Larry's Central American Travels

Lottery Winners Go Bankrupt?

 

Former Lottery Winners Are Broke?

Are you kind of stunned when you see headlines talking about how people who won big lottery prizes in the past are now broke? Are you like most of us and think, “How can anyone blow through what seems like an un-spendable amount of money?”

Well let’s take a look at some numbers. The jackpot for the March 30 drawing was a whopping $656 million. There were apparently three winners. Each could choose to receive an annuity that would pay out about $219 million over 26 years. However if a winner selects the cash option (‘give me the $$ now, not over 26 years’), he or she would collect about $128 million before taxes. The key words are "before taxes."

The Tax Man Cometh

So now let’s take a look at what happens to those numbers when the tax man at various levels get involved. Starting at the top:

Federal Income Tax

Lotto jackpots are fully taxable. And huge jackpots are currently taxed at a maximum federal rate of 35%. So the winner of $128 million will owe the Internal Revenue Service about $45 million. That leaves about $83 million.

State Income Tax

Say a new Mega Millionaire is "unlucky" enough to live in a state with a personal income tax. In most states, the tax rates on high-income individuals range from 5% to 10%. So for the purposes of this discussion let’s use the rate of 7%. Our winner of $128 million will owe the friendly state tax collector about $9 million. That leaves about $74 million.
 
Now let’s face it, one of the first things that comes to mind now is ‘I can’t spend that much money in a life-time!” Plus all of us are going to want to share our new found wealth.  Well, guess what? One of the big reasons why many lotto winners wind up bankrupt is failure to realize that the tax man is going to get his, and there are no tax loop-holes on that.

 

Generosity Is Expensive

The second big ‘gotcha’ which really sneaks up on a lot of lottery winners is the costs of being generous with their winnings. You, like most people, would probably decide you want to help out family and loved ones by ‘spreading the wealth’. Let’s take a look at some ‘reasonable’ assumptions.

Federal Gift Tax

Despite having already lost $54 million to the IRS and the state tax collector, your tax situation can quickly deteriorate even further if you share your newfound wealth generously with loved ones. That's because you'll owe a 35% federal gift tax on money given away over the $5.12 million gift tax exemption. So if you say “I have $74 million, I’ll give away $25 million to siblings, children, parents, aunts, uncles, and friends”, the gift tax bill would be about $7 million [($25 million - $5.12 million exemption) x 35% = $6.958 million].

Plus let’s say you give away another $25 million to your grandkids. You will now get socked with a 35% generation-skipping transfer tax (GSTT) on gifts in excess of the $5.12 million GSTT exemption. Worse yet, the GSTT is on top of the gift tax. The gift tax on the gifts to your grandchildren is about $9 million ($25 million x 35% = $8.75 million), and the GSTT is about another $7 million [($25 million - $5.12 million GSTT exemption) x 35% = $6.958 million].

Bottom line: you owe $77 million in taxes and you've given away $50 million to loved ones. Guess what? You only have $1 million left for yourself ($128 million - $77 million - $50 million = $1 million). Oops! So another big reason why some lotto winners wind up bankrupt is failure to understand the gift tax rules before it's too late.

So Play It Cool and Hang On To Your Money?

Now let's assume you don't give away any of your $128 million. You just pay the $54 million in income taxes and break even for the rest of your life, dying with a cool $74 million. 

Federal Estate Tax

If you kick the bucket this year, your estate will owe federal estate tax equal to 35% of the excess over the $5.12 million exemption. That would amount to about $26 million [($74 million - $5.12 million exemption) x 35% = $25.9 million]. Your heirs would get $48 million (nothing to sneeze at), but $80 million was lost to taxes. That's a whooping 62.5% of what you started with. Ouch!


State Estate Tax

We're not done yet. If you live in one of the 22 states with a state death tax, your estate could be whittled down even more. The tax hits just keep on coming!

And It Could Get Even Worse

Unless Congress takes action and the president (whoever he is at the time) approves, the maximum federal income tax rate for 2013 and beyond will go up to 39.6% (up from the current 35%). And, the maximum federal gift and estate tax rate will be 55% (up from the current 35%).  Plus the gift and estate tax exemptions will be only $1 million (versus the current $5.12 million). If these changes come to pass, the tax hits on future Mega Millionaires will be far bigger than what I've shown here.

Feel warm and fuzzy now?

  

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Be sure and visit my other blog, “The View From Here” for random musing on a variety of subjects. Just click on the ‘Hot Topics’ link on the left.

 

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My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available in paperback from the publisher.

The book is also now available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book.

I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 Paperback from Publisher $9.95

Kindle (Amazon) $15.95 

 

 Nook (Barnes/Noble) $15.95

'Angels' Web Site 

 

Till Next Time. Pura Vida! (Click on thumbs to view)

The Easter Holidays in Panama

 

The Easter Season Is A Holiday

The Panamanians called it Semana Santa (Easter Week). The country basically shuts down from noon on Thursday until Monday.

More than 200,000 Panamanians and foreigners traveled into the interior of the country to celebrate Easter. The hotel occupancy behavior is reversed from the capital into the country, especially because Panamanians go to visit their families or enjoy a holiday.

The number of tourists who migrated towards the interior during Holy Week exceeded the number who traveled to different provinces in the celebration of the Panamanian Carnival. These figures benefited the tourism market, because about 90% of hotels within the country had no rooms available. The most visited places on this occasion were the central provinces, Bocas del Toro and Chiriqui.

Heading for the interior! Despite high fuel prices, more than 71,000 cars crossed the Centennial Bridge or the Bridge of the Americas, which went into the country. hundreds of people mobilized yesterday to different parts of the interior of the country to spend Easter with their loved ones. And this is what it looked like Thursday at the Albrook bus terminal in Panama City where large numbers of people, dragging their suitcases or carrying their babies, waited in long lines to get on a bus.

One of the oddities here in David is that no one seems to know what the rules are – specifically what the bar closing period is. That is particularly important on the long holiday weekends because a lot of the restaurants do not bother to open if their bar operation is going to be shut down. There was general agreement that at noon Thursday bars had to close. And many different people said that the ‘ban’ lifted at midnight on Friday night, so things would be back to ‘normal’ on Saturday.  Well it turns out it actually lifted at midnight on Saturday night. Let me get this straight now – the ban on alcohol sales lifts when it officially becomes Easter morning? Huh? Oh well, another of Panama Living’s mysteries.

 

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Be sure and visit my other blog, “The View From Here” for random musing on a variety of subjects. Just click on the ‘Hot Topics’ link on the left.

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The Religious Part of The Holiday

In this Catholic country Semana Santa is a big deal. Directly across the park from my hotel is a big catholic church and there is something going on all week. There are also a number of religious concerts in the park during the week.

The first parade (if that is what you call a religious procession) was on Palm Sunday. They started at the church and went around the square ending back up at the church. I was on the balcony and almost missed it because it was a silent procession – just a large group of marchers all carrying palm fronds. The absence of traffic noise is what caused me to get up from my ‘reading chair’ and go look over the balcony railing.

The parade on Easter morning followed the same route, but had a larger group of people. It was definitely not silent. Not only was everyone singing – they had their own sound truck playing a recorded accompaniment. And they stayed out on the street when they got back around to the church. So the street was blocked for about 30 minutes.

 

Easter Is Not A Police Holiday

In Panama the security forces always deploy additional officers and conduct "operations" during holidays. In Panama everyone is pretty much working through noon today (Thursday). Then most people will get the rest of the afternoon off, and will be gone until next Monday. The bus terminal is jammed, and the highways will be crowded, as people head for the interior for a couple of days. The police try to be everywhere at once to regulate traffic and monitor it as well. They normally have big hits on drug traffickers on holidays as well. Evidently the bad guys think they can blend into all the extra traffic. They evidently do not factor in the ‘extra’ police or the road blocks. Hmm!   

 

Why Do Americans Retire In Panama

Many people are surprised to find that Panama is the number #1 location in the world for Americans retiring overseas. That’s right, more ‘gringos’ in Panama than any other country. The question from most people when they get over the shock is, “Why Panama?”

There are a lot of factors, as you might imagine, that go into picking a retirement location, particularly an overseas location and Panama has a lot to offer. The weather is a plus, and there are even some weather variations between beach and mountain living. A modern and stable economy that also uses the U.S. dollar is a plus. The relatively stable political situation, low crime rate and friendly natives add to the equation. But as important as anything to many expats is Panamanian government’s programs to encourage foreign retirees to select Panama, particularly the ‘pensioner’s visa’.

If you have a minimum fixed income (retirement income or Social Security, etc.), you can apply for this special visa that has many benefits. It usually takes a few months, a lot of paperwork and about $1,000 but it is worth it to most people. For starters, you do not have to leave the country every six months as with the normal tourist visa. But that is just for starters!  This is the list of the benefits provided to retirees with this special visa:

One time Duty tax exemption for household goods up to a total of $10,000

Duty exemption to import a new car every two years

50% off entertainment anywhere in the country (movies, concerts, sports)

30% off bus, boat, and train fares

25% off domestic airline tickets

50% off hotel stays from Monday through Thursday

30% off hotels stays from Friday through Sunday

25% off at restaurants

15% off at fast-food restaurants

5% off hospital bills (if no insurance applies)

10% off prescription medicines (some pharmacies offer 20% off)

20% off medical consultations

15% off dental and eye exams

20% off professional and technical services

50% reduction in closing costs for home loans

25% discounts on utility bills

15% off personal loans

1% less on home mortgages for homes used as a personal residence

Impressive right? Doesn’t take a genius to do the math and figure out that the money spent getting this visa pays off easily in the end!

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is available in paperback from the publisher.

The book is also available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book.

I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 Paperback from publisher $9.95

 Kindle from Amazon

 Nook - Barnes/Noble

Angels Web Site 

 

 

Till Next Time. Pura Vida

Click on thumbnail for full-size photo

 

 

 

Serial Killer (Wild Bill) Goes On Trial

 

 

Wild Bill Is Going To Trial

The American William Dathan Holbert, a.k.a. "Wild Bill" along with his partner Laura Michelle Reese, will face three separate trials in May before the Superior Tribunal in Chiriqui, for the murders of five people. The hearing on 7 May 2012 will be for the murders of Michael and Manchittha ("Nan") Brown, and their teenage son Watson. On 21 May is the trial for the murder of Cheryl Lynn Hughes, and on 29 May for the murder of Bo Icelar. All of the murders took place in Bocas del Toro. (Panama America)

Interestingly Holbert's entire "defense" strategy has been to confess to all of the murders (including the murder of Jeff Kline in Costa Rica) in order to spare his partner Laura Michelle Reese. Since she is going on trial it appears that strategy did not work. That may be because of the testimony of other people. Don Winner (Panama Guide) reports for instance: “Question - where was Laura Michelle Reese standing when (Bill) smashed the back of Jeff Kline's head with a hammer? (Answer - she later laughed with a friend during a three week long cocaine binge about how funny it was to see Kline's face land - 'splat' - into the plate of spaghetti she had cooked for him.) There's another witness who saw Laura Michelle Reese helping to carry Bo Icelar's body to their boat in Bocas. Nope, I'm convinced she was in on the whole thing from start to finish, and she's just as guilty as Holbert. Now, let's see if the prosecutors can convince a jury.”

Nice folks, huh?

 

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Be sure and visit my other blog, “The View From Here” for random musing on a variety of subjects. Just click on the ‘Hot Topics’ link on the left.

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Protesting Ngöbe-Buglé Indians Not Finished

The issue in contention is hydroelectric projects on lands of the Ngäbe Bugle region and in adjoining areas. The Indians reject any hydroelectric development in the region and demand the cancellation of the concession granted for the Barro Blanco project. It was precisely this issue of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project that prevented the debate from advancing, because the indigenous leaders maintain their position and they demand the cancellation of that concession, but Government Minister Jorge Ricardo Fabrega said this project is not located in areas annexed to the Ngäbe Bugle region.

Thirty one days ago the Indians and the Government, following the fighting in Chiriqui, initiated a dialog. So far they have only agreed there will be no mining in the area or adjoining areas, but there has been no agreement on the subject of hydroelectric power plants. (The Indians want to ban hydroelectric projects throughout the country.)

The traditional Ngäbe authorities, during the protests in 2011, overthrew Chief Rogelio Moreno for betraying the indigenous struggle against mining. Silvia Carrera was then elected Chieftain on 11 September 2011, but in those elections, of the 108,999 Ngäbes eligible to vote, only 28% participated in the election, while 72% abstained.

The traditional authorities (14 grassroots Ngäbe Bugle organizations in the region), and the Deputy Chief of San Felix, Mijita Andrade, met to define actions to be taken this coming week, after both Carrera and the Coordinator accepted an eight day recess last Monday. The pause also was requested for the celebration of the 15th anniversary of the passing of Law 10, which created the Ngäbe-Bugle region.

Carrera would only say that on Monday she would ask for an explanation from the Minister of Government Jorge Fabrega, who on Wednesday said the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project would not be cancelled.

However, the Indigenous groups in the Ngäbe-Bugle region have issued an ultimatum to the General Chief Silvia Carrera to ban mining and hydro within the district and adjoining areas, otherwise they will hit the streets to protest. Liborio Miranda, a Ngäbe leader, said this  'If there is no agreement this week, we do not rule out a new revolt in the region, and we demand the withdrawal of Carrera and the members of the Coordinator from the talks, to make way for new leaders to represent the true interests of the people."

Larry Notes: Not only is this battle not over – the ‘Fat Lady’ isn’t even in the building.

 

What’s The Deal With Hydroelectric Power?

The rapid growth and expansion of the Panamanian economy in the past seven years have placed ever increasing demands on the nation's ability to generate electrical power. During the Torrijos administration there was one year of much lower than normal rainfalls caused by El Niño ENSO conditions in the equatorial Pacific ocean. As a result water levels behind the existing dams dropped down to a point where they were forced to halt the generation of electrical power. The government had to implement rolling blackouts and other methods to reduce power consumption for a few months. Eventually the rainy season returned (much later than normal), the reservoirs filled back up, the power came back on, and everyone forgot about it.

However the episode served as a "wake up call" for the government and as a result there was a massive spurt of new concessions granted to build new hydro electric projects all over the country. Right now, today, the new projects coming on line are just barely keeping pace with the growing demand and rapidly expanding economy in Panama.

The energy consumption by Panamanians has increased, which means demand is about to exceed the available supply. In 2012 Panamanians energy consumption is projected to increase by another 5.8%, continuing the trend of the last several years. There is now a narrow margin between power produced and power required. Note that 56% of the country’s power is produced by hydroelectric power and the rest is generated by coal and light diesel. It is also interesting to note that Panama in 2011 was a net importer of electrical power, not an exporter as commonly thought.

This country is blessed with massive amounts of rainfall every year (normally). Hydroelectric projects are the cleanest, cheapest, and most efficient way to generate electrical power. The cost is less than half of what it costs to generate power by burning fossil fuels such as oil or coal. So yeah, there's no doubt about it. Panama needs hydroelectric power, and the government can't afford to allow a relatively small minority of the indigenous Ngäbe-Bugle Indians dictate national policy on this issue. 

 

 Another North American Fugitive Captured In Panama

 

A man named Michael Smith, 50, a Canadian, was captured on the beach in Coronado. Smith has been wanted by Canadian authorities since 2009 on 29 criminal charges, of which 22 are first-degree murder, while the rest are for drug trafficking. According to the Canadian sources he is part of the criminal group called the Hell's Angels.

 

Seeing Panama

Only in Panama can one visit the Caribbean and the Pacific in the same day with such ease. Via the new Don Alberto Motta highway between Panama City and Colon, cars and buses cross the isthmus in about an hour for under $5 in toll booth fees.

The country’s attractive capital, located on the eastern side of the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, has so much to offer that the ‘other side’ – the Caribbean – is often overlooked. But it not should be ignored by those who wish to experience something completely different. Panama’s `Caribbean side´, particularly around the historical town of Portobelo, caters for many different tastes.  Next weekend, throngs of travelers will make the 90-minute trip to Portobelo along the ‘La Costa Arriba’ (or the ‘Upper Coast’) in the Colón province for the first annual Congo Festival.

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

The book is also now available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

Paperback from Publisher $9.95 

Kindle (Amazon) $15.95 

Nook (Barnes/Noble) $15.95 

Angels Web Site 

 

 

Till Next Time. Pura Vida

 

 

 

Panama's Achilles Heel Revisited

 

On 2 February I published a blog posting highlighting what I call an ‘Achilles Heel’ in Panama’s infrastructure – namely that there is only one highway that traverses the country.  (http://larrytravels.typepad.com/larrys_travels/2012/02/panamas-infrastructure-achilles-heel.html)  I outlined how the Inter-American Highway (in the U.S.we refer to it as the Pan-American highway) is really the conduit for the movement of goods, services and people in the country. And there are no alternate routes – in Panama there is no bail off of I-40 and pick up Route 66 or get off I-95 and take Route 1 to avoid problems.  The U.S. (and most other countries) do not have a similar critical ‘soft spot’.  So at the time I wrote the article it was basically a theoretical discussion on my part – a subject that came to my mind due (I guess) to my military experience and logistics background.

Well now, looking back at what happened after several days of ‘road closing’, I see that it is even a more serious situation than I had envisioned.  If for no other reason, the highway being closed personalized the situation – put faces on it if you will.  

I was not too surprised when the gas tanker trucks couldn’t get to Chiriqui and local service stations ran out of gas. But I hadn’t thought about the electric generating plant on the island of Colon (and city of Bocas del Toro) being gas powered. And I realized that Chiriqui provided fruits, vegetables and produce for the entire country, but it was something else to see that produce being destroyed by the truckloads because it couldn’t get transported to markets. It was also a shocker to see multiple tanker trucks parked on David’s town square dispensing free milk to all comers. It was only later that I learned that it was ‘raw’ milk and they could not get it to the plants to be pasteurized.

There was also a lot of personal misery inflicted on a lot of people, the kind of problems that get overlooked when the political debates on the contentious issues continue.  What about the people whose health dictated that they should not be trapped in a car on the highway for hours?  What if the ambulance you needed was on the ‘wrong side’ of the road block from you?  Or, the ambulance picked you up but they couldn’t get you to the hospital? Or you needed a fire truck at your house?  Or police car?  And when you are hunkered down in your house as people are outside burning down the police station and trashing government buildings, do you cover your little children’s eyes or their ears – or both?

After the original ‘Achilles Heel’ posting I got flack from every direction. You would have thought I threw Rosa Parks off the bus or personally rewrote history by rescuing General Custer. Of course virtually none of vitriol addressed my central point of the dangers posed by the ‘Achilles Heel’.  

So knowing what I know now, I reiterate: No person, group, movement or organization should be allowed to close the highway. Period! You can demonstrate all over the country including Martinelli’s back patio, but you don’t close off the nation’s lifeline. And attempts to do so should be met swiftly, with force as necessary, and with no negotiations of any kind prior to the road being reopened. And people involved in the closure should be tried and convicted, not pardoned.

There are those I am sure who disagree with my approach, but I feel strongly that is the proper role of government. In a civilized society the government’s most important  function is to care for the nation as a whole.  Regardless of the issues, a small percentage can not be allowed to hold the rest of the country hostage. Much of the dialogue I hear on this subject wants to gloss over this fact with some kind of historical overview of what Christopher Columbus did when he arrived here. That was then, this is now. Such arguments are akin to defense witnesses’ testimony about the mass murderer’s lunch room traumas in the 3rd grade.

 

Till Next Time. Pura Vida

 

Carnival, Civil Unrest And Playboy Magazine

 

Be sure and visit my other blog, “The View From Here” for random musing on a variety of subjects on a lighter note. Just click on the ‘Hot Topics’ link on the left.

 

Protesting Ngöbe-Buglé Indians Remain On Alert

While thousands of people moved to various locations within the country for this year's carnival celebrations, the natives of the Ngäbe Bugle region remained vigilant. The group camping in the park in Panama City reminded the Government that the talks should resume in the National Assembly on Monday, 27 February 2012. One of the leaders of the Coalition for the Defense of Natural Resources and the Rights of the Ngäbe Bugle People told TVN News that they "allowed" the carnival celebrations to take place in an act of good faith, but hope that next Monday there will be an agreement that is satisfactory for them.

The pending issue is on hydroelectric projects on lands of the Ngäbe Bugle region and in adjoining areas. The Indians reject any hydroelectric development in the region and demand the cancellation of the concession granted for the Barro Blanco project. It was precisely this issue of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric project that prevented the debate from advancing, because the indigenous leaders maintain their position and they demand the cancellation of that concession, but Government Minister Jorge Ricardo Fabrega said this project is not located in areas annexed to the region.

On Monday, 27 February 2012 at 10:00 am the dialog should resume in the Trade Commission of the National Assembly.

So what does all of this mean at this point? Don Winner (Panama Guide) summarizes: “Stock up on supplies, especially those of you in Chiriqui and Bocas del Toro. The government is not going to back down on the issue of hydroelectric projects. They will keep talking, but sooner or later I suspect the Ngäbe Bugle will get up from the table and walk away. It would be wise to take advantage of this time to stock your shelves. Hey, they might reach an agreement, then your shelves will be stocked, and that's a good thing, right? Better safe than sorry.”   

 

But – It Gets Even Better (Worse?)

Changuinola, Bocas del Toro. - The Coordinator of the Movement for the Defense of the Territory of the Ecosystem of the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro, Feliciano Santo, announced that in the coming hours this group will undertake forceful actions including the closure of the Pan-American highway. It is important to note that these protests will be carried out by different groups of indigenous Ngäbe-Bugle Indians - organizations from non traditional authorities - meaning - those who do not recognize the authority of the Congress that was elected in a vote organized by the Electoral Tribunal in 2010. In short, groups that do not recognize the ‘leaders’ now negotiating for the Ngäbe-Bugle people.

Again, I will leave it to Don Winner (Panama Guide) to explain the situation: “Yeah, because this mining and hydro power crap wasn't complicated enough already. Back in 2010 the Electoral Tribunal tried to organize an election in the Ngäbe-Bugle region. The vast majority of those who were eligible to vote (50,000+) decided to boycott the election. The current Chieftain who is legally recognized by the government because she won that election with 27% of the vote - is not recognized by the vast majority of the rest of the population of the Ngäbe-Bugle people. So, there's a good chance that whatever agreement she signs will not be recognized by the people in the Ngäbe-Bugle region, either.

Sound like the whole thing is resolved to you. You also need to realize that this debate (battle, struggle?) has been going on for years. So stay tuned. The ‘fat lady’ has not even showed up yet, much less sung.”

 

Carnival Highlights

The Carnival Season concluded in Panama yesterday with the traditional Ash Wednesday observance. Carnaval is a BIG deal in Panama, and much of the population started celebrating mid-week last week.

Here are some of the highlights:

Thursday, 16 Feb: With every passing hour there are fewer and fewer cars in Panama City, and the Albrook Bus Terminal is full with people who are trying to get an early start on this year's Carnival celebrations. Several told TVN news that they are concerned over the possibility that the indigenous Ngobe-Bugle Indians might close the Pan-American highway again due to the possibility of a failure of the ongoing talks in the National Assembly, so they wanted to "get out of town" and to their destinations in the interior of the country as soon as possible.

'Dry Law' Suspended: Panama City Mayor Roxana Mendez has suspended the "dry law" during the Carnival celebrations, so the bars and nightclubs and remain open as late as they like.

Carnival in Panama City: The stages and areas for the Carnival celebrations have been set up in the Coastal Strip. There will be "culecos" during the day and concerts at night.

More Than 1,100 Police Officers Deployed: The National Police will have more than 1,100 police officers deployed in the areas where Carnival celebrations are being held, in order to ensure the safety and security for all participants. Other elements and agencies of state security, such as the SINAPROC and Fire Department. 911 ambulance system, Ministry of Health, and Red Cross will all have personnel on the street doing their things.

Friday, 17 Feb: The Albrook bus terminal was crowded this morning as thousands of Panamanians head towards the interior of the country to enjoy the four days and five nights of carnival. According to the administration of the Albrook terminal 2,600 buses will be transporting travelers to different parts of the country. By late afternoon the road to the Bridge of the Americas was getting congested, as confirmed by photographs sent by TVN News.  

Saturday, 18 Feb: As of 11:00am, the first day of Carnival celebrations in Panama, the National Police said through a press release they have already issued 1,940 traffic tickets to drivers, mostly for talking on the cell phone while driving. Despite campaigns against talking on a cellphone while driving, because of the serious consequences this practice can cause, people insist. The fine for this infraction is $75 according to the ATTT. Traffic authorities asked drivers to please adhere to the provisions of the rules of the road to avoid accidents.

The National Police of Panama have made checks against more than 46,632 people using the "pele police" handheld data system during Carnival 2012. These checks resulted in the arrests of 272 people who had outstanding arrest warrants, another 521 were wanted by the authorities, and 59 with citations. The National Police also reported the recovery of 49 vehicles which had been reported as stolen, and another 2 that were using stolen license plates. (Telemetro)

The Comptroller General of the Republic, during an operation related to Carnival 2012, has achieved the retention so far of 109 official state owned vehicles, nationwide, for breach of the law. The operation was launched because during Carnival celebrations people tend to try to used these state owned vehicles and they drive them with expired license plates, they are being driven by unlicensed drivers, and being used to transport people who have nothing to do with the government. (TVN)

Tuesday evening (21 Feb):  The Carnival death toll had reached one dozen. Eight of them died in circumstances not related to the holidays. The other four, which were included in the official account of the security sectors, were all road and traffic fatalities. It is estimated more than 127,000 vehicles traveled from Panama City into the interior of the country for carnival. On the last day of revelry another 800 drivers were ticketed, in addition to the 3,621 who were ticketed earlier between Saturday and Monday.

 

Playboy Magazine Shoot in Panama

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition - 2012 magazine was recently released. It always contains some of the most beautiful models in the world, and this year some of those models were photographed in some of the most beautiful places on earth - Bocas del Toro and the San Blas islands in the Republic of Panama. This may be even a bigger deal than the recent New York Times article naming Panama as the #1 Tourist Destination for this year. This additional exposure in Sport Illustrated will help to place Panama on the map as a potential tourist destination as well. In 2011 more than 2 million tourists visited Panama for the first time - up from 1.4 million in 2010. So, tourism is growing in Panama. Want to see why?

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

The book is also now available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

Paperback from Publisher $9.95

 Kindle from Amazon $15.95

 Nook - Barnes/Noble $15.95

Angels in Panama Web Site 

 

 

Till Next Time. Pura Vida

 

 

 

Panama Back To Normal?

 

After a week of violent protests, Panama is returning to normal. I covered the crises in detail on my other blog last week. If you do not know the details, visit my other blog by clicking on the 'Hot Topics' link on the left

Legislators Reconsidering Panama Laws on Dams & Mines 

Legislators in Panama have agreed to reconsider a law on dams and mining that set off disruptive protests by Indians and their supporters. The decision is a partial victory for the Ngobe-Bugle tribe, which has led highway blockades since Jan. 30 to oppose the new law. Its initial approval last month drew anger because it would theoretically allow the construction of dams on Indian lands in western Panama.

A congressional commission decided late Wednesday to return the law to debate, and Indian representatives and legislators have begun discussions on possible modifications. Laws in Panama must win approval in three separate votes in Congress.

 

Agro Loses $3.2 Million Due To Protests

While we had plenty of veggies, fruit and milk, here in Chiriqui Provence, Panama City was literally cut off from us during the riots.  That cost producers and shippers a lot of money.

“The closure the American Highway by the Ngäbes Bugle Indians has caused losses to the agricultural sector estimated at $3.2 million, however, the figure may be higher, said Oscar Osorio, head of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA),” reported Prensa.com.

Vegetable growers and milk producers are experiencing the largest losses from the 8 day closure of the American Highway by the Indians of Chiriqui. In addition, upland farmers’ harvests were spoiled when they became stranded or because of fuel shortages.

“When calculating the losses for agriculture another factor taken into account was the lack of labor for harvesting crops, bearing in mind that 80% of the workers in horticultural production are indigenous. (…) For example, a potato farmer usually employees 92 Indians, during the protests only two went to work,” exemplified the website.

 

It’s Carnival Time In Panama

For those of you who have not experienced Carnival in Panama, here are some absolutely essential terms you need to be familiar with. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, these terms, and a lot of cerveza will get you through the day – and the night.

The important Carnival terminology:

 Culeco: During the heat of the day, revelers need to cool off from dancing and drinking under the hot sun so they congregate to continue dancing under the stream of refreshing water from a fire hose in a tradition called the “culeco.”

Murga: The brass band that follows the Carnival queen, playing the “tonadas” or music that her followers sing.

Tuna: A group or camp that supports a certain Carnival queen, her followers.

El PH: An important term at night, PH stands for Pub Herrerano, which usually plays the loudest music at the carnivals and brings the top musical talent to its temporary venue.

Bloqueador: Literally translated “blocker,” in case you forget your sunscreen, remember to ask for some “bloqueador anti solar” to keep the rays of the sun from tainting your Carnival experience.

 

 Starbucks In Central America 

I am not sure if I like this news and I certainly do not look forward to any expansion in Panama. I can’t imagine $5 a cup coffee here.  However, Starbucks Corp. (SBUX) plans to open its first Costa Rican location in May as the world’s largest coffee- shop chain boosts its presence in the region.

“Starbucks has purchased Costa Rican coffee for many years,” Pablo Arizmendi-Kalb, general manager of Starbucks in Latin America, said in a statement. “With this opening, we are committed to expanding our role in the rich coffee heritage present in  Costa Rica.” The cafe will be located in San José, the nation’s capital.

Manuela Velásquez, marketing director of Starbucks Central America, said in a phone interview from El Salvador that the company anticipates adding locations this year in Costa Rica.

Starbucks currently operates 535 coffee shop locations in Latin America, Velásquez said. Since announcing plans to enter the Central American market back in August 2010, Starbucks has opened six locations in the region, including four in El Salvador and two in Guatemala.

Starbucks, which has more than 10,700 U.S. cafes and 6,200 abroad, gets more than 20 percent of revenue from international stores.

 

Forbes Tells Why Panama Is So "In"

In the travel section of a recent edition of Forbes magazine, writer Carolin Patek asked why Panama should be your next trip. Rightly so - The New York Times just ranked the isthmus as #1, touting the bustling economy, a wild destination called Bocas del Toro and the expansion of the Canal.

Forbes took the angle of how Panama's strategic global position at the crossroads of the Americas is attracting an unexpected amount of foreign investment considering the tough economic times, driven ahead by the $5.25 billion dollar expansion of the Canal. The article states that Panama City as a result is becoming an "energetic and modern metropolis" with lots of luxury options for first-class travelers.

The article also covered the record-breaking investment made to build Latin America's tallest building, Trump Ocean Club, which opened last year in the Punta Pacifica neighborhood and the upcoming opening of the Waldorf Astoria near Calle Uruguay.

The Frank Gehry designed Biomuseo, currently under construction in Amador and set to open in early 2013, got a mention too which included a reference to the visit to the site that was made by famous American actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie a few years ago.

True to the form of the current spin machine on Panama, this Forbes article couldn't wrap up without dropping some dining recommendations in the Old Quarter, Di Vino Enoteca and Manolo Caracol restaurant in Casco Viejo.

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

A great gift – available for instant download. The book is also now available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want. 

Paperback from Publisher $9.95

Kindle from Amazon $15.95 

Nook from Barnes/Noble $15.95

 Angels Web Site

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

Click on thumbnails for full-size view.

Achilles Heel in Panama's Infrastructure?

 

If you haven't been following it you may want to check out my rather zany article on 'The View From Here' blog entitled "Larry's Experiment." Just click on the link on the left entitled 'Hot Topics'.

 

Panama's Infrastructure Achilles Heel?

I have mentioned before that the Inter American Highway (in the U.S. we call it the Pan Am Highway) runs through the country from end to end AND is the only highway through the country. (Just click on the map and look at the red line on the map as it snakes through the country) This becomes a real problem during bad weather when rainstorms cause rivers to overflow and/or washes out bridges along the highway.

However, the highway becomes a tool for people who have a complaint and decide to protest by closing the highway. Right now there is an on-going protest concerning mining rights in the indigenous territories. The fact that the demonstration is a ‘phony’, according to news sources makes it even worse. ‘Phony’ in the sense that the leaders of the protest turn out not to be leaders of the indigenous tribe, and it is reported they are being paid to demonstrate – paid by opponents of the legislation that have no ties or interest in the indigenous issues.

But the point is that protesting Indians have closed the road at the San Felix intersection and the economic losses stemming from the 21 consecutive hours that the Inter American Highway has been closed has been quantified at more than $1.5 million dollars.

The greatest losses have been recorded in both domestic and international loads, primarily those which are transported from the province of Chiriqui to the regions of Panama City and Colon. "The deterioration of vegetables, milk and a variety of poultry products has reflected substantial losses," said an official. As for the loads of cargo that come from Central America to Panama, the President of the Canatraca said these transactions have also been greatly affected, because such goods are moved only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Don Winner (Panama Guide) Comments: The actual economic damages are way, way more than $1.5 million dollars. That's just what the transportation sector can put their finger on. It's much higher when you consider that this protest has basically cut the country in half, and no one can get from there to here and back again. Lost time, fuel, etc.   

 

The Panama Beat

Politics Panama Style: The Vice President of the National Assembly, Marcos Gonzalez, apologized today for the rude gesture he made as he was being interviewed on TV after the riots in the Legislative Palace. The Vice President of the National Assembly raised the middle finger when he was booed by the audience during the interview. However, Gonzalez attributed his offensive gesture to the tension of the moment. Gonzalez also denied having sent people to beat others in the stands during the unrest in the National Assembly, as hinted in the Twitter accounts of National Assembly Deputy from the Panameñista party. Meanwhile, access to the Legislative Palace was restricted to avoid further clashes, according to the legislative authorities.

The New Mayor of Panama City: Don Winner (Panama Guide) Comments: When Roxana Mendez took over (as the new mayor of Panama City) she found there was about 1,000 people on the payroll of city hall who were either not needed, or who were receiving a paycheck and not actually going to work. She is now in the process of cleaning up the mess left behind by her predecessor Bosco Ricardo Vallarino. She's firing people left and right, all of them members of the Panameñista political party. And who should those people be mad at? The Varela brothers and Jose Blandon, who torched the alliance between the Panameñistas and the CD. So, I hear you've been fired. Want a job? Come over to the dark side...    

 

Danger on The Country’s Roads

An 18 wheeler loaded with 700 sacks of cement turned over on the Northern Corridor exit that goes towards Arraijan. The truck driver, who declined to give his name, said he was coming from the Panama cement plant, located in Gatunciillo, Colon, when he lost his brakes. He said he "leaned" the truck against the Jersey barrier and the impact caused the truck to flip over, and his load was dumped on the roadway.

Red Devil Bus Turns Over: One person was killed and eleven were injured when a bus on the internal Salamanca round in the province of Colon flipped over. Early reports indicated the driver lost control of the bus and flipped while driving towards the city of Salamanca in Colon. The 9-1-1 ambulance service came to provide first aid to injured, who were later transferred to the medical clinic in San Juan. This accident occurred at 5:00 am this morning.

Larry Notes: The alarming thing about most of the serious accidents that get reported here in Panama is that most of them appear to be the result of unsafe vehicles operating on Panama’s highways. Every day you see vehicles on the road that have no business ever leaving a driveway - parts missing, lights that are not operational, etc.

Last night I watched a ‘junker’ pulling out of a parking place on the park that was a joke – a bad joke. The only external light on the car was one headlight that was so dim it looked like a candle. Out on the highway that car would not be recognizable as a car in the dark. The old gent driving was talking to the two police officers in the park as he pulled out.

I couldn’t help but think of my good friend in the – D.C. area who runs a very successful business replacing the cracked windshields on dump trucks on-site on   construction sites. ‘On-site’ is the key point here. Truck drivers know that they probably would not get a mile on back on the streets before the police stopped them for that ‘dangerous’ cracked windshield. And the fine is hefty.

 

Restaurant & Hookah Lounge in Panama City

Welcome to the Fenicia Restaurant & Hookah Lounge in Panama City, a great choice for excellent food and atmosphere. They feature a wide variety of dishes ranging from authentic Lebanese cuisine to some of the best sushi in town, as well as great American Angus steaks and much more.

Fenicia Restaurant & Hookah Lounge is distinguished as having the best hookahs in town with a menu of over 35 flavors that our customers enjoy every day. They also offer a diverse selection of national and international liqueurs, beers and wines.

Do you know where the hookah bar closest  to your house is. No? Come on folks, let’s get with it.

 

Government Assistance That Works? 

The Panamanian government sponsored a project, managed by the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA), which provided the seed money to grow a pineapple for export that is considered in some markets a luxury item. The pineapple, known in the market as honey pineapple for its sweetness and flavor,  is not native to Panama.

The World Bank, through MIDA, contributed $221,000 to the project's inception and the Agricultal Producers Association (APAQ) also contributed $119 000, which paid for the acquisition of land, materials, labor, and other farming equipment.

The APAQ spokesman acknowledged that it was not easy for them to start the project because there were many doubts about whether the chosen sites met the criteria for planting the seeds, but the technicians established that (the lands) were excellent for obtaining quality fruit, as has been demonstrated in this first crop. Much sooner than forecast, the first crop has been harvested and being shipped to Belgium. So there are 52 people working in the fields and another 20 in the fruit packing plant. These are the families who own the co-op, do the work, run the business, and reap the benefits. They grow the fruit and sell it to European markets - with no or few middlemen.

Maybe the U.S. Government should try some programs like this – projects that make sense, provide jobs and make money. Note that there were no multi-billion dollar federal government loan guarantees and they are not betting any tax payer dollars on ‘scientific break-through’ technology, ‘hoping’ that it would work.

    

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

A great gift – available for instant download. The book is also now (finally!) available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

Nook from Barnes/Noble $15.95 

Paperback from Publisher $9.95

Kindle from Amazon $15.95

Angels in Panama Web Site 

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

Click on thumbnails for full-size view.

The Idiot's Guide To America's Debt Crises

 

I have posted Part 1 of a 3-Part series of whimsy on my other blog. Use the link on the left called 'Hot Topics' to read about 'Larry's Experiment.' (It will probably help to put you in the right frame of mind to have a drink first)

 

 

It’s A Dollars Problem, Martha

To say that the U.S. is facing a financial crisis is, in my opinion, an understatement. However the numbers are so big that they become meaningless to most of us – just theoretical figures. So let’s look at them graphically.

Ever seen a million dollars? Well here it is. We have $100 bills bundled in $10,000 packets just like they come from the Federal Reserve. Pretty big bundle, right? About the amount of money that the average American wage earner makes over a twenty year period.

What does a trillion dollars look like? Well, if you took our million dollar packages and started palletizing them and stacking them up until you got to a trillion dollars, this is what you have. Click on the thumbnail and take a good look. That is two football fields and a jetliner to provide a size comparison. This year alone our government’s deficit is almost twice this amount ($1.7 trillion dollars).  Just this year!  Don't know about you but that picture gives me a queasy feeling.

And this is even scarier. The huge tall skyscraper on the right represents our federal government’s ‘unfunded liabilities’ (in those stacks of $100 bills) - $114.5 trillion dollars. (Click on the thumbnail and look close. That is the Statue of Liberty in the foreground.) What are unfunded liabilities? Those are things that the government is committed to spend, but does not have the funds set aside to do so. Those items include Medicare, Medicare Prescription Drugs, and Social Security, military and civil service retirement programs.

Meanwhile our politicians sit around arguing about whether we need to reduce spending or increase taxes, when any housewife who balances the budget every month can tell the fools they need to do both. And they need to do it BIG TIME! And I suggest there should be a bounty on people who profess that the answer to all our financial woes are hidden in nonsensical ideas like changing the tax rate on a handful of millionaires, or wasting months (and rhetoric) passing a balanced budget amendment.  Get real! 

 

Get Ready - Carnival is Coming

The Carnival is coming to every part of Panama! Even the beach hotels where people go to get away from all the madness will feature Carnival-inspired shows and festivities.

Firework shows will be in the sky to accompany this grand tradition, in which Panamanians show off their culture, heritage and uncanny ability to have a good time. The big party will be from February 18 to 21.

But the festivities start early. Carnival fever strikes on Wednesday, February 15, when many professionals begin to take leave from their duties in order to get into the party spirit. Most businesses close down early by Friday at mid-day. The queens are crowned at a ceremony on Friday, February 17.

Carnival is designed to enjoy the “earthly pleasures” to their fullest before the coming repentance and Lent during 40 days following the last day of ‘the party’, on Tuesday, February 21 – Fat Tuesday or ‘Martes de Carnaval’.

Tradition calls for everyone to get all pleasures and sins out of their system in order to prepare for the Easter celebrations of ‘Semana Santa’ – the country’s ‘Holy Week’, another summertime vacation period.

 

The Panama Canal Expansion

As you are probably aware, Panama is in the middle of a major expansion project for the Panama Canal.  The second set of locks will accommodate the super-cargo ships that now have to sail around the tip of South America to get into the Atlantic. This project affects a lot more than just Panama however.

The new canal access can and will alter the super ships paths. Many of the ports around the world are not set-up to handle the super cargo container ships. And two of South Florida’s most vital economic engines are on a collision course when it comes to a proposed dredging project at Port Miami. The port is one of the busiest in the country. It’s one of the main reasons Miami is called the Gateway to the Americas as products and goods move between the United States and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. It is also one of the top cruise ports in the world.

But the health of Biscayne Bay, which intersects the port channel, is vital to tourism. Boat charters rely on its fish populations. Snorkeling outfits need clear water for its customers to see the coral reefs. Manatees bask in its sea grasses. Visitors demand hotel rooms with water views.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection on Aug. 31 proposed to issue an environmental resource permit to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authorizing the dredging, deepening and widening of portions of Miami’s channels. Two South Florida environmental groups have filed an administrative challenge, saying the proposed two-year project would devastate the bay by destroying up to 24 acres of sea-grass beds and eight acres of sea bottom.

The port is the second-largest generator of high-paying jobs in South Florida and employs 180,000 people at an average salary of $56,000 a year, advocates note. And studies show the project could double the annual container count, currently 900,000, by the end of the decade.

The port last underwent a dredging project six years ago for maintenance. The Corps was cited by the state then for failing to meet turgidity standards after a barge overturned, environmentalists say. The proposal is much larger in scope and is intended to widen and deepen the channel for post-Panamax cargo ships.

 Army Engineers said the environmental standards will be the highest ever for any American dredge project, and not one dolphin or manatee died during the last dredging.

Stay tuned, this fight is not over.

 

Panama Jazz Festival

For the ninth consecutive year, jazz takes over Panama City in January with the Panama Jazz Festival. Celebrated this year from Monday, January 16 to Saturday, January 21, the "Jazz Fest" enters once again with the new year, this time under the slogan "Del Corazón de América para el Mundo” (From the Heart of America for the World).

Created by renowned Panamanian musician Danilo Perez, the festival attracts international talent who come to perform in Panama. Combining the promise of fun in the sun with the fact that the artistes now have time in their busy schedules to make international appearances, the Panama Jazz Festival also parlays music education into its cultural mission.

Grammy-nominated Panamanian pianist and composer Danilo Pérez founded the Panama Jazz Festival. Danilo’s distinctive blend of Pan-American jazz (covering the music of the Americas, folkloric and world music) has garnered him critical acclaim and loyal audiences.

Born in Panama in 1966, Danilo started his musical studies at just three years of age with his father, a band leader and singer. By age 10, he was studying the European classical piano repertoire at the National Conservatory in Panama.

 

Recipes To Rescue Abandoned Dogs?

How’s this for a neat idea?  "Killer Party Potatoes” By Penny Lipke Alves, a competition-winning Chile recipe and Val's famous BBQ shrimp (to die for!) are just some of the 200 recipes to be found in "Recipes to the Rescue," a cookbook put together by Panama Animal League (PAL), containing the best recipes contributed by members of the beach area communities.

Another peculiarity of the beach expat community is that people have come from around the world, bringing with them a variety of culture and background. This diversity is reflected in the cookbook, with recipes like Scottish Shortbread, Moroccan Spiced Chicken, Panang Gai and Coq Au Vin.

"Recipes to the Rescue" is produced by Panama Animal League (PAL), an informal, not-for-profit organization which started in 2011. Distressed by the number of stray animals on the streets, the ladies got involved with initiatives to spay and neuter the dog and cat populations.

In the last year, the ladies of PAL have taken about 20 animals off the streets in the beach areas. This means getting them immediate veterinary care (including spay/neuter), fostering them and finding them suitable, stable homes.

A community cookbook from the beach area helps raise money to rescue abandoned animals.

 

"Abandoned dogs require an average of $100 in veterinary treatment per animal," stresses Linda Murdock, who is currently fostering five dogs at her small San Carlos home. "We depend on contributions from people to keep doing what we are doing," says Linda. The cookbook raises funds for the project. The production of the book itself was sponsored by ads from local businesses, and the book is sold for $15 a copy.

 

Free Trade Agreement and Panama's Ag Business

While the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. provides for a gradual tariff reduction for chicken imported from the US, it does pose a threat to the poultry industry in Panama.  Currently tariffs on imports of chicken meat is 260% - for chicken thighs and drumsticks. This protection for local industry will gradually disappear, according to provisions by the Trade Promotion Agreement. The duty free quota on will increase year by year, until eventually after 5 years of the TPA, there will be no limit.

 

And it goes without saying this impacts the local chicken industry.  This is a BIG DEAL in Panama, if for no other reason the country is in fact one of the biggest consumers of chicken in Latin America. The per capita consumption of Panama (75.9 pounds) is second only to Venezuela (76.34 pounds) and Brazil (83.02 pounds), reports the Latin American Poultry Association. ”

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

You can purchase my book, 'Angels in Panama', the paperback version at the best price from the publisher (link below).

A great gift – the book is also now (finally!) available for instant download in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 Paperback from Publisher $9.95

 Kindle from Amazon $15.95

Nook Barnes/Noble $15.95 

 'Angels in Panama' Web Site 

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

Click on thumbnails for full-size view.

Panama Selected As Number 1

 

Be sure a visit our new blog site, "The View From Here", where the topics of the day are discussed. Just use the link on the left marked 'Hot Topics'.

 

The Good News From Panama

N. Y. Times Ranks Panama As #1 Destination

The new year brought a welcome surprise when the country was ranked first in a Travel Section piece called “The 45 Places to Go in 2012” in 'The New York Times'.

Appealing to travelers who could be seeking refuge in the current global economic storm, the article outlines conditions that justify declaring Panama’s economy to be “booming:” Expats and investors who “banked” on real estate, a steady stream of immigrants, construction, the “recent passage of the United States-Panama free trade agreement” and the expansion of the Canal, among other factors.

And there were some big names dropped: The Panamera (Waldorf Astoria’s first Latin American hotel), Trump Ocean Club (the Trump brand’s first project off US soil - shown here on right) and Frank Gehry (the architect whose name is on the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain). Gehry designed the BioMuseo, scheduled to open at the Pacific entrance to the Canal in early 2013. A truly innovative project, experts say it is possible that the museum could surpass the Canal in numbers of visitors before the end of the decade.

The Times article also gave a big plug to other places to see in Panama: Bocas del Toro, a Caribbean banana province that’s become a must-do among adventurous for its “snorkeling and zip lining by day and raucous night life after dark”. 

 

And  Panama’s budding diamond in the rough, its Old Town, got special mention as well. ‘Casco Viejo’ was praised for being a “trendy” and “stylish” Unesco World Heritage site. The article called this area “transformed”, touting the arts, restaurants and boutique hotels.  

 

And That’s Not All…

Panama was also featured as a top ten dining destination in the Spanish version of TripAdvisor.com. A 24-page special supplement on Panama in the current edition of the Spanish travel magazine ‘Excelencias’ proclaims that “Panamá está de moda” - Panama is in fashion.

And National Geographic Too...

The January edition of National Geographic featured a story (on the cover in the Spanish edition) that has been six years in the making, the discovery of the most recent burial site for chiefs and high-ranking members of pre-Colombian society at El Caño.

Smithsonian archeologist Julia Mayo’s dig in central Panama, said the magazine, could lead to a new era of discover and understanding. There is still much to be learned from this area, where mummified chiefs adorned with gold were found buried face down, adjacent to their families and slaves who were slain in sacrifice to accompany these lords to the next world.

Panama, according to National Geographic, may well hold the answers that will help the archeological community find answers to the mysteries that surround the gold-worshiping post-Mayan society that occupied lands ranging from Costa Rica to Colombia. It seems that Panama is where its most prominent members came to find their final resting place.

The Bottom Line

Panama is ‘on a roll’ and it’s allure is strong. Just before the end of the year, on December 23, the country counted it two millionth tourist arrival. The excitement in the air is tangible for favorable times ahead in the tourism sector. As more and more people discover all that this little isthmus has to offer, they, just like the press, will pass on their recommendation: that it’s worth a visit to discover Panama. (La Visitante)

 

That Time of Year Again - Big  Crowds in Boquete

Boquete, the mountain town with spring-like climes in the Chiriquí province, is hosting The Flower and Coffee Fair, a tradition that began in 1950.  They expect that over 100,000 people visit the fairgrounds from January 12 to 22,

“Boqueteños” have worked hard to set up the always-impressive flower gardens, arranged in bright symmetrical patterns. The setting is perfect for a sunny stroll alongside the Caldera River. Roses, geraniums, chrysanthemums and marigolds are just some of the flowers on grand display. Orchids are also a special sight to see. The variety seems endless.

Coffee tastings are the other prominent feature. And the true essence of the fair is enjoying the outdoors and the sun. The fair also marks the beginning of the sunny, dry “verano” season in Panama and begin of the country fair season.

A daily program includes live entertainment, music, dancing, crafts, diverse dining options and rides for children.

Throughout the town, at virtually all of the establishments that could be of interest to persons on holiday, the festive spirit can be felt. Restaurants pull out all the stops to impress diners and tour companies are ready to exceed the expectations of those seeking a new experience - be it an adventurous zip line or a relaxing birder’s tour.

The fair is a great place to pick up unique and original souvenirs. Local and foreign artisans will have their works on display. Traditional Panamanian arts and crafts compete for buyers alongside works brought by craftsmen from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador.

 

The Bad News From Panama

 Bus Accident, Two Killed, 24 Injured.  

Why is this incident worthy of note, particularly to those of you who are looking at Panama from afar?  Well there are some things about Panama that are baffling - make no sense. Such as the ‘adventure of a group of people living in San Miguelito who very early on a recent morning started their trip on a "Red Devil" bus.

The passengers were soon surprised as the driver was tearing down the road, often going at full speed, and people were yelling at him to slow down.  But he did not, and according to a witness on board, "Suddenly, the bus lost control and went sideways, then onto its side ... Everyone here screamed, it was chaos.”

The bus slid down the road on its side for several meters on the newly paved road. Two young men who were crushed to death," said one of the occupants of the bus, who got the shock of his life.

In addition, 24 people were injured with scrapes and bruises on various parts of their bodies, and were rushed to medical centers in Sabanitas and the city of Colon. The other people who were uninjured were taken to a nearby church to await a bus to carry them back to their homes in San Miguelito.

But as the dust settled from this accident is when things get crazy:

 - After the accident, according to witnesses and residents of the area, survivors asked the bus driver for an explanation, and when he did not answer them, they tried to attack him. The bus driver, finding himself cornered, fled and went into the bush on the edge of the road. "So far, he has not shown his face and no one knows where he is," said a police officer.

 - The traffic accident caused a tremendous traffic jam on the roadway, and criminals took advantage of the situation to rob the occupants of vehicles who were in their cars waiting for the road to clear.

 You Gotta Be Kidding Me. The bus driver gets you in a serious accident because of his crazy driving, so you just gang up and beat the crap out of him? And a big accident where people are killed and others injured, and because it is in an isolated area, bad guys are robbing people caught in the traffic jam? No Martha, there is nothing '3rd world' about that. Just makes you want to go for a nice Sunday drive out in the country and see the ‘interior’, doesn’t it?

 

National Police Conduct Surprise Urinalysis Tests.

The National Police conducted a surprise urine test to all staff of the institution, as a measure of control to detect the use of illicit substances by police officers. The test was ordered by the Director General of the National Police, Gustavo Perez. (TVN)

Don Winters (Panama Guide) Comment: When I was in the military they would conduct surprise "piss tests" all the time. I worked in elite units and everyone had security clearances, and those tests caught practically no one (but, we kept having to do them anyway.) I can only imagine how many Panamanian police officers are going to get "popped" on this test. This is the first time that I can remember hearing about an institution-wide testing program, conducted by surprise, across the board, on the same day. Man, no one had time to study...   

 

9% of Panamanian Students Held Back A Year

During the 2011 school year in Panama a total of 63,359 students failed one or more subject. The Ministry of Education was quick to point out this is a lower number of failures than what was recorded in 2010. However, according to official figures released, this year 41,373 students failed three for fewer subjects, which means they had the right to attend summer school remedial courses (rather than be 'held back' a year).

But, 21,986 students failed four or more subjects, meaning they will have to repeat the school year (about 9% of all students). There was a decrease this year (from 2010) in both the number of students attended summer school remedial courses (about 49,504), and the number of students who have to repeat the school year (27,457), however the Regional Director of Education admits 'the figures are alarming'.

 Don Winter (Panama Guide) Comments: Get this - the subject failed by most students - Spanish. In any case, these numbers represent an overall decrease of 21.4% in the failure rate compared to last year. Panama's Minister of Education and the government overall is working hard to improve the school system. These efforts center on an overhaul of the national curriculum - which has been heavily resisted by the entrenched teacher's union - mostly because they don't want to have to learn new materials or be held accountable for their performance.

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

The book is also now (finally!) available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

Paperback from Publsher $9.95 

Kindle from Amazon $15.95

 Nook from Barnes/Noble $15.95

'Angels in Panama' Web Site

Take your pick and why not buy a copy for a friend?

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

 

 

 

Healthcare or Horror Story?

 

(Note that I have started a 2nd blog that I have entitled 'Panama Musings' - items of interest that you won't find in the tourist magazines.  It will be updated three times weekly and will not have email notification of postings, so check back often. This message will not appear in coming postings on this blog. The link to the Panama Musings  blog  'Hot Topics'  is shown to the left.) 

 

Background: I have lived in David for over 4 years and have had my own physician here most of that time. Dr. Cattan owns Clinica Cattan a full-service primary care clinic in downtown. He speaks excellent English, has an engaging bedside manner, seems to really enjoy interfacing with the ex-pat community, and is the type of guy that has given me his cell number and instructions to call it (rather than the office) when I need him.

On two different occasions over the last three years Dr. Cattan outlined and administered comprehensive treatment programs to combat a recurring staph infection in my foot. His care was praised by the specialist at Duke University’s Infectious Disease Department when I conferred with them on my normal trips back to the U.S. to visit my regular physician. 

My last battle with the staph infection (in May 2010) took an unexpected turn however. About two weeks into the treatment cycle, I experienced a different type of pain. Alarming in that the pain associated with this staph is very unique, and this was different. When I called Dr. Cattan had me come straight to his office even though it was 8pm – none of that ‘call me in the morning’. An hour later he had called a friend of his, an orthopedic surgeon, to the office – turns out a staph infection invading the skeletal structure is a serious turn of events.

The orthopedist, who had attended Cornell Med. School (I have forgotten his name), within 30 minutes had arranged my admittance to Mae Lewis Hospital.  Turns out he had also called back into the hospital the young lady who handles the TriCare insurance program (retired U.S. military) to insure that I got processed in properly. This point is particularly important because I did not even know I could use my TriCare here in Panama. Duh! I mean if you are bullet-proof, why would you bother checking on your healthcare before you need it?

The long and short of it is I was in the hospital for a week, under an intensive antibiotic treatment and my total cost out of pocket was $100. In addition, the young lady at the hospital took care of all the TriCare paperwork and filing.  Even more important, she advised me that all my TriCare needs in the future should be brought to her, not just those associated with the hospital. She represented TriCare, not just the hospital’s interface with it. Wow!

 

A Current Crises Erupts: The first of January I revisited Mae Lewis under a very different situation and conditions. I have a long-standing chronic lung problem, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), the genesis of which was a nearly fatal battle with TB that was misdiagnosed back in 1995.  The ravages of the TB left me with approximately 60% lung capacity, a limitation that can be worked around fairly effectively on a day-to-day basis.  However, a chest cold is a cause for concern, anything more serious sets of alarms.

Twice in the past six years I have had to be hospitalized, and tethered to an oxygen mask while modern medications fought to clear my lungs.  A couple of times a year like most everyone, I will get the sniffles and have what could be the start of a problem, but with meds (and luck?) the situation improves over couple days. Well this month it got worse fast and 'stupid me' put off calling for assistance because it was getting better? Oh yeah.

When I FINALLY decided to call ambulance it took an hour to get ready before I could call.  I had to put on underwear, pants and shirt that I HAD ALREADY LAID OUT! But I kept running out breath and had to set down and recover.  When I finally called the ambulance I emphasized bring oxygen.  They did - but in ambulance NOT in their hands when they came in room.  I ultimately passed out as they were putting me in ambulance before we left the hotel, looking the whole downtown regular population square in the eye.  

 

My Return to Mae Lewis: The fact that I required the oxygen support system evidently did not make me an emergency case, and we just worked our way through traffic across town, sans siren. That distinction did become important when we got hospital because we did not go to the emergency room entrance. I was wheeled into a waiting area outside the admissions office. After some encouragement on my part (primarily because I was turned blue ‘off oxygen”) the ambulance driver got me hurried into the admittance office where one of the doctors running admissions got me on oxygen while I waited my turn.

The younger of the two doctors in admissions spoke excellent English, and in between cases he was processing in, he contacted the TriCare rep at home. She got on the computer and confirmed for him my status and account information and I was subsequently processed into the hospital. I was put in a bed right there in the admissions office and ‘parked’ with two other beds (separated by curtains) while the processing continued. About 30 minutes later, a 60-ish gentleman introduced himself as my pulmonologist and started taking information from me.  However, to do so, Dr. Sanchez had to rely heavily on the admitting room doctor because he spoke virtually no English. The adventure had really begun.

I was subsequently hooked up to drip bags and given multiple shots, pills, liquid medications and spent the night right there in admittance.  Since the environment of the admissions room was kind of like a shopping center, I initially thought that the three of us where parked there for observation purposes. I found out the next morning that it was because the hospital was full. About 10:30 the next morning I was moved to a room. Another exercise in futility.

When you are in the shape I was in (fighting for breath) you do not want to do anything that will trigger your respiration to accelerate – like move a muscle! For those of you who have ever had a breathing crisis you know what I am talking about. For those of you who haven’t, I will not belabor the point, but the panic that sets in when you run out of breath can not be avoided. So your logical mind knows you have to change rooms and it is going to cause another breathing crisis, and the portable oxygen will at least keep you alive until you can get back prone and motionless and recover. But please make it quick!

So, for starters, you would think that professionals would appreciate the concept of getting the portable oxygen supply hooked up and operational before they disconnected me from my bed station supply to move me into a wheelchair for transport. Wouldn’t you? And while I am on the limited supply portable system there would not be a requirement to stop at the nurses’ station to have a discussion about which room we are moving to. Nor would there be an even longer discussion once we arrived at the new room or which of the two empty beds was the winner.  I should mention that two days later there was another room change requirement which went a lot smoother – because I ran it!

I am definitely not fluent in Spanish, but I do get along fairly well in normal conversations, but that does not extend to medical terms, diagnosis or prognosis. And although Dr. Sanchez came in to see me twice a day, he spoke no - NO - English. He would come in smiling with a chart in his hand, babble a bit and pronounce me “mejor, mucho mejor”. To which, after the second day, I would explain that that I didn’t understand and ask him to bring in someone to translate. But my repeated request,” Yo no entiendo totalmente. ¿Se puede conseguir a alguien para traducir al Inglés?” gained nothing but a big smile, a “si, si”, and he would disappear until next visit. And I know he understood me, if for no other reason on several occasions either other patients or visitors in the room who spoke some English repeated my request for me. I now am arranging to take all the paperwork to my doctor to determine specifically what I was treated for and how.

Luckily I had been through this (or at least a similar) treatment  before, so I knew the lungs would need a healing period AND that I would need oxygen at home to get through that process. I had to explain that to Dr. Sanchez when he came in smiling on Morning #6 to say I was ‘going home today’. He did understand me when I explained I would let him know when I got the oxygen set up at my home.  With a lot of help from friends here that only took about 24 hours to get in place. Now we were ready to go home.

I called and left a message with the TriCare lady to make sure that everything was in place for my discharge. When she called me back I realized I had not heard from her since I was admitted and suddenly realized why. She advised me that Mae Lewis no longer processed TriCare claims. I would have to pay cash before I was released and reimbursement from TriCare was my responsibility. Gulp! I do not know what would have happened if I had not had $3,500 in the bank accounts.

 

Get Me Home: But, we are not home yet. Due to the oxygen requirement we are going to need an ambulance to get back to the hotel, which must be done through the hospital by reservation. The hospital called at 3pm when they had finished processing me out and found the next available ambulance for that type of duty was 5pm. Oh Lord.  The ambulance did finally arrive at 6:40pm, manned by two young female EMTs. The ‘female’ part of that equation really only became relevant when we reached the hotel and discovered that the elevator was not operational. Thankfully the hotel porters and two young guys from the cafeteria were able to wrestle me up to my 3^rd floor perch. Whew, what a trip!

 

In Conclusion: A long story! Yes! But… my point in telling it is obviously not to make me look smart, nor to stimulate a ‘woe is me’.  I am convinced I would be a goner if it weren’t for an informal support group made up of friends and acquaintances who had not up to that point had to perform in that function. And I can only rap my own knuckles for not staying up with the TriCare situation. It turns out the hospitals TriCare processing problems were known, just not by me.  To make matters worse, like too many people, I ignored the whole medical situation until I needed it. That, my friends, is too late.  Be smarter than me!

As an aside, a week after being released, I am much ..MUCH... better and improving daily. In fact I have now gone over 24 hours without any oxygen, although admittedly I am moving slow. And my medication regimen has another week. Yuk. But, I consider myself very lucky.

Hope this rant assists someone. It will have been worth it.

Larry

Till Next Time. Pura Vida. 

 

The Smart Traveler

 

Taking The Hassle Out Of Your Travel

I have traveled a lot in the last five years and have learned a lot of the ins-and-outs of making for a successful journey. Quite honestly, much of what I have learned has been learned the hard way. I didn’t do my homework and ended up paying for the oversight in one way or another.

Living here in David in a downtown hotel, I come in contact with a lot of tourist of all ages and from all over the world. I am constantly amazed by people who have done no research on Panama or for the next stops in their journey. For instance there was a couple last week (seniors from Oklahoma) who asked me if there was any way they could get an ATM machine in David to accept their Bank of America debit card.  I wanted to say, “Didn’t you check with your bank before you left,” but didn’t. Another man told me last year he was headed for Venezuela and had not even heard about the horrible crime statistics of that country, or that Chavez was pushing an anti-American agenda. Duh!  The best one though is the retired school teacher who wanted to know where to go to exchange U.S. dollars into the local currency. She refused to believe me as I tried to explain that the dollar is the Panamanian currency.

So here are some travel ideas and tips for you. Some may be obvious but some may be things you haven’t confronted before. But the central theme of all of this is you need to do some planning. Particularly if you are going overseas in your travels, it is not as simple as grabbing your passport and jumping on an airplane. And do not rely on the fact that you have visited your intended destination in the past. Things change – sometimes fast.  For example, the Costa Rica of today is not the Costa Rica I visited about five years ago (crime and prices have soared while the ‘love of tourists’ has declined).

 

What Is It You Want To Do On Your Vacation?

Important step #1 sounds simplistic doesn’t it?  What is it you really want to do? Well, if you call this shot wrong you will spend the entire vacation trying to ‘make do’.  Let me give you a couple of recent examples:

* Friends of mine are real go-getters when they go on vacation (they would wear me out in one day).  Where ever they are it is up at sunup, pack a back pack and zoom around all day.  They usually come crawling in after sundown beaming smiles and wanting to tell you about every taco stand and rose garden they saw.

Recently these folks suddenly decided to try something new – an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic. I said, “What? You guys like to run around the countryside. Even taking a couple of sponsored tours, you guys are going to feel cooped up”  They suggested that they could always just grab a cab and go.

I had to explain that most, if not all, of the all-inclusives in the D.R. are out in the boondocks, they bring a satellite signal in by ox cart.  It appears to me that the whole concept of the all-inclusive was a matter of necessity in many of the countries down here.  The local tourist environment was/is non-existent either due to infrastructure limitations or safety and security concerns.

* Another couple selected the all-inclusive route for all the right reasons (their reasons), but did not do their homework. They selected the specific resort based on the recommendations of a friend who raved about the resort food and the broad range of cuisines available.  They were totally disappointed in almost all of the ‘fancy’ restaurants at the resort.  Only later did they find out that the fellow recommending the food ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet and his dinners in the steak house.  Do your homework!

 

Before You Leave

Check Your Passport

If you are going overseas, check the expiration date of your passport. This could ruin a vacation before it even gets started. When you enter Panama you are authorized to stay here, in tourist status, for six months. Even if you are only planning to stay here for a week, if when you arrive your passport expiration date is less than six months away, you will probably be denied entry and turned around. In fact, most of the airlines work so closely with immigration departments that you will probably not be allowed to board the flight in the U.S.

Dangers Of The Passport Card

The passport card is the wallet-size travel document that can only be used to re-enter the United States at land border-crossings and sea ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda. Some Americans opt for the card if they are going on a cruise or driving to Canada because it is quicker and cheaper than getting a regular passport book. But keep in mind, the passport card was designed for the specific needs of northern and southern U.S. border communities with residents that cross the border frequently by land. The passport book is the only document approved for international travel by air. So if your car breaks down in Toronto, and is going to take a while to get fixed, can you fly back home? No! And if you get sick on the cruise, can you get off at the next stop in the Caribbean and fly home to see your doctor? No!

Guard Against the Unexpected.

Many vacation packages (including tours, cruises and all-inclusive packages), offer significant savings if booked well in advance. However, many of them have cancellation charges that often escalate as your departure date approaches. Travel insurance protects your trip against forces beyond your control, such as an illness, a death in the family or even canceled connecting flights. So protect your dollars and your trip if you're unable to go for any reason.

Don't Advertise Your Absence.

Excited about vacations, some people are eager to tell the whole world about it. Thanks to social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, doing that is easier — and more perilous — than ever.  There is growing evidence that unscrupulous characters are mining that information and breaking in to unattended residences. That's why it's best to wait until the vacation is over to do your bragging. If you can't resist, revise your privacy settings to narrow the audience.

Check Your Health Coverage.

An illness or an injury could be devastatingly expensive if it happens overseas, especially if you need medical transport back to the United States. Many plans won't cover such costs — including Medicare, though some Medicare supplement plans do. So know what your coverage does include and if necessary fill the gap with travel health insurance coverage.

Keep an Eye on Your Money.

When you're on the road, you may think it's too much of a hassle to monitor your bank balances, and ATMs in certain countries will not give you balances. So if you haven’t already, now may be the time to setup your bank accounts for on-line banking.  Through either email or cell phone apps you can monitor changes in your accounts — a large transaction or a dip in your balance, for example. Set up the alerts before you go and your accounts will keep you posted.

Make the Right Rental Car Move.

You may have reserved a car weeks in advance, but once you reach the counter, you'll face a decision: whether to purchase the optional insurance coverage.

Check with your insurer, before you leave, to learn what your policy covers in rental cars. Typically, if you live and are renting your car in the United States, your rental will be covered by your personal auto insurance. And specifically check for ‘loss of use’ — the payment to the rental company while a damaged rental car is in the shop. If you're renting overseas, you'll generally need to buy protection from the rental car company. Whether home or abroad, your credit card may provide additional protection. You need to know these things before you travel.

Guard Your Mail.

An overflowing mailbox telegraphs your absence and gives identity thieves ample material to do mischief, like filling in one of those pre-approved credit card offers and changing the address. Have the post office or a trusted friend hold your mail.

One more reason to consider receiving your bills, statements and other important documents on-line. Not only does it cut down the clutter, that gives thieves one less way to get your information.

Alert your Credit Card Company.

A foreign charge on your credit card may arouse your bank's suspicion, which could prompt it to freeze the account. To avoid that scenario, let your bank know if you're heading overseas.

Position Yourself for That ‘Ultimate Getaway’.

While we may just as easily perish at home on the way to the grocery store, your death while traveling could create problems for survivors that might take years to straighten out.  So, if, like so many Americans, you haven't quite gotten around to updating your will, appointing a guardian for your children and securing the right amount of life insurance, use your vacation planning as the extra nudge to take care of those things.

 

At Your Vacation Destination

Don’t Be Naive!

When you get to a new city, pick up a free map from at the tourist office and ask the person on duty to circle which parts of the city you probably shouldn't venture into after dark -- and which parts you shouldn't head to during the day either.

Carry Less

A single backpack (worn on your front in crowded areas) makes you much more agile, keeps your hands free and shows you have less stuff to steal. Remember: You don't need to make yourself thief-proof, just less of a target than those around you.

Cell Phones

For starters, check with your provider to see if it will work at your destination. And be sure and ask about associated roaming charges. They may be exorbitant. If you bring it, take precautions – in a lot of locations they are a high theft item. And don’t get a false sense of security just because you have your phone with you and can call for help. In many countries coverage is limited and/or sporadic. And do you know what number to call? (It probably is not 911). Will the person who answers speak English? For that matter, will anyone answer? (That is not a given in many places outside the U.S.)  

Try To Stay ‘Low Profile’

Don't flaunt wealth, including jewelry or shiny watches. (Even fake Rolexes will draw attention.) The watch you are wearing may be worth a year’s salary to those around you. If you have a fancy camera, don't carry it in a bag that says "Nikon" or "Canon" on the side. And it's a good idea to have second credit cards and IDs and some emergency cash stashed in a secret belt compartment or in the safe at your hotel just in case.

Going Out In The Boondocks?

If you're going off the grid for a while -- hiking Chile or driving across in the outback -- let your trusted friend or family member back home know where you're headed (be as specific as possible), when you plan to be back and when they should call search and rescue if they don't hear from you. Without this, a search group might start looking for your weeks later and in the completely wrong places.

Civil Disturbances

If there is some kind of demonstration stay away from it regardless of how harmless and peaceful it may appear. And if you're in a city during a major riot or coup d'état, stay inside, follow the news on TV, radio and Twitter and phone your embassy -- they may be evacuating citizens.

Using ATM Cards

Much like credit cards, using debit cards abroad can cause you to incur hefty international ATM surcharges and foreign transaction fees that can add quite a bit to the cost of your trip. However, a few banks have reduced or eliminated these fees, so it pays to check before you go to avoid surprises and save money. If your bank charges a flat fee, make few ATM withdrawals. Instead of taking out $40 a dozen times, you might want to take out $400 once.

Credit Card Use

Consider switching to a credit card for purchases. I use a debit card here only at ATM machines. The negative of using a debit card at a store, restaurant or for purchases is you may have none of the security or safeguards you have with a credit card. And you can also tell your credit card provided not to process a charge that would result in an ‘over limit’ balance, usually meaning a hefty fee. Most banks that is not an option with an ATM card.

Keep Your Credit/Debit Cards In Sight

In many places that you may travel, the card processors may not be very sophisticated and/or bulky. They may be placed in a back room, around a corner in an alcove or behind a partition. When I go in a restaurant or store I watch them process other people’s cards. If the card goes out of view to be processed, I use cash. It is too easy to have the card information lifted (including the security code on the back) when it is processed out of sight and can be written down. Few people are capable of memorizing all that information right in front of you and then write it down correctly later.

Know You Hotel

In addition to the fire and emergency exits, pay particular attention to access to your hotel – the first security step. In most of the hotels in David, for instance, people can not just walk in the hotel and go upstairs - only hotel guests have access. And at night do NOT answer if someone is knocking on your hotel room door. Call the front desk and explain that someone is knocking and let them investigate it as a disturbance.

  

Happy Travels

I hope that at least some of these observations will be of benefit to you.  But, keep in mind that the only thing that is a sure thing in the modern travel environment is change. Never assume based on ‘how it worked last year’!

 

Larry Matthews

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

  

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

The book is also now (finally!) available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

 

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 Paperback from Publisher $9.95

Kindle from Amazon $15.95

Nook from Barnes Noble $15.95

Angels Web Site

 

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

 

 

 

Till Next Time. Pura Vida

 

Happy Holidays to All from Panama

 

 

Christmas Greeting To You All

Would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your’s a Merry Christmas. I hope that this time of year finds you hail and hearty. I also hope that most of you will be able to share the festivities with family and friends.

I am putting together a new music video I have titled ‘Faces of Our Future’. I think some of these images from the video aptly convey my holiday wishes. (Click on thumbnails for full size pics.)

 

 

 

 

 

'Faces of Our Future' coming soon!

 

 

Christmas Scenes from Panama

 Click to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

Operation ‘Just Cause’

On 20 December 1989, 22 years ago, U.S. troops invaded Panama in an operation called "Just Cause", to capture one man, Manuel Antonio Noriega, then the de facto ruler. The images of that date show the destruction and fire, and a town that was subject to the military might of a first world power. The residents of the neighborhood of El Chorrillo, the area that was destroyed more than any other point in Panama, since then and still today they say they are "prohibited to forget" - referring to wounds that never quite heal, while others are still wondering where are their missing relatives.

Panamanians refer to the day of remembrance each year on the anniversary as 'Never Forget' Day. Some portion of Panamanians are championing the idea that it is the fact that the U.S. invaded that should not be forgotten. Many others, as well as many historians feel that there other more critical facts that should not be forgotten. For starters, Noriega had been given every chance to just 'fold his tent' and go off in exhile some place, and chose not to.

The primary objectives of Operation Just Cause were;

•Safeguarding the lives of U.S. citizens in Panama. Noriega had declared that a state of war existed between the United States and Panama and he also threatened the lives of the approximately 35,000 US citizens living there. There had been numerous clashes between U.S. and Panamanian forces; one US Marine had been killed a few days earlier and several incidents of harassment of US citizens had taken place.

•Defending democracy and human rights in Panama. In 1988 the Panamanian people voted and elected Guillermo Endara as their president. Noriega simply annulled the results of that election and remained in power. The invasion did, in fact, restore democracy to Panama and ended the 21 year military dictatorship.

•Combating drug trafficking. Panama had become a center for drug money laundering and a transit point for drug trafficking to the United States and Europe. And what's worse, the drugs were being trafficked by none other than Manual Antonio Noriega himself. De facto military dictator, and a country being run by a drug trafficker, money launderer, and murderer. Yeah, time to put a stop to that crap.

•Protecting the integrity of the Torrijos–Carter Treaties. Members of Congress and others in the U.S. political establishment claimed that Noriega threatened the neutrality of the Panama Canal and that the United States had the right under the treaties to intervene militarily to protect the Panama canal. Prior to the invasion Noriega had declared war on the United States. He was clearly a threat to the Panama Canal as well.

 

Another Earthquake

On Wednesday (Dec 21^st) we experienced another mild earthquake ( 4.6 on the Richter) at about 11:30 in the morning. This is the second on in the last week, and the sixth in the last couple of months.  Even though the epicenter was only about 67 miles SE miles from David (out in the Pacific), it was only mildly felt here. 

Nonetheless these quakes are, to say the least, disquieting and convince me even more that we are working up to a doozy! 

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

 

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

A great Christmas gift – available for instant download. The book is also now (finally!) available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook) for $15.95 (I don't set the prices!).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 

Paperback from Publisher $9.95 

Kindle from Amazon 

Nook from Barnes/Noble

Angels in Panama Web Site 

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

From ‘Faces of Our Future’. Click on thumbnail for full view.

Noriega Returns to Panama

 

Noriega Is Back In Panama

Panama's Government Minister Roxana Mendez said the former dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega, who arrived on Sunday, 11 December from incarceration in France, now that he has returned to home soil, will have to abide with the regulations of the country's prison system. This includes his individual cell, the provision of food, and visits on weekends, she said. Mendez said Noriega will not receive any special treatment nor will he be handled like a "luxury prisoner" but rather as a common inmate.

When speaking about Noriega's return to Panama yesterday, Mendez said the first priority was to ensure Noriega's safe return. And now the mission is to keep him healthy and safe in the El Renacer prison. This is being done not only to ensure Noriega serves the sentences that have already been handed down against him, but also so that he can face the other charges and cases that are pending, she said. Yesterday Noriega was returned home after 22 years of absence, which began after the U.S. invasion of Panama in December 1989.

There had been a lot of debate in recent weeks about Noriega being allowed to ‘serve his time’ in house arrest, which is allowed for in Panama’s laws for prisoners over 70. Needless to say there was a lot of disagreement floating around about that possibility. Last week President Martinelli spoke out and said basically, ‘that ain’t gonna’ happen.’ End of debate.

There was also a lot of concern in the days leading up to the release that there would be massive demonstrations in the streets, similar to those that occurred in the later parts of Noriega’s reign. Those did not materialize. One pundit described Sunday’s general feeling as “people seemed more interested in doing their Christmas shopping”.  I think the general apathy is partly an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ thing. I mean, the guys been gone for 22 years. In addition to that, citizens younger than about 32 years old (a large part of the population) don’t even remember the Noriega dictatorship years.

 

The Good News

Don Winter (Panama Guide) observation on Noriega’s return: “And now with the incarceration of the former military dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega in the El Renacer prison, located literally on the "banks of the Panama Canal", you can be sure he will become a new attraction mentioned during every passage (click on photo).. …… I can hear it now. Dozens of cruise ships carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers make their way through the Panama Canal every year. Aboard those vessels are local area experts who - aided by microphones - explain to the passengers what they are seeing as the ships slowly make their way through the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific or vice versa  …. You can also get a close up view of the El Renacer prison if you hop on the train from Panama City to Colon - the train tracks run right behind the prison, spitting distance away from Noriega… .Former military dictator, drug trafficker, money launderer, murderer, and now tourist attraction.

Hey, at least he's giving something back, right? Peanuts, get ch'ur peanuts...”

 Panama Economy Still Growing. Despite what is happening globally, the Panamanian Minister of Economy and Finance projects that during 2012 the Panamanian economy will grow by more than 7.5  He was confident Panama is the country with the highest rate of economic growth in all of Latin America.

How can he make such a rosy prediction?  Well, because Panama’s economy has marched right through the world-wide economic crises of the lasy few years with hardly a hitch. Particularly when you look at the numbers for other countries for comparison, Panama’s economic performance is amazing. The country’s GDP growth figures are:

•2008 - 10.12%

•2009 - 3.2% (global recession, Panama grew anyway)

•2010 - 7.45%

•2011 - 9.6%

•2012 - 7.5% (projected)

 

Proud To Be An American. I have written before of the great work being done in Panama by the young Americans deployed down here with the Peace Corps. There is a sizeable Corp contingent here, spread throughout the country and many are living in pretty primitive conditions.

 

Don Ray Williams latest blog posting (Chiriqui Chatter) includes a report by Courtney, a young volunteer that he has been working with. She details some of the things they are doing including her work in organizing a Girl Scout troop. Take a minute and read her letter and I guarantee you will get that warm glow just from seeing what these young folks are doing here.

 

 Link to Peace Corp

 

Christmas Greetings

Be careful what you wish for. The wife insisted the guy HAD to hang the christmas lights before he went to the ballgame with his buddies.  So.... (click to enlarge)

 

 

 

 

And Now, The Bad News

Drugs:  Here in Chiriquí Provence right outside David, narcotics agents of the National Police seized 182 kilos of cocaine, as part of "Operation Relámpago" (Lightning). In the operation they arrested the driver of an 18 wheeler after the drugs were discovered hidden in suitcases.

David sits right on the Inter-American highway, the only highway that transits the country. And as I mentioned in a previous posting, countries that become ‘drug transiting’ avenues for gangs to move drugs from South America to the U.S., develop crime and violence problems. A disturbing trend for those of us enjoying and peace and tranquility of this part of the country.

Violence:  Some of worst situation of violence and insecurity in the world is in the countries that form the so-called Northern Central American Triangle (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala). As I mentioned in a previous posting, these countries murder rate (murder per 100,000 people) is higher than the highly publicized Mexican rate. (77.5 in Honduras, 64.8 in El Salvador, and 41.5 in Guatemala)

Well, guess what? A statistical study made ​​by the newspaper El Siglo reveals that in Panama there is a district with similar levels of violence. In San Miguelito, 134 murders were committed between January and November of this year, and projections indicates the district should end 2011 with 146 murders. Based on San Miguelito’s 315,019 inhabitants, the homicide rate for the year would be 46.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. And the district of Panama City is right behind it with a projected homicide rate for 2011 of 36 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

My point? I often have to explain to visiting tourist that ‘we ain’t in Kansas anymore, Dorothy’. This part of the world often is not the place to jump off a plane, go grab your Hertz rental and go touring about.  I’ll ask, “Do you know where the areas of Panama City are that taxi drivers won’t even drive through, even in daylight hours?” Or, “Can you even imagine what you will go through if you have even a minor traffic accident? Especially if everyone, including the police know that you do want to leave here in a few days and return to the U.S.”

Earthquakes: An earthquake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale hit Panama in the early morning hours of Tuesday, 13 December 2011. The epicenter was out in the Pacific about 250 miles south of David, so I doubt if most people here in David even knew about it. However, that is the fourth tremor in the last six weeks. Serves a reminder that we are in a fault area and that there is on-going seismic activity.

 

 Politics Panama Style

To say that politics in Panama is rough-and-tumble would be a huge understatement. Think more like: No holds barred, stick a finger in your eye, kick you in the balls, discredit your deceased father, release a tape recording purportedly of you propositioning a nun, and then enlisting two of your cousins to swear to the veracity of it all while alluding to the possibility that all of this mud is just the tip of the iceberg. Even after living here for 4+ years, I am still amazed with what goes on.

And now it seems to be ramping up. With elections on the horizon about two years from now, there is a lot of ‘positioning’ going on.  Last week, President Martinelli (who is the ultimate wheeler-dealer) announced that he is going to start broadcasting weekly speeches in an effort to keep the population informed. Obviously ‘population’ in this case means ‘electorate’.

A leader of the opposition party, the PRD, immediately responded by saying the program will be a waste of resources. Even better (or worse), The president of the opposition said Martinelli increasingly approaches the model of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has his program called "Alo Presidente."  Ouch!

As you might imagine, President Martinelli defended the initiative saying it "has nothing to do with Chavez, for God's sake, there's none of that!"  Then in a ‘back at ya’ move, Martinelli added that his weekly addresses would be on all national radio and television networks AND would be mandatory for all media.

The Secretary of State Communications for the president, added later that the program  Ricardo program - which is still under development - will start in January 2012 with duration of five minutes, once a week. This information pretty much diffuses the comparison to Hugo Chavez sits and rants on non-stop for hours during his addresses to the Venezuelan people. 

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

 

My book is still available at a reasonable priced paperback from the publisher.

The book is also now (finally!) available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 

 

Paperback from Publisher $9.95

Kindle from Amazon $15.95 

Nook from Barnes/Noble $15.95

Angels in Panama Web Site 

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

 

Tis The Season To Be .....

 

Panama’s ‘$100 for 70’ Program

One of President Martinelli’s first acts when he was inaugurated was to pass a law termed the “$100 for 70” program. In short the program provided a monthly pension of $100 for all Panamanians 70 and older who had no other form of income. This week thousands of seniors received the last payment of 2011. The government pays these checks quarterly, so the checks are for about $300 dollars each. And keep in mind that married seniors receive two checks.

 One of the maids in the hotel told me about the impact this program had on her parents. Her 84-year old father worked his entire life (and raised a family) working at what we would refer to as ‘odd jobs’. They lived off the family garden and what he was paid, often in barter – staples of rice, flour, etc. Needless to say he had no retirement plan. And when her parents received their first checks, that $600 was at least twice the total amount of cash money that had ever passed through her father’s hands in an entire year! Her mother was initially afraid to go home with that much money, and ended up counting and recounting it for weeks.

This program is tax dollars going straight into the hands of exceptionally poor senior citizens, and they then immediately turn right around and spend every dime of it on the local economy. Mostly on food. (By the way, who do you think this woman in the photo is going to vote for in 2014?)

Panama also has another pay oddity that spreads some Christmas cheer. Employees in Panama receive an extra monthly payment in December called the "13th month".  Sort of bonus payment employers are required to pay their employees. These monies are also injected into the economy in the weeks preceding Christmas.

Ho..ho..ho…..

 

 

Weather Warnings

Weather forecasters are saying that our ‘wet season’ here in Panama may be extended this year through December and well into January due to a variety of weather factors involving weather fronts and ocean currents. That is not good news for those of us in Panama where the ‘dry season’ runs roughly from mid-December through early April. That is our summer – school is out and travel and outdoor activities are planned well in advance without a second thought given to the weather. And this forecast also causes us to all look back at the unusual occurrences around the same time last year.

The rains that fell between 7 - 9 December 2010 caused more than 500 landslides in the upper reservoir of Lake Alajuela, in the watershed of the Panama Canal. The historic amounts of rainfall caused the Panama Canal to be closed for 17 hours - only the fourth suspension of canal traffic in history. In addition it significantly affected the supply of drinking water being produced by the Federico Guardia Conte water purification plant in Chilibre. There are still some lingering affects on the water supply systems in and around Panama City.

Reports from the Management of Water Resources of the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) state a significant number of mudslides occurred in the area of ​​the Lake Alajuela during those days.  Using "geo referenced" images to identify and count the exact number of landslides, photographically they have identified more than 500 mudslides. This means that in just those 3 days there were more mudslides than what had occurred in the previous ten years, combined. Those mudslides also denuded a lot of those hills, leaving them barren instead of heavily forested.

Don Winters (Panama Guide) added, “More than 500 mudslides in just three days? More than in all of the past ten years combined? No wonder the water treatment plant at Chilibre was overwhelmed.” And remember, those "scars" are still exposed to the elements. Heavy rains will wash more sediment into the lake from those exposed areas, causing "turbidity" in the raw source water.”

   

 Coffee From Boquete, Panama

Some of the best coffee in the world comes from Boquete, the mountain village just up the road from David. I drink Boquete coffee and it is outstanding. And based on the astronomical prices paid ($125+ per pound) for award winning Boquete coffees in coffee shows in Paris, and big sales to Japanese buyers, there are a lot of people who agree with my humble assessment. (No, I don’t normally drink the $100/lb. version).

Lee Zeltzer explains in a recent blog posting (Boquete Guide) that the local coffee industry is facing tough times, and it appears things will only get worse for the coffee farmers. Panama’s growth, particularly in Boquete, has pushed land prices up to the point that land is becoming too expensive for coffee farmers to operate as a profitable business. He notes, for example, that the big luxury resort, Valle Escondido, is a former coffee farm.

Lee does see a glimmer of hope however.  He says, “There is one saving grace, a small one for Boquete. We have world class coffee and we have crazy expats here who are willing to grow it at a loss. …. There are many small growers in Boquete, some have figured out how to make a business selling coffee and I have helped to develop a small online business selling coffee for some of them. The way we can maintain coffee as a business in Boquete is to help the coffee drinker realize we have the best they can buy. In addition buying our coffee helps feed the many indigenous people who live here and earn their daily bread picking coffee.”

You can read Lee’s article in full by clicking on this link:

 Boquete Coffee Information

You can also shop for and purchase coffee from Boquete using this link. Note that the prices include shipping.

 Buy Coffee from Boquete

 

Unemployment? What Unemployment?

Unemployment in Panama fell to 4.5% in August 2011, a decrease of one percentage point compared to the most recent measurement of 5.6% in March of this year. The report notes that in rural areas the unemployment rate fell from 3.9% to 2.4%, and in urban areas unemployment fell from 6.4% to 5.4%. The August 2011 unemployment rate is the lowest in at least the last four decades - the lowest in modern recorded history. And Panama's economy keeps chugging along, growing at a rate of 8.5% this year, so even more jobs are being created.  

Don Winters (Panama Guide) Comments (edited): …Panama has already reached a "practical level of zero unemployment," meaning that there are many more jobs available than there are people to fill them. These people who are currently unemployed are basically unemployable ….. Either they have little or no formal education (they didn't finish school or are functionally illiterate), they have some kind of addiction problems, or have a long criminal record. On the other hand, salaries for those people with highly sought after skill sets are quickly rising as employers face more and stiffer competition to find and retain valuable employees. A smart, educated, bilingual manager who is capable of handling almost any situation can practically name their price. The government of Panama is now scraping the bottom of the barrel so to speak, and twisting people's arms to get them to attend some kind of training class to improve their hire-ability. … Sooner or later Panama will be forced to (gently) allow foreigners to come here to work, or risk slowing the economic engine due to a lack of skilled manpower. This unemployment rate of 4.5% is  

 

The Gospel According To Matthews

 

My thought for the day.

NEVER DO ANYTHING YOU WOULD NOT WANT TO

HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO THE PARAMEDICS

 

 

A Scandal A Day Keeps….

A scandal a day keeps us from getting bored down here in Panama. Meet César Segura – who now is the most famous florist in Panama.  He recently went to the offices of the Attorney General to be interrogated in the case (scandal) of a parcel of land in Paitilla, and he left that evening in handcuffs. Land scandals are all too common here, and can get very involved and complicated. So I will try to keep this explanation simple.

Like most of the countries in this part of the world, the concept of having ‘title to your land’ is a relatively new concept. Family farms and residences, for instance, passed down from generation to generation. In many cases the land was even parceled up to accommodate the family generations. But regardless of the improvements, or houses on the land, the owners did not have title to the land (it belonged to the government), but they occupied it legally by ‘Right of Possession’ (ROP) – in the simplest cases, they had occupied it forever.

Obviously the ROP approach did not mesh very well with modern realities and created a lot of problems. Foreigners and retirees would come to Panama and buy a home and ‘discover’ later that they did not own the land. They would usually discover that when they went to sell it, and a knowledgeable prospective buyer would balk because the land was not titled. There were also many instances where some unscrupulous types would claim the homeowner had no ROP (they weren’t even Panamanian), and toss them off the land by claiming that they (the crooks) had ROP because they lived in that house when they were a kid (or some such reason).

You can also see that this ROP approach would not work for a developer or someone who wanted to build a resort or a big hotel. So the central government of Panama started exercising its power to grant public lands to private individuals or companies. If you had been occupying land and had a "right of possession" then you can apply for a title. Once you are given a title, then the land is no longer owned by the state, and is now legally and officially yours to do with as you chose.

You don’t have to be too familiar with the way things work in Panama to realize this titling process was, and is, ripe for corruption.  So the government established a new agency to manage the granting of land titles, the National Land Authority (ANATI). In recent weeks there have been two scandals involving the granting of land titles by the ANATI and specifically with Anabelle Villamonte, the woman who was in charge of the office. The case of César Segura – the now famous florist – is one of them. 

Senor Segura ceded a parcel of land worth an estimated $4 million dollars in Paitilla - free of charge. The first irregularity that attracted attention was that Villamonte personally approved the transfer in a matter of days, not the normal 3-4 months normally associated with these ANATI transactions. Then it was revealed that a group of buyers were ready to take the land off Segura’s hands due to an agreement that had been negotiated well before the titling. It really got sticky when it came to light that the lawyer who had spent months putting this real estate deal together was Senora Anabelle Villamonte herself, in her capacity as a lawyer prior to taking over as head of ANATI. The wheels totally came off the cart when questions came up about whether Segura even qualified for ROP status. And it went of a cliff when there were claims that the parcel of land was worth well in excess of the publicized $4 million and that there were people living on portions of the land that did in fact have ROP of their portion of the plot.

Like most of these big corruption cases, Segura’s position at the bottom of the pyramid in this caper makes him the ‘shmuck’ so he is in handcuffs headed to jail.  And Anabelle Villamonte?  They are starting an investigation. The chances of her doing any jail time vary from zero to ‘you gotta be kidding’.  The only thing we can be sure of is that the lid is off. There will be many more of these shady deals (which are pretty much common knowledge) that will suddenly be ‘discovered’.

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

 

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

The book is also now (finally!) available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

A great Christmas gift idea - at least I think so.

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 

 Paperback from Publisher $9.95

Kindle from Amazon $15.95

Nook from Barnes/Noble $15.95

Angels in Panama Website 

 

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

 Holiday celebrations (click on thumbnail to view photo full-size)

Holiday Season Comes Early In Panama

 

Christmas Season Has Come To David

The first of December marks the start of the Christmas season in Panama, and no where is that more evident than in the town center, Parque Cervantes. A Christmas tree appeared as if by magic before dawn on Thursday. Then all day long, and well into the evening hours there were booths, tents, display and mobile cantinas being erected all around the park. And that is just the ‘early-birds’.  There will be many more vendors and exhibitors join then over the week. Based on my observations over the last few holiday seasons, some day soon the streets will be blocked off to vehicles and the streets will be filled up with more of the same and bigger. As you can see from the picture it got busy fast off my balcony, and that is just the start.

And today (Friday, 2 Dec) the festivities started bright and early at 8:15. That is when the band parked in front of the park (and my hotel room) to entertain the early arrival spectators. It turns out that was just the band leading a long parade of bands. As I write this entry, it is 3pm in the afternoon and we have not yet gotten to the end of the band parade. There has actually been a band right outside my room for every minute of that entire time.

To really appreciate my day, you have to understand that the Panamanians appear to love noise – seem to thrive on it. It makes no difference whether you are talking about PA systems, music in a nightclub, sound on the TV, car mufflers, oh … and ‘boom boxes’ in cars – there never seems to be enough volume, and no such concept as too much volume. Add to that the concept that to have a band, you start with a drum corps, and the bigger the better! And if you can add some musical instruments that’s all the better. But if you can’t find a piccolo player or two, you just call yourself a marching band, or drum corps, and get in the parade! (Note that in this band over ½  of the members are drummers.)

The noise has been deafening every minute for hours, sometimes to the point that you cover your ears. Just turn off the stereo and/or the TV, it is impossible to think, much less hear. My maid came in my room earlier, and even standing right next to me, we were reduced to talking in some kind of sign language.

Merry Christmas. Ho..Ho..Ho! Bah..Humbug!

 

Earthquakes Make For Rude Awakenings

The night of December 1^st (actually 2am on the morning of the 2^nd), I had what I thought was a seizure of some sort.  Then when I got awake, I realized it was an earthquake. It was a fairly long duration 35-40 sec (which seems like a week), and I guessed about a 4.0 on the Richter scale.

The next morning I read where experts say it was actually 5.0 and centered 25 miles from here in the Panama/Costa Rica border area. Ironically that is almost exactly equidistant from David and Golfito,Costa Rica, my former home before I moved to David.

It really feels kind of weird when you can pretty accurately guess the strength of quakes. But knew it wasn't as strong as the one about two years ago which was a 6.4, a real attention getter!   And we just had a quake a few days ago that was 3.0, so I guess it is not all that surprising could guess pretty close.

But you must admit that is not really a talent one aspires to perfect.

 

Former Dictator Noriega Returning To Panama

France has officially notified Panama that all legal requisites have been met for Manuel Antonio Noriega to be extradited from France to Panama. As you are probably aware, Noriega was the dictator leader of Panama from 1983 until December 1989, when he was overthrown thanks to Operation Just Cause, the US invasion of Panama. Noriega spent the next twenty years in a US prison in Miami, serving sentences for drug trafficking, then he was extradited to Paris, France where he was sentenced to another seven years in prison for having laundered money from the Medellin drug cartel through French banks.

However you probably are not aware that there has been a controversy brewing in Panama about what is going to happen to Noriega when he gets back here. In Panama Noriega was tried and found ‘guilty in abstencia’ of several murders from his reign. But Panama criminal laws of Panama allow for any person older than 70 years of age (which Noriega is) to be released from prison to serve the remainder of their sentence under house arrest. This provision is not automatic. Lawyers for the inmate have to submit a formal request before a judge, and the judge has to grant the provision for house arrest.  You can imagine that housing Noriega in one of the prisons here would create some real headaches for prison officials.

But a large portion of the population does not like the idea of Noriega ‘living out the rest of his life in “the luxury of house arrest”, as his distracters often state it. And this is particularly true with the family and friends of some of the prominent folks who were murdered.

It turns out, in an effort to prepare for this possibility, the Minister of Government who is responsible for the penitentiary system, has built a special facility to hold Noriega located in El Renacer prison in Gamboa. It includes a small bedroom, private bathroom, a small kitchen, and a sitting or living room area measuring about 40 square meters (400 square feet) in size, total. They have also taken the additional step of improving the onsite medical facilities. Considering this, obviously the government of Panama can argue before the courts they have taken into account the medical and special needs of Noriega as a prisoner, and there is no reasonable justification for him to be released to house arrest.

The morning of 2 December, via Twitter, president Ricardo Martinelli said "Noriega viene a Panamá entre el 6 y 13 de diciembre. Directo a la carcel. Finalmente cerraremos ese amargo capitulo y pagará su pena aquÍ." (Noriega is coming to Panama between the 6th and 13th of December. Straight to prison. Finally we will close this bitter chapter and he will pay his sentence here.)

Sounds pretty much to me like, “Case Closed.’

 

One Million Tourists = $1 Billion Dollars - Jan to July 2011

Tourists and passengers in transit in the country spent $1.087 billion dollars in Panama during the months of January to July 2011, reflecting an increase of 12.4% more than last year, according to a report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF). The report also indicates tourists kept hotel occupancy rates at 67.5% in the period, up 1.1% from 2010, the highest rate in the last four years.

That bump in tourism affected parts of the country other that just Panama City as domestic flight passenger traffic increased 6%, with increases for all the important domestic tourist areas - Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, the Kuna Yala and Contadora.

The country had 1,113,162 visitors, 12.3% more than in 2010. And domestic cargo traffic also increased by 10%.

 

Just When You Think You Have Seen Everything:

During my Air Force years it was pretty standard, at least at all the bases that I was stationed, for the Officer’s Wives Club to hold an art auction for charity every year. My ex-wife and I were regular attendees at these events to the point that we developed ‘favorites’ of the various art houses that provided the art and conducted the auctions. I certainly don’t consider myself an art expert, but I thought I had probably ‘seen it all’ – or at least had heard of it.

 

Well this week Don Ray Williams posted an article on his blog, Chiriqui Chatter, announcing an art show upcoming at the Hotel Gran National here in David. Oh well,… ok, I thought, but then I read what it said. These framed art pieces were not done on canvas. They are painted on - ready for this? - Feathers. Yes, feathers. Take a close look at these samples.  Amazing!

You can see more at the artist's web site - www.fineartonfeathers.com

 

Talk About Traffic Problems

Monday, Nov 28th was Panamanian Independence Day, and just like in the U.S. that makes for a long holiday weekend. But in Panama City that also means 'get out of town'. It seems the entire population of the city (approx. a million people) head off to 'the interior' (as the rest of the country is referred to) to attend all the celebrations and visit families.

As you might expect that means all those folks are returning to the city towards the end of the weekend. And unlike most major cities in the U.S., there is one (ONE) highway, the Inter-American Highway that transits the country and leads you back to the city. Think that sounds like traffic? Well add this to the equation. You have to cross the canal to get back into the capitol city. And there are but two bridges that crossover the canal. Yes that means slow moving traffic and traffic jams backed way back up the Inter-American highway. 

 

Death By Man-Hole Cover?

A missing manhole cover nearly caused the death of a woman this week when she fell deep into a sewer. The woman was walking along the sidewalk in Panama City about 1AM in an area with poor lighting and fell into an uncovered manhole into a hole 15’ deep. It took Firefighters 20 minutes to get her out of the hole using a tripod retrieval system. She landed in a sitting position which seriously damaged her hip and had to be taken to the hospital for medical attention.

Don Winter (Panama Guide) explains: The crack-heads in Panama steal anything made out of metal to sell to the companies that recycle metal for money. These companies are not supposed to accept things like manhole covers, but they do anyway. The Panamanian authorities were supposed to be going to new plastic composite material manhole covers to remove the incentive to steal them, but obviously this hasn’t been done yet.

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price paperback from the publisher.

The book is also now (finally!) available in e-book form as well from both Amazon (for the Kindle) and Barnes & Noble (the Nook).   

 

The links below are for the various formats of my book. I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

Paperback from Publisher $9.95 

Kindle Version - Amazon $15.95 

Nook from Barnes/Noble $15.95

'Angesl in Panama' Website

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

Click on the thumbnails to view photos full-size

 

 

The Joys of Modern Day Travel

 

 

A Tale Of Travel Trials and Tribulations

I have been sort of a travel vagabond for the last four and a half years, living in Central America most of the year. I spent the first seven months in Costa Rica and the remaining months in David, Panama. During that time I have traveled back to North Carolina to visit family, friends (and my doctor) twice a year – in the spring when it warms up and again in the late fall before the cold weather arrives.

During this period I have also traveled to a number of countries including Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and a laundry list of Caribbean island locations as a passenger on about a half dozen cruises. In addition, in the past both Costa Rica and Panama required people in their countries on tourists visa to exit the country every 90 days, which necessitated a trip to the Costa Rica/Panama border and processing in and out of the two countries’ border immigration offices. (Panama recently changed their requirement to 180 days, Phew!)

I also traveled extensively during my Air Force career, including a two-year tour with the Air Force IG.  As the team chief of a traveling inspection group, I averaged traveling over 220 days of the year all over the world. Those experiences taught me that, if you did enough of it, travel was not fun! And those experiences were before 9-11 and the resultant security measures and the major changes in the travel industry that have evolved over the years.

My point in providing this history is that I thought I was a pretty seasoned traveler – had seen it all. I had become numbed to changing requirements, new regulations, different processes and new travel related discomforts administered by hordes of different officials in various colored uniforms, speaking various languages and often flavored with individual idiosyncrasies based seemingly on what mood that official was in at the moment. But my recent trip back to the U.S. made me realize that just about the time you think you have the system figured out, some sadistic element, either human or natural,  will interject a new trauma and, in this case, roll them all into one trip. 

First Stop – North Carolina

My journey starts with a hop on an Air Panama regional flight to San Jose, Costa Rica were I catch a non-stop to Charlotte on U.S. Air. This is the first hold-your-breath hurdle because the Air Panama flight is the only flight to San Jose and it only goes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. In short, if that flight does not go today, you have to reschedule the U.S. Air flight, a $200 rescheduling cost right up front. Luckily, it went as scheduled.  So far so good!

(Admittedly I do have to survive the ‘price shock’ every time I spend the night in San Jose. Prices have almost doubled in the four years I have been going through there (as they have in Golfito where I lived in Costa Rica).  Come on - $130/night Holiday Inn Express and $13 breakfasts at Denny’s!)

Arriving in Charlotte I got my ‘normal’ greeting from U.S. Customs and Immigration – a grilling! I don’t know if it is my age, the fact that I am traveling alone, or a fit some profile or it’s just my charming good looks, but I watch people ahead of me being literally waived through and then when it is my turn, we play 20 questions. I play along until they get to the question, “What are you going to do in the States?” (normally that is Question #5). I repeat the question as if I am confused and then say, “Whatever we Americans do.” This usually gets a smile and a ‘Welcome back.” (When asked what I do in Panama, I wanted to say, “I broke up with my fiancé. Just put her on the school bus and left the country.”  But I bit my tongue and kept quiet, responding only that I was retired.)

I had been monitoring the weather in Charlotte for several weeks and liked the 75-80 degree weather they were experiencing since my body has become acclimatized to constant 80 degree weather.  I was not prepared for landing in Charlotte on a dark, drizzly and windy Saturday night about 7PM, met by 55 degree weather.  My son noted cheerfully, not to worry, that it was forecast to be sunny and back up to 80 the next day, perfect for us to enjoy the tickets he had procured for the Charlotte Panthers football game. Wow, back in the USA and ‘Hello NFL’ all in just 24 hours!

Sunday did dawn warm and sunny and we had a great time in a downtown office building parking lot near the stadium that becomes a great tail-gate party site on game day Sundays. However, in the 2^nd quarter of the game it suddenly clouded up and it rained. No, it RAINED like I have never seen it rain and that observation comes from someone who has weathered typhoon storms in Asia, hurricanes in the Caribbean and tropical forest downpours in Latin America. One report on Monday reported eight inches of rain in an hour and twenty minutes. They had pictures on CNN World Weather News the next few days of the water cascading down from the stands that looked like Niagara Falls. We also managed to prove conclusively that modern football stadiums are not designed for everyone seated in the stadium to collect undercover in the vending and restroom areas.

When we finally got back to my rental car in the parking lot, we discovered a dead battery. Sure, I know, just call this 800 number the rental car company provides and they come and rescue you. Yeah, right – they will charge right into a post-game traffic grid-locked downtown, in a section that is about four blocks square made up of small un-named parking lots that all look alike. Luckily, we got a jump start and topped off our wonderful afternoon with a two hour side trip to the airport to swap cars. The agent at the rental counter was very helpful, but I was not too happy to hear him ask his co-worker, “I thought they said they fixed the electrical problem on that red Honda?” Grrr!

I should also mention that I normally make my fall trip to the U.S. for the month of September since I am trying to avoid any semblance of cold weather. This year I delayed it until October at my daughters’ request. They wanted me to celebrate my birthday in Kansas City this year. So I had resigned myself to the fact that I would probably get a taste of cold weather before I escaped back to Panama. I did not expect a cold snap to hit in the first days of my visit.

Monday morning found me in various department stores. I needed a pair of jeans (summer-weight slacks didn’t work), some sneakers (socks with sandals weren’t working either), a sweatshirt and a jacket. For the next three weeks, in both Charlotte and Wilmington, I walked around wrapped up like an Eskimo while people dressed in T-shirts and cut-offs tried to explain to me that a windy 50-60 degrees wasn’t really that cold. I, on the other hand, tried to explain to them that those readings were roughly the temperature settings for the beer coolers in Panama. 

On To Kansas City

 After three weeks spent splitting my time between family and friends in both Charlotte and Wilmington, it was now on to Kansas City. Even though I had never flown with them before, I booked flights with Air Trans based on a combination of price, departure time from Charlotte and arrival time in Kansas City. Even though I was born and raised in K.C. and am generally familiar with the area’s layout, I have not spent much time there since I left to go in the Air Force a couple of centuries ago. So I wanted to time my arrival to keep me out of rush hour traffic. In addition, I wanted to be searching for my hotel while it was still daylight.

The first flight took me to Detroit on time and on schedule. I had intentionally passed up a booking that only gave me 50 minutes to change planes, and had opted for a two hour layover, trying to reduce the stress level involved with worrying about the flight being delayed and missing the connecting flight. Well it was the connecting flight that was late, so the two hour layover became three and a half hours. That delay put me into K.C. so that I caught the tail end of the rush hour and it turned dark before I found my hotel.  Good plan, Matthews. 

Getting to Fort Lauderdale

My flight from Kansas City to Fort Lauderdale (to catch my cruise) was also my first time on Southwest Airlines. It was actually two flights, but on the same aircraft, so at the stop in Atlanta I did not have to deplane, so that sounded good. I also paid $10 extra for preferred boarding since Southwest does not assign seats. Good plan, right?

On departure day I got a early hint that this was not going to be ‘my day’ when I came out of the hotel to find the car covered with a sheet of frost - just enough frost that I had to sit and warm up the car enough to clear the windshield. I had not figured on road crews working on the interstate before 8AM or a backup at the rental car return. I still arrived in plenty of time to make the flight, but into my normal ‘stress reduction’ time pad. But then there was TSA.

In addition to Immigration and Customs officers, I seem to be a favorite of TSA people as well. So as I exited the X-ray machine and started to the conveyor belt to retrieve my personal belongings, an officer directed me instead off to the side and positioned me with my feet on the markings on the floor with directions to stand with my hands at my sides. He would be “with me in a moment”. I could then hear him behind me talking to other passengers. A lady, all decked out in the ‘military dictator’ uniforms the TSA now wears, parked herself about three feet in front of me with instructions to look at her. We then started a ‘stare down” – I guess they read in a book that is how the Israeli security people profile. I guess I was supposed to look anxious or furtive, but I was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

I heard the agent behind me say that he was coming over to take care of me, so I said to her, “Do you know who you look like?” Her response was a snarled, “No talking.” No talking? Which gulag is this? So as the guy walked up and dismissed her, I told her anyway, “Tina Turner.” (Which was true).  She snapped, “I think Tina Turner is ugly.” I couldn’t resist. I answered, “So do I.”  If looks could kill!

Anyway, when I got to the gate I discovered that my early boarding purchase was a waste of money. Even though it was about 45 minutes before departure time the aircraft was already about half loaded. I ended up in a middle seat, which was what I was trying to avoid. To make matters worse, the aisle and the window seats where occupied by a couple traveling together, but neither likes the middle seat. So they talked across me for the entire flight. And as usual, if there is one person on the flight who is going to recline his seat back, he will be (and was) sitting in front of me!

The good news is that most of the people on the flight got off in Atlanta, so I got my seat of choice for the flight on to Fort Lauderdale. I parked in the aisle seat at the front bulkhead where I had plenty of legroom and no seat in front of me to recline. Phew! My celebration did not last long. Shortly after a fellow took the window seat, the stewardess asked us to save the center seat for one of ‘her passengers’. That is when the bad news got delivered. You have heard the stories of people so large that the airlines require them to buy two seats. This guy should have had to buy three seats. I really didn’t think he could get in the seat, but he did. But he oozed out under the armrests taking up half of my seat. The guy at the window raised so much hell, they found him another seat. They did it by exchanging seats with the fat guy’s wife who was approximately the same size. I decided rather than raise a stink, I would put up with it for the 45 minute flight, but vowed never to fly Southwest again, Which I won’t!

 At this point I want to interject that the airlines need to get a handle on the carry-on baggage thing. It has gotten totally out of hand. I read only later that the primary reason that people pay a premium to board early is not for seat selection, but to insure overhead bin space. And many of the bags people carry on (or more precisely roll-on) will not fit in those sizing models on display out in the airport. Many people get onboard rolling a suitcase, carrying a computer bag and often with a big shopping bag of some kind. There are people who can not get there collection of baggage down the aisle. For example, there was a trio of people traveling together, sitting across the aisle from me on the flight to Atlanta, that had nine bags between them. I am certain that on both the Southwest flights there was more baggage in the passenger cabin than there was in the cargo hold. I can not believe all that junk in the cabin doesn’t present a safety problem in case of emergency. I think Spirit Air has the right idea in charging for carry-on bags.

On To The Cruise

I have reported previously on the ‘cruise turned nightmare’ that my Carnival experience turned out to be, so I won’t put you through that again. If you missed it, scroll down to the 9 November posting, ‘Cruising Can Be Dangerous.’ In short, I was not going to be getting off when the ship made a stop in Colon, Panama because a hurricane was causing us to re-route. I was going back to Fort Lauderdale like it or not.

I should mention that changing travel arrangements while you are on a cruise liner is neither easy nor inexpensive. The Wi-Fi internet connection on ships is extremely slow and the cost on Carnival was $.75 a minute. By the time I researched available flights to Panama, made reservations, paid for them, printed out confirmations and boarding passes, made hotel reservations in Panama, changed my flight from Panama City to David, etc., I had close to $100 in internet costs alone.

The best flight arrangements I could find where out of Miami, so I had to also make bus reservations to get from the port in Fort Lauderdale to the Miami airport. I was able to make those arrangements with the customer service on the ship. The only problem was that the bus expeditor out on the ramp did not have me on the list. Luckily I had my receipt and she accepted that. Phew.

 

Now to Miami

I had intentionally booked a mid-afternoon departure from Miami, again to reduce the ulcer factor, so we arrived at the airport well before I had to be there. And, these bus companies that routinely operate from the cruise ships to the airport have it down to a science.

The bus driver explained the system as we pulled into the airport complex. About a dozen of those on board where going to depart on American Airlines, which would be the first stop. The rest of us, half a dozen people, were going either on Copa Airlines or United which would be the second stop.  He asked that everyone stay on board when he made the first stop. He would pull all the baggage out and then call the American passengers off. He would then reload the remaining bags and we would proceed to the next (and last stop). It went like clock work except that my bag was not there when we stopped at stop #2. Oops! Although he was certain that there were no bags left at stop #1, I was equally sure that my bag was on the bus initially. So off we go to search for my missing bag.

Like every airport on earth, every thing is one-way, so our travel back to the American gate required winding around and exiting the airport and then re-entering. The entire trip probably only took 15-20 minutes, but it seemed like days. I tried to figure out how my missing bag would ever find its way from Miami to David, Panama. Not likely, I decided. And I am trying to stay optimistic while simultaneously making a mental inventory of what is in the bag. When we pull up to the American entrance, no bag! About the time my heart had sunk I realized, although the driver did not agree, that is not where we stopped, it was on further up. Sure enough, there the bag was lying on its side at the curb. Why no security alarms went off with an unattended bag sitting around, I do not know.

My trip through Customs and Immigration was uneventful and the only other excitement in Miami was when we boarded the airplane. The loading ramp that leads onto the airplane was suddenly full of police both in uniform and plain clothes, other officers with DEA vests on and two drug dogs. They waived some folks by and stopped others. I can’t believe I wasn’t on their profile. Kind of felt left out. “Hey, what about me?” 

¡Bienvenido a Panamá!

The flight on Copa Airlines was uneventful and mercifully short (a little over two hours). But the fun started anew when we arrived at Tocumen International in Panama City. For starters, it was raining, and the airport doesn’t have the walk-on ramps common in U.S. airports. There was an agent at the bottom of the aircraft stairs holding an umbrella over your head as you stepped on to the bus. But you had already walked down the stairs in the rain. And then there was customs and immigration!

I don’t know whether it was because it was a Sunday night or whether the monstrous backup at the immigration stations is common (I usually return into San Jose, Costa Rica). There were four lines and they were so long you could not see the immigration stations even though they were straight ahead. And, to put it mildly, immigration officials here do not have a record of being fast or efficient. Forever, is not a philosophical concept.

By the time I worked my way through immigration, baggage claim and the agricultural station I was in the airport almost as long as I was on the flight down. And then I find that there is some kind of dispute going on between the airport and taxi companies. The result is that taxis that bring people out to the airport from the city can not (legally) pick up arriving passengers destined for the city. Only ‘airport taxis’ can haul arrivals – and they are in short supply, at least on a Sunday night. So a cottage industry has sprung up – the airport taxi expeditors ‘farm out’ passengers to private auto operators. The driver was friendly, understod my 'Spanglish', and had a nice car, but it was not a taxi and he was not a taxi driver. The expeditor gives you a card with his name and employee number on it to ally in concerns you have about this arrangement.

The ride to my airport downtown was as uneventful as can be expected when you travel down a unlighted freeway on a dark rainy night and about every 4^th car you overtake has no (NO) tail-lights. I was wound up like a clock spring by the time I got to the hotel. My mood did not improve any when I got to the bar downstairs and discovered that my Cowboys were trailing the hated Philadelphia Eagles by 21 points and it was still the first quarter. Grr….

The next morning I hailed a cab early so I did not have to worry about getting to the airport on time, but my cabbie decided to jump off the main drag when traffic backed up. I noticed that he locked the taxi’s doors as we turned off, and I soon saw why. In my years in Asia I thought I had seen all the world had to show in terms of slums and squalor. Wrong! I now know where the hose goes when someone decides to give the world an enema. It almost defies description. And was not comforting that every block or so the driver assured me he could some more police up ahead. He also ignored each and every stop sign if there were people standing at the intersection - just honked his horn and kept going.

I did finally make it to Albrook, the regional airport to take my 45 minute hop back to David. When you enter the airport, you turn left to go into the Air Panama section or right for Aeroplas Airlines. But, what’s going on here? They are doing a big remodeling so both airlines’ ticket counters, baggage and departure gates are now crammed into the right side. Which was nothing more than a little crowded and confusing, except at the boarding area.

Normally the agent just steps to the front of the boarding area and announces that flight number so-and-so is now boarding for David (or where ever) and you just walk out to the airplane, give the agent at the bottom of the stairs your boarding pass and climb on. But with both airlines boarding from the same area, some genius decided it was necessary to have a roll call each time a flight was ready to board – reading off the names of, and accounting for, every passenger.  Since my flight was almost two hours late departing, I got to see this exercise many times.

What I did not realize until my flight was called (finally) was that the airlines had consolidated operations inside the terminal, but not on the ramp – aircraft parking areas were still the same. So my aircraft was about a 100 yard walk down to the other end of the ramp. And, yes, it started sprinkling as we walked.

¡Bienvenido a David!

The flight to David, other than being late, was uneventful – at least till we got there. It was not sprinkling – it was raining. The agents did meet us at the bottom of the aircraft stairs and gave each of us an umbrella for out walk to the terminal building.

And, there was a taxi available outside the terminal to take me to the hotel - a short 15 minute ride. Well it would have been if the taxi had not had a flat tire just as we left the airport grounds. I hailed a passing taxi, but then taxi driver #1 decided I should pay him for the portion of the trip we had made. Needless to say I did not agree so, after a short discussion I suggested he just sue me and gave him my card. That seemed to satisfy him, but I will bet he was not happy if he called that phone number on the card and discovered that Jorge Edgars is not a gringo tourist, but was a taxi expeditor at Tocumen Airport and had not been in David in months.

In Summary 

I am seriously considering never leaving town again. And I have decided that experience is not a good teacher as it only reminds you how things use to be. I have been home for three weeks and have still not finished unpacking. I may not because I may not need that suitcase again. Well, not until April anyway.

Larry Matthews

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price from the publisher. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble are in the process of making it available in e-book form as well. I will update you when it all gets sorted out.

 

The link below is for the paperback version of my book from Publish America (the publisher) I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 

Paperback from the Publisher $9.95 

'Angels in Panama' Web Site

 

Till Next Time. Pura Vida.

 

 

Tough Times In Panama!

 

First – The Good News

The Government of Panama has pledged to improve the educational systems here in Panama.  This appears to be one of the first steps, a measure as it is sure to help out as it targets where it is needed most, the kids.

The acquisition of laptops computers is a just-announced government initiative called “Provision of Educational Laptops to Students – Spreading the Technology.” The Ministry of Education has issued a tender for the purchase of 93,500 laptops at an estimated cost of 23.3 million dollars.

 

‘Wild Bill’ In The News Again!

William Dathan Holbert, alias "Wild Bill", was taken from the prison in the city of David to the province of Bocas del Toro, to participate in the reconstruction of the five murders he has confessed to committing. The reconstruction will be conducted in different parts of the province of Bocas del Toro, and will last several days. Holbert's girlfriend, Laura Michelle Reese, will not participate in the reconstruction. She is imprisoned in the Women's Rehabilitation Centre in Panama City.

"Wild Bill" has confessed to the murders of two American citizens, Cheryl Lynn Hughes and Bo Icelar, as well as Mike Brown, Brown's wife Manchittha "Nan" Nankratoke, and his teenage son Watson. Panamanian authorities also suspect the alleged serial killer might also be involved in the disappearance of two indigenous Panamanians, a mother and son, who worked for the fugitive.

Don Winter (Panama Guide) explains, specifically ‘reconstruction’. (Comments edited)

It's common, normal, routine, and simply part of the process for the Panamanian judicial authorities to conduct this kind of a "reconstruction" of the events. In this case they have a serial killer who has confessed to all five murders. They will take him to the locations where the killings occurred and do a sort of "walk through" of the events. Everything is video taped and photographed. The prosecutor will lead the show, step by step, based on Holbert's confession as well as the rest of the details they have been able to obtain and verify as a result of their investigations.

And this is why Holbert will now have some serious problems, and it also explains why Laura Michelle Reese will not be participating. During all of these reconstruction events - apart from going through all of the details of all five murders - the prosecutors will be asking the relatively simple question "and where was Laura Michelle Reese at this moment in time?"

Taking The Fall: As soon as they were arrested Holbert confessed to the murders in an attempt to take the rap completely upon himself, in an attempt to get Laura Michelle Reese freed, and to have the charges against her dropped. …. In fact, Laura Michelle Reese was basically at his side through all of these murders - those in Panama as well as the murder of Jeff Kline in Costa Rica. .. And of course that explains why Laura Michelle Reese continues to refuse to participate in this kind of a reconstruction of the events.

Holbert will now try to continue his ongoing line .. however his version of the events as they occurred on the ground at the time won't line up anytime Laura Michelle Reese is involved. …. he will be lying. The authorities already know this and they are anticipating his responses, and I suspect they will set him up in such a way as to allow him to pull the chain on his own toilet bowl.

The fact that Holbert is participating in this reconstruction at all is a bit surprising. He had refused earlier, and the prosecution can't make him participate if he doesn't want to cooperate. For some reason he changed his mind. And I suspect, as usual, he thinks he's smart enough to out wit and out smart all of the detectives and investigators. .. He's probably wrong on that front, but so what? At this point he has not other choice but to keep lying, right?   

 

The Drug War Moves To Central America

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — While Mexico’s bloody war against the drug cartels is making headlines worldwide, there is a little-known fact that is sounding alarm bells among U.S. and Latin American officials: Central America’s drug-related violence is becoming worse than Mexico’s.

Even Costa Rica, a country known as “the Switzerland of Latin America” for being an island of peace and prosperity in its region, is feeling anxious about the rising tide of drug-related murders.

Crime has suddenly become the No. 1 concern among Costa Ricans. Despite the fact that Costa Rica was proclaimed by a recent global poll as the country with the happiest people on earth —something that almost everyone here reminds visitors with a mixture of pride and self-depreciating humor — there is nervousness in paradise.

The average homicide rate of the five Central American countries is 43 people per 100,000 inhabitants a year, more than twice that of Mexico. Honduras and El Salvador have the highest murder rates in the world, according to a new United Nations Global

Study on Homicide: Last year, the homicide rate in Honduras was 82 people per 100,000 inhabitants, in El Salvador 66, in Guatemala 41, and in Costa Rica 11. By comparison, the homicide rate in Mexico was 18, and five in the United States, the U.N. study said.

Much of the rise in Costa Rica’s murder rate is due to fights among drug traffickers, according to officials. But if what happened in Colombia and Mexico is any indication of what may happen next in Costa Rica, drug traffickers will soon start trying to extort government officials, and murdering those who don’t accept their money

U.S. officials say Costa Rica, like other drug transit countries, has good reasons to be alarmed. Ninety-five percent of all cocaine reaching the United States is currently passing through Central America, they say. And no country that is used as a transit point can escape an escalation of the drug cartel’s operations, they added.

Many people do not realize the 'drug transit' countries become drug consuming countries for the simple reason that drug traffickers pay their contacts with cocaine or heroin, rather than with cash. And their local contacts later sell these drugs at home.

The drug cartels’ move from Mexico to Central America (when the heat got turned up) suggests that, despite some successes, the decades-old U.S. anti-drug strategy may not be working. After the U.S.-backed plan help push drug operations out of Colombia, the drug cartels fled to Mexico. Now, after the U.S.-backed Plan Merida (that concentrated on Mexico), they are moving into Central America. And it is becoming a significant problem in Panama. Next stop… best guess, Caribbean countries? (Note: Statistics and overview provided by The Panama Perspective.)

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price from the publisher. Both Amazon and Barnes & Noble are in the process of making it available in e-book form as well. I will update you when it all gets sorted out.

The link below is for the paperback version of my book from Publish America (the publisher) I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 

Paperback from Publisher $9.95 

Angels in Panama Website 

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

click on thumbnails to view full size pics

  

 

 

Thanksgiving in Panama?

Click on thumbnails to see full size photos 

Thanksgiving - A Special Day in Panama

Thanksgiving celebrations are taking place throughout Panama. This United States tradition is perhaps the most widely accepted North American holiday in Panama, where this special day is embraced and celebrated by many in Panamanian society.

Many restaurants have extensive Thanksgiving menus and advertise heavily. Diners discover that there are many options when it comes time to enjoy turkey and gravy on Thanksgiving Day.

 

It Is Still The Rainy Season

The National Civil Protection System of Panama (Sinaproc) Friday declared "emergency zones" in several parts of the country due to floods caused by heavy rains. Authorities estimate that 400 people were affected by the floods that have affected nearly 150 homes, where the waters have reached one meter deep.

Last week, another rainstorm hit the Atlantic province of Colon, where floods have affected hundreds of homes and prevented the normal movement of goods valued at $75 million dollars through the Colon Free Trade Zone.  

This week I traveled by car up the Inter-American highway to the border. The bridge that was washed out by floods in October will be a long time being repaired. The four lanes of traffic become two lanes to cross the remaining (eastbound) span.  As I suspected, that is the same span that was washed out and closed for the first three years I was down here.

 

Jane Goodall In Panama

Dr. Jane Goodall, the famous naturalist, presented her documentary, “Jane’s Journey”, at the Ateneo Theater in the Ciudad Del Saber in Panama City this week.

Jane travels 300 days a year to give lectures around the world. She has spent more than fifty years observing chimpanzees in their natural habitat, which means she has developed the world’s longest field research on any wild species. The film is gaining attention and has aroused the interest of the Bill Gates Foundation and the World Bank in the struggle for sustainable development in communities through the program Roots & Shoots, promoted by the Jane Goodall Institute based in 27 countries.

While in Panama, Dr. Goodall spent some days with the Indians who inhabit the Mamoni Natural Heritage and Water Reserve, with young volunteers from the Earth Train Foundation 

 

What Is The Earth Train Foundation?

The Earth Train Foundation (mentioned above) is trying to save the ecosystem.  Earth Train’s principal effort in Panama has been founding the 10,000 acre Mamoni Valley Preserve and training future environmental leaders and guides.

How serious is the deforestation problem in Panama? Consider these facts:

Panama Jungle Facts

- 50 years ago, primary forest covered 70% of the country

- In the last half of the 20th century Panama lost half of its remaining forests —about 5.4 million acres.

- The provinces of Los Santos and Herrera on the Azuero Peninsula are almost entirely deforested and some parts are classified as desert.

- Panama had the 9th worst deforestation rate of primary forests in the world between 2000 and 2005.

- Panama loses more than 1% of its primary forest each year.

 

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

Panama as a country came to a screeching halt last week because of a fight - the Panamanians are rabid boxing fans. Manny Pacquiao (a Filipino) was defending his WBO Welterweight title on a world-wide telecast against a Mexican national, Juan Manuel Marquez.

After the fight, which was broadcast world-wide, a 'tweet' was sent to the winning fighter, Manny Pacquiao, from Panama President Martinelli's Twitter account. He congratulated Pacquiao for "having left the name of Panama on high", seemingly unaware of the fact that the athlete is Filipino and not Panamanian.

It was later confirmed by the Minister of the Presidency that the woman hired to handle president Ricardo Martinelli's Twitter account was fired and that Martinelli  would now handle his account personally.  An inside source confirmed that the account of the president on this network, was administered by Amanda Lucci, a journalist and the former Director of RCM News.

After seeing her picture I am considering having Ms Lucci handle my Twitter account (What - I don't have one?). But I am sure she will find a new position in the journalism field, though presumably not in the sports broadcasting business.

 

It's Not A Bus Or A Boat?

It's an Aquabus: The more than two million visitors arriving in Panama each year know that they can expect to find many land, sea and air species but few expect to find an amphibious vehicle. Aquabus City Tour is a new way to explore the evolution of the city with a tour by land and sea without having to change the means of locomotion. The Aquabus is an amphibious vehicle inspired by the old U.S. Army model, the DUKW, originally designed to carry troops and ammunition to places where there were no docks. Over time, these vehicles were purchased by tour operators to streamline their routes.

The Aquabus has a capacity of 46 people, a top speed of 8 to 10 knots and maneuvers between 150 and 200 meters from the coastline. The tours will last two hours and participants will be able to appreciate the evolution of the old colonial city to the modern metropolis from a different point of view. The Aquabus enters the water on Avenida Balboa for a trip on the Bay and returns to the same spot. It again takes to the water at the Playita in Amador and sails to the entrance of the Canal, giving its passengers a unique view of transiting ships.

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

My book is still available at a reasonable price from the publisher. Both Amazon and Noble are in the process of making it available in ebook form as well. I will update you when it all gets sorted out.

 

The link below is for the paperback version of my book from Publish America (the publisher) I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

 

  Paperback from Publisher $9.95 

 Angels in Panama Website

  

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

 Click on thumbnails to see full size photo

 

 

 

Panama's Patriotic Month of November

 

Free 30 Day Insurance for Tourists

Panama gives free health insurance for 30 days to all who enter the country through Tocumen International Airport. Cards promoting this benefit are available at the airport. But carrying the card is not necessary to collect on the policy to cover medical expenses for accidents that occur while in national territory.

Visitors to the country who have a medical emergency must simply show the entrance stamp on their passport to the hospital staff and the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) will cover the cost through a blanket policy provided through Generali Insurance.

Through this effort, Panama expects to capture a greater percentage of the tourism market by making visitors to our country feel safer through providing this free value-added service.

 

 National Symbols of Panama

November is the month for patriotism – marching bands, sounds of trumpets, sounds of bugles the beat of drums calling a note of national pride, paying homage to the Flag, the Coat of Arms and the National Anthem – the symbols of sovereignty!

Panama’s National Flag was designed during the revolutionary break-away from Colombia on November 1, 1903 by Manuel E. Amador, son of the first President, Manuel Amador Guerrero of the newly formed clandestine government. Amador’s wife and her cousins sewed Panama's colors behind closed doors and windows.

White represents peace, the stars blue for the then Conservative party and the red for the Liberals. The flag was first paraded through Panama City on Tuesday, November 3 in 1903 by Alejandro de la Guardia, demonstrating independence from Colombia.

The original design was changed in 1904 to that we see today which was again ratified by the General Assembly in 1925 and again in 1941.

The Coat of Arms: Nine stars represent the country’s nine provinces, a saber and rifle represent defense, and a pick and shovel represent labor. In the center is the Isthmus with its two seas, its skies and its moon with the sun behind the hills representing the evening time (6:00 p.m.) when Panama separated from Colombia. Below the cornucopia represents wealth. Beside it is the wheel of progress. Panama’s national bird, the Harpy eagle, surmounts the shield, a banner in its beak bearing the words “Pro mundo beneficio” (“For the benefit of the world”).

The National Anthem was written by Jeronimo de la Ossa with the accompanying music by Santos Jorge Amatriáin. It has an interesting history going back to 1889, some 14 years before Panama’s Declaration of Independence, when Amatrian arrived from Spain to orchestrate the Cathedral’s music of the Church; Eight years later an anthem entitled “The Patriotic Hymn of the Isthmus” (Himno Patriotico del Istmo) was written. Intended originally as a school hymn, it was picked up by the entire population.

In 1903 when the first US Ambassador to Panama, William I. Buchanan, presented his credentials there was no formal anthem, as protocol. So by request of de la Ossa, the Patriotic Anthem was used and thus became the National Anthem.

 

Pirate Lore Galore on Panama’s Coasts

Panama has said “Ahoy matey!” in international headlines this year with the exciting discoveries of shipwrecks believed to belong to some of the most infamous pirates in all of history.

In August 2011, Captain Henry Morgan’s sunken fleet may have been found here in Panama. The hunch that the famous British privateer’s ships would be discovered here increased this year when six 17th century iron cannons turned up near the mouth of the Chagres River on the Caribbean side.

Now, a team of underwater archeologists is studying the similarities between the designs of Morgans’ fleet and the five sunken vessels. Already identified is the section of a hull that is probably Morgan’s old flagship, called Satisfaction.

And in October 2011, an American treasure hunter claims to have discovered ships belonging to Sir Francis Drake right in Portobelo Bay, on Panama's Caribbean coast. Pat Croce, a salvager and owner of a pirate museum in Florida, believes he has discovered two ships belonging to famous sailor and adventurer Sir Francis Drake.

A team of divers discovered the remains of two 16th century ships which had lain undiscovered for 400 years. Croce now hopes his team will find the body of Drake, who was buried at sea in his suit of armor and in a lead coffin. The two ships, believed to be the Elizabeth and Delight, were apparently sunk by their crews to prevent them getting in the hands of the Spanish enemy after Drake died.

Speaking from his St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum in Florida, Croce said the discovery would be a "dream come true".

 

 

My Book – ‘Angels in Panama’

Judy Brown from Texas sent me a nice review of my book. She also included this picture with is most appreciated and very clever. Thanks again Judy.

 

The link below is for the paperback version of my book from Publish America (the publisher) I have also included a link to my website where you can read excerpts of ‘Angels in Panama’ if you want.

Paperback from Publisher $9.95 

Angels in Panama Web Site

 

 

A Refresher - A Busy Month In Panama

As I reported before, in November it seems as if there is a holiday, celebration or festival every day in Panama. I have listed below some of the major events. There is also a collection of local and regional celebrations.

November 1 - Children’s Day

November 2 - All Souls’ Day ( No Alcohol sales)

November 3 – Parade, Anniversary of Separation from Colombia

November 4 – Parade, Flag Day

November 5 - Colon Day

November 10 - Anniversary of the First Call for Independence from Spain

November 28  - Really BIG parade, Anniversary of Independence from Spain

Then the really big celebration is soon to follow - Mother’s Day, December 8. A major holiday in Panama.

Below is a sampling of photos of the holiday festivities to date:

 

 

Till Next Time.  Pura Vida

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Cruising Can Be Dangerous!

 

The Carnival Experience

My Experience on Carnival Cruise Line’s ‘Freedom’

 For the past four years I have used Royal Caribbean’s repositioning cruises as a travel mode in my semi-annual visits back the U.S. In the fall the ship would leave its operating port in Colon (Panama) and take a leisurely eight-day path to Fort Lauderdale, with one-day stops in Limon, Costa Rica; two ports in Colombia, and Aruba.  In the spring the itinerary would be the reverse ending up in Colon. Since many travelers cannot warm to the idea of not returning to the port they departed from, the fares were cut-rate, making the cruises even more desirable. I was in ‘travel heaven’ and became ‘cruise addicted’.

Last fall Royal Caribbean changed their schedule and no longer repositioned the ship to Fort Lauderdale so I lost my discovered gem. I started searching for alternative cruise options because I had been bitten by the cruise-bug. Turns out I would have been better off if I had gotten bit by a snake. Read on!

I found a cruise on Carnival’s ‘Freedom’ out of Fort Lauderdale that, although it did not terminate in Colon, stopped there on day #6 of its eight-day itinerary. I confirmed with Carnival that I could get off at the Colon stop. And even though I had to pay for the entire cruise, it still was relatively inexpensive. I was not excited about the two interim stops (Cozumel, Mexico and Limon, Costa Rica) since I had visited both places previously and didn’t think either warranted a return visit.  But, al least it got me back to Colon by cruise.

Throughout this discussion I am going to make comparisons based on my Royal Caribbean experiences both to provide a frame of reference and to give you a feel for what my expectations where. If nothing else my experiences prove conclusively that all lines do not operate exactly the same.

The first shock was when I arrived at the departure terminal in Fort Lauderdale. I realize now that Royal Caribbean has passenger processing, both boarding and departing the ship, down to a science, the epitome of efficiency. The last time I sailed on RCCL it took me less than twenty-five minutes to go from my cab at the street to my stateroom. In Carnival’s case it was, by comparison, like they had never done this boarding processing before. One long seemingly unmoving line after another, and the right-hand and the left-hand didn’t seem to even speak the same language. A line to show your cruise documents, to the line to check passports, then to the security checkpoints, and finally to the check-in where they ran your credit card and gave you your room key that doubles as your on-board charge card. Although the room keys were made up in advance, the clerks could not seem to find them until endless searches in various places.

Security checkpoint? Can you imagine what your local airport would look like if there were only three security screening lines TOTAL in the entire airport. Think about it, 3,500 people are going to go through three checkpoints to get on this ship.  And then there was a long walk up a steep ramp to the 4^th deck to board (A security guy ‘explained’ when I asked why we didn't just walked straight on to the first deck that it would cause a back-up waiting on elevators. What?) It was exactly two hours and forty minutes from street to stateroom! Welcome aboard.

The first thing I noticed as I walked around trying to familiarize myself with the ship’s layout was that in most of the common areas you could not see out. I actually got a feeling of claustrophobia, especially after the ship got underway and there was some slight movement. I don’t know whether RCCL’s comparatively open architecture is a reflection of intentional design choices or a difference in design evolution over a period of time. But, it is something I did not get over.  I noticed it several times a day.

The people who designed the boarding processing must have also had a hand in laying out the buffet lines on board. My God! By comparison, on RCCL there are separate stations (lines) at the breakfast buffet for the cereals and fruit, another for pastries and yogurt, coffee and other drinks over there, cooked to order omelets here, and a separate big circular area with all kinds of hot dishes. But on Carnival even if you just want a glass of orange juice and a pastry - guess what – you stand in line with everyone else in that part of the Caribbean.  And, there is only one station (not 5 or 6 spread around) to get a cup of coffee. And did you know there are an alarming number of people who drink cream and sugar in there coffee who would never think to take the condiments with them and fix there coffee someplace other than in front of the only coffee dispenser this side of Florida?  Grrrr!

As an aside, sometimes bureaucracies are funny without intending to be. About six months ago Carnival made a big deal out of changing their smoking policies. There would no longer be a designated smoking area in all the bars and night clubs. Only certain bars would now have a smoking area. Well guess what one of the ‘new’ non-smoking bars turns out to be?  Answer: ‘The Habana Cigar Bar’! I wonder if some corporate guy with the green eye-shades and pocket protector won an award for that one? You can not make this stuff up.

This next, and last, observation has to do with the clientele, my ship mates aboard the cruise. This is a touchy subject and I do not want to come off sounding elitist, racist or prejudiced in any way. I assure you that is certainly not my intent. So I will just state my points as delicately as possible, not belabor them, and let you all come to your own conclusions taking them for what they are worth, if anything.

I swear this ship must have been a hide-out for all the people who had tried-out to be on that TV show where everyone competes to lose massive amounts of weight (‘The Biggest Loser’ I think?) – and these folks were rejected for being too big. I swear 80% of the people on this ship were obese, not overweight, grossly obese!  And two or three hundred were actually Soma Wrestler big. Yes, and too many of them owned bikinis (courtesy I am sure of a sail maker someplace).  Think for a minute now about that single-line buffet line I mentioned earlier. People with platters (not plates), one in each hand foraging through the line. I fully expected someone to jump out before I got off the ship declaring that for a week I had ‘been punked’!  Maybe even Alan Funt popping up.

For most of the week also I felt like I was dodging people who had no respect at all for others, to the point that it appeared they did not recognize there were others. Loud, overbearing and obnoxious seemed to be the order of the day. Plus, a large contingent of folks from many of the Caribbean islands seemed to all have at least four kids each with them. All of whom were totally out of control. When the security people finally got them convinced (with no help from parents) that they could not run at break-neck speed around the pool deck, they moved their routes through the areas where people were seated eating lunch or talking with neighbors.  I can’t tell you the number of times someone hit me (or came close) with a towel they were throwing over their shoulder as they walked by. And you didn’t dare sit on the aisle or perceived pass-through.

And then some kid invented some kind of soccer-type game played running ON the billiard tables and I guess the word spread throughout the ship. They actually had to close the room with the pool tables in it because the security folks got tired of getting kids off the tables! Unbelievable.

In the interest of full disclosure I should also mention that while we were docked in Cozumel I filled out a bunch of immigration forms and turned them in, along with my passport, to the cruise ship's front desk.  This was to grease the processing with the Panamanian Immigration people who would come aboard when we arrived in Colon on Thursday morning. (Plan ahead!)  I then walked across the ship’s lobby, got a drink, and walked out on the deck to watch our departure from Cozumel.

As soon as we were underway the Captain came on the PA to announce that, due to a hurricane in our planned path, we were not heading south for our planned stops in Costa Rica and Panama. Those stops were canceled and we were instead turning east and headed for stops in Jamaica and Turks.  But he assured us, “Don’t worry we will be back in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday morning as planned.”  Thank you, Captain.

I mention that turn of events for two reasons. I learned the hard way that planning to exit the ship in mid-cruise presents some special hazards. Carnival certainly had no responsibilities to me for my having to reschedule my return to Panama. They went back to Florida as contracted.

In addition I went to great efforts to be objective about this critique and not let my thoughts be influenced by the unplanned change in itinerary.  They are two totally separate issues.

I have offered this critique to help others who may assume that a cruise line is a cruise line. How much difference can there be? My naïveté caused me to learn the hard way that there is, or at least can be, a BIG difference. Happy sailing!

Larry Matthews

I will be back to normal (abnormal?) and publish my regular post about life in Panama later the end of this week. Until then, have fun!

 

Till Next Time. Pura Vida!