Panama Living Newsletter

Catch the wave in Panama

Continental Airlines inflight magazine is carrying this article about Real Estate in Latin America. There is a nice feature on Panama.

Excerpt;
“Both the ex-pats and the Costa Ricans themselves who live near the border were saying you should be looking in Panama,” he recalls. The reason: Costa Rica had been so successful at making its beachfront real estate appealing to North Americans that bargains were becoming harder and harder to find. Panama, on the other hand, has many of the same attractions as Costa Rica — including mortgage financing, title insurance, and an easy process for buying a second home — but at much lower prices.

Go here for the complete story.

Now you can bet on turtle races

Here is a facinating science story of tracking Leatherback turtles and watching their progress on the internet. You can even bet which one will win!

From NSNBC

MSNBC staff and news service reports

Updated: 10:55 a.m. ET April 10, 2007

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - Eleven leatherback turtles are swimming across the Pacific Ocean to the Galapagos Islands in a "race" that will be tracked online to draw attention to the plight of the critically endangered creatures, which have inhabited the oceans for 100 million years.

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...      

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.

Hike Up Volcano In Panama Turns Into A Strange Adventure

This is an interesting story of hiking to the top of Baru Volcano. My wife and boys have done this in a two day trip. It was tough going and I was happy that I had a previous engagement. If you are considering this trip you may want to read this adventure.

My father and I, in Panama for a week during Thanksgiving last year, decided to make the ascent of Volcán Barú part of our itinerary. It seemed like a snap, given our more strenuous previous excursions: hiking the Inca Trail over four days in Peru in 2004 and scaling peaks exceeding 16,000 feet in Ecuador in 2005.

Wrong.

Now you don't have to learn Spanish

One of the most frustrating things is having to learn a new language after your 50 years old. Many foreigners come here fully intent on learning the language and quickly find that it is not easy and they give up. Sure, they learn how  to order food and drink, find a bathroom and other basics, but becoming fluent is not in the cards for most of us. In the hundreds of gringos I know in the area I would say only five are fluent and can carry on a casual conversation with the locals. My 6 year old speaks fluent English and Spanish and frequently translates for me, to my embarrassment. In my case I have managed to accomplish much here by learning the basic language of construction and development. I call it "industry specific" Spanish.

Now I read an article in the Economist that describes a hand held direct speech translator. Sounds like Star Trek, but apparently it is coming to a store near you in the not to distant future. That will make moving to a foreign land even easier!

Read

Soon, nothing need be lost in translation

The Washington Post asks, Is Panama the new South Beach?

With Panama's president Torrijos  in Washington with President Bush the main stream press comes out with great articles about Panama. This one is very good.

By Ceci Connolly

Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, February 18, 2007;  Page P01

 

It was sticky hot, and I was grungy after a morning exploring the cobblestone passageways of Panama City's Casco Viejo, a 300-year-old cross between the crumbling charm of Old Havana and the restored glow of New Orleans's French Quarter.

Read the complete article at ...