Panama Living Newsletter

Cross the Panama Canal in just 2 minutes

I stumbled on this interesting video on UTUBE that is a 2 minute time laps of a ship passing through the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic ocean. Very cool.

Quetzal a symbol of Panama beauty

This article is really about the Quetzal's of Costa Rica, but we have them near Boquete in the Quetzal's national forest. They are so common that almost all our visitors to the park get a look at them. Great story....

Here is a link to my photos of a hke through the park.
Excerpt; The bird signifies adventure in Costa Rica. To see a quetzal in the wild requires a journey to forested mountains at elevations of 4,000 to 10,000 feet.

I'm always amazed at how such a brightly plumed bird blends in with the rain-forest scenery. Despite the male's luminous green head and back, accented by intense tones of violet and offset by a radiant crimson belly, the quetzal can be virtually invisible as it perches against a forested backdrop.

New York post on Panama

Panama Panorama         
Beneath the towers ofthe capitol lies a historic nabe that is growing in leaps and bounds, write David Appel.
March 6, 2007 -- DON'T know about you, but when I think "stunning colonial architecture," Central America doesn't even crack the five that come to mind. And Panama? Isn't that the place with the big canal, some rainforests, and skyscrapers? Yep.
Read the whole story here...      

Mirror of Panama

Local opinion makers have taken to comment on the recent stories in major US publications and TV networks. Interesting take on things from this side of the border.

Machine English and Spanish follows.

Panama, Saturday 24 of February of 2007

The DESCRIPTIONS Of the COUNTRY HAPPEN from DIVINE to The RIDICULOUS SITUATION. The mirror distorted in the last days have appeared different articles about panama on US media. ` cheap paradise or a poor country, but less, are some of the headlines that are repeated.

La Prensa

Some medias measure the prosperity of Panama by the buildings that are built. More cement attracts more investors.

Being in fashion has its consequences. Panama is at its best and is around the world. The main argument: the real estate boom. The distortions: many in the last weeks, prestigious medias of the United States have published articles on the country. One is a mirror to watch Panama where the image is distorted by work and grace of the media, just as sometimes narrates war from a taxi, without many elements of judgment.

Hacienda de Molinos receives praise

Local press has done a nice story an a very nice project just outside of Boquete. Hacienda De Molinos is well planned and executed and deserves the praise. Be sure to visit them if you visit and check out the bar and view. Incredible! See my photo album here...

Machine translated to English. Spanish follows
Tourism today
They remove brightness to natural treasure in Boquete The volume of the visitors comes from all parts of the world, mainly of North America and Europe. Courtesy of the Molinos ATTRACTION. In the area there are footpaths to walk towards the tube, the gorge and jardines.
813914 Mario To Muñoz andresm@prensa.com

When journeying by the way that leads to Boquete, in the province of Chiriquí, hardley anyone can notice that to two kilometers towards the northwest there is an impressive cliff. He happens inadvertent through the visitors and single some villagers know it like "the tube". In the place, the river flows between the canyon from where several cascades at rainy time arise.

Everything you will want to know about cruising the canal.

This article is from smartertravel.com.

Cruise destination spotlight: Panama Canal

by Erica Silverstein, SmarterTravel.com Staff - February 27, 2007

Cruising the Panama Canal is a once-in-a-lifetime experience reserved for only the most determined travelers. While anyone is allowed to go, 14-night itineraries and pricey one-way airfares have a way of weeding out many potential cruisers. Retirees with a lot of money and time to spare make up the largest part of this cruise audience.

The Panama Canal's cruise season runs from late September through April. The best time to visit Panama is in the winter and spring, especially since the country's rainy season lasts from March through December. For the best weather, cruise after November.

read the rest of the article here....

Crossing A Continent In 57 Minutes On The Panama Railroad

Nice article on the Panama railroad with a bit of history thrown in. If you like trains you will love this ride! From Playfuls.com

Every day after 5 p.m. thousands of cars snake from Colon, on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal, to Panama City, on the Pacific.

Many people who work in the Colon Free Trade Zone or at one of the big container terminals prefer to live in the Panamian capital. So they shuttle the 80 kilometres, on the country's only toll road, between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

People have always used the Isthmus of Panama, the narrowest part of North America, to get from one ocean to the other - first on foot, then on horseback and with horse-drawn carriages. A railway line was completed in 1855, allowing the transit of bulkier goods from ships on one side to ships on the other.

Alien object crashes in Rio Hato

This just in from China view....

                                                                                                                                                       

               Geologists find meteorite on Panama beach

                                                                                                             

    PANAMA CITY, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Panamanian geologists have found an meteorite at Rio Hato, a coastal town west of the capital Panama City.

    The meteorite fell onto Rio Hato's beach last Friday, geologist Juan de Dios Villa told the press on Wednesday.

    The landing was witnessed by a security guard, who described it as a ball of fire crashing down from the sky onto the sand.

    The 4.2 kg red object, measuring 20 cm in diameter, will be X-rayed for more details, said Villa, chief geologist at the National Mineral Resources Directorate.

    The meteorite shows burn marks on its exterior, and appears to be mainly carbon-based, in contrast to most meteorites, which mainly contain iron.

Direct flights to Cali announced

Passengers Will Be Able to Connect With 36 Destinations and 21 Countries Through Copa Airlines' Hub of the Americas in Panama City

BOGOTA, Colombia, and PANAMA CITY, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AeroRepublica, subsidiary of Copa Holdings S.A. (NYSE: CPA) , began direct daily service from Cali to Panama City on February 14, 2006. This new route is served with one of AeroRepublica's brand new EMBRAER-190 aircraft with a 106 all-leather seat, single-class configuration.

Security issues in the city

I have posted several security stories in the last few months and this latest warning from the Embassy wardens office goes into detail on the tricks used by those who would break into your homes while you are there. There have been more than 20 of these incidents reported.

Date:        28 February 2007

To:          U.S. Embassy Warden System

Subject:  Security Update – Pre-operational Criminal Surveillance Prior to Home Invasion

Dear Wardens:  Please disseminate this message to U.S. citizens in your area.  Thank you.

The Embassy would like to inform all members of the U.S. Citizen Community to be aware of pre-operational criminal surveillance that local law enforcement authorities have identified in Panama City in recent months.  The criminals appear to be clean cut, well dressed men.  They are believed to be Colombian or Costa Rican.   They gain entry into homes with ruses of: the word of God, sales of household cleaning supplies, carpet cleaning, etc.