While most people in Panama
enjoyed Noche Buena - the
Christmas eve traditions in
Latin America Donna and I had a
really nice quiet day at home
together with Cricket. Cricket
has been a lot better recently
which has made Christmas so much
nicer.
Christmas morning was us up
getting ready for Christmas
dinner with our friends. This
was going to be our last
Christmas in Panama with one of
our friends as they are moving
to Argentina this week. We will
miss them a lot but it gives us
a real excuse to have to visit
Argentina - not just because of
the wine :}
We had way too much food - it
was all excellent - a mixture of
Canadian, French, Argentinean
and Panamanian :} crazy.
We talked with family and
friends in Canada over
Christmas. We miss seeing them
but we sure don't miss the
weather - 20+ below - yuck. And
what's with the storms in the
USA and England this week. We've
had more rain recently but
compared to everything else it
is nothing.
Looking back over 2012 it was an
interesting year in so many
ways. Donna has her best year
ever with her tours both in
number of tours and number of
guests. She also flew the most
number of miles in a year - over
110.000 miles. We met some new
people and visited with some
friends who visited Panama, some
for the first time others on
their 3rd trip. We had to
rebuild our cars engine after it
died and continued to do more
work on the condo. We're
thankful that our family have
all been healthy and happy
through the year. One of my
business partners came through
some extremely tricky surgery
and is recovering well. I
started diving - what a great
hobby. I look forward to passing
my advanced diving
certification.
Around Panama it didn't seem
like the city got into the
Christmas mood. When we moved
here over 6 years ago Costa del
Este and the city was alive with
Christmas. There used to be so
many lights and decorations
everywhere. But this year Donna
and drove around Costa del Este,
the city along the Cinta Costera
and into Casco
Viejo. Very, very
little sign of Christmas. The Cinta Costera used to be a major
Christmas decoration from one
end to the other. This year it
is a tiny little space near the
end. We still had a great time
wandering around Casco Viejo in
spite of it dumping on us part
way into our walk. The first
photo shows some of the
decorations in Casco Viejo, the
second image on the right shows
off some of the other
interesting buildings. This area
continues to just get better and
better. When Donna & I first
visited Panama City in 2006 we
both fell in love with Casco
Viejo but in practical terms it
would have been really tough to
live there and have an office.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've Canadian, and
you've moved here recently let
us know - we'd love to know some
other Canadians in Panama.
Mid December already.
Incredible. We passed the once
in a lifetime 12, 12, 12,
12:12:12:12 - and one of our
favorite stores Bon Vivant chose
this interesting time last
Wednesday to have their grand
opening. If you love great food,
wine, beer, and treats you owe
it to yourself to visit - just
be warned that you will likely
walk out with several bags or
boxes :}
Wednesday we had lots of friends
stop by and say "hi" during our
open house. This is a 20+ year
old tradition that we've always
enjoyed. Every year see some
different people and that is fun
as it adds to the mix.
On Friday Cricket had her
Christmas party - her boyfriend
Mr Lucky and her girlfriend
Sheeba came over for a visit.
Cricket enjoyed barking along
with them every time Mr Lucky
thought there was something we
needed to know about. That
euphoria continued into Saturday
where for the first time in a
few weeks Cricky had a great day
with us.
Around Panama City - what a zoo.
With payday, mid December,
shopping, construction and just
general craziness the roads have
been nutty. It took us 20
minutes to go less than a block
in Punta Pacifica last week. I
should have known better - MOP
is working on the new overpass,
underpass on avenida Brazil and
via Israel. Thankfully we don't
really have anything left to go
shopping for this year.
Both of our vehicles are in the
hospital - one for a complete
engine overhaul and the other
for a list of repairs. We also
have several other condo reno
projects left over the next few
weeks. We are so blessed in so
many ways - things like the car
and the renos are examples - I
can't imagine coming to Panama
and not having any access to the
people we've met that have
helped us navigate these type of
things.
I
was emailing with Tom Brymer
from
The Panama Perspective about
a comment he made on how the new
free trade deal with the USA
should provide more USDA beef at
better deals. What I asked Tom
was if he knew of any butchers
in Panama that brought in real
grain/corn fed beef that knew
how to cut a real Prime Rib
Roast. While he did not know for
sure, it led me to finding a
cross reference chart for beef
cuts. Now I have to find a
butcher who cuts non-Panamanian
grass fed beef.
While lots of our friends in
Canada are shoveling out
everyday or bundling up to go
out for their walks or to work -
we remind ourselves that the
little bits of rain we get
during the end of the rainy
season is so much nicer. I know
some people don't enjoy the
humidity but compared to the
alternative I have to say I love
going for my morning walk - my
biggest decision is what pair of
shorts or t-shirt to wear.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've Canadian, and
you've moved here recently let
us know - we'd love to know some
other Canadians in Panama.
----------------------------
It's been another very busy
week. Why is it that holiday
seasons are so packed with
activity? Some of it we do to
ourselves. Getting ready for our
Open House means getting the
Christmas decorations and
Dickens village set up and
making sure we've done all our
shopping. Donna did the tree
with her Teddy Bears - even the
angel on top is a teddy bear.
She also included a number of my
soldier ornaments. It is so full
it is just bursting with things
to see.
Then there is our business -
this time of year as we get
close to the year end our sales
jump as prospects make decisions
prior to the year end. I am not
complaining - the alternative to
being busy is not a pretty
thought.
Our little Cricky has had an
up and down week - she showed so
much improvement during the week
our hearts soared :} but today
has been one of the not so good
days. All we can do is just keep
loving her. We had to try and
find her some ostioarthritic
pain pills. Thankfully the vet
down the street is open Sundays
and he gave us the prescription
and I got the pills from Melo.
How great to see her moving
about again and not telling how
much it hurts.
Here
is the Dickens Village - we used
to have dozens of these houses
back in Canada but when we moved
we had to bring just a few to
remind us of what it used to
look like. I tried to find a
picture from our old house in
St. Albert but I couldn't find
one. The village scene used to
cover an entire 4 ' x 8' table -
it was huge - we knew we'd never
be able to have that in Panama.
The apartment is just too small.
If you've been following this
site for any period of time you
will remember all the articles
I've written about the land
titling issues in Panama. A
couple of our friends have tried
for years to get their beach
property and house titled. With
all of what they've been through
I was becoming pessimistic that
it would ever happen. Well, we
heard from this week. Their
title has been registered and
they are now the proud owner of
a titled piece of beach property
on the Caribbean side of Panama.
I am really pleased for them and
it gives me some hope that maybe
some day we will have our own
piece of paradise.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've Canadian, and
you've moved here recently let
us know - we'd love to know some
other Canadians in Panama.
-------------------------
The holiday season is upon us
and it's still strange in some
way to have it green and warm
when I talk to all our friends
back in Canada and it is 30
below - yuck.
After 6 years we are still
very happy we chose to move
here. I am sure that has a lot
to do with how fortunate we've
been with so many things. I've
spoken with lots of expats that
move to Panama and within a
couple of years start thinking
about moving back or to
somewhere else. Panama is just
not for everyone. It looks like
a first world country from a
distance but the closer you get
the more you realize it is a
third world country with all
that means.
If you knew then what you
know today - would you still
have moved to Panama - I would
love to know.
Come the new year we will
miss our neighbour - they are
moving to Argentina - they have
been such good friends for 6
years we will miss them for
sure. I know they are looking
forward to seeing their families
after a lot of years.
Our little 14 year old Cricky
is really showing her age lately
and I get choked up just
thinking about her but I know
she's had an amazing life. We've
both talked about and even
though we've had furry friend as
a pet every year of our 37 years
we won't have another - it is
just too hard - we will become
like grandparents and baby sit
other peoples dogs and enjoy
them for the time we have them.
November has been another
record breaking rainy month -
Panama has always been rainy in
October and November and
generally there is some flooding
somewhere but every time I check
the news there is another note
of some major flooding and
death. Every time of year is bad
but this close to Christmas is
horrible to have a family
tragedy.
What do you do that is
special every Christmas - do you
have some special traditions?
Not having children meant Donna
and I have spent a lot of
Christmases doing our own thing
so 20 + years ago we started
inviting our neighbours in St.
Albert to our house for an open
house. What a great way to get
to know your neighbours. All
those people you see watering
and cutting grass but don't know
any more than their face. We got
to know some great people over
the years. We tried this in
Panama and our neighbours in our
building just did not understand
the concept of an open house. Oh
well.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've Canadian, and
you've moved here recently let
us know - we'd love to know some
other Canadians in Panama.
November 2012
We went to the Caribbean this
weekend as we normally do every
few weeks. We've been on the
Caribbean side of Panama every
month of the year but I have
never seen the water as angry.
There has been a ton of rain and
the run off has made the
Caribbean so brown and
uninviting. It rained almost the
entire time we were there. To
top it all off on the way out in
our radiator in our car blew and
by the time we could pull over
the engine was at the top. We
stopped immediately and waited
for it to cool down. We could
see the crack in the top of the
rad so we knew it would not be
just filling it with water. We
had our friends in the city find
one and bring it out. In the
meantime we towed it to the
house. We got the rad replaced
and tried the engine - our
normal good luck failed - the
engine was ceased. So now we
need to find a new engine.
The car has been so good to
us we will get it fixed.
My dive instructor, Rey
Sanchez drove us back to the
city. We talked the whole way
back about diving in Panama and
like Panama there are lots of
different areas - so far I've
only been around Portobelo but
he told me about Coiba and the
are Pacific around David. Rey is
such an amazing instructor and
is so good at what he does I am
stunned he is not swamped with
people wanting him to lead them
diving around Panama.
The next few months I have so
many projects. We found an
office but we need to gut it and
redo the interior, the plumbing
and the electrical - all of the
staff are so looking forward to
getting back to an office -
-then we have the car, and then
another condo.
Christmas is almost on us or
so the stores would have us
believe. We are looking forward
to seeing our friends but sad as
one of our best friends is
moving to Argentina so this will
be our last Christmas together
in Panama.
If you are looking for a
great gift idea think about
donating to the shelter - Thanks
Ida and Veronica for your
donations.
Mari posted a new note on her
shelter face book page
https://www.facebook.com/#!/hogaralbergue.sanroque
- pleading for help in food
donations - do you know anyone
who can help - do you know
anyone in Panama who runs a
restaurant or bakery that would
be willing to donate left over
food or bread .....
There are thousands of dogs
who deserve this kind of of
life.
Can you spare $10 per
month to help one needy dog or
cat ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
-------------------
I was going to say how
isolated I felt sometimes. I
just got back from Long Island
New York and you could tell it
was a very pretty area with lots
of trees, landscaped yards and
kept neat and tidy - that is of
course until Sandy hit and then
the snow storm after. Today
there are so many broken trees
and downed lines and signs. Very
sad.
Then I realized I am not
isolated so much as insulated.
We keep up with world affairs
online and TV and we have lots
of news feeds. But living in
Costa del Este, Panama City, we
are so insulated. Even with the
flooding in Colon or the riots
in the city and road closures
all over the county nothing
seems to encroach on our little
world.
Donna has a lot more brush
with the world with her travels
than I do and I know she is more
aware of the issues others face
every day than maybe I do.
We met a really interesting
couple yesterday from Canada.
Dan and Carolann are intrepid
travelers. They have not only
visited so many countries on
their trips but they immerse
themselves in the countries they
visit. Whether it is playing
ball with locals or spending a
year learning Mandarin before
their trip to China. Nice
people. I hope they enjoy their
short visit in Panama. Check out
Carolanns = "mature traveler"
blog
http://maturetraveler.blogspot.com/
or Dan's blog at
http://moissecooper.blogspot.ca/
I really enjoy doing
tradeshows and traveling but I
really, really enjoying coming
home. :} This trip I decided
since it was a short 2 days I
would just wear my comfy pair of
boat shoes - what a mistake -
for some reason the first
evening after traveling all day
(car, plane, train, train, cab)
I was taking off my shoes and
2/3rds of the bottom sole
detached from the left shoe -
horrors - no spare pair, no time
to find a new pair (the show
started at 7am) so out came the
trusty duct tape :} What did man
do before duct tape :} - oh well
- I am sure everyone who saw me
thought I was either the
cheapest guy around or very hard
hit by the hurricane -- glad to
be home so I can wear a pair or
flip flops again :}
Mari posted a new note on her
shelter face book page
https://www.facebook.com/#!/hogaralbergue.sanroque
- pleading for help in food
donations - do you know anyone
who can help - do you know
anyone in Panama who runs a
restaurant or bakery that would
be willing to donate left over
food or bread .....
There are thousands of dogs
who deserve this kind of of
life.
Can you spare $10 per
month to help one needy dog or
cat ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
-------------------------
This last week was busy. We
had our business partner
visiting from Canada. We needed
to finalize our new office
location and the purchase of a
condo and meet with the staff as
we near year end.
Beyond business, it is always
fun to have friends visit as it
gives us an excuse to have other
friends over for wine and
nibbles. We got to do this twice
- as we had to celebrate Alans
birthday too :}.
We also eat out much more
during those visits. We went
back to il Grillo again - always
yummy - but then we went to the
new Tres Scalini here in Costa
del Este - wow - it was
excellent - all three of us
enjoyed our meals - the ambiance
was perfect - really !! - the
service, excellent - attentive
without hovering - and the food
was tasty, great portions and
nice presentation - all for a
very fair price - 12-20 per main
dish. We will go back like we do
to il Grillo. A great new
addition to Costa del Este -
welcome Tres Scalini :}
Ted & I went to Costa Abajo
using the new Colon freeway all
the way to the city of Colon. It
had to drop another 10-15
minutes off the trip. I enjoyed
showing Ted how pretty that
coast is and how it is different
from Costa Arriba. We stopped at
Tommys for ceviche on our way
back. Very tender pulpo ceviche.
I've mentioned this before
but it is worth repeating. When
Ted arrived I used the VIP
services at the Tocumen airport
to meet him at the arrivals
gate, take him through
Immigration and Customs, bring
him to a waiting lounge with
refreshments while they collect
the luggage. Well worth the cost
to make the visit that much more
pleasant.
We are looking forward to
meeting a new couple looking at
making Panama their new home. I
always enjoy hearing what they
are looking for and answering
some of their questions. You
know we love our new home -
Panama - but you also know we
know it is not Canada or the USA
and there are lots of things new
people need to know.
We went to visit our foster
dogs today and took them their
special treats. It was so good
to see Pastorcita 2 gaining some
weight and not looking so
skinny. I am so thankful to have
Chito and his family looking
after the 3 dogs - and to see
how they look forward to him
coming near their area. Their
tails wagging and jumping up -
really warms my heart.
There are thousands of dogs
who deserve this kind of of
life.
Can you spare $10 per
month to help one needy dog or
cat ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
-------------------
It's good to have Donna home
- she isn't traveling for a
couple of months - wahoo :}
We went out with out friends
Alan & Geri to Il Grillo and
enjoyed it as always - I
really am looking forward to
trying Tres Scallini one of
these nights.
My friend John was here for a
couple of weeks. It is always
fun to have him visit -
especially when Donna is away as
we get to spend time together.
We went out on boys night out to
several pubs. Nino was our
designated driver so we could
enjoy some beers together. We
went to Casco Viejo, Amador and
then Calle Uruguay. I have to
admit I am not the party animal
I used to be years ago.
See some of the pictures here
This coming week we have our
business partner Ted coming to
spend some time with the staff.
We think we finally have a found
a new home for our company. What
an ordeal just trying to find
something that will give us a
permanent office where we can
have 12 or more people. It is
going to take us a couple of
months to get it ready but I am
excited that it should be ready
by the new year.
Donna wanted me to tell you
about Costa del Este. You will
remember in the past few weeks
I've mentioned how all the
silliness in Panama totally
avoided Costa del Este well what
struck her as interesting is
that the police in our area use
brand new black Mustangs and
white X6 BMW's. Pretty upscale
police :}
I was emailing a new expat
coming to Panama who wanted to
chat. I am looking forward to
meeting him and finding out what
he is looking for in Panama.
Panama is so many different
things. From islands in Bocas to
beaches in Pedasi or the
Caribbean. From mountains near
Boquete and Volcan to Altos de
Maria near the city. From the
city live of Panama City which
is even broken down to the funky
Casco Viejo and El Cangrejo to
areas like our Costa del Este.
There is no one Panama.
I finally put up some
pictures on my scuba lessons -
if you are at all interested
contact Rey Sanchez at
www.GoldenFrogScuba.com
- he is a great teacher.
We went to visit our foster
dogs today and took them their
special treats. It was so good
to see Pastorcita 2 gaining some
weight and not looking so
skinny. I am so thankful to have
Chito and his family looking
after the 3 dogs - and to see
how they look forward to him
coming near their area. Their
tails wagging and jumping up -
really warms my heart.
There are thousands of dogs
who deserve this kind of of
life.
Can you spare $10 per
month to help one needy dog or
cat ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
------------------------
Hurricane Sandy hitting the
USA had an impact on Panama! -
Donnas' flight home through New
York JFK airport has been
cancelled and she now has to
figure out how she is going to
route from Taiwan to Panama.
Thankfully she is on her way
home and not going out to a
tour. I know this is such a
small inconvenience compared to
what Sandy has already done
going through the Caribbean and
up the US east coast let alone
what it is going to do to New
York and New Jersey the next
couple of days. We have a number
of clients in that area - I hope
they will all be safe during the
storm.
Speaking of safe. This
past week in Panama has been
crazy. The Panamanian government
made a decision to sell the land
in the Colon free zone, some say
for a fraction of what it might
be worth and that the land was
ear marked for government
cronies. This sparked a
firestorm of uprising in Colon.
People in the streets blocking
roads - stopping the transport
of goods. They were making a
statement of discontent. Then
something very different took
over. Unions and Indian groups
took up the "cause" (I say cause
almost tongue in cheek) and then
students in the city. Within 5
days the InterAmerican highway,
the road to Colon, the Corridor
Sur and numerous streets in
Panama City were closed. Then
almost unbelievably it got worse
- gangs started roaming the
streets, looting, robbing and
threatening cars and police. All
of this I knew about because of
online forums, our employees and
news websites. Quite frankly if
it wasn't for the lack of
construction workers in Costa
del Este I would not have known
there was a problem. What a
difference a few miles make.
None of this stupidity spilled
over into our area.
What makes drivers in Costa
del Este think that that old
white guy walking the little dog
will know where Copa, or the
synagogue or the Toyota repair
dealer is located. It never
ceases to amaze me how many stop
and ask me for directions -
there are guards all over the
place, other people walking the
street but they zero in on me. I
am not complaining - I love the
practice - I just wonder where
the "information here" sign is
located :}
No new restaurants to report
this week - but I did buy some
coupons from OfertaSimple for
Segundo Muelle in San
Francisco - from the web site
the food looks amazing. I am
also looking forward to trying
the new Tres Scalini in Costa
del Este.
I mentioned a few weeks ago
the boom in building in Costa de
Este. I think it is so funny to
see the "waves" of construction.
When we moved here there were
almost no apartment towers,
virtually no commercial office
buildings and 2 small strip
malls. Restaurants - virtually
none.
During the 6 years we've seen
almost 40 apartment towers start
and occupy, then the rush turned
to commercial buildings 13 have
sprung up and now new strip
malls - this past year we've
seen 7 start. And restaurants,
wow, there are now 20 - all of
this in 6 years. What will the
next 6 years bring I wonder. Our
friends Wayne & Elaine haven't
been here for 3 years - when
they come in January they won't
believe the changes.
Can you spare $10 per
month to help one needy dog or
cat ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
October 2012
Well Donna made it home safely
from South Africa Friday night.
We had a nice relaxing day
Saturday. Most of our staff and
friends came over for a BBQ and
swim. Our friend John is here
only for a couple more days
before he heads back to Alberta.
Donna left this morning bright
and early for Taiwan. She is
going to a travel mart and to
check out Taiwan for a potential
future tour.
She had an amazing time in South
Africa as I suspected she would.
I know she was apprehensive
going as it was her first time
but once there and once she
figured out that the elements of
the tour like the hotels and
choices of locations were great
she started to relax and enjoy
SA. She ended her almost 3 weeks
with a trip on the Blue Train
from Cape Town to Pretoria. It
was eventful but I will let her
tell the whole story. You will
need to check her
facebook GardeningTours page
or her site
ICanGarden.com
The weather has been as
expected - some major rains and
some gorgeous days in between -
compared with snow flurries back
in Alberta - I'll take the rain
:}.
One of our employees wifes
went in for a "C" section today
- here's hoping both mom and new
babe are both healthy.
Off to see our little foster
dogs today - Pastor and
Pastorcita - I really enjoy
visiting and knowing they have a
great home. I only wish all of
the dogs I see could be so
fortunate. On the way to Albrook
to drop off John there was a
really sad doggy who had been
run over. He was still on the
road and buses and trucks could
not swerve to avoid his dead
body - I was really sad and just
hoped his end came very quickly
and painlessly. It is why we are
so passionate about helping the
strays and Mari's shelter - it
just breaks my heart to see so
many strays, so skinny, hunting
for food - let alone ever
knowing any love or caring ---
if you think you can - please
help
Can you spare $10 per
month to help one needy dog or
cat ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
-------------------------
I hope all my Canadian friends
had a great turkey day. Even
though Donna was in South Africa
it was still a nice day as I was
invited to Alan & Geris for
dinner.
My friend John arrived this
week and I used the VIP service
at Tocumen airport to shepard
him through the immigration and
customs. It is such a great way
to soften the introduction to
Panama. Well worth the cost.
We
went to the Caribbean to spend a
couple of nights at the house we
rent near Portobelo. Portobelo
is preparing for the Festival of
the Black Christ so it is really
hopping with artisans and food
stalls. The weather
was
spectacular for this time of
year. It rained like crazy the
first night but the next day it
was spectacular - we got to swim
and just relax. Here is my happy
face and John just chilling on
the sea wall enjoying the sun
set, listening to Bob Marley and
having a brew.
Donna is home late this
coming week for one day - then
off to Taiwan. This is almost
her last trip.
She was looking forward
to South Africa but until she
got there I don't think she had
any idea what to expect.
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
-----------------------
It's
hard to believe it is October
already - Happy Thanksgiving
to all our Canadian friends.
I've spoken with a number
across the country and they are
all preparing for winter. There
have been snow flurries already
in the higher climes and the
coast is preparing to bring in
the tender plants.
In Panama things are pretty
much the same - just a bit more
rain - but that is expected. It
is the rainy season after all.
Donna is in South Africa
leading one of her tour groups
and then she no sooner comes
home but she turns around and
heads out to Taiwan. I am
looking forward to her being
home all of November and
December - it will be a nice
treat.
One of my good friends from
St. Albert is coming for a visit
this week. John has been here 2
times before and each visit we
have a great time. I don't
expect this to be any different.
Today I had fun and baked
bread. Great stress reliever.
Not just kneading the dough but
enjoying the smells. Speaking of
food we went to a new restaurant
in Costa del Este - Tanta -
check it out
in food.
The elections in Venezuela
have been a hot topic here in
Panama during the past few weeks
as people weigh in on what the
results could mean to Panama -
in either case. There are lots
who believe the Venezuelans
would return en masse to
Venezuela leaving the real
estate market here in a shambles
if Chavez loses and even more
coming to Panama if he wins. I
think the market here is more
than Venezuela as it is more
than the USA when the real
estate there went into the dump.
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
--------------------------
This is our 6th anniversary
in Panama. Donna & I visited
Panama in April 2006. We came to
Panama to simply check it out -
we had pretty much decided that
we were going to buy two pieces
of land on the Yucatan
peninsula, it was just the
suggestion of our partner that
we look at Panama first - just
to be sure :}. We had visited
Mexico for over 22 years and we
very comfortable with it as a
place to live. What we found in
Panama was not only a place we
could live but a place we could
run a business. So we made the
decision to move to Panama.
The next question was where.
Unlike most retirees we were not
able to look at all of Panama as
we needed the infrastructure of
the city. So where in
Panama City. We both loved Casco
Viejo. I really liked El
Cangrejo but for an office
neither were the best choice as
the employees would likely live
either across the bridge or out
closer to the airport. So we
began looking in San Francisco
and Costa del Este. We ended up
choosing Costa del Este. In
hindsight we both agree it was
the best decision. Six years
later and the services are
growing. We are seeing new
restaurants, new shops, office
options and it still feels less
crazy than the city. We wake up
Sunday mornings and enjoy the
piece and quiet.
We decided to create this
website for three purposes.
First, the name Why Panama came
from the question "why did you
choose Panama not Mexico".
Second, we have been so
fortunate in our dealings in
Panama that we wanted to let
other expats moving to Panama
take advantage of that
experience and finally we wanted
an outlet to let our friends in
Canada and others know what live
is like in Panama week by week.
If you haven't followed us
for the full 6 years we have a
history of all of our weekly
comments year by year check them
out in "more news".
Back on our favourite topic -
food :} We decided to go to the
Crowne Plaza's
La Galeria
restaurant for their Indian
buffet on Friday night. Check
out our review in
"food".
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat. Imagine, giving the gift of
food and love to one dog or cat
for 10 per month - less than a
cup of coffee once a week.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
September 2012
Six years and Costa del Este has
changed a lot. If you've
been following this site for
some time you know we've posted
the same 3 pictures of the view
out of our condo window every
month. The building has been
crazy - when we moved in to our
place there were 6 condos either
finished or under constructions
- now in Costa del Este alone
there are over 30 condo towers.
The top picture is December 2006
- our first Christmas in Panama.
The bottom pictures I took this
morning.
The same is true for the
commercial buildings in Costa
del Este - when we moved here
there were 4 finished and one
being constructed. Today there
are 12 pure commercial buildings
and 3 more with mixed commercial
and residential.
I just read Kent Davis's newest
newsletter. In it he says that
the mass of new units hitting
the market on Balboa avenue have
had little or no impact on
pricing. I have to admit I do
not understand where all the
people and money is coming from.
On another note, I purchased a
book called "Eye on the Road".
It is a book written by Evan
Forbes. Evan runs the website
"Eye on Panama." This is his
story of how he became a
traveler and world adventurer. I
am about half way through it and
I've enjoyed getting to know him
a bit more than just from his
site. Funny, I have yet to meet
him - but then being as far
apart in age as we are and
running in very different
circles I guess it's not that
odd.
Check it out on Amazon.
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
----------------------
It's
hard to believe that it tool
almost 60 years for me to find
out how amazing it can be to see
the undersea world. I always
believed my ears would not allow
me to scuba dive. What a shame.
I had another great day diving
with Rey at Golden Frog in
Portobelo. It so interesting
that 90 feet underwater feels
the same 10 feet. But the
scenery is so different. Rey
came away with 2 lobsters - how
he spotted them I still don't
know but he did. We also say a
school of King Parrott fish - he
saw some very large tuna and
groupers but I didn't. I am
really pleased he took his
underwater camera with him. Mine
goes to 10 feet which is cool
but his goes to 200 feet :}
I got some great news this
week. A friend of mine here in
Panama just shared some pictures
of her new pet Husky - she
rescued her from a crate where
someone left the dog to starve
and die. Unbelievable to me. But
I am thankful there are people
out there like my friend willing
to give them a home versus going
out to buy another pup or dog
from a pet store or street
vendor wanting to make a buck.
You've heard me talk about Mari
Pily before - she runs a rescue
shelter in Arraijan where cares
for and feeds hundreds of
unwanted dogs and cats. Hundreds
- she spends thousands of
dollars every month feeding and
treating their injuries and
illnesses.
Mari has some close friends
and expats who help support her
shelter but every month she runs
out of money and some of the
dogs have to go hungry for while
until she finds money or food.
Mari posts pictures and
information on these dogs and
cats that need a home hoping
someone will find it in there
heart to give them a home just
like my friend did with husky.
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
If you are an expat thinking
of moving to Panama or new to
Panama and if you have any
questions please feel free to
email us. We're happy to try and
answer them. We don't have all
the answers but we've been here
6 years and we've had the
privilege to meet some great
people and we've had some
disappointments. If we can help,
we'd be happy to reply. Over the
years we've had the pleasure of
meeting some really interesting
people who have visited or moved
to Panama from Canada or the
USA.
If you've moved here recently
let us know.
--------
I know this is the rainy
season in Panama but Friday was
an incredible day of rain - the
thunder and lightning. I read
recently that some 12 people
have died in Panama from
lightning this year - not
something I've ever thought
about - but with the lightning
on Friday it's easier to see
why. Compare that to Saturday
morning. We woke up to a
gorgeous morning. Sun shining,
light breeze, and no real
clouds. We did have rain and
weather in the afternoon but
nothing like Friday.
I haven't talked about food
for ages. I let some coupons
from OfertaSimple expire - what
a shame. So we decided to make
sure the last few didn't. The
four of us went to Maranello's
Italian restaurant. Located on
via Argentina just off via
Espana. More like a family run
restaurant it is not fancy but
the pizza we had was yummy. The
crust was crisp and tasty. Donna
was a bit disappointed in hers
but it was more an understanding
of words- salchicha - could mean
sausage but just as well it
could mean hot dog - well in her
case it was hot dog - not the
most appealing topping for a
pizza :} Mine was fine -
selection of meats. I would have
added some more olive oil but 8
dollars for a 12" pizza is hard
to beat.
Speaking of food we went to
the event at Atlapa last Sunday
called Panama Gastronomica - an
event that showcased restaurants
and restaurant supply companies.
Some of the stalls offered
selections of food and some
offered wine. Geri and I got the
ticket to what was called the
Ruta de vino :} and we drank our
way around the stalls :} - One
of the most memorable was Bon
Vivant - the soon to be opened
store in San Francisco that is
run by Oriol from SDS Wines, my
favourite wine store that used
to be in parque industrial Costa
del Este. Oriol created a really
unique bistro in the midst of
the hustle and bustle of the
convention. We had the pleasure
of meeting his new employee
Julie - a wonderful person who I
know will be a great new
addition to Bon Vivant.
When Bon Vivant opens next
month I will give you a lot more
information. I am really looking
forward to seeing what they do
with the new store.
We drove out to the Amador
causeway this morning just to
see what is going on and to
enjoy a pleasant early morning
walk with Cricket. It was nice
to see that new park benches and
garbage cans all along the
causeway. This is such a pretty
part of the city to visit. We
love bringing guests here as it
provides such a unique view back
to the city, the bridge of the
Americas, the ships waiting to
enter the canal and the new
hotels across the canal.
If you are dog or cat person
- please read on - here in
Panama there are so many strays
(because Panamanians think
spaying and neutering is cruel)
- a friend, Mari Pily has been
taking in these strays to her
shelter for years. She really
needs help with vet bills and
food.
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
------------------------------
This week I am probably going
to upset some people with some
of my comments.
Getting used to a new culture
can be difficult. One of the
things that is different from
North America, at least in my
opinion, is the emphasis on
children. Here in Panama every
little girl is a princess, every
little boy a prince. They even
dress them that way. It means if
you are a princess or a prince
you can do no wrong. Scream,
holler, rant - that's your
right. No matter who's live you
upset.
We both work hard and it's
nice on the weekend to look
forward to a nap on Saturday and
Sunday. So many weekends though
we have to close the entire
apartment, turn on the AC and
put in ear plugs as there are a
number of kids screaming in the
pool for hours. Or there is a
birthday party going on. Or a
15th birthday or.... you get my
idea.
After about a year in Panama
I remember asking if there were
any "adult only" buildings or
communities - I was looked at
like someone from another
planet. Who would want that? In
fact we were told that would not
be legal. I see it is one thing
sadly lacking.
The other thing we ran into
was the lack of concern for your
neighbour. It seems that
neighbours don't matter and even
asking the security or the board
don't see any real problem.
Oh well - one more thing to
get used to.
If you have been reading this
site for a while you will know
how much we enjoy the Caribbean
vs the Pacific. We've enjoyed
renting a beach house from a
friend who owns the most amazing
one near Nombre de Dios, and we
rent one right now near
Portobelo. We started talking
about owning something that we
could go to anytime and that we
could rent our. So Donna & I
along with out friends Alan &
Geri went to see the Bala Beach
development near Maria Chiquita.
This is the only development on
the Caribbean right now beyond a
few homes at San Morino. The
prices are high - as much per m2
as the condos in Costa del Este.
So we had some pretty high
expectations. We met a really
nice fellow, Joshua at Bala
Beach - he showed us the 2
bedroom unit (89 m2) - small,
but we didn't mind the layout -
especially for weekends or weeks
but long term - not sure. What
did put us off was the quality
of finishing. What a
disappointment.
I guess we will continue to
rent :{
On another note - it is the
beginning of fall in Canada - I
know this not becomes of any
change in Panama but because
this is the weekend Donna & I
enjoyed every year in Edmonton
because it was the weekend of
the Symphony Under the Sky. Four
nights and one day of some
amazing music. We had the same
seats every year for at least 7
years. We had fun meeting the
same family that had the same
seats in front of us every year.
This year I understand they had
to move the concert indoors
because of inclement weather.
I was in Chicago for 3 days
last week meeting with my
business partners and
participating in a trade show. I
haven't been in Chicago for
years. The weather was very
similar to Panama that week -
30+ degrees C and lots of AC :}
If you are dog or cat person
- please read on - here in
Panama there are so many strays
(because Panamanians think
spaying and neutering is cruel)
- a friend, Mari Pily has been
taking in these strays to her
shelter for years. She really
needs help with vet bills and
food.
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
August 2012
So what to do if you decide
Panama might be your choice of
location for your retirement.
Step number 1 - do
your homework. Spend time on the
we web - ready everything you
can about the country, the
history and the people. Panama'
s history goes back well beyond
the arrival of the Spaniards in
the 1400's. When the Spaniards
arrived in Panama they put
Panama in the worlds spotlight
by using it as one of the 3
staging points for the shipment
of gold & silver back to Spain.
For over 500 years Panama has
been a key to the world. In
1914, the opening of the canal,
catapulted Panama back into the
worlds spotlight. There are have
been some dark days in its
history too with Manuel Noriega.
It is worth understanding how
Panama has impacted the world
and how the world has impacted
it. Look into the visa
requirements and ensure you are
going to be able to live in
Panama.
Beyond background
information, get involved the
the expat community in Panama
via some of the Yahoo groups -
ask questions, try to understand
what it is they like and dislike
about Panama. Try and find some
who decided to leave and find
out why.
Step number 2 -
understand the geography and the
various areas and cultures.
Panama is a small country both
in population and in land mass
but its length, narrowness and
its touching both oceans make it
very unique. From the islands of
Bocas del Toro near Costa Rica,
to the almost untouched Azuero
Peninsula, to the cosmopolitan
Panama City to the coasts of the
Caribbean and the mountain areas
of both Boquete in the west and
Altos de Maria near the city.
This means you can choose the
temperature means, the amenities
and the proximity to what you
need like hospitals or social
interaction. Decide if you want
to live more like a local or
with other expats.
Step number 3 - plan
your visit - rent for weeks or
months. Rent a car or plan on
using taxis and buses. If you
are unsure of the areas, visit
all of them long enough to
ensure you've been able to
determine if it really could be
"the" place. Remember when
planning your trips that Panama
has two main seasons - dry and
rainy - and each area is
impacted to greater or lesser
degrees by both of these
seasons. Plan to visit your area
of choice more than once during
these seasons.
In 2007 Donna & I went
sailing in the San Blas with our
friends Wayne & Elaine. We had a
great time and the islands and
the water was amazing. We
snorkeled and swam all over
during the 4 days. You aren't
permitted to scuba.
During our time sailing we
commented often on the state of
some of the islands. It was not
unusual to seen islands where
the palm trees were simply
falling over into the Caribbean.
The islands were being eaten
away but the sea. Some of this
was likely due to the removal of
the mangrove over the years to
be replaced by the coconut trees
that could provide an income.
But its not hard to understand
the role or the rising oceans.
This week Susan Guberman
Garcia sent a link to an article
from Rueters entitled "Rising
Sea Drives Panama Islanders to
Mainland" here is the link -
click here
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
------------------------------
Continuing on my comments
about moving to a new country to
retire I have to add some
comments about health and health
care.
Coming from Canada health
care is something we all loved
to hate. The refrain you hear
from Canadians all the time is
"we are so lucky to have free
health care, look at what the
Americans pay for their health
care". Then in the next breath
you hear "why is it I have to
wait 6 months or a year to get
into surgery, I know my illness
in not immediately life
threatening but I can't function
without the surgery". That's the
rub with Canadian health care -
the individual provincial
governments decide what health
care parameters to set. I used
to hate going to my GP, not
because I didn't like him, I
did, it was because I would an
appointment for 10 am and would
1-2 hours more before I was
ushered into a tiny room, told
to strip and sit on the cold bed
and wait some more. The Don
would run in, do a cursory exam,
ask a few questions, offer a
prescription, tell me to dress
and off he'd go to the next
cubicle. And just a note in case
you really don't know - Canadian
health care is not free - it is
paid in the personal income tax
and that can be brutal - 40+% in
some cases (not like the uber
rich in the USA that report
13%). Imagine not having to pay
that 40+% - how much health care
could you afford to pay and what
level of service would it
provide.
When we moved to Panama we
initially took out Blue
Cross/Blue Shield for our health
care needs but after a few years
we realized the day to day costs
were very affordable and we did
not need insurance for those
costs, we needed insurance for
some catastrophic medical event
so we changed to BUPA. Even
though our deductible is pretty
high it is nothing considering
they are willing to cover 1-2
million of medical costs per
year.
And to the quality of care
here in Panama - that's up to
you. There is everything from
locally run clinics to high end
professionals. My doctor grew up
in New Mexico and moved to
Panama several years ago and
specializes in internal and
aging. Right up my alley and I
can reach him via email as he
has a blackberry and he answers.
Beyond coverage issues, the
other main considerations is
access to the medical care.
Where would I get it and how far
will that be from where I am
considering?
Living in Panama City means you
are within 1/2 hr of reaching
any hospital or clinic or
doctor. On the other hand,
living somewhere like Bocas del
Toro where it is really pretty
and a much more laid back life,
you could be 2 hrs by air or 10
hours by bus if you need major
medical care not offered in
David.
Panama is expanding its
hospitals and its air services
but there are still lots of
locations that would mean hours
before you could reach serious
health care and that could be
the difference between life and
death.
Ten years ago I would never have
thought this to be a big deal
but some things that have
happened to me recently
that certainly brings this home.
If you are looking at a piece of
property somewhere stop for 5
minutes and ask yourself - "if I
needed a hospital in a hurry -
how long would that be - and
would I survive that amount of
time?
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
-----------------------
With more of our generation
retiring and more than ever
considering somewhere in the
world other than Canada or the
USA the question always comes up
- what's it like to live in
Panama (or pick any other
country).?
Anyone who knows Donna and my
story know that 6 years ago we
decided to move from Alberta
Canada. Initially we thought it
would be somewhere in Mexico as
we'd vacationed there for over
20 years. But my business
partner Ted suggested we take a
"quick trip" to Panama and see
for ourselves what it was like
compared to Mexico - we were
here 4 days in April 2006 and by
August 2006 I had moved and
Donna was here after selling
everything in Canada by October
2006.
We never recommend anyone do
this - it's just stupid - we
leapt over the preverbal cliff
without looking - not very
bright - I am just so thankful
everything worked out - our
pensionado visa, our condo
purchase, new office, employees
- our choice of location -
Panama City if a very
cosmopolitan city on the surface
- we just tell people to
remember it is a third world
country firmly rooted in a Latin
American culture that is very
different than North American
culture. It is not just the
language that is different - it
goes much deeper.
Before you make a decision
like this ask yourself - why are
we wanting to move out of Canada
or the USA? Is it the weather,
the cost of living, the pace of
life, the taxes, a desire for
something new - be honest with
yourself.
Then ask yourself - have we
ever spent anytime out of our
country? If you did, when you
lived somewhere else, did you
immerse yourself or just stay in
your comfort zone?
Visit the countries you are
considering - spend lots of time
- talk to lots of people who
have made the move. Ask why some
leave for their home country.
Living in a foreign country
comes with lots of good and not
so good. Over the past 6 years
we've encountered all of these.
The good - lower cost of living,
better weather, lack of taxes,
access to beaches, learning a
new language and culture.
The bad - corruption, ineptness,
lack of service orientation in
business, lack of rule of law,
lack of access to some basic
goods and services, ignorance of
the ways of the rest of the
world.
Don't get us wrong, after 6
years we still think we should
have done this 10 years ago in
spite of all the hiccups :}
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
-------------------------
When is a warranty not a
warranty? -- When you are in
Panama and purchase a brand new
high-end dishwasher from what
turns out to be a very
disreputable store. Even though
warned by a knowledgeable
designer that this stores
service was horrible who would
believe that a store would try
and wiggle out of a warranty by
saying that because they didn't
do the install they were not
responsible for the warranty.
Only in Panama. It's another
case of having to know what
questions to ask before buying
anything and if someone warns
you it's probably because of
this kind of incredibly poor
service.
Speaking of incredible. This
past week I ran across the most
unbelievable example of
stupidity. I told you a week ago
we are in the market for a new
office. One that would be close
to our home if possible. We
found we had to start looking
outside Costa del Este as the
prices were just crazy - 20+ per
square meter per month - plus
common costs and utilities and
in some cases it would be
necessary to do improvements
like floors :} - We found one
reasonably priced option and we
contacted the lease agent.
Before they would talk with us
they wanted us to fill in their
form and provide all the
information like copies of our
identification, corporate
papers, bank references,
personal and corporate
references as well as a short
precise on the company and its
business. When pressed the
agreed to tell us the price and
inclusions but no more until we
filled in the form. When we
instructed our lawyers and
bankers to comply we asked again
as we were short on time and
then came the kicker - because
"we" ( I presume me) were
foreign, we needed to provide a
Panamanian guarantor and they
would have to supply 2 years of
income tax receipts to prove
their ability to guarantee the
rent.
Now you need to know I would
classify this as Class "c" or
"d" office locale that anywhere
in North America would be very
difficult to rent and the
leasing agent would be jumping
on anyone who expressed an
interest and could "fog a
mirror" - not here - it's like
they could not care less that
someone was interested -
complete the application as we
outlined or we won't consider
you.
We're not in Kansas any more
- obviously :}
Living in a foreign country
comes with lots of good and not
so good. Over the past 6 years
we've encountered all of these.
The good - lower cost of living,
better weather, lack of taxes,
access to beaches, learning a
new language and culture.
The bad - corruption, ineptness,
lack of service orientation in
business, lack of rule of law,
lack of access to some basic
goods and services, ignorance of
the ways of the rest of the
world.
Don't get us wrong, after 6
years we still think we should
have done this 10 years ago in
spite of all the hiccups :}
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
I told you last week I spent
the weekend out at a friends
place on the Caribbean
with the office staff. Monday,
Donna arrived home and Wednesday
and Thursday I ended up at home
sick - and I am still not 100% 4
days in - I've talked to a
number of people who either know
someone going through this or
just getting over it - yuck. I
never used to get colds or flus,
maybe because I worked from home
so I had little or no contact
with other people or because
here in Panama they use so many
antibiotics that I think they
must breed some really
interesting bugs.
We've still not found a home
for the office so it is likely
we will need to send everyone
home to work from home for a
week, a month or whatever it
takes to find and move the
office. I still can't believe
what some of these new office
towers want for office space to
rent or purchase - we're
not in Vancouver or Toronto,
we're in Panama. I know we will
find something.
I've been missing all of our
times visiting restaurants
recently using our OfertaSimple
coupons - I even had to toss two
away as they were expiring and
the restaurant would not extend
them for a few days.
After our trip to the beach
we took our truck into get
detailed using another
OfertaSimple coupon and when it
came back Nino was not thrilled
with what they did so he is
taking it back - I will let you
know the outcome.
I
get asked all the time - doesn't
it rain a lot. My answer is
always the same. Yes, in the
rainy season there is a lot of
rain. Today for instance we
started the day with great
weather - hot, muggy, but still
great. Then the afternoon the
clouds start to roll in and we
get a storm. This will give you
some idea of how socked in it
can get. Some of those towers
you are looking at are 70+
stories tall. :}
If
you read this once in a while
you know we try hard to help at
least one of the many worthwhile
groups trying to make a
difference in Panama. We chose
to help Mari Pily with her
shelter in Arraijan - she has
hundreds of dogs and hundreds of
cats - and more every month.
So here is my plea -
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
July 2012
I am late doing the update to
my notes this week as I took off
with the office crew to the
Caribbean for a couple of days
with no computers, just sun,
beach, food and drink.
I am pretty sure everyone
enjoyed themselves - other than
being bitten a number of times I
loved the water and the
relaxation. The cove Ralph's
place sits on is one of the
prettiest, second only to the
one we wanted to develop back 4
years ago.
Donna arrives home tonight
from Norway. It will be great to
have her home for more than a
month this time. We have a few
small projects around the condo
but not much thankfully as I
have Ted's place to get ready
for new tenants and we have to
find a new office, prepare it
and move. Oh well - it will get
done.
Since I told people I got my
PADI certificate it is amazing
how many of my friends are
already certified - who knew - I
can't wait for them to visit to
go diving around Portobelo or
even as far away as Coiba Island
- said to be still pristine and
home to lots of interesting
birds. I understand the diving
around it is amazing. Too bad
you can't dive in the San Blas -
there would be some pretty
spectacular reefs to visit.
I am sure in the coming
months we will see some visitors
from Canada - I know our friends
Alan & Geri have a house full
this week :}
I spoke to Mari last week to
get some idea of how she and the
shelter were doing. Grim. She
has so many dogs and cats that
her weekly food bill alone is
more than 900.00 - that does not
count the vet bills or the
special diets for the ones that
have recently had surgery or who
have ailments.
So here is my plea -
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
------------------------------
Donna is in Norway this week
checking it out as a possible
location for a tour in the
future. It struck me so odd that
she would be going to a country
this is almost on the same
latitude as Alaska and the Yukon
territories to visit gardens.
Stranger still is there is at
least one location that is a
tropical garden. Just like
Ireland, Norway has an area
served by the Atlantic Gulf
Stream. I am interested to see
her pictures when she gets back.
This is also a first for her -
she has no notebook with her -
just her new IPad :} it is
taking some getting used to but
she has a girl friend with her
that is very into her IPad to
help her learn.
After more than a year
trying, my partner Ted finally
has a deal on his Ocean 2
property - it took a very
professional, very active agent
less than a week to find and put
a deal together. Almost every
other agent we talked with said
how difficult it would be and
how long it might take. Just
goes to show what a connected
professional can do.
All this means is we have a
month to find a new office
location. Alan & I went to see
some here in Costa del Este on
Friday - I figured with all the
new commercial buildings that
have come on the market in the
past year and the number left to
be delivered it would be simple
and less costly. Not so. As we
only need 100+ m2 the market was
down to just a few choices and
they were absurd - $500K for
1000 sq ft office - what part of
Kansas am I in? Obviously we
need to do some more looking. I
hate to leave Costa del Este and
the ability to walk to work but
half a million for something 2/3
the size of my condo. Get real.
My PADI card arrived in the
mail this week - so I am legit -
I can now dive anywhere in the
PADI world - my next step -
Advanced Diver : here I come. I
also got my diving wrist
computer - to save me from using
those charts :}
Going over to visit our foster
pups today and taking them their
weekly treats.
I spoke to Mari this week to
get some idea of how she and the
shelter were doing. Grim. She
has so many dogs and cats that
her weekly food bill alone is
more than 900.00 - that does not
count the vet bills or the
special diets for the ones that
have recently had surgery or who
have ailments.
So here is my plea -
Can you spare $10 per
month ??? Every Month
That is enough to cover the
basic food cost of ONE dog or
cat.
or consider a one time
donation to pay for one dog for
a year.
Please do something - every
month Mari scrambles to try and
cover these costs and every
month we get more emails of
people needing help with strays
in their area - it breaks Mari's
heart but she has only so much
to give -
Please help.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
-----------------
I hope all of our American
friends had a great 4th of July.
I remember living in Minot ND
and enjoying the 4th with all
our staff - so much more than
most Canadians with July 1st.
What was odd here this year is
aparently the US Embassy
celebrated the 4th with a party
for Panamanians - not Americans
- how odd.
Spending a quiet weekend with
Donna as she heads out again
next week - this time to Norway
:} - I am looking forward to
August and September as she will
be home for both months - she'll
probably get cabin fever being
around me for two whole months
:}
I've been dealing with real
estate agents for Ted and his
Ocean 2 condo - during this
process I've actually met some
very professional agents.
Buying, selling, renting or
putting a unit up for rent
involves a totally different set
of rules here in Panama then we
would normally be used to North
America. While it might be
getting better it still has a
very long way to go to make it
as painless as it would be in
the USA or Canada. I think one
of the biggest things missing is
the comfort to know that if
anything goes wrong, and it can
here or in North America, that
there would be a way to legally
rectify the problem. Here, there
just is not that comfort. The
rule of law is something almost
foreign. If you are considering
buying or selling or renting -
get advise - ask other expats
who they would recommend - do
your due diligence before you
put 5 cents down on anything.
Case in point, I have to sign a
contract for a new service next
week. The contract specifically
spells our some very dire
restrictions including a full 36
months of payments. The salesman
assured me that 36 month
requirements made no difference
as the new laws of Panama allow
consumers to break a contract
with no penalties - would you
believe him? I asked our lawyers
- turns out he is right - the
lawyers confirmed that is the
case - how weird - why write a
contract with these requirements
knowing full well they mean
nothing? At least I get to sign
the contract and get the service
installed.
North America is getting such
odd weather. I talked to my
partner in Vancouver and he said
Friday, July 6th was the first
day he would have actually
called summer while at the same
time in the US they are
sweltering under oppressive heat
and major storms and fires.
Panama just chugs along - it is
the raining season so we expect
rain some time during the day
and most days it does not
disappoint :} but the mornings
are normally amazing - so nice
to take Cricket out for her
morning walk - its the noon to
mid afternoon that the storms /
rain sets in normally.
The
president of Panama came out
this week and asked businesses
to start staggering the work
times of their employees as
there numerous road and transit
work being done and that with
all the new initiatives there
will be more in the coming
months and years. He's right -
some of the areas in Panama City
are getting really bad to drive
- via Brazil near Ave Israel or
Calle 50 are horrible and they
have just started to work on the
over/under pass. I know that
when they are done it will be a
treat to go through those roads
but for the time being it is
terrible. The same is true all
along via Espana with the metro
line work - when the metro line
is up and running I know it will
remove tens, if not hundreds of
thousands from the roads and
with them taxis and bus traffic
will reduce. It's just the time
from now until 2014. Speaking of
work - the new Panama Bay clean
up, meaning the stopping of the
practice of dumping raw sewage
into the bay, replaced by a new
sewage treatment plant out near
the airport is well underway but
it will be 2015 to see that
finished - in the meantime the
bay during low tide is horrible.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
----------------------------
Happy
Canada Day - even though we
moved to Panama almost 6 years
ago that does not mean we lost
any of our Canadianism - we are
still very much Canadian - I
decided when we arrived I wanted
something to remind me of Canada
all the time - so for the first
time in my life (and likely the
last) I braved my fear of
needles and got a tattoo :} it
is a take off on a really old
Canadian beer company
commercial. Here is a picture
Donna took of it yesterday - it
is on my right shoulder.
We
decided with Donna home that we
should take a weekend and go to
the rental house near Portobelo
and just kick back for the
weekend. It also gives me time
to finish my scuba testing in
open water. The first day was
awesome - I was at 25 feet and
and it was no big deal. My
instructor, Rey, from
GoldenFrogScuba is really
patient, and and excellent
teacher. I feel very comfortable
that he is taking his time and
making sure I "get it" before we
move on to another lesson. Day
two will see me certified
(baring anything silly). Next
time I scuba I will bring my
underwater camera that Stephen &
Wes bought me when they visited.
I didn't want to bring it during
my final lessons - I will wait
until I am certified. The color
and fish on the reefs were
incredible. I also brought back
a tiny piece of rotting wood Rey
says is part of a really old
ship that was part of Drakes
armada. How cool is that :}
You may have been reading about
the speeding cameras in Panama.
Well we went to pay our fine and
get the picture. Turns out the
speed was 61km in a 60km zone.
How can their camera or our
speedometer be that accurate -
and worse, while at the counter
paying the fine, the lady in
front found out her speed was
60.1 - yes point 1 over the
speed limit - and they still
insisted she pay her 50 fine.
From Don Winners site I
understand the government turned
off the cameras but I never did
hear why and for how long and if
they expect to change this
ridiculous zero tolerance policy
- I agree speeding is wrong and
dangerous - but be real and fine
when the speed limit is breached
by 10%or something like that.
Donna is home for one more
week - really nice to have her
around for more than just one
day :} She only has two more
trips this year but she is
already booking well into 2014
:} and some really cool places
and gardens planned. If you
haven't noticed, I am really
proud of her :}
Too bad that the time Donna
is home is so stormy. We've had
some incredible weather - not so
much wind but the amount of rain
- wow - it was a test of our new
patio doors - they failed a bit
with some water getting in under
the bottom rail. While on the
Caribbean, there has been some
rains but not as much as I
expected.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
June 2012
Nice to have Donna back home
- if only for a couple of weeks
:} - We went out for dinner last
night to celebrate her birthday.
We decided on the Golden Unicorn
for chinese - yummy :}
Weather wise its been one of
the better rainy season weeks -
some rain but very little
compared to previous weeks.
Great to have a bit of a
reprieve especially for Cricket.
Next weekend I head out to
Portobelo to finish my diving
training by taking my open water
exam - I am really looking
forward to getting certified. I
am anxious to be able to check
out some of the more famous dive
sites around Panama.
The renos are done - the new
patio doors are installed -
Veasa did a great job - I would
sure recommend them for anything
glass related.
Speaking of references - just
a cautionary tale. We chose to
purchase some of our appliances
in Miami and had them shipped
over and while we got exactly
what we wanted we had to forgo
the warranty - and as a
result now that our washer has
broken down we are going to have
to replace it completely as the
cost to repair is 6 dollars less
than a new machine.
I've been interviewing real
estate agents for Ted as he has
now gotten serious about selling
or renting. I've met with 3
different agents from 3
different companies and they are
as different as you can get. It
will be interesting to see which
one Ted chooses to hire.
He decided this time around
to appoint one agent as the
exclusive agent in the hopes
they will have the comfort to
know that they will be paid
their commission no matter who
ends up bringing in the buyer -
something still quite foreign
here. Too often sellers simple
give the listing to any agent
and dozens list it for varied
amounts - sometimes a lot more
than the asking price in the
hopes they can keep the balance.
I've mentioned SDS Wines
before. It was a small wine shop
located in the parque industrial
here in Costa del Este. This was
their last week here as they are
moving to the San Francisco area
- sad but I will still visit as
they have some great wine
choices and are very
knowledgeable about all of their
wines.
I meant to tell you last week
about something new to Panama -
traffic cameras that catch
speeders. I heard about this at
the office when one of the staff
checked on line
http://www.licencia.com.pa/historial/
and found she had a speeding
ticket. No notice - just a
ticket online. She went and paid
the fine and got her picture -
it was her car - 63 km in 60 km
zone. Geez - there is no way the
cars speedometer is that
accurate. What a cash cow - $50
for virtually every car past the
camera. I wrote Don Winner and
sure enough there are a dozen of
these cameras around Panama and
there will be more. And the
kicker - these cameras are run
by a private company that get to
keep 65% of the ticket. Nice
work if you can get it :} Within
the same week though Don is now
reporting the government
suspended the cameras. So we
shall see - I have no issue with
cameras for speeding but make
them so they recognize the lack
of accuracy that most cars
speedometers have and if you
change your tires from the
manufacturers specifications
then your speedometer is off for
sure.
If Panama is going to get
serious about traffic laws, I
would suggest they teach their
police officers to enforce the
simple infractions - like stop
signs - or lights on cars or
lane changes or driving the
wrong way down a one way street
because it is simpler than going
around the block to get to a
store or a home. Cameras are
fine, but they should not
replace honest police officers
enforcing the existing laws.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
-----------------------------
First week in a long time I
am writing where it won't
involve a new restaurant - or
any restaurant in Panama for
that matter - I was in Los
Angeles for a few days on
business and Donna is in Italy.
I know she is enjoying some
amazing food and wine in Sienna.
After what feels like several
years (its really only been 1)
we are finally finishing Ted's
condo in Ocean 2. He is going to
selling it in the next few
months - or at least that's the
plan.
June continues to be stormy
and our little Cricket just
hates it - especially the
afternoons in my office because
the thunder reverberates around
the room and she has no where to
hide. I feel so bad but I know
it doesn't last.
We start a small renovation
on the condo, again I know, but
it will only take 4 days
according to Juan. We've talked
about other condos but we love
the location, our neighbours and
the size so we don't see any
real need and we bought this for
such a good price it would be
hard to find anything as good so
we are just going to keep doing
little things.
I am hoping to get to the
causeway tomorrow morning to
take Cricket for a walk - she
had such a miserable late
afternoon and night today.
I was catching up on what was
going on in Panama while I was
away and it is just the same old
stuff - mainly politics and who
is suing or arguing with who. I
have to admit in the 6 years we
have been here we have seen lots
of improvements like the bus
system, road improvements,
sanitary/garbage disposal, and
even some efforts toward litter
control.
One thing interesting was a
building in our area started
almost 5 years ago but after
only 3 stories it stopped and
was abandoned. It was an eye
sore for years. Then a few weeks
ago they just started again. My
first thought was I was pleased
it would get finished, but then
I wondered what would the
concrete and rebar be like after
all that time sitting in the
weather.
Almost
every week I hear from Mari
about some dog she would really
love to find a home - this week
is Beba. Do you know anyone who
would love a new friend? Email
me or Mari please or visit
Mari's facebook page.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
--------------------------------
June already. Half of 2012
gone already. In Canada we would
still be working for the
government. What a change. No
taxes - haven't had any for
almost 6 years. What is amazing
is how much freer you feel, how
much more money you have to
either invest, save or spend. I
can only imagine what this must
have been like at the turn of
the 20th century in North
America - things booming and no
taxes - everything you made you
could invest, spend or save. No
wonder things boomed and wealth
was made. If we had done this 15
years ago our lives and future
would have been so different. I
am just glad we finally did make
the move.
Don't get me wrong, I am
still very proud to call myself
Canadian - Canada has lots of
faults but it is still home, I
am still proud of it (most of
the time for its world
decisions) and am pleased it has
never instituted a world wide
income tax requirement like the
USA. I hope I am long gone
before they do.
Donna got home Wednesday
night from her back to back
tours in Morocco and London only
to spend 2 days before she
headed out this am for three
more stops - Italy, Israel and
Turkey. We won't see her again
until just after her birthday.
At least when these 3 trips are
done she will have done 80% of
her travel for this year so we
can spend some time together.
Thanks to OfertaSimply we
again tried a new restaurant -
Habibis - located on calle
Uruguay. Read
my comments on our "food" page.
We will be back there for sure.
We went back to Sushi House here
in Costa del Este last night as
Donna did not want to cook
either night she was home -
another yummy meal.
Some interesting articles on
Don Winners site this week -
apparently the new tunnel from
Channis to downtown is finished
and this marks the start of the
new water/sewage treatment
efforts started by Pres
Martinelli to clean up Panama
Bay. Ten feet in diameter, it
should be able to handle the
storm and sewage runoff and be
able to pump it to the new
sewage treatment in Juan Dias -
maybe in our time in Panama we
will see the return of sand
beaches on the Cinta Costera.
Our neighbour Sandra remembers
them when she was little.
A few more renos left in our
condo to get done before Donna
gets home. Amazing how difficult
it can be to do something simple
like get a quote done. Thank
goodness for our handyman Juan -
I'd have missed some really key
pieces in the quotation on the
latest item we are working on.
I told you last week about my
new bank account in the Jersey
Islands off England called HSBC
Expat. I just received the new
debit cards - this group is
really quite impressive -
Almost
every week I hear from Mari
about some dog she would really
love to find a home - this week
is Beba. Do you know anyone who
would love a new friend? Email
me or Mari please or visit
Mari's facebook page.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
-----------------------------------
May has certainly been a
rainy and noisy month. Yesterday
was one of the most torrential
downpours and thunder &
lightning storms - I was at
Ocean 2 when it started -
incredible - the amount of water
that fell in less than an hour
was hard to believe.
Went to a movie last night
with our friends Alan & Geri -
3d Men in Black 3 - funny and
well done - cost like $3.75 (old
fart discount) - contrast that
with 3d Avengers in NJ - cost
almost $15 (no old fart
discount)
Before the movie we went to
Brits Burger bar - turns out
this used to be Burgues - still
good burgers (the ribs could
have been more tender but they
were tasty).
I have one more trade show in
LA to do but that will see the
end of my travels other than to
the caribbean - I still have to
finish my scuba water tests - I
can hardly wait :}
I went to SDS Wines on
Saturday to pick up a couple of
bottles only to find Oriol is
moving in June to the San
Francisco area - bummer - I am
happy for him as I am sure he
will do much better with a more
retail location but I will miss
being able to pop over to get
some wine. If you have not
visited and you love wine -
Oriol is "THE" man when it comes
to wine appreciation.
Check out his facebook page
or look up SDS International -
or better yet visit his store in
Costa del Este before he moves -
some of the discounts run into
50% - amazing wines - great
prices.
I read an interesting article
in the Visitor this week -
apparently the corridor sur will
start forcing people to have a
card or use the sur express vs
using cash as it is just too
congested - they finally figured
out it takes many times longer
to pay in cash vs swiping a card
or going through the sur express
method. Good for them - they
have to do something as it is
just silly in the morning and at
night.
Alan and I were treated to a
great night at the union club
this week as guests of Ralph and
John - I guess every thursday is
pasta night - sweet - lots of
good food and company. Too bad
it is a closed environment -
maybe a good business
opportunity for someone - a new,
less exclusive union club.
I told you last week about my
new bank account in the Jersey
Islands off England called HSBC
Expat. I just received the new
debit cards - this group is
really quite impressive -
Almost
every week I hear from Mari
about some dog she would really
love to find a home - this week
is Beba. Do you know anyone who
would love a new friend? Email
me or Mari please or visit
Mari's facebook page.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
May 2012
Donna is in England this week
- she arrived there after almost
2 weeks in Morocco with her tour
group. She has another 10 days
before she is home for 2 days.
Time enough to celebrate her
birthday and then leave for
Italy, Israel and Turkey.
I was in Newark this past
week - our friends Alan and Geri
looked after our aging, slightly
cranky, loveable Cricket :} - I
really appreciated knowing she
was being cared for by two great
people.
This weekend was catch up and
prepare for the week to come -
work is starting to get busy as
it always does at this time of
year. Kind of a double edge
sword - need the grow but it is
hard as we need to add some more
people over the coming years to
achieve our succession goals. I
had a long chat about succession
with one of our clients in NJ as
he is facing the same thing with
a very successful accounting
practice but he is the sole
owner and doesn't want to do
this forever.
Newark was nice. I enjoyed
the sushi I had at a little
family run restaurant called
Niko Niko. Went to a mall that
everyone talked about in Jersey
City - nothing too special in my
opinion - Albrook or Multiplaza
are as good or better.
I am on the hunt to buy Donna
an Ipad - lots to learn and
decide on especially about the
options of wifi only or wifi and
4g - I know she would love the
4g but it is not easy when it
comes to roaming with 4g all
over the world the way she
travels so I may end up sticking
with wifi only this time around.
I told you last week about my
new bank account in the Jersey
Islands off England called HSBC
Expat. When i arrived home
everything they promised was
here and I was able to use their
secure key device to log into my
new account online. Very slick -
and simple. And now I can choose
whatever currency I want for
investment from Pounds to
Australian Dollars. Too cool.
Lots of silliness going on
around the world from Greece and
its inability to come to grips
with its woes to Facebooks IPO.
I am not sure which is nuttier.
I really don't understand the
entitlement mentality in Greece
- I've grown up having to work
for everything and not expecting
it to be just given to me.
Retiring at 50 is a nice idea if
you've earned it or saved for it
- not just because your
government decided that was a
good idea. And Facebook - 100
Billion dollar value - maybe I
am of the older generation but
that just seems nuts - at least
in my opinion.
Almost
every week I hear from Mari
about some dog she would really
love to find a home - this week
is Beba. Do you know anyone who
would love a new friend? Email
me or Mari please or visit
Mari's facebook page.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
---------------------
First - Happy Mothers Day - I
know it isn't Mothers Day in
Panama but it is in Canada - so
I want to take a minute to
remember my mom and Donnas mom -
both who have passed on several
years ago. It would be hard to
list everything I would love to
say to my mom on Mothers Day -
but I guess the best thing I can
say is I love you and I am so
thankful for everything you did
for me over the years. You were
the best mom anyone could have.
It was a quiet week in lots
of ways. Donna is in Morocco and
when she is finished with that
tour group she is on to her
Chelsea Flower Show tour group
in London.
It's starting to get busier
at the office - it usually does
right after tax season - and
this year we are going to have
to do another move. I'm not
really looking forward to that
but it seems inevitable. What's
so strange is I know there are
hundreds of businesses operating
out of apartment buildings but
our new board has made their
feelings known.
I caught up with the pictures
of the changes in our area,
Costa del Este. We've been
taking the same 3 pictures from
our balcony for almost 6 years
and the changes are amazing.
We've watched over 35 apartment
towers built and more than 6
commercial buildings. Check out
the pictures here
http://www.whypanama.net/costadeleste-changes.htm
We went to another restaurant
in our continuing use of the
coupons from OfertaSimple. This
time we went to El Morro in
Bella Vista. Check out my
comments in the food page -
http://www.whypanama.net/food.htm
Speaking of food (yes I know
do a lot :}) I had a great
dinner over at our friends place
last night - I think they take
pity on me when Donna is away
:}. also I ran across a web site
called the Boquete Gourmet
http://www.boquetegourmet.com/
- lots of interesting things but
it doesn't seem that up to date
so I sent an email - hopefully I
will hear from them. There are a
number of things I would love to
ask. I will let you know.
Like everywhere in the world,
each week Panama has tons of
news items - most of them I find
of no interest as they are
political in nature or reports
of some drug or other illegal
activities.
Every once in a while I run
across some item worth reading.
This past week it was a report
of the Panamanian government
giving away 93,000 laptops to
school kids - free - and in
addition they have a government
group organized to not just give
them away but help teach the
kids to use the laptops wisely.
It's one of those things that
can make the difference in some
child's life - to have access to
a computer of their own helps
put them on the same footing as
a child in North America.
I
was talking to one of my clients
this past week about what Warren
Buffet calls the "ovarian
lottery" meaning how blessed
some of us were to be born in a
1st world county. He was born in
Canada but his father was Indian
and came to Canada with $300 in
his pocket and a family to
support. How incredibly
fortunate we are to have the
"starting point" of a North
American upbringing. Doesn't
mean we are going to be a Warren
Buffet but it does guarantee a
level of future potential only
dreamed of in other countries.
One item I hear
from Expats all the time is how
difficult it is to open a bank
account both here in Panama and
elsewhere in the world. I am
pleased to tell you I found a
really simple alternative - it's
called HSBC Expat and is bank
dedicated to solving that very
issue - make it easy to open a
bank account offshore without
having to visit -
http://www.expat.hsbc.com/1/2/
- we were able to open an
account by downloading, filling
in the forms and sending via
courier. No visits, no hassles.
Simple.
Almost
every week I hear from Mari
about some dog she would really
love to find a home - this week
is Beba. Do you know anyone who
would love a new friend? Email
me or Mari please or visit
Mari's facebook page.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
--------------------------
I spent the last week in New
York on business. I arrived in
Newark to temperatures of less
than 60 degrees F - yuck - on
top of that I was just starting
a cold that I inherited from
Donna when she returned from
Holland. My voice was almost non
existent during the 3 days I was
in business meetings - I croaked
all through them - thankfully my
business partner was there or it
would have been really bad :} -
I loved stepping off the plane
here in Panama Friday night - to
feel the warmth again.
Regardless of the cold (both
temperature and my chest cold) I
still enjoyed being in New York
- I love the diversity. We went
to a show and I went to the
oldest pub called McSorley's
(thanks to Alan for telling me
to check it out).
I did not get to the world
trade center site - I hope to do
that the next time.
If you find yourself
complaining about the rising
costs of Panama let me tell you
- New York was brutal -
breakfast - 22.00 - coffee 3.99
- cabs - 80 to the airport -
road tolls - 8.20.
I also checked out some real
estate - a small (under 120 m2)
condo in Manhattan - anywhere
from 1.2 - 3.4 million - not
2000 m2 but 20,000 m2
And the crowds - albeit I
arrived at rush hour and went
out after the meeting during
rush hour but the crush of
people on the street and in the
subway was incredible.
Donna headed off to lead her
next two tour groups in Morocco
and England - she is really
looking forward to these two
groups - she loves the area and
the gardens.
Donna received an email this
week from Iris Todd-Lewis. Iris
wanted to let Donna know she
enjoyed this site and to let her
know about her blog she created
to chronicle their move from
Canada to Pedasi and the
construction of their new home.
Check it out -
www.postcardsfrompanama.net
- so many things sound so
familiar - I am sure you will
enjoy following their
experiences.
One item I hear
from Expats all the time is how
difficult it is to open a bank
account both here in Panama and
elsewhere in the world. I am
pleased to tell you I found a
really simple alternative - it's
called HSBC Expat and is bank
dedicated to solving that very
issue - make it easy to open a
bank account offshore without
having to visit -
http://www.expat.hsbc.com/1/2/
- we were able to open an
account by downloading, filling
in the forms and sending via
courier. No visits, no hassles.
Simple.
Almost
every week I hear from Mari
about some dog she would really
love to find a home - this week
is Beba. Do you know anyone who
would love a new friend? Email
me or Mari please or visit
Mari's facebook page.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
--------------------
One of the most common
questions I get when I talk to
people about Panama is "what
about health care?" Is it good -
is it expensive - can you get
insurance - is it expensive -
what are the hospitals like - do
the doctors speak English? Most
of these come from our Canadian
friends especially considering
the how much stock Canadians put
in the "free" health care in
Canada.
For the first 4 years we had
Blue Cross/Blue Shield health
insurance but it was designed to
cover the cost of visits to
doctors or hospitals but we
never used it. So when we had a
chance we evaluated all the
options available and decided
there were two types of
insurance - coverage for normal
heath care on a daily/weekly or
annual basis and what's
considered catastrophic
coverage. The later kicks in
only when there are huge costs
to cover and generally have
large deductible. We changed and
chose the later. The comfort is
that no matter how serious the
health event the insurance will
cover it no matter where we are
in the world. And the cost - in
my mind a fraction of what we
paid in Canada - no that is not
heresy - in my mind we paid huge
premiums for the "free health
care" in Canada through our
income tax.
Having said that - the
service here is as good or
better than what I received in
Canada. My doctor, Paz
Rodriguez, moved here from New
Mexico, runs Wellmed Clinic in
Marbella - he focuses on
wellness and spends any amount
of time explaining the results
of the options available. The
hospitals like Hospital Punta
Pacifica are new, clean and
efficient for as much as I can
tell only having to have had the
services of their emergency
room.
I passed my written part of the
PADI underwater Scuba course -
now I have to do my open water
part. I will be going to
Portobelo a couple of
Saturday/Sundays to finish it
with Rey from
GoldenFrogScuba I can't wait
to try my hand at scuba. I never
thought I would or could as I
have always had such bad luck
with a left ear eustachian tube
not clearing all the time. When
I was in Roatan Honduras I tried
Snuba - a cross between scuba
and snorkeling and I had no
issue getting down to 10-15
feet.
MY business partner TEd send
me a link to a really cool
YouTube video this week that
gives you a a feeling what
Panama was like in the old days
when the canal was being
constructed. Click on the
picture, turn up your sound and
enjoy the presentation.
We are always looking for
interesting things to do with
our friends and I just asked for
some more information on Blue
Cruise Sailing in Panama-
sailing out of Boca Chica - I
will let you know when I find
out more.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
April 2012
Donna is in Holland this week
and from all accounts her
biggest tour group ever is doing
well - albeit they have their
fair share of challenges. I am
so proud of Donna - if I
had told her 20 years ago she'd
have her own company and would
globe trotting with groups of
people she would have committed
me :}
Alan & Geri and I went to
Sabor de India last night -
another in a long line of
restaurants we are trying thanks
to OfertaSimple. Check out the
review in the food area.
I went to a meeting on
Thursday hosted by Envita - a
group who hosts a series of
meetings in Casco Viejo. This
particular get together was a
presentation by Kent Davis of
Panama Equity - it was
interesting and I am really
pleased someone in the RE
business is trying to put some
sense to the RE market in
Panama. I wish he had a bit more
information on Costa del Este.
When we moved into our condo
in Costa del Este beside the
river the only thing that was
annoying was the sea of white
floating down the river when it
rained. Now however there is a
distinctive odour that reminds
me of the Panama Bay in front of
Balboa Ave/Cinta Costera. This
unpleasant smell began when the
government started constructing
the sewage system from downtown
to past the airport. Something
makes me think they have some
"breaks" in the line. I sure
hope they get it right and get
rid of the smell.
I had a chance to visit our
foster pups here in Costa del
Este. Almost 6 years ago we
spotted a dog near our condo at
a security guards shack that
looked awful - he was one mass
of mange - we had him treated
and looked after feeding him. A
year or so later he was joined
by the cutest little pup - we
had them both spayed/neutered
and moved them to Chitos
location when they tore down the
guard shack. Sadly our original
Pastorcita was killed by a pack
of other dogs so we had to find
a replacement for Pastor as he
was so lonely. Mari Piliy from
the Hogar Alberque San Roque
came through with our new
Pastorcita.
Both of them are looking
great albeit I think Pastor is
stealing some food from
Pastorcita as she is not bulking
up as much as I would have
expected and Pastor is not
getting any slimmer.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
-----
Donna heads our to host her
2nd tour group of 2012. She just
got back from hosting the trip
to Northern India with a group
of 11 guests and now she is off
to Holland with a group of 105 -
incredible - she has 3 coaches
to transport them all - 3 other
hosts to help her and 3 guides
to keep the guests informed. I
won't see much of her now until
almost July as she has 3 more
tour groups in that time and 3
other countries to visit as
possible future tours. What an
amazing lady I am married to ...
Our friends Wes and Stephen
(our next door neighbours for
almost 15 years when we lived in
St. Albert) are wrapping up
their visit to Panama. We just
spent the weekend on the Costa
Arriba near Portobelo. A great
friend arranged to have a boat
pick us all up near Isla Grande
and take us to another friends
place along the coast to meet
some people and see his place
then on to Ralphs own house near
Nombre de Dios.
While at Ralphs we enjoyed
some homemade arroz con coco and
roasted chicken. Porfirio makes
the best arroz con coco - its
all fresh ingredients - yum:}
Yesterday we took at trip
across the top of the canal
locks to the other coast - Costa
Abajo - and drove to the end of
the road at Miguel de la Borda.
That coast is almost uninhabited
- a few small villages along 40
km of road and beach.
We stopped on the way home
and bought 6 fresh lobsters from
boys selling them on the side of
the road - 6 good sized
lobsters for $30 - I am sure we
could have haggled but we were
all tired and just wanted to get
back to the beach house to cook
them.
Wes did his chef thing and made
pasta and lobster.
Everyone
leaves tomorrow - Donna for
Holland - Wes and Stephen for
Alberta.
I really enjoy having company
- I love showing off our new
home - Panama.
When we were on the cruise
with Alan & Geri I got the
chance to "snuba" (a cross
between scuba and snorkeling).
It convinced me I could handle
scuba so I signed up for lessons
with Rey at
GoldenFrogScuba I can't wait
to get going - but I will have
to wait until Donna gets home in
May.
Stephen & Wes bought me a
cool new toy - a Fujifilm XP -
waterproof to 20 feet, drop
proof to 5 feet - and sand/dust
proof - I had so much fun taking
the camera into the pool and
Caribbean - it takes amazing
underwater photos and best of
all - video underwater - how
cool will that be when I finally
get to scuba:}
Here
are some of the pictures from
our 3 day trip to the house we
rent on the beach near Portobelo.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
-----------------------
Donna arrived home, Alan &
Geri went away, our old
neighbours and great friends
Stephen & Wes arrived - the rain
started - it's been quite a
week.
I love having company. It
gives me a chance to relive why
we fell in love with Panama 6
years ago. We showed Stephen &
Wes Panama Viejo, Casco Viejo,
Miraflores and Albrook - what
more could you want. Well we
added a trek into the waterways
around the canal with Gamboa
tours - we visited Monkey Island
and saw up close how cheeky
monkeys can be and laughed when
a troop of howler monkeys
started their thunderous noise.
Everyone expected to see
something the size of a mountain
gorilla not smaller monkeys :}
Monday we packed Stephen and
Wes off to Hotel Punta Galeon
Resort for 2 nights to enjoy the
Pearl Islands then this weekend
we are off to the Caribbean to
the house we rent near Portobelo.
We know they will go home loving
Panama and maybe it won't be 6
years before they visit again.
In less than 2 weeks we've
gone from brown grass and fields
to green every where - it is
amazing what a little bit of
rain can do - it might be winter
/ fall here but it feels more
like spring.
Easter in Panama - the city
is quiet with everyone off to
the interior - driving around
the city last Friday was a zoo -
seemed like every car was trying
to get over one of the two
bridges.
I told you a bit about how
some contractors work here in
Panama - how poor their work can
be and then when you try and
withhold funds they threaten to
sue you, your company, everyone
involved personally and
corporately. And being sued here
does not mean you go to court to
defend your position - but here
they approach a judge and ask
the judge to seize all the
defending parties assets -
meaning freezing bank accounts,
corporate workings - everything
while the case is heard in
court. I've never felt so angry
and it taught me a lesson - keep
a minimum amount of any assets
in Panama - hold the rest
offshore. I wish I'd had before
this as I would have loved to
see this company in court - as
it was we had to settle and pay
them to back off. A very
expensive lesson.
Do you have a dog or cat?
Does your heart ache when you
see a dog or cat suffering -- so
do we - and our friend Mari Pily
- she has hundreds of dogs and
cats she cares for at the
Arraijan shelter -
If you can help - please
check out the shelters site -
www.theyneedyourhelp.org or
her facebook page called
Hogar Albergue San Roque - make
a donation - encourage your
friends to donate - it costs her
thousands every month to keep
the pups and kittens fed and
kept healthy.
----------------------------------
Check out our food page for
our latest disaster Fire + Ice
on our food
page here. Rarely do
we run across this poor an
example of a restaurant.
We are looking forward to
this week - our old neighbours
from St. Albert are finally
coming to visit. After almost 6
years Steve and Wes booked their
tickets and are coming. They are
going to have a great two weeks.
They are going to see the Pearl
Islands, the Caribbean side of
Panama, the canal, the
rainforest around Gamboa,
shopping at Albrook and of
course food - lots of food - we
are going to visit some our
favourite restaurants =
especially in Casco Viejo.
Did you read Evans latest
article in in Eye on Panama
about service in Panama?
if not, read it hear. I
agree a lot with Evan, but also
as I told him - we have run
across some excellent service at
Continental, our lawyers and our
handyman.
Do we enjoy living in Panama
- yes - yes -- We spoke with our
great friends Wayne & Elaine in
Edmonton. They returned home for
their daughters birthing but boy
were they unimpressed with the
weather - imagine - almost 2
feet of snow in April in less
than 24 hours.
We love getting up every
morning and going for our walk.
Donna starts traveling again
in 2 weeks - oh well I am so
proud of her.
On the other hand did we have
a wake up call this week. Over
the past 2 years I have been
helping my partner get the work
done on his condo in Costa del
Este. We've paid the invoices
for him as he is still in
Canada. One of the contractors
hired by my partners interior
designer was so bad my partner
decided to tell them to forget
being paid the remaining balance
as he was going to have to redo
almost all the work and it was
going to cost him thousands. The
designer talked to the local
authorities ACADECO and after
reviewing the documents they
said my partner had a case for
sure.
Well anywhere in the world
the contractor would do what
ever to satisfy my partner or
decide to sue him. Well not in
Panama - the contractor decided
to sue both the interior
designer and ME - yes ME - i
just paid the bills - I don't
own the condo - never hired them
- but it turns out in Panama
they can sue anyone. When we
talked to our lawyers we asked
what that meant - well what a
wake up call. According to our
lawyer the contractor can go to
a judge, tell them they are
going to sue ME and ask the
judge to instruct my bank to
freeze ALL my funds and the
account until the suit is
settled. It doesn't matter that
the suit might be for 10k and
the funds on deposit are more
than that - they just freeze the
account and even if you pay the
bill it might take the judge a
week or several years to
unfreeze the account. So what is
the take away - keep no
significant amount in the bank
in Panama.
If you
haven't been reading the site
for a while you may not not why
we have this site - it is to
help other expats thinking
about WhyPanama -- if you have
considering Panama - feel free
to email us.
March 2012
A change in pace this week. I
have to tell you about an
amazing thing that happened to
me last week.
Cricket and I were out for
her morning constitution and on
our way back to the condo I
noticed something on our front
entry walkway near the front
door. As we go closer I realized
it was a hummingbird that had
obviously hit the windows. I
didn't know if it was dead,
stunned or had something broken.
When I looked closer it
appeared still alive so i tried
gently moving it to see if it's
neck was ok and that seemed fine
- and so next I tried to check
the wings to see if they looked
broken. They too appeared ok so
I thought maybe it was just
stunned. Or I hoped that was the
case. I didn't want to leave it
there as there way too many cats
around so I decided to try and
pick it up - it was so cool -
its tiny, tiny little feet
clenched on to my finger when I
picked it up.
It still wasn't moving but
the clenched toes let me know
there was awareness.
Up the three of us went to
our condo and finally to our
little tiny balcony.
I tried offering it some of
the flowers on the balcony as I
know hummingbirds need to feed
alot. It did not seem interested
but I wasn't sure if it was just
the type of flowers or it really
wasn't interested so I made some
sugar water and offered it - -no
real interest in it either.
So after another few minutes
I thought I should check its
wings again to see if maybe I'd
missed something downstairs. I
was also starting to think about
what I was going to do with a
hummingbird for a pet if it
decided not to fly.
I picked it up again and felt
the same clenching of the feet
on my finger. It is so unreal to
have something that small and
fragile sitting on your finger.
I gently pulled the wings out
again to see if they were
misshapen - no - so I held if
for a while longer and within a
few minutes I could feel some
movement - and he/she was off -
not far, and not fast, but off
my finger and near the flowers
hovering for a moment or two --
then gone done.
As post script - later that
day I was reading at the balcony
table when out the corner of my
eye I spotted a hummingbird near
our balcony flowers. I wanted to
think it was him/her returning.
If you
haven't been reading the site
for a while you may not not why
we have this site - it is to
help other expats thinking
about WhyPanama -- if you have
considering Panama - feel free
to email us.
_________________
I missed my update again the last
two weeks but I had an excuse -
Donna & I took a cruise out of
Colon with Royal Caribbean - our
friends Alan & Geri went with us
- we did two cruises back to
back - this is the last time RC
is going to do the northern
Caribbean and as we'd never seen
those areas before we thought it
would be interesting. The first
week was new to us (we've done
the southern route 3 times
before). We stopped at Jamaica,
Grand Cayman, Honduras and
Columbia. Every port is
different but I think we all
agreed the second week was the
better of the two and the one RC
will be keeping. We've already
booked our next years cruise :}
I will have the pictures of
these two cruises on Donna's
ICanGarden.com by tomorrow night
so check them out here.
I want to thank Mari Pily for
finding a new friend for our
adopted pup Pastor - he lost our
other adopted pup Pastorcita who
died in the past couple of
months - his new friend arrived
this week and from all reports
they got along famously - we
will be visiting when we get
back. I am hoping to get a
chance to meet our new little
girl tomorrow.
Donna has started her travels
for this year and is currently
in India for another week. She
has so many amazing tours to do
this year and for the first time
in 14 years all of them are
booked solid. I am so proud of
her. I know she is going to be
exhausted by the end of the year
as she will have gone to over 9
countries in 10 months. I won't
get too much time with her until
almost August. Oh well, Cricket
and I will make the best of it -
that's the price of success :}
We have old friends coming to
visit in April - this will be
their first trip to Panama - I
am so looking forward to showing
them our new home. We have some
time planned on the Caribbean I
know they are going to love that
as well as a visit to Monkey
Island and an eco tour of the
canal. I am sure there will be
lots of restaurants involved too
:}
Sick things in the news this
week - not directly Panama
related but since we've been
here food has become more of an
item especially beef. According
to the news the meat industry
uses something called "meat
glue" - the youtube video on
this has been making the rounds
all week - imagine taking little
chunks of meat, adding some
"white powder" (that is not safe
to breath) and rolling it all
together and after refrigeration
- voila - a perfect looking lean
piece of "solid" meat -
yuckkk - and the other is
something called "pink slime" -
little bits of unsafe beef
processed and returned to ground
beef additive - unbelievable
I was standing at our living
room balcony the other evening
looking at the condos in our
area and I was actually amazed
at how many were occupied. By
the looks if it most have at
least 70+% of the units lived
in. This may be a function of
the time of year too as it is
summer here and some of the
condos are second homes to
people from other countries but
I was still surprised especially
when you consider how dark an
area like Punta Pacifica still
is when you drive in along the
Corridor Sur at night. I am
really pleased we ended up
choosing Costa del Este vs some
other parts of the city. I
promise to have some pictures of
this online later - just having
some technical trouble getting
the pics off the camera :}
I really believe this area
will only get better. One thing
the government will need to deal
with (like everywhere else in
Panama) is the traffic. In the
mornings and after work, the
number of cars crawling along
our main road is incredible.
Worst still is that there are
about 9 new commercial buildings
that will be occupied by this
time next year. I can only
imagine what the traffic will be
like then. The good news is that
this area is home to some of the
wealthier old families who have
lots of influence and I am sure
as they become even more
frustrated they will get
results.
I read an article this week I
need to check on but if true is
a HUGE step forward for Panama
and all of its animals - as
reported on Don Winners site,
Panama-Guide.com
"The National Assembly
yesterday approved Law 308,
which seeks to safeguard and
protect animals and domestic
pets. The purpose of this law is
to prevent, eradicate and punish
mistreatment, neglect, and acts
of cruelty against domestic
animals."
I hope this is true and if so
I know Mari and her group will
be looking to find any cases
that need prosecuting - the dogs
and cats of Panama deserve this
law.
Every month we have someone
email asking questions about
Panama - how we have liked
living here or asking some
advice - other than my weekly
notes and our restaurant reviews
that is what this site is for -
for other Canadians (or
Americans, Europeans etc) ask
questions. We've been so blessed
with the people and services we
have run into during our time.
Take our new lawyers for
instance, Rudolfo, de Rozas and
Túnon -
Jair and Jair have been great to
work with and understand dealing
with expats.
If you
haven't been reading the site
for a while you may not not why
we have this site - it is to
help other expats thinking
about WhyPanama -- if you have
considering Panama - feel free
to email us.
---------------------------------
I missed my update last week
as I had to return to Canada for
a week to visit my sister who
was not well.
It has been sometime since I
have been back in Canada. We've
been in Panama for over 6 years
and it is always amazing when I
go back to Canada - especially
when it comes to driving - it is
so different driving around
Canada vs Panama. I had to focus
on remembering stop signs
actually mean stop in Canada -
versus being just suggestions :}
I didn't miss the lack of
noise from the cars, or the
trash in some of the areas in
Panama but I sure missed the
weather. Cold I am not fond of -
I was never fond of it but after
6 years in Panama I am even less
fond of the cold. Even inside
the house - the floors are so
cold. Yuck!
I will say I enjoyed visiting
with my family, sisters,
brothers in law and nieces - I
even got to meet my great niece
Marketa who is only 8 months old
- I can't imagine what she was
thinking about when I was left
to care for her in the hospital
while her mom, my niece, was in
visiting my sister.
The one thing I really did
enjoy was a bakery franchise
called Cobbs - boy was their
bread delicious - my brother in
law John stops by a few times a
week to pick up fresh bread - I
love baking bread but I envy the
ability to just stop by and pick
up a loaf of great sour dough or
grain bread. We used to have a
bakery in Costa del Este, the
Petit Paris, but it closed. I
don't know if it is a cultural
thing to not appreciate great
bread - but that is odd as
Mexico used to have great
bakeries everywhere. Oh well, I
guess I will have to just bake
more frequently.
I want to thank Mari Pily for
finding a new friend for our
adopted pup Pastor - he lost our
other adopted pup Pastorcita who
died in the past couple of
months - his new friend arrived
this week and from all reports
they got along famously - we
will be visiting when we get
back.
Carnival
is over for another - thank
goodness we don't live downtown
near the revelry. When we used
to go to Mazatlan during
Carnival it was more family
oriented than a full on party.
Perhaps in the interior of
Panama Carnival is observed more
like in Mexico.
I had to
meet with our lawyers this week
and I was interested to find
that they've working with a
number of clients in the
interior and they told me how
many of the lands along the
Pacific have seen titling on the
ROP lands - but their opinion
was so different when we talked
about the Caribbean coast. In
their opinion the Caribbean is
still being ignored when it
comes to moving ahead in titling
the ROP lands. What a shame. The
Caribbean is one of the most
amazing beaches and shore lines.
I am sure at least one of the
major developers will discover
this area and within 10 years it
will explode when others
discover it as well.
Monday the school kids return
to school - I am so
fortunate I don't have to drive
into the city nor any of our
employees - the traffic is nuts
that first week - it never
really gets much better during
the days of school.
One of the oddest thefts last
week - two men stole 2 historic
cannons from Fort San Lorenzo in
Colon - sold for scrap - they
were found in a container with
other pieces of history -like
train wheels presumed to be from
1909.
Every month we have someone
email asking questions about
Panama - how we have liked
living here or asking some
advice - other than my weekly
notes and our restaurant reviews
that is what this site is for -
for other Canadians (or
Americans, Europeans etc) ask
questions. We've been so blessed
with the people and services we
have run into during our time.
Take our new lawyers for
instance, Rudolfo, de Rozas and
Túnon -
Jair and Jair have been great to
work with and understand dealing
with expats.
If you
haven't been reading the site
for a while you may not not why
we have this site - it is to
help other expats thinking
about WhyPanama -- if you have
considering Panama - feel free
to email us.
February 2012
You've probably read my
numerous posts over the years
about the lack of service in
most establishments in Panama.
Well this week I have to report
a "first".
Like most weeks the topic of
discussion near the end of the
week was what restaurant were we
going to try or more accurately
what coupon from OfertaSimple -
this week we chose a small
Caribbean restaurant in El
Cangrejo called appropriately El
Caribe.
El Caribe is located on via
Argentina next to Los Cedres,
close to the small park. Of
course finding a place to park
the car was a challenge but we
did find a spot not too far
away. First impressions are of a
small unassuming restaurant. We
were greeted by Sr Jackson, our
waiter. El Caribe turns out to
be Panamanian Caribbean - think
Colon - each of our orders, the
goat, lagostinas, and the fish
were so yummy - there was not a
scrap left. The service was
excellent, pleasant and really
helpful - all the suggestions
were first rate.
The "first" was not the
service, price or quality of
food - we've had those in
various forms - the first was we
received an email from the owner
Maritza asking us how we enjoyed
our visit - this lady should be
doing courses on customer
service - we will go back - for
sure. Check out all our reviews
on our food
page
Most of the uprisings have
abated enough to let fruits and
vegetables back into Panama City
- nice to see. I really don't
know all the facts in the case
but it sure spurred some
passionate feelings on the part
of the natives.
I am always learning here in
Panama - now it seems I need to
find out the legal differences
of Domestic and Commercial
employees - maybe I am naive but
an employee is an employee -
someone who works for you for
pay - I understand employees
have different roles and job
descriptions but to tell me -
"you don't understand - that
doesn't apply because they are
'domestic' employees not
commercial employees - so I need
to spend time with our lawyers -
who knew.
i meant to mention that there
is a very goo reports on the
state of real estate in Panama
you should read if you have any
interest in owning a condo or
home in Panama - check it out at
on
The Panama Perspective site here
The
weather has been glorious - or
at least I think so - I know
some who feel it is too hot - I
love it - I love the dry season
breezes and the heat. I have to
go to Canada on family business
next week and to think about
zero or 2-3 degrees - yuck - but
it always makes me so thankful
to come home.
Six
months without a cable company
and still loving it - we've been
exploring NetFlix and Amazon
Prime and we've never been
wanting for something to watch.
I did try using Netflix out at
the beach and it saw me in
Panama so it offered a very
limited selection - good thing
we are on Panetma in the city -
Netflix and Amazon all see us in
the USA.
I know
so many of the locals here in
Panama believe that spaying and
neutering is "cruel". well they
should have to look after the
little kittens that get run over
on the street or care for the
dogs that are so emaciated that
you wonder how they can even
function. Everywhere we drive
outside of CdeE we see so many
strays and starving animals that
no one seems to care for -- it
is why we try and give often to
Mari's shelter in Arraijan - she
has such a huge heart - I can't
figure out how she juggles her
full time professional career
with running the shelters and
raising money or finding food.
Imagine having to feed more than
200 mouths every month and care
for their infirmities - each dog
or cat can easily cost 20 per
month - so that's 4000 per month
- she has lots of faithful
friends that help out but they
don't add up to what's needed.
If you
think you can help in some small
way we have set up a site where
you can donate either using
PayPal or your credit card -
every dollar we receive from the
site we try and match when we
get it to the shelter. so think
of how much you are really
giving. go to
www.theyneedyourlove.org and
donate - please.
Our next
big time will be our cruise with
our friends Alan & Geri - we
have two one week cruises booked
back to back. Our next group of
friends coming are scheduled in
April but there may be others
like John who we'd love to see
again. With the new Hop On Hop
Off buses running around Panama
they can now start with a basic
tour, see Amador or Casco Viejo
and stop and look around and get
back on - Donna does this all
the time in England - what a
great new service - our friends
should love it.
If you
haven't been reading the site
for a while you may not not why
we have this site - it is to
help other expats thinking
about WhyPanama -- if you have
considering Panama - feel free
to email us.
-----------------------------------------
Have you ever had a real
barber shop shave? My business
partner has had one every time
he has visited Panama in the
past number of months and he
finally convinced Alan & me to
not shave for a few days and
join him for a "real shave". It
was what I expected from seeing
movies of guys sitting in
barbershop chairs with their
faces covered in warm towels
before the barber whips it off
and starts shaving. Thanks Ted.
I am not sure I will do it often
but maybe once in a while.
This week in Panama the big
news is the road closures in the
interior of Panama. It even
affected one of our staff
members wanting to go home to
David over the weekend using the
bus - she ended up having to
take a plane - at almost 10 x
the cost.
The reason for the road
closure is the anger of the
native Ngäbe-Buglé
over the governments decision to
allow mining within their lands
and to give permission to create
more dams for hydro electric
power. From what I read the road
closure has been getting nastier
and there will be violence and I
don't doubt some people will get
hurt. Reminds me sometimes of
the native road closures in
Canada back a few decades ago.
Hopefully this will get resolved
and both sides will find a way
of making it a win-win. We were
commenting yesterday over dinner
that it was odd that Riba didn't
have any papaya - well it didn't
dawn us that the road closure
means no more fruit or
vegetables from the interior.
Unlike
last year, this is a true dry
season - everything is brown,
dry and they are having to send
water trucks around to keep some
of the plants and trees alive
until the rains start again.
Great to
hear that Royal Caribbean Cruise
lines confirmed their 2013
presence in Colon - means we
will booking our new cruise this
year for 2013.
Around
Costa del Este it was nice to
see the sign for a new
commercial mall next to the new
Westin Hotel - our little area
has grown up in the five years
we've been here. We've seen more
restaurants, shops, and of
course more commercial
buildings. Considering I want to
keep walking to our office I am
happy there is more selection.
When we first set up our first
office there was a choice of the
industrial park or the Motta
building.
We've
seen Papa Johns, Il Grillo,
Sushi House and soon to be
Tres Scalini. Interesting that
there have not been tons of fast
food restaurants, yes, there is
a Subway and a Tamburrelli pizza
but you have to go outside CdeE
for McD's or KFC. I suspect
these will come as the
population grows. The other new
thing is a brand new automated
car wash - really odd, why when
the cost of labour is so low
would you risk your car going
through wildly spinning cloths.
Did I
tell you about a service
available at the Tocumen airport
in Panama City - the ability to
have someone meet you or your
guest at the gate when they
arrive, take them through
customs and immigration, to a
waiting area until their bags
arrive and then to their waiting
driver - how cool.
I know
so many of the locals here in
Panama believe that spaying and
neutering is "cruel". well they
should have to look after the
little kittens that get run over
on the street or care for the
dogs that are so emaciated that
you wonder how they can even
function. Everywhere we drive
outside of CdeE we see so many
strays and starving animals that
no one seems to care for -- it
is why we try and give often to
Mari's shelter in Arraijan - she
has such a huge heart - I can't
figure out how she juggles her
full time professional career
with running the shelters and
raising money or finding food.
Imagine having to feed more than
200 mouths every month and care
for their infirmities - each dog
or cat can easily cost 20 per
month - so that's 4000 per month
- she has lots of faithful
friends that help out but they
don't add up to what's needed.
If you
think you can help in some small
way we have set up a site where
you can donate either using
PayPal or your credit card -
every dollar we receive from the
site we try and match when we
get it to the shelter. so think
of how much you are really
giving. go to
www.theyneedyourlove.org and
donate - please.
Our next
big time will be our cruise with
our friends Alan & Geri - we
have two one week cruises booked
back to back. My sister and her
husband are coming to Panama to
babysit our little furry child
(Cricket) :} I know they will
have a blast - I have them
scheduled to do a 1/2 day visit
to Gamboa rainforest and lots of
other visits.
If you
haven't been reading the site
for a while you may not not why
we have this site - it is to
help other expats thinking
about WhyPanama -- if you have
considering Panama - feel free
to email us.
-----------------
Last week we had guests in
from Canada. Alex and his wife
spent 10 days out at the new
Westin Playa Bonita across the
Bridge of the Americas. This was
their first time to Panama and
the first week in an all
inclusive was a great way to
start. Then they spent the
second week in Ted's condo in
Costa del Este CdeE). We had the
chance to play host and tour
guide showing them Panama Viejo,
Casco Viejo and Miraflores. I
love the reaction of everyone
that see these things for the
first time - reminds me of our
first trip back in April 2006.
We enjoyed some nice dinners
too. We visited Il Grillo, our
favourite Italian restaurant in
CdeE as wel as the Sushi House.
When we went to Casco Viejo we
had a beer and sushi at Cerverca
Y Ceviche in plaza Bolivar
before going to dinner at El
Diabolico. We'll go back to the
Ceviche bar for nibblies but
this was my second visit to El
Diabolico and while the food was
fine and the service good I
found it overpriced.
Every time I visit Casco
Viejo I wonder what it would
really be like to live there. I
love the ambiance and the food
:} (I am sure if you read this
site you think all I do is talk
about food - not true - I do a
lot but not ALL :})
I've been working on getting
all of Donna's site cleaned up
before she starts her major
travels this year. We changed
the whole look and feel to
www.icangarden.com - we also
added a section that showcases
the gardens around the world -
and it is setup like the map I
have on my wall with pins
denoting all the locations Donna
has visited. Speaking of her
travels - she is visiting no
less than 8 countries from India
to Israel - Turkey to South
Africa - I will be missing her a
lot this year - but I am so
proud of her - she will have 8
full tour groups for the first
time since she started doing
tours in 1998. I may even get to
go on one next year - she is
doing Argentina and I need to
visit Mendoza and the wineries
:}
Speaking of Mendoza, I just
finished reviewing a pre-release
of a book called the
Unquenchable - what a great read
- if you enjoy wines - treat
yourself to it when you see it
come out for sale.
I know
so many of the locals here in
Panama believe that spaying and
neutering is "cruel". well they
should have to look after the
little kittens that get run over
on the street or care for the
dogs that are so emaciated that
you wonder how they can even
function. Everywhere we drive
outside of CdeE we see so many
strays and starving animals that
no one seems to care for -- it
is why we try and give often to
Mari's shelter in Arraijan - she
has such a huge heart - I can't
figure out how she juggles her
full time professional career
with running the shelters and
raising money or finding food.
Imagine having to feed more than
200 mouths every month and care
for their infirmities - each dog
or cat can easily cost 20 per
month - so that's 4000 per month
- she has lots of faithful
friends that help out but they
don't add up to what's needed.
If you
think you can help in some small
way we have set up a site where
you can donate either using
PayPal or your credit card -
every dollar we receive from the
site we try and match when we
get it to the shelter. so think
of how much you are really
giving. go to
www.theyneedyourlove.org and
donate - please.
We went
away this weekend to a house we
rent near Portobelo - the
weather cooperated perfectly,
the pool was awesome and food
marvelous. We both got a chance
to rest and enjoy the time
before it gets busy.
We have
several friends visiting over
the coming months and I am
looking forward to each of them
- I know most of them are buried
in minus 20 below weather with
really ugly roads - they need a
break.
Our next
big time will be our cruise with
our friends Alan & Geri - we
have two one week cruises booked
back to back. My sister and her
husband are coming to Panama to
babysit our little furry child
(Cricket) :} I know they will
have a blast - I have them
scheduled to do a 1/2 day visit
to Gamboa rainforest and lots of
other visits.
If you
haven't been reading the site
for a while you may not not why
we have this site - it is to
help other expats thinking
about WhyPanama -- if you have
considering Panama - feel free
to email us.
January 2012
It's fun when friends visit.
In the past 5 years we've had a
number of our friends come to
check out Panama and to see what
caused us to move. Even though
we created this site "Why
Panama" for exactly that reason,
they still like to see if to for
themselves.
We understand Panama is not
for everyone. Not everyone
enjoys the heat or humidity 365
days a year. Not everyone likes
the lack of seasons. Not
everyone enjoys being outside
their element and in a new and
different culture. Not everyone
is ok with being the minority
and not understanding the bulk
of what is going on around them.
When friends visit, lots enjoy
their stay but look forward to
getting back to the comfort of
"home".
Donna and I talk about this a
lot. In our 5 years there have
been times when it has been
frustrating and annoying. There
have been times when inwardly
you ask "am I still happy with
our decision to move here" and
the fact we are still here after
5 years means we always end up
answering "yes". When the heat
gets too much we turn on the
a/c. For the most part we enjoy
the breezes but when they drop
off we do have to resort to a/c,
especially for Donna as she is
working in the home office.
It seems from reading a
number of the ex-pat sites that
a lot of ex-pats that make the
move to Panama end up moving
again within a couple of years.
The ones that make it beyond the
2 years seem to last for a very
long time.
If you are one of those
people reading everything you
can on Panama and follow some of
the information we post on this
site and if you have questions
we'd be happy to try and answer
them. We sure don't have all the
answers but we are happy to give
you what we can.
There are lots of web sites
you should consider reading - I
mentioned one last week -
www.eyeonpanama.com, this
one from a young perspective,
newsy you can check out
www.panama-guide.com or to
give you a totally opposite
point of view
http://www.thepanamanews.com
- you should also check out all
the "groups" on Yahoo - there is
a wealth of information and
interesting people that post. Be
warned, not everything you read
is true or should be considered
accurate - there is a ton of
really bizzare bits of
information floating around.
I started by saying Panama is
not for everyone, I mean it -
but if you enjoy something a bit
different and are willing to
step out of your comfort zone it
is a great place to live.
Panama
Tourism released a series of new
videos you need to check out -
they are really well done and do
Panama's spectacular scenery
justice - here is one - check
out the other links too
I told you about our loss - our
little adopted pup Pastorcita
died a few weeks ago from
injuries sustained after being
attacked. Pastor has been so
lonely - we asked Mari to help
find a new friend for Pastor
from the shelter - I am so
pleased to report Pastors new
friend will arrive after the new
years fireworks are over.
It's the
time of the year for giving -
please remember the shelter -
Mari feeds hundreds of dogs and
cats every month - it costs hers
thousands of dollars in food and
medicine - I am proud to say
that our friends and faithful
donators on
www.TheyNeedYourLove.org
have given Mari and the shelter
over 1000 last year - I know we
can do more - will you help? I
would love to report back next
year that we were able to double
the donations.
Are you
interested in a hotel in Bocas -
one of our friends, Sally has a
hotel she had built right
downtown Bocas - she needs to go
back to the USA for many reasons
- if you are interested check
out
http://www.viviun.com/AD-163394/
--------------------------
Happy New Year - I hope 2012
turns out to be a spectacular
year for everyone. In spite of
some mishaps in 2011 it was a
great year all around. Donna's
business has done really well
and is looking at an
unprecedented 2012. TPS had yet
another banner year. We really
are blessed.
I don't know how you chose to
celebrate New Years - we had our
neighbours Sandra & Jose Luis,
Alan & Geri and their friends
from Canada - Jacob and Kathy -
we had a meat and cheese fondue
- yummmm - did that bring back
memories - that used to be a
tradition every New Years eve
but since we've moved here we've
had something else.
Speaking of food - and yes, I
know I do a lot of that :} we
used another coupon from
OfertaSimple - we went to LT
Signature Restaurant in the
ManRey Hotel - take from me - do
yourself a favour and go there -
the food is some of the best
we've had here and the prices
are great. The food is served so
thoughtfully - like our welcome
bread - it was a pop-over - a
giant pop-over - and what a
unique way to enjoy some bread
to start. My 4 cheese pizza was
better than my homemade - and
you have to know that is hard to
say.
And speaking of making things,
our oven has been going crazy -
I am so happy we decided to
splurge and get this new oven -
what a treat to enjoy freshed
baked bread ( and this case -
cinnamon buns with pecans and
garlic cheese loaves ).
I would have thought with the
return of the ex-president
Manuel Noriega we'd have heard
more of an uproar, and
truthfully I was a bit concerned
but there has been absolutely
nothing I have been aware of -
thankfully.
The dry season has officially
arrived. Little or no rain, more
wind, more sun - loving it :}
I read a fun article this last
week by Evan at
www.eyeonpanama.com - it was
called "let's be honest about
our Spanish fluency" - check it
out. It you don't read his
articles you should. It can give
you a totally different
perspective on living in Panama
from a North American's point of
view and what's refreshing is he
is young :} not another old fart
ex-pat :} There are lots of
great sites for information on
Panama - this is just my opinion
:}
Panama
Tourism released a series of new
videos you need to check out -
they are really well done and do
Panama's spectacular scenery
justice - here is one - check
out the other links too
I told you about our loss - our
little adopted pup Pastorcita
died a few weeks ago from
injuries sustained after being
attacked. Pastor has been so
lonely - we asked Mari to help
find a new friend for Pastor
from the shelter - I am so
pleased to report Pastors new
friend will arrive after the new
years fireworks are over.
It's the
time of the year for giving -
please remember the shelter -
Mari feeds hundreds of dogs and
cats every month - it costs hers
thousands of dollars in food and
medicine - I am proud to say
that our friends and faithful
donators on
www.TheyNeedYourLove.org
have given Mari and the shelter
over 1000 last year - I know we
can do more - will you help? I
would love to report back next
year that we were able to double
the donations.
Are you
interested in a hotel in Bocas -
one of our friends, Sally has a
hotel she had built right
downtown Bocas - she needs to go
back to the USA for many reasons
- if you are interested check
out
http://www.viviun.com/AD-163394/
It's
hard to believe it is October
already - Happy Thanksgiving
to all our Canadian friends. 
Happy
Canada Day - even though we
moved to Panama almost 6 years
ago that does not mean we lost
any of our Canadianism - we are
still very much Canadian - I
decided when we arrived I wanted
something to remind me of Canada
all the time - so for the first
time in my life (and likely the
last) I braved my fear of
needles and got a tattoo :} it
is a take off on a really old
Canadian beer company
commercial. Here is a picture
Donna took of it yesterday - it
is on my right shoulder.
We
decided with Donna home that we
should take a weekend and go to
the rental house near Portobelo
and just kick back for the
weekend. It also gives me time
to finish my scuba testing in
open water. The first day was
awesome - I was at 25 feet and
and it was no big deal. My
instructor, Rey, from
GoldenFrogScuba is really
patient, and and excellent
teacher. I feel very comfortable
that he is taking his time and
making sure I "get it" before we
move on to another lesson. Day
two will see me certified
(baring anything silly). Next
time I scuba I will bring my
underwater camera that Stephen &
Wes bought me when they visited.
I didn't want to bring it during
my final lessons - I will wait
until I am certified. The color
and fish on the reefs were
incredible. I also brought back
a tiny piece of rotting wood Rey
says is part of a really old
ship that was part of Drakes
armada. How cool is that :}
