Panama Living Newsletter

New book is a tribute to the Panama canal

A unique perspective on Panama and its canal from a former US canal chairman.

BY JOACHIM BAMRUD

Nearly 30 years have passed since president Jimmy Carter signed a historic treaty with Panamanian strongman, Gen. Omar Torrijos to hand over the Panama Canal. As the Carter-Torrijos Treaty called for, the United States handed over the 50-mile long waterway to Panama in 1999. Last month, the canal made history again after a majority of Panamanians voted in favor of a $5.2 billion expansion plan.

Read the rest of the review on Latin Business Chronicles...

In Panama, Age Is a Bargain

By Martha M. Hamilton
Washington Post
Sunday, November 26, 2006; F01

Forget cheap movies and early-bird meals at Applebee's.

When it comes to age-related discounts, you can't beat Panama.

To attract more investment, the central American nation has eased immigration laws and set up a discount bonanza for expatriate pensioners that includes 20 percent off professional services such as those provided by lawyers, architects and physical therapists; no property tax for 20 years; no income tax on income earned outside Panama; and a 50 percent discount on real estate closing costs.

And that's only the beginning. The list of discounts goes on and on, including price breaks on telephone service, surgery and domestic airfares and a one-time waiver of duties on imported household goods up to $10,000.

All it takes to qualify is pension income of $500 or more per month -- at any age and from any source.

Read the complete story here....

How to “fit in” when moving to Panama

A recent article on Forbs.com highlights the most expensive gated communities in North America and explains why the rich buy into them. Security is the most common reason given with amenities listed as a close second by those homeowners. I believe the same reasons apply to those not-so-rich buying into less costly gated communities in Latin America as well.

The adversaries to gated communities all over the world claim they are excluding and divisive. Put in the search term “gated community” in Google and you will find thousands of articles devoted to their supposed negative social impacts. As a developer of the first gated community in Panama catering to foreigners, I have had many emails from people making the same arguments. They claim my project stratifies and separates those coming into a new culture and that the new immigrants will never assimilate into the community unless they live among the locals and “fit in”. There is a “them against us” attitude by many foreigners living outside gated communities. I find this amusing because most of the local Panamanians do not take issue with it. The negative attitude is the mindset of those who chose to live outside the gates.

Health, Wealth And Real Estate

There are more master planned communities available in the U.S. that offer alternative health services than ever before.This article from Forbs confirms our concept in Valle Escondido about health and wellness being an important component to a complete residential community.  We are the first project in Panama that offers a complete program of holistic health along with general spa services. We have a number of practitioners who offer nutrition and excersize programs, acupuncture, laser and ultrasound therapies. A chiropractor also is available several times a week and a renowned gynecologist is opening a post menopausal clinic in the community early next year. Obviously, for there to be all of these services there must a a strong demand. With the many boomer's moving into the Boquete area we are seeing our reception area busy most days.

Excerpt;

If you're looking to get--or stay--in shape, reduce stress and clear your mind, you can stick a treadmill in your basement, find a yoga instructor and spend 45 minutes a week downloading your worries to a therapist.

Or, for a little more cash, you can move to one of the countless residential "wellness communities" cropping up across the country.

Read the coplete story here...

An old brain for a new world

So your thinking about moving out of your home country to seek a better life in a new world. This article from Time Magazine  titled "Why we worry about the things we shouldn't.... and ignore the things we should, is appropriate for many as they consider the many reasons for their move. The story touches on many subjects with risk assessment being a main theme. Well worth your time to read.

The end of the "Red Devils"

This is a story from the Miami Herald about the old private bus system in Panama. As a Libertarian, I would normally applaud a private bus system, but with the Diablo Rojo's I am glad to see them go the way of the dinosaurs. If you have ever driven the streets of Panama City, you know that the most dangerous hazard on the road are these private buses, who's drivers race down the street with abandon in order to get to the bus stop first and get the fares. If the government did its job of traffic control and safety checks we would not have such problems, but when the police can be bribed and the private bus "Union" can cause chaos when they stop working, a private system does not work.

Each year many people die in traffic accidents due to the negligence of the drivers and this last month, their fate was sealed when a bus (not a red devil) caught fire and killed 18 people. Now the authorities have been brought to task to make sure all the buses are in safety compliance. A new badly needed bus system is on order for next year and we can only hope the the police do their job to control the drivers of these new behemoths. With the $300 million dollar price tag of the new system, I think it would have been cheaper to stay private and enforce the laws.

The Panama Canal, Version 2.0

Another blog post from Popular mecghanics on Panama. Great read for us mechanical geeks!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/science_news/4200725.html