Like most other
non-profit organizations, Spay Panama
has seen a severe drop in donations due
to the economy.
So, by purchasing a calendar you get
something truly useful and you help out
a great cause at the same time! The
price is a ridiculously low $5.00 and
the calendars can be found at: the U.S.
Embassy, Excedra Books, Balboa Dental
Clinic, Los Angeles de los Animales
(cell 6781-2641) or Mailboxes, ETC in
Coronado
Since we
moved to Panama in 2006
every time we tell one
of our friends that we
moved to the Republic of
Panama, the first
question is always "Why
Panama". So we decided
to build a web site to
help them understand how
simple the decision to
choose Panama really was
to us. We have included
some links to other
sites and to articles we
think might help
understand Panama. This
is by no means
exhaustive, so be sure
to move through the
suggested sites and
explore the links and
resources they suggest
to ensure you get
as much information as
possible.
Newsand events
29/08/2010
We had some great news this week
- friends of ours from Ontario
have finally sold their home and
will be moving to Panama full
time this fall. Their pensionado
application is complete and
approved - all they need to do
now is decide where in this
incredible country to reside. We
are so looking forward to them
being in Panama - regardless of
where they end up choosing as
the location for their home.
Also, after 4 years of
struggling trying to find some
beef that was tender we found
our solution - papaya. In the
past the quality and tenderness
of the beef has been hit and
miss. On some occasions we've
been fortunate enough to find
some that is tasteful and tender
- however other times with
exactly the same cut from
exactly the same source it was
tasteless and like shoe leather.
I know we could probably break
down and buy the $25
pre-packaged frozen usda beef
but if I am going to spend 25 on
a steak we might as well go to a
good restaurant enjoy someone
else doing the cooking and
cleaning. We are going to give
it another whirl tomorrow night.
I did a short video from our
balcony last night I thought you
might enjoy. It gives you some
idea of what development has
occurred in our area - Costa del
Este. Be sure to check out the
month by month pictorial review
we've been doing for almost 4
years -
click here
In the news this
week the government continues to
make announcements about new
mega projects for Panama. In
addition to the new clean up of
Panama bay which includes
addressing the treatment of
sewage (versus dumping the raw
sewage directly into the bay),
they announced their plans to
further expand the Tocumen
airport with the idea that they
will eventually grow a small "burb"
around it with hotels, shopping,
convention centre, and of course
more airport facilities. They
also announced the successful
completion of the order for
almost 1200 brand new buses to
replace the aged old "diablo
rojo" buses that are a menace
but add lots of local "colour".
The government has commited to a
rapid transit train running from
some of the poorer areas to main
terminals to help relieve the
traffic and they envision
creating a new bridge over canal
to open the new Panama Pacifico
area (the old Howard air force
base). Downtown on the site of
the old US embassy they plan on
building a mega-tower to
consolidate many of the
government offices. Lastly they
will be extending the Cinta
Costera to reach Casco Viejo.
All of these funds coming from
?? well I'm not really sure
except I think they are banking
on sustained growth and the
impact of the expanded canal.
This week at the
Atlapa Convention center is the
international fair put on by all
the embassies and consulates in
Panama = great food and a one
stop place to get to know the
countries with an interest in
Panama. This is generally packed
- lots of people, lots of great
food - well worth the time.Last
week they had the annual book
fair - really well attended as
well.
Are you a
Canadian living in Panama? - Do
you live here part time or full
time? What made you choose
Panama over so many other places
in the world. Do you operate a
business in Panama? Is it a
support arm to a Canadian
company or is it a company
exclusive to Panama. Have you
taken advantage of the Canadian
Panamanian chamber of commerce
PanCanada? Have you met our
Canadian Ambassador to Panama
her Excellancy Ms. Patricia
Langan-Torell? I ask because I
would some feedback. Surely
Donna & I are not the only
Canadians in Panama :} ( this is
definately tongue in cheek as we
already know many fellow
Canadians , but would love to
know more )
Please don't forget the Arraijan Shelter for rescued
dogs and cats.
www.TheyNeedYourLove.org -
if you can spare as little as
$10 a month that would make a
huge difference in the life of
one dog or cat.
Donna started iCanGarden.com and
now almost 13 years later it has
become Canada's largest Internet
gardening resource site. Several
thousand people visit her site
every day. Spend some time
looking over the thousands of
pictures of gardens from all
over the world.
We are so
proud of the TV special just
aired by Recreating Eden -
entitled "the Gardening
Tourist".
In 2006 Donna started a
site dedicated exclusively to
her garden tours. For more than
8 years she has been hosting
groups of gardeners to gardens
all over the world.
Donna has some incredible garden
tours lined up for 2011 and
2012, they
are all booking so get your
reservations in and make some
memories!
One of the
most amazing new buildings under
construction (as at October 2008
it is now at the top floor and they expect to deliver by
Sept 2010 -
designed by F & F
properties, considered by some
to be Panama's highest quality
builder - Ocean 2 Over 472
m2 on 2 floors - or over 5000 sq ft total - located
on the Paseo del Mar of Coste
del Este. -
click
here
