El Sueňo, a fresh new art gallery opens it’s doors to the public tomorrow, thursday August 27th at 11am. The gallery is the brain child of Jim DesLondes, an artist himself has 3 bronze sculptures, clearly inspired by feminine nature of the ocean, in the gallery.

The majority of the art present in the gallery, is the result of the creative inspiration of Franco Getzy a renowned sculpture artist from South Africa. Getzy’s work is displayed in the Hauge. He also has work in galleries in Paris and England. Getzy devotes his life to the pursuit of art and expresses his spiritual insights through his work. Inspiration for his pieces is received through meditations and dreams.

El Sueňo is also hosting the Petroglyphic Graphics by artist Kenny Myers of Panama and photographs by Ghary Boling of Miami.

The gallery will be open from 11am – 6pm Thursday to Sunday. Once the artists and art are settled in, DesLondes plans to host a grand opening. Expect to see Franco Getzy at work in the days to come. A workshop is being installed in the gallery for Getzy to create in.

Click the READ MORE link to see gallery location and images. 

Parita, the oldest settlement in the Azuero Peninsula, celebrated its 450th birthday August 18, 2008. Its rich history, not to mention its friendly, fun-loving residents, make it an attractive destination for the growing number of visitors to the region. Moreover, it’s located on the Carretera Nacional, only 15 minutes north of the city of Chitré, where a number of quality lodging and dining options can be found.

This charming, tranquil village was founded in 1558, and it’s one of the only towns in the interior of Panama with a traditional Spanish style central plaza. Parita is a trip back in time for anyone desiring a glimpse of what Panama looked like in centuries past.

In 1926, Parita’s plaza, the surrounding houses, and the church, Iglesia Santo Domingo de Guzman, were declared national historical monuments by the Instituto Nacional de Cultura (INAC) and it seems little has changed since then. Houses maintain their typical colonial architecture, with red clay tile roofs that help keep Pariteños cool and are far more pleasing to the eye than zinc.

It’s Friday night, the end of a busy and stressful week and I don’t want to travel 80 kilometers into the city to have some fun. Luckily El Cevichito Pub Bar is the Pacific Beach weekend party spot where one dance to some good tunes, run into a few friends, grab a few cheap and cold beers and be entertained.

El Cevichito Pub Bar is located on the Pan American Highway in the direction of Panama City once you leave El Rey. The bar offers two different atmospheres. An air conditioner bar where discotheque music is played almost every Friday and Saturday, and an outdoor bar with a juke box where you can choose the music you want to listen to.

If you prefer a quieter atmosphere, avoid the weekends and visit Monday to Thursday. But if you want to dance, go Friday and Saturday. Be prepared for competition on the dance floor, as Panamaians are natural dancers.

With one foot in ancient traditions and the other in modern living, Panama’s people stick with their roots as they keep up with the race in this age of bits and bytes. One tradition that continues to thrive among the people is the use of medicinal plants.

In the popular bustling Mercadito de Calidonia, located at the end of Calidonia Street, where the people of Panama shop and the timid tourist tends to avoid, sits Yesilika Sanchez with her roadside stand selling medicinal plants. Yesilika is called China by her customers, and has been selling on Calidonia street for the last 6 years.

In Panama, the use of plants to cure illness and for spiritual ceremonial is common not only in the countryside, but also with city dwellers. Using leaves, seeds, flowers, roots and barks for remedies is one of the most widespread forms of medicine. Even though a great number of these plants are not scientifically validated, generations of families benefit from their properties and pass recipes down. Rather than a visit to a doctor, the roadside herbalist is a cheaper means to get rid of ailments. Many people also believe in the magical powers to bring good luck and to fight against witchcraft.

We will be gathering on the 27th of August 2008, starting at 5:00pm or whenever you get there. Our get-together will be in Coronado at El Rincon del Chef, as usual.

Because our group is so large, Chef Fernando Paredes prepares a buffet for us. The cost is a special price of $10.00 plus tax per person for the buffet with no pensiondo visa discounts.
It is a great buy featuring lots of choices plus desserts!  Each month, the Chef trys something new for us.

What follows is an update of an article I wrote for the Panama Guide. Remember, it is always the 4th Wednesday of the month! See you there.

In February of 2005, ExPatsWest began as a spin-off of one of the Panama City ExPat Social groups. The groups are composed of new and established expats, their friends, their neighbors, their families, their guests, and their business associates.

ExPatsWest filled a need for a social group in the area west of Panama City along the highway to Coronado and beyond and up to El Valle and Altos del Maria. Many of our neighbors cannot make the hour and a half or more trek home from the Panama City groups late at night. Others of us still attend the other events and see ExPatsWest as a place to meet our nearer neighbors.

In less than 3 months we will be participating in our first ever CHRISTMAS CRAFT & BAKE SALE, sponsored by the Coronado Social Association on November 8th at the Coronado Golf & Beach Resort.

The following may be some of the details you were waiting for.

The price for a profit table has been determined at $20.00. One table will be supplied free of charge for non-profit groups (other than the CSA organizing group that may have two). The non-profit groups will be required to present at the December 3rd Coronado Social Association meeting, either in person or by email, a short summary of funds raised and what these funds will be used for.

At the hotel we have been allocated 2 adjoining banquet rooms that will accommodate a total of 20 tables. To guarantee your table, payment is required by Oct. 1. Payments can be made at the next two CSA meetings, either Sept 3rd or Oct 1st. The meetings are held at 10:00 AM at the Chef restaurant (Call Louise or Donna if you need to make other arrangements. Fees will be non-refundable after Oct. 15th

Every year the community of La Chorrera gets together to host a rodeo Panamian style. Kent Davis of http://www.buscapanama.net attended the event last year and had this to say about it:

“Erase all preconceived notions of a rodeo if you are looking for some outdoor entertainment in Panama, because this horse and pony show is like nothing you’ve ever seen. For starters, cowboys are usually, but not necessarily exclusively on horseback. And just because they are going after a 400lb bull doesn’t mean that they don’t keep one hand free for a bottle of whiskey.  And as the evening progresses and the crowd gets more lively, don’t be surprised to see a few rodeo watchers become participants.”

A Panamaian rodeo is a “bull throwing”. The goal is to pull the bull down by the tail. Points are awarded to competitors based on the them getting the animal on the ground with it’s legs in the air.

The Co-Operative was founded on December 15, 1997 by Mr. Dagoberto Torrero Gaona, a native to Cocle Province. Gaona belonged to the  Farallón Fishing Cooperative, near Decameron. “Working as a fisherman in Farrallón, I had occasion to visit with the Gorgona fishermen. I realized their work life was difficult and the prices they were receiving for their catches were very low.  So I decided to help them”.

Gaona obtained an education in “cooperativismo” (how to form and manage a cooperative), and then with the support of the then Panamanian President Ernesto Perez Balladares and other government officials, the New Gorgona Fishermen Cooperative was started.

“Here under this old tree we all signed the papers, and we agreed to make this new cooperative a success. We started with nothing, but through different activities we collected money for the new project. With all our work, perseverance and motivation, we gained not just the community credibility, but we also got recognition from our clients and national organizations”.

Offering the convenience of a United States based mailing address that gets forwarded to you in Panama, Michael Poirier, from Montreal, Canada, the owner of the Mail Boxes Etc^® franchise located in the corner of the El Rey Plaza in Coronado, is fast becoming the most popular new guy in town.

Since taking over the business on October 1, 2007, Michael has seen a steady increase in permanent mailbox owners. One of the main reasons is that an MBE mailbox allows people living in Panama to easily purchase and receive goods over the internet.

Travelling from Supermercado El Rey towards Panama City, you will find La Nueva Posada on the left side of the street across from the entrance to Gorgona.

This in a small covered, open style patio restaurant with about 5 tables that are well spaced from each other. The space is basic, with a TV showing the news. This is another one of the local restaurants that make up in the quality and price of their food, what they lack in décor.

It’s a Monday night, when my friend and I arrive for dinner. The restaurant is fairly quiet with just one other table of 5 eating. We seat ourselves and the waitress, Merida arrives promptly with menus. While we contemplate the extensive Spanish-English menu, Merida brings us 2 glasses, a jug of water and sets bread and butter on the table.

The menu has a variety of foods. Apart from the traditional fare that is expected of this type of restaurant, I’m surprised to discover that Chow Mein and Chop Suey are also on the menu.