Recently I was in the city on a girls night out. After a lovely dinner and a little shopping we returned to the car to load our goodies in and head back home to the beach. Upon lifting the hatch lid of my girlfriends car I noticed that the light was very dim. She proceeded to get into the car to start it and sure enough, no go. Our battery was dead.
So, here we are two ladies alone at 10:15pm in the city and our car won't start. What to do?? Well you do what any woman would do, pick up your cell phone and call your husband!!! All joking aside, while doing that I was going through the glove box. I knew that my insurance offered roadside assistance but I wasn't sure about my friends. No luck, I couldn't find anything. So I called my insurance broker, Hernando from VIP Insurance . My broker told me that every car insurance policy in Panama is sold with road side assistance. It is not an add- on it is part of the policy!! He said to check the window for the sticker with the phone number on it. Sure enough there it was!! My girlfriend made the call making sure to provide her policy number, make and color of her car and our location. We were told someone would be there in 15 minutes.
If you have been living in Panama for a few years and are looking for something new to do, there is a theater in Panama City that has been producing English only plays for the past 60 years.
While the The Ancon Theater Guild has been known by different names through the generations, the theatre has withheld its integrity by the volunteers that keep the place running and have done so since its inception.
So how did an English only theater come to be in Panama?
The Panama Quilters are back this year with their latest creation for the raffle. Gaenor Speed's beautiful hand painted, hand quilted wall hanging of a Heliconia. Gae is a popular painter here in Panama and has had several successful exhibitions at the Mary Palma Gallery in the Sheraton Hotel in Panama City.
As many of you know, each year the club raffles a quilt. They use this money to support a Panamanian child who does well in school but whose family does not have the money to pay for extras like music lessons, swimming lessons, summer camp, books, craft activities, etc. Throughout the school year they also help with school fees, uniforms, books and supplies as well as transportation costs if they have to travel outside their neighborhood to school.
Recent
research published in the Plos Medical Journal suggests that strong social
ties are not only associated with better health and longevity, but that a low
social life can actually be a risk factor.
Studies
concluded that having few friends or weak social ties to the community is just
as harmful to health as being an alcoholic or smoking nearly a pack of
cigarettes a day. Weak social ties are more harmful than not exercising and
twice as risky as being obese.
This
is good news for those of us who have chosen Panama as a place to retire or do
business. Here in the Pacific beach communities of Coronado and surrounding
areas, there is no shortage of social events. Just check the calendar at
Playacommunity to find out when the Mahjong group is meeting next. Read the
discussion forum to find a tennis partner, or contact the local Life Coach,
Karyn Saunders, to learn how to run and join a group of new runners training
for a marathon.
Last weekend my wife and I headed out of Panama City proper to the Amador Causeway to check out the new marine “petting zoo.” We took a taxi to the first island, Naos, and turned in by the Mi Ranchito restaurant. Even if we had not been there before it would have been hard to miss from the line of cars waiting to enter of a Sunday afternoon. The “petting zoo” is a new exhibit at the Punta Culebra Nature Center.
Punta Culebra is an educational project of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). The Smithsonian first came to Panama to study the effects of the canal on flora and fauna 100 years ago and established a tropical research station some years later. It is in Panama that STRI has its headquarters for tropical research activities that span the globe. The Punta Culebra Nature Center is open seven days a week and costs $2 for adults, $1 for jubilados, and $0.50 for kids. The new outdoor aquarium setup was just opened and was thoroughly in use on Sunday. The nature center is open every day from 10 am to 6 pm daily. Sundays are especially popular with families out for a day on the Causeway.
Horoscopes for the week of July 26 to August 1, 2010
Brought to you by Playacommunity.Com
ARIES For those of you who are early Aries born somewhere around the end of March, this could be a challenging time for you. The planets are moving into a Grand Cross position, where you’re put on a crossroad and have to make some important changes. For those of you born later in the game this energy is out there but not so intense. This crossroad has to do with yourself, and your relationships to others, you may want extra space, but at this time your best friend really needs your help. Old resentments will be aired at this time, so if you haven’t dealt with the past, now you have a chance to work though it and find some kind of resolution. Career wise, things are moving along well, you’ll find it easy to focus in on details and take on more responsibility. You are being considered for a promotion, so play your cards right.
.Up in the hills of Altos Del Maria there is a tiny village called Manglarito which is worthy of time and attention. At least Connie Hess, Chris Mann and Terry Phipps, three Expat residents of Altos del Maria thought so.
The little community of Manglarito has no electricity and only a generator or two to run the few fridges in the area. The town is still very traditional with most of the women staying home to raise the children while the men take the 30 minute trek out of the valley, either by foot or by horseback, up to Sora or Altos Del Maria to work as gardeners or employees of Melo.
Up in El Valle, off the beaten path, is a quaint new little restaurant with a unique blend of hospitality. Owner Ariel Blanco doesn't just welcome you to his restaurant, he welcomes you to his home and the sense of community that he has created. La Casita de Don Daniel is so much more than a restaurant but for now we will focus on that.
We continue with the final installment of our interview with well-known, local Panamanian, Roberto
Eisenmann. In this final portion of the interview we discuss his thoughts regardingthe education system in Panama, and the Coronado area.
We ask Mr. Eisenmann to touch on an issue that is close to his heart. Panama's education system. Eisenmann comments, “That's a major item we have to work on. The Ministry of Education is probably the worst bureaucracy we have in government.”
“As a result of this, people are left with the private school system as the only choice, and many cannot afford it,” he says. Eisenmann talked about setting up experimental public schools and following their lead in improving education. In his proposed project, schools would be set up in each province to help improve the education system. The leaders of each project would come together each month, compare notes and then implement what works. He cites as a precedent the fact that the Instituto Nacional, which was a public school, was always considered the best in Panama.
The U.S. Embassy in Panama City alerts U.S. citizens that large-scale protests may take place in Panama City, Panama, from July 12 to July 13. These protests may become violent in some instances.
Following violent civil disturbances in Changuinola, Bocas del Toro Province, on July 9 and July 10, some labor leaders and others have called for protest marches on July12 and a General Strike on July 13 throughout the country (beginning just after midnight on July 12). Transportation may be disrupted, schools and other establishments may be closed and many basic services may be affected. The airport in Changuinola is still closed.
The Embassy cautions its employees and all U.S. citizens to avoid unnecessary travel during this week. All should exercise heightened security awareness and avoid crowds and any areas where there are demonstrations or where confrontations could occur. During previous periods of unrest, there have been isolated incidents where disgruntled construction workers threw bricks and other objects from structures under construction. Therefore, special caution is urged when transiting through urban areas or when driving near any high buildings.
This lovely little lady is so much more than just a 'hound dog', she is between one and 2 years old, spayed and healthy. She walked up the driveway of an Expat who cared for her while he was here but he had to return to the States. She is now being fostered and is learning how to live indoors with 2 dogs and a cat. Named Elsa is a loving, sweet dog and an excellent guard dog used to sleeping outside. She does needs a fenced yard, as she loves to chase cats. Elsa hasn't accepted her new name yet so if you can give this lovely dog a good home you could give her a 'forever' name. Please help, contact Linda Murdock 6948-0799
What’s up with Panamanian Beef? I hear English-speaking visitors and expatriates bemoaning the flavor and toughness of the local product and they’re absolutely right but why? The history of beef in Central America is distinctly different from that of the rest of the continent because of the area’s tropical environment. Columbus, on his second voyage to Hispaniola now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti, brought live stock, including pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, pigeons and beefs to the new world. On his third and fourth trips, as was the custom, he dropped livestock on most of the visited islands for future provisioning before he finally reached Panama 10 years after his first landfall. The original beefs from Europe were Bos Taurus, or humpless cows, the genetic bases for our modern Western breeds. Later African slaves, along with their cattle breed called Bos Indicus, were imported as a labor force to the newly developed European agricultural holdings. This humped variety, also called Cebu or Zebu, eventually evolved into the Brahman in the US and the Criollo or Indo-Brazil in South and Central America. These criollo cattle of Latin America evolved into their own archetypes mainly because they were better suited to the tropical climate having evolved in the like environments of Africa and India and soon replaced the European stock.
The world’s only town, city or village built within and surrounded by the intact walls of a volcano. I use those three descriptive terms because El Valle is a city with its own police and fire stations. It also serves as a satellite town center for the provincial governments while some might consider it a village since it has only 3,000 full-time residents who actually live inside the caldera of the El Valle Volcano number 1406-03. El Valle is the world’s second largest intact and un-flooded singular volcanic caldera surpassed only by the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania, Africa. El Valle also has the distinction of being the earth’s oldest continually occupied volcanic site with a history that reaches back at least 10,000 years.
The first ever quiz night in Coronado happened, Wednesday,
June 30 at the Coronado Bay Hotel. Quiz master Bobby Henderson led a rowdy
crowd of approximately 28 people to an evening of challenging questions
covering a variety of topics. The categories ranged from Sports to
Entertainment, Science and Nature, General knowledge as well as a Picture
round. Teams consisted of 4 players each and the first event drew a total of 7
teams.
Liz Larroquete, Administration Manager of Coronado Bay Hotel
graciously donated the space for the event as well as coordinated a pasta
dinner prior to the quiz for all those who wished to eat at the hotel.
Many of our readers from outside of Panama use our website
as a research tool to learn not only about the beach community of Coronado but
all about Panama as well.What's going
on?How do I do this or that?Is this service in your area?However, with all the useful information you
can find on our site, what you don't see too much about are stories about the
residents themselves. What's it like here for them?What was their journey like to get here?What advice would they give those planning an
international move? And, what valuable
information have they learned from which you could benefit?So, here is an article that addresses all of these
questions and more. What is it REALLY like living in Panama???
Five expats were chosen who just happened to be from the
United States and Canada, ranging in age from early 30's into their 70's. The key to choosing the interviewees was that
they had to have lived here for more than a period of 3 years. Also, they needed to be able to have gotten
over the bumps and have "settled in" to life here in Panama, therefore having a
broader range of experiences from which to draw.
Almost
forgotten in the aftermath of Beth's murder was the scheduled visit of Barb's
best friend from high school Jackie and her husband Hank, all the way from
Saginaw, Michigan. Even though they didn't socialize much with the Hanners back
in Saginaw-Barb would meet Jackie once or twice a year for lunch-they were the
first and so far only people who showed any interest in visiting Panama. "Their
visit will give us a chance to become acquainted," Mitch pointed out. It
mystified the Multuskys that so few of their friends, family, colleagues and
acquaintances seemed to consider Panama a desirable place to visit. "Maybe they
don't know what's here," Mitch reasoned. "I mean how interesting can a canal
be?" When Barb raised an eyebrow, "I know, an engineering wonder of the world;
but I don't think people realize how big and impressive the city is or that the
entire country is two beautiful coast lines with a mountain range in the middle
or ..."
Jennifer Stumm, a renowned violist, will be in concert at the National Theater in Panama City on Saturday evening, July 12 at 8 pm. The Washington Post referred to one of Ms. Stumm’s early performances as “smart and engaging” with an “opal like beauty” and “a wonderful way of finding color in a phrase and injecting phosphorescent energy through rhythm.” She will be accompanied by the accomplished pianist, Elizabeth Pridgen, whom the American Record Guide refers to as a “big piano presence.”
The place to have been on Wednesday evening was Rincon del Chef! The Spay the Strays Group had an overflow crowd of participants who enjoyed dinner and then adjourned to the back building for rousing games of Bingo. Lucky winners received donated items from our sponsors: a $20 gift certificate to Picasso Pizza, an overnight stay at a beach house including wine and appetizers from Panama Coast Rentals, a heavy duty drill compliments of HIM Ferreteria, two bottles of wine from Concept Panama, a $15 gift certificate to Rincon del Chef, a DVD player, and gift certificates for homemade desserts!
I have celebrated my birthday in Yellowstone National Park and in Paris, twice. I have gone the pampered route and enjoyed the birthday wishes of friends over campfires in the Montana and Wyoming Rockies. This might explain why this year my wife and I went with friends to the “other end” of Panama for my birthday and a weekend get-a-way.
We drove out from Panama City to the Pacific side of the Azuero Penninsula to a beach called Cambutal. The drive - that folks in Cambutal say takes five hours - took us seven hours. However, part of that had to do with navigating the hilly/mountainous interior of the Azuero Penninsula in a 50 HP car made for puttering around Panama City. Nevertheless, going up the hills at 20 kilometers per hour made it easy to enjoy the gorgeous scenery. (On the way back we took the much better maintained and flatter coastal road from Tonosi to Las Tablas.)
in Introductions by 
Recently I was in the city on a girls night out. After a lovely dinner and a little shopping we returned to the car to load our goodies in and head back home to the beach. Upon lifting the hatch lid of my girlfriends car I noticed that the light was very dim. She proceeded to get into the car to start it and sure enough, no go. Our battery was dead. 
If you have been living in Panama for a few years and are looking for something new to do, there is a theater in Panama City that has been producing English only plays for the past 60 years.
The Panama Quilters are back this year with their latest creation for the raffle. Gaenor Speed's beautiful hand painted, hand quilted wall hanging of a Heliconia. Gae is a popular painter here in Panama and has had several successful exhibitions at the Mary Palma Gallery in the Sheraton Hotel in Panama City.
Last weekend my wife and I headed out of Panama City proper to the Amador Causeway to check out the new marine “petting zoo.” We took a taxi to the first island, Naos, and turned in by the Mi Ranchito restaurant. Even if we had not been there before it would have been hard to miss from the line of cars waiting to enter of a Sunday afternoon. The “petting zoo” is a new exhibit at the Punta Culebra Nature Center.
For those of you who are early Aries born somewhere around the end of March, this could be a challenging time for you. The planets are moving into a Grand Cross position, where you’re put on a crossroad and have to make some important changes. For those of you born later in the game this energy is out there but not so intense. This crossroad has to do with yourself, and your relationships to others, you may want extra space, but at this time your best friend really needs your help. Old resentments will be aired at this time, so if you haven’t dealt with the past, now you have a chance to work though it and find some kind of resolution. Career wise, things are moving along well, you’ll find it easy to focus in on details and take on more responsibility. You are being considered for a promotion, so play your cards right.
.Up in the hills of Altos Del Maria there is a tiny village called Manglarito which is worthy of time and attention. At least Connie Hess, Chris Mann and Terry Phipps, three Expat residents of Altos del Maria thought so. 
Up in El Valle, off the beaten path, is a quaint new little restaurant with a unique blend of hospitality. Owner Ariel Blanco doesn't just welcome you to his restaurant, he welcomes you to his home and the sense of community that he has created. La Casita de Don Daniel is so much more than a restaurant but for now we will focus on that.
We continue with the final installment of our interview with well-known, local Panamanian, Roberto
This lovely little lady is so much more than just a 'hound dog', she is between one and 2 years old, spayed and healthy. She walked up the driveway of an Expat who cared for her while he was here but he had to return to the States. She is now being fostered and is learning how to live indoors with 2 dogs and a cat. Named Elsa is a loving, sweet dog and an excellent guard dog used to sleeping outside. She does needs a fenced yard, as she loves to chase cats. Elsa hasn't accepted her new name yet so if you can give this lovely dog a good home you could give her a 'forever' name. Please help, contact Linda Murdock 6948-0799
What’s up with Panamanian Beef? I hear English-speaking visitors and expatriates bemoaning the flavor and toughness of the local product and they’re absolutely right but why? The history of beef in Central America is distinctly different from that of the rest of the continent because of the area’s tropical environment. Columbus, on his second voyage to Hispaniola now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti, brought live stock, including pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, pigeons and beefs to the new world. On his third and fourth trips, as was the custom, he dropped livestock on most of the visited islands for future provisioning before he finally reached Panama 10 years after his first landfall. The original beefs from Europe were Bos Taurus, or humpless cows, the genetic bases for our modern Western breeds. Later African slaves, along with their cattle breed called Bos Indicus, were imported as a labor force to the newly developed European agricultural holdings. This humped variety, also called Cebu or Zebu, eventually evolved into the Brahman in the US and the Criollo or Indo-Brazil in South and Central America. These criollo cattle of Latin America evolved into their own archetypes mainly because they were better suited to the tropical climate having evolved in the like environments of Africa and India and soon replaced the European stock.
The world’s only town, city or village built within and surrounded by the intact walls of a volcano. I use those three descriptive terms because El Valle is a city with its own police and fire stations. It also serves as a satellite town center for the provincial governments while some might consider it a village since it has only 3,000 full-time residents who actually live inside the caldera of the El Valle Volcano number 1406-03. El Valle is the world’s second largest intact and un-flooded singular volcanic caldera surpassed only by the Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania, Africa. El Valle also has the distinction of being the earth’s oldest continually occupied volcanic site with a history that reaches back at least 10,000 years.
The first ever quiz night in Coronado happened, Wednesday,
June 30 at the Coronado Bay Hotel. Quiz master Bobby Henderson led a rowdy
crowd of approximately 28 people to an evening of challenging questions
covering a variety of topics. The categories ranged from Sports to
Entertainment, Science and Nature, General knowledge as well as a Picture
round. Teams consisted of 4 players each and the first event drew a total of 7
teams.
Many of our readers from outside of Panama use our website
as a research tool to learn not only about the beach community of Coronado but
all about Panama as well.
Jennifer Stumm, a renowned violist, will be in concert at the National Theater in Panama City on Saturday evening, July 12 at 8 pm. The Washington Post referred to one of Ms. Stumm’s early performances as “smart and engaging” with an “opal like beauty” and “a wonderful way of finding color in a phrase and injecting phosphorescent energy through rhythm.” She will be accompanied by the accomplished pianist, Elizabeth Pridgen, whom the American Record Guide refers to as a “big piano presence.”
The place to have been on Wednesday evening was Rincon del Chef! The Spay the Strays Group had an overflow crowd of participants who enjoyed dinner and then adjourned to the back building for rousing games of Bingo. Lucky winners received donated items from our sponsors: a $20 gift certificate to Picasso Pizza, an overnight stay at a beach house including wine and appetizers from Panama Coast Rentals, a heavy duty drill compliments of HIM Ferreteria, two bottles of wine from Concept Panama, a $15 gift certificate to Rincon del Chef, a DVD player, and gift certificates for homemade desserts!
I have celebrated my birthday in Yellowstone National Park and in Paris, twice. I have gone the pampered route and enjoyed the birthday wishes of friends over campfires in the Montana and Wyoming Rockies. This might explain why this year my wife and I went with friends to the “other end” of Panama for my birthday and a weekend get-a-way.
