I have a small package in Boquete that arrived after I moved to Colombia.   I am looking for a person that might be coming to Medellin in the near future and would be willing to bring it.   I am willing to meet at the airport and pay  $50 for someone who could bring it.   The package contains two or three small routers and should fit in a carry-on.   Please contact me here or by email dan@twinwolf.net

Thanks - Dan Porter

6 minutes ago, Marion said:

In the UK large supermarkets and retail stores charge 5p for each plastic bag you want – if you buy a week’s worth of groceries the 5p’s can mount up.  It’s a great incentive to take your own shopping bags (as my mother did when I was small, as I did when I grew and as I do now).  Smaller businesses can charge on a voluntary basis.

The 5p is not a government tax and does not go into the government coffers but the government does expect retailers to give the proceeds to good causes – it is for the individual businesses to choose what to do and which causes to support.

I’m sure if, worldwide, charges were levied for plastic bags we’d see a sharp decline in their usage.

I am seeing the same thing here in Colombia.   Many large supermarkets charge a small fee for each plastic bag.   Right away that cuts down on the number of plastic bags a customer uses.   They  also sell the reusable cloth bags which many use rather than paying for plastic bags each visit.

I did see that the Rey in David was trying to push the idea of reusable cloth bags by having a single checkout isle that only served clients with either the reusable bags or for customers not using any bags.   Unfortunately, after a short time, it appeared that checkout lane was always closed.  I suspect that having a dedicated cashier for a checkout that got very little use did not make much sense.

Personally, I like the consumer having the choice with incentives for preferred behavior.    

34 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

Who's responsible for the global scourge of disposable plastic bags? The usual suspects.

" By the end of 1985, 75 percent of supermarkets were offering plastic bags to their customers. Customers still preferred paper bags—plastic held just 25 percent of the market—but Mobil was working to change that.

"The last stronghold is the grocery sack bag," an executive told the Los Angeles Times, "and now we are going after that."    Within the next decade, the plastic bag had captured 80 percent of the market."

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/how-the-plastic-bag-became-so-popular/381065/

The global scourge is what the consumer does with the plastic bag and how it is disposed of and what is done with it after use.   I have a hard time laying the blame of plastic bags everywhere at the hands of the companies making them.   The user is responsible for its use and what is done with it after that point.   The consumer does have choices and responsibility.

The problem in Panama is much larger than just plastic bags.   The problem is within the culture itself and both laws and education need to address it.   Plastic bags are not outlawed in neighboring countries, yet you do not see them blowing in the wind and being tossed out car windows.    In my opinion it is too easy to point the finger at oil companies or manufactures and declare they are responsible.   Educate your  population, put incentives in place for collection and recycling.   Change the throw-away culture and create responsible consumers.   Other countries have done it successfully, Panama could do it too.

In Colombia, I have found that the registered white "tourist" taxis also operate as Uber drivers at times.   In other words, they get the benefits of being an Uber driver when they are not busy and thereby service more people than just a regular Uber driver.   It would seem to me that if taxi drivers were allowed or would embrace doing both services they could come out a winner rather than trying to squash competition.  Of course you need to meet the requirements of both Uber and the local taxi laws.  Those beat-up, barely running taxis are out of luck.   

My experience has been that the white "tourist" taxis know the city better and have more experience, so I am happy when my Uber driver turns out to be one of these drivers.   Maybe Panama could encourage this while reducing some of the burdensome regulations.

Everyone has lost a little something or other going thru the security check at the airport.    I have had numerous items confiscated such as tweezers, fingernail clippers, etc.   Today topped that list of items.  It seems that you are not allowed to carry a partially used roll of  1/4 inch double sided Scotch Tape in your carry-on.   As the security gal flagged her supervisor over, he agreed that Scotch Tape was not allowed in your  carry-on bag.   Stunned, I asked why.    I was told that it could be used to tie or bind a person.   I considered his answer as I put my belt on, slid my 12 foot power cord for my laptop  into my backpack ad picked up my 10 foot USB cords.   Yes, we can't have people carrying on something they could use to tie or bind.    Its a good thing security is keeping us safe from the terrorist flying out of Albrook Airport with Scotch Tape in their bag.

Rest easy... they are on watch...  just drop the tape and walk away

6 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

We saw several people smoking in public in Medellin.  Apparently consumption and possession of reasonable amounts for personal use are not illegal in Colombia, either.

Yes is it legal in Colombia as follows:

Since 1994, cannabis has been legalized for possession of small amounts up to 22 grams for personal consumption. In 2016, The Supreme Court of Justice stated that someone who is caught with a greater amount than the statutory limit cannot be criminally prosecuted if it is found that the person carries the substance to satisfy their own consumption needs.^[53] It is legal to possess up to twenty plants for personal consumption.

While I have more than enough vices of my own, this is not one of them.   For my friends who count this among their pleasures/vices, there is a list by country as to what is legal and what is illegal for for pot.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_country

Hi Julia & Sam

Everyone has different experiences which is why it is often times hard to get solid answers.   It always ends up being "it depends" or "my experience was".   I lived in Panama for 8 and half years.   It took my 5 years to get my resident visa and at the end of that process I was promised a cedula.    The lawyer conveniently lost my paperwork and failed to respond to my requests to get the cedula, so I lived with just the carnet (the resident visa).   I never ran into difficulties with it, tho I already owned a car and had a bank account open.   I did both of those without a cedula.  I had expected some issues since my passport was renewed after I got my carnet.  My passport number changed and does not match the number on my carnet.   I simply held on to my old cancelled passport in case there were any questions about the numbers being different from my passport to my carnet.   To date, there have been no issues, I have never been questioned and showing my carnet has always sufficient even for jubliado discounts.

So, my experience has been there were no difficulties living with just the carnet (resident visa) and not having the cedula.   That was my experience for what it is worth.

This is kind of a silly topic but one that everyone deals with.   Coins

In my move to Colombia, I needed to rid myself of all those US Coins, not to mention that wonderful dollar coin the "Martinelli".   So what do you do with your all your coins?  Put them in a piggy bank or blg jar?   Unless you are diligent of using them as fast as they accumulate, you end up with a large amount.

The banks always want me to roll all the coins and deny they have a coin counter.   I suspect that is false but when the answer is no, you go looking elsewhere.   The Rey in David has a coin counter for the public but there are a few gotchas.   First is you have to dig out all of your Martineli's as it only counts US coins.   Not hard to do.   The next one is a hurdle I have cleared only once.   The only person that will run the coin counter machine for you is the head cashier/manager.   On my first visit I was told that she only does it in the mornings when they are setting things up.   On my next visit (in the morning) I was told the machine was broken (Hmmmm...)    That was also the excuse on several subsequent visit, yet it appeared the machine had been used.    I did finally get my jar of coins counted and converted to paper bills but decided it was a losing proposition.   The head cashier/manager was never eager to do it and it seemed like an awful lot of trouble for such a simple thing as turning on the machine.  That made me wonder... what does everyone else do?   Just hang on to the coins - which is what I would have done if I was not moving to a country they would be useless.

To "coin" a phrase  I decided to "buck" up because it makes no "cents",  they are just going to "nickle and dime" you to death.

Penny for your thoughts or give me your two cents worth!  

I find this topic of particular interest.   I have used AirBnB for a few years with various experiences (both good and bad).   We are also planning to host for AirBnB  in the near future.

I was in Panama when hotel occupancy rates were at record highs and had prices to match.   What is not pointed out in the above articles is the explosive rate at which large hotels were being built  in 2010, 2011 without any thought as to how they would be filled.   The hotel industry and Panama brought much of this on themselves with greed and poor planning.    Panama approved new construction of hotel after hotel thinking they would all be rich with hotel rates sky high.   At the time, many of us were asking where all the people would come from to fill them as many of them had plans to add casinos as part of their operations.   In my opinion, while AirBnB certainly takes a piece of the hotel pie, you have to expect the consumer to start looking for other alternatives when rates are outrageously high.   Why pay $100, $200, or $300 a night in a hotel when you can get an AirBnB with all the amenities of home for a quarter of that price?    I know clients that booked into the Marriott Hotel in 2009 for almost $400 a night.   Now you can get that same room for $100 or less.

I am happy to read that AirBnB is taking a proactive approach and making deals and collect taxes.   That seems fair all the way around.   As for the tears from the hotel industry, greed got you.   Don't blame AirBnB.   In many ways it is no different that the taxis and Uber.   Better service for less money.   Step up your game and quit crying about the competition.  I just wish Uber was as proactive and honest as AirBnB appears to be.

Thanks for the articles Bud.

The part that is head shaking to me is that at the very end of the multi-step process, they ask you to sign the receipt...  ...yet they give the entire receipt to you, so you are signing something you are keeping and they have no record of you signing anything!  I am unclear as to why I need my own signature and they can not explain it either.

5 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

It's been my personal experience that folks who have made up their mind to leave an area, or are preparing to do so, are more apt to find fault or express displeasure with the place.

It doesn't seem to be unusual for us to find more than ample justification for moving to or from somewhere when the right time comes.

I think it is just human nature for one to find ways to justify difficult decisions and then vent to relieve the stress and frustration.   I am one that is leaving Panama and while I could easily list a number of things I dislike or seemed senseless here in Panama, I am sure I could just as easily find faults in my new destination once I have lived there for an equal amount of time.   All my life I have made a major move about once every 10 years and I could easily list faults and express frustration with each location.   My personal decision to move on is based on what appears a better option both personally and financially.   While Panama finally tipped the scale for me in a different direction and while some past experiences here in Panama played a part in predicting the future, I can't say I have any great displeasure with Panama as a whole.  I could probably list just as many pros as cons.  There are certainly things I will miss here and will likely be back to visit clients and friends. 

It does feels like there are a larger number of expats leaving at this time or at least a bit more than the normal turnover we have seen each year.   I am very skeptical about how concerned Panama is about the number leaving the country.   I am sure they are more concerned with other issues and the expats leaving is probably just a side effect of other policy decisions.

If Panama teaches you anything, it is that everything changes constantly (both good & bad).  It can change at a moments notice...  or even with no notice at all.   Rules and laws here seem to be only enforced when a situation becomes untenable.   Typically enforcement is done for a short time and then, as with everything here, it changes again.  Seemingly random and sometimes without good reason to those of us that are used to laws and regulations being hard and fast.    

1 hour ago, Keith Woolford said:

This is a long but very related article concerning the relationship between ex President Ricardo Martinelli and U.S. President Donald Trump.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3067820/trumps-panama-problem?partner=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+(Fast+Company)

Very long read. As expected, there is an anti-Trump and guilt-by-association theme put forward by the writer but it is not over the top like many news articles.  It is nice to get a full history of events to put things in perspective.   I remember much of it as our business group was in discussions to assist with the casino operation.  

Thanks for sharing Keith, I enjoyed it.

This is true in all locations where there are arrows painted on the pavement, tho most people either do not notice or understand their significance.   If there are arrows painted on the pavement, those are the ONLY permitted directions.    If there is not an arrow painted in the direction you want to turn but there are others painted arrows, then the turn you want to make is not permitted.

A common and semi-humorous story is that when a gringo is pulled over for making such a turn, the gringo says there was no sign saying the turn WAS NOT permitted, to which the officer replies, there was no sign (painted on the street) saying it WAS permitted.   A subtle but important difference.   All permitted directions are shown whereas any other directions are not permitted.

I was for many years as I have discussed on this forum before.   Bad lawyers and corrupt system forced some of us.   To be honest, after fighting the system for more than a year, it simply becomes easier just to make the border run.   After all, who doesn't enjoy a little 3 day vacation in Costa Rica at a nicer beach than those in Panama?    I began making my border runs from Panama City because I had no choice.  It was a long haul at times... trying to get thru the system to become legal was more of a challenge than a long bus ride.

Also, even for those people that saw it coming, there was little they could do to quickly to comply with new rules and regulations.   The process quoted by most lawyers is 6 months to a year to get processed and a bunch of money upfront with no guarantees.   Your mileage may vary (lol)

I did eventually get thru the system and get a Friendly Nations Visa but I can understand those that either can't or won't.   I won't put my wife thru it as she is still considered to be a tourist.

Immigration laws change, as does the government and its decrees.  Regardless of whether you think border hopping was legit and legal or if you think it was a loophole, the fact remains that it had been used by a very large number of people for many, many years.  The government of Martinelli was border hoping friendly and not interested in changing the law.  Varela's government is not boarder hoping friendly.   This government is looking for money and it appears that this is one way to generate some.  (just my personal view on it all).  I suspect that Matinelli's approach brought more business and money into Panama than Varela's solution will but only time will tell.    Either way, it is absolutely Panama's right to change and enforce immigration as it sees fit. 

Consistency does not exist in Panama nor does equal enforcement of the laws.   Walkers got unlucky and got a longer penalty.    As many can attest, your experience at the border depends on the agent at the time - it was rarely the same from day to day.   I was never forced to stay out the full three days and was always permitted to return the same day.   That is inconsistent with what others were experienced and I was always prepared to stay longer if the agent made that requirement.

For some of us - it is merely the nudge we need to move on.

While the country sorts this out, I have often wondered about the claim that a taxi driver is a "professional driver" and therefore somehow better than the average driver (such as an Uber).   The humorous, yet somewhat true saying that "Every car accident involves at least one yellow car" makes me wonder what the real statistics are on auto accidents and taxi safety.  I doubt that statistic is available on taxi drivers vs the average public but it would be interesting to know given the position that some take saying Uber drivers are not professionals.

From my experience, there is a marked difference in the white tourist hotel taxis vs the average yellow street taxis.   They do cost more but provide air conditioning and are more likely to speak some English.   Hopefully, the country will find a way for all options to exist and give each of us the choice of service that fits our needs best.

Uber is just one of these "resource sharing" businesses that have come about with the wonders of technology.    Uber is ride sharing.   Another one is Airbnb, accommodation sharing.   In the same vein, they are a business model that uses the resources of the general public to provide service and they get around the employee-employer relationship thereby effectively being able to do business at a lower cost.   There are pros and cons to both sides of that equation. 

I expect in the future you will see some of the same protest and anger as more and more people decide to make a few dollars sharing their home as an Airbnb host.   Hotel and Hostels will feel the effect and will scream for regulation and enforcement.   Unfortunately, enforcement of either ride sharing or accommodation sharing becomes an insurmountable task in countries where the culture finds it acceptable to be a rule breaker.   Those providing the service are not employees of the company.  Attempting any rule or law enforcement then becomes the task of stopping every citizen who sees Uber or Airbnb as a way to supplement their income. 

One place where both of these companies have had great difficulty is in Japan.   Many have speculated on why Japan would be different than other countries when they put the same rules in place regarding those types of services.   Ultimately, it comes down to the fact that as a culture, in Japan it brings shame to be a rule breaker.    Both users of the service and those providing the service are seen as rule breakers and there for shameful.   I find that an interesting note just in terms of cultural differences, tho it does not provide any answers for countries like Panama.

In countries where rule breakers are seen as leaders, services such as Uber and Airbnb thrive.   I personally now use both extensively when travelling and enjoy both the independence and choice it allows me.   To those who see these services as hurting the people who have been entrenched in providing these services - it is time to up your game.   Give me a taxi that is always comfortable, clean, fair priced, air conditioned, etc, etc.   I will be glad to use it rather than waiting 5-10 minutes for my Uber to show up.    To the hotels, motels and the like, it is time to up your game too.   Give me many of the comforts I get from an Airbnb and I will be glad to use your service.   Getting charged for a minibar service, having towels that are so thin I can see through them, a bed that is...   well you get the picture.   I like the comfort of a home or a place that is kept as nice as a home without paying like I have money to burn.

Service.   Figure out what the customer wants and needs or else join the protest line to say life is not fair.    I find all sides of the latest "resource sharing" businesses to be interesting as societies evolve in how they provide service.

By the way Bud - nice job on this free "information sharing"  ̶ ̶b̶u̶s̶i̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶ ̶  site.   As they say, sharing is caring!

Agreed, plastic bags and bottles are a visible reminder of a much bigger problem.   Steps to curb their use may provide some small relief but until the overall problem is addressed, these are a kin to nothing more than putting band-aids on a broken leg.    Too soon you realize you are lame because you did not address the overall issue.

In my opinion, while the US managed to clean itself up to a great degree, thru heavy fines and public programs, I would tend to look at other Latin countries first.   In my visits to Medellin, Colombia I have been amazed at the cleanliness.   This is not due to heavy fines or aggressive enforcement.   Instead they have given their people an incentive.   There are recycling centers that pay good money to those bringing in cans, bottles, cardboard and other material.   It is common to see large carts on the street bringing things to the recycle centers.   Trash collection in the city parks is manually separated into various types of recyclables before being picked up.  The program works a bit too well at times as now some of the very poor search out trash receptacles for the value of the recyclables.  

Changing a negative into a positive and effecting the desired change is just plain smart.   It is difficult to change a behavior that has been set over time.   In my opinion, trying to do it with laws and enforcement is very difficult if not near impossible task.   Give the people a reason not to throw that trash out the window, give it value on a large scale and watch the behavior change.  Combine that with education in the schools so the young do not follow the cultural path of the past and you have a winning combination that actually fixes that broken leg before becoming lame.

I will share one of my experiences with "shared tips" here in Panama.   In 2009, I owned and operated a poker room in Panama City within the Royal Casino.   Typically, poker dealers keep their own tips but I was quickly informed that in Panama they shared their tips.   In my opinion that takes away from the incentive to give good service.   I further learned that they collected the tips and then split them up every  two weeks.   Everyone got an equal share regardless of the number of hours worked.   That meant that if an employee only worked part time or if they called in sick, they still received the same amount of the tip pool as those that had worked full shifts or even overtime!  Unbelievable to my way of thinking.

In my effort to balance out this practice, I implemented a system that percentaged out tips based on hours actually worked, thinking this would give incentive to show up for work and volunteer for extra hours.   I was quickly proven wrong as the employees acted as a group.   Upon receiving their tip envelopes with varying amounts, the group collected them all up and redistributed the tips back out evenly.   Dealers that had worked twice as much, receiving double the amount of tips, put their money in the center and drew out the lesser yet equal share.  I watched it happen.

There appears to be a belief that tips are a group effort rather than an individual effort.   Based on this and several other experiences, I came to the conclusion that it is a cultural difference.   If you wonder why a nice big tip does not get that extra smile or appreciation, you need to realize that the person receiving the tip does not necessarily see that as personal reward.   There is comfort in being just a member of the group without the desire to be better or advance.

Keith is correct.  In the places where I have friends that work as waiters and waitresses, they do not get any of the tips that go on a credit card.   Management simply does not take the time and effort to tabulate and pull out the tip amounts, then distribute them.   Give them your credit card and tell the waiter/waitress you will be leaving your tip in cash... and you will see a big smile.

The other thing you are likely seeing is the common misunderstanding of the law.   The education and explanation of laws to restaurant employees is somewhat poor.   Compound the problem with the English / Spanish barrier and it is easy to see how this happens.   Management tells the staff that they cannot include tips on the bill (because that would make it appear mandatory), and that gets understood as you can't put tips on the credit card slip.   The employees then hate credit card users as they are unlikely to get a tip that goes in their pocket.

Another little known fact is that waiter/waitresses work a 48 hour week (6 days) as that is considered full time in Panama.   They do not receive overtime or extra pay for working that 6th day, so you may understand when they look a bit tired.

I am well aware that not everyone was a Don Ray fan.   Most everyone has their detractors whether they admit it or not.  I am well aware of mine, they remind me often!

The bigger point here was that there is a large group of expats moving out of Panama.   While the short term residents are missed, it is the longer term residents that the community has come to rely on that will be the biggest impact.   I fear for the next expat that needs the type of help Marion Clamp and others received.     

As the saying goes, you do not know what you have until it is gone.  
Then again the optimist says: you don't know what you've been missing until it arrives.

Moving on...  appreciating what I have...  and waiting for what comes... 

This  was just posted on Chiriqui Chatter.  It appears that Don Ray and his wife are moving to the US and we are losing one of the areas most kindhearted and helpful men that the expat community has known.  This is truly sad news and a great loss for the community.   I wish Don and his wife Lilliam all the best.

---

The David Warden Position For the U.S. Embassy is Available

Dottie,

There is a very detailed explanation of this here:

http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/31/15138526/isp-privacy-bill-vote-trump-marsha-blackburn-internet-browsing-history

While using a VPN may give you limited protection on who can see your data, at some point your information travels in the clear.   Instead of travelling in the clear from the ISP point, it is encrypted until it gets to the other end of the VPN and then once again travels in the clear on its way to the final destination.   Basically, that means that your VPN provider can do exactly the same thing as your ISP - you are just changing the point your data is in the clear.

Also, there is additional information that is always available in order for you to connect to your ISP.   For instance, your account, your IP address, the time and length of your data connection (were you online at 3am or not).   All of this information is valuable for marketing purposes.   ISP's as well as VPN providers can collect and sell this information.   The fight and rule change is about whether or not this is considered to be permitted.   Yet as you dig deeper into it, even that statement is some what foggy as the governing body only interprets what is written and does no enforcement.

My personal take on it is this...   The collection of your data and surfing habits has already has been done for a very long time.  This is not just a US thing as it occurs in most every country.   To think that there is ANY privacy online is to not understand how your information is transmitted.   For those of us old enough to remember it - think of the Internet as a giant party line in beginning days of telephone service.   Everyone can pretty well see and hear everything.   Some information can be encrypted and hidden but the very fact you are using the Internet, when and how long, is in itself valuable information.   There is little to nothing you can do about it.

Unlike my post of a year ago, I have become a Uber convert while travelling to Colombia.   I use a combination of Uber and taxis and find that both services have their advantages.   I like the security and comfort of Uber.   On the downside, I have had to help most Uber drivers to find the actual pickup and drop-off points whereas a taxi driver seems to have better knowledge of the city.   There are times when a taxi is quicker and there are times when getting a taxi seems impossible due to high demand.   It is worth the 5 minute wait to get the  Uber.

I now have a better understanding of what the attraction of Uber is to travelers.   What I saw as the cheap, easy, non-meter taxis can certainly leave a traveler wondering if they are getting a fair deal.   I suspect taxis are a better deal for the locals and Uber is a better deal for the tourist and travelers.

Personally, I do not find the argument that Uber is putting taxi drivers out of business or is greatly impacting their livelihood to be valid.   A taxi driver could certainly become an Uber driver.   It would seem that perhaps the real issue for a taxi driver is the loss of cash customers and the ability to bend the rules on fares.   I hate to see Uber accepting cash, even tho I have made cash payment to an Uber driver in the past.   The sense of security drops off if you start to deal with cash to the drivers and at some point you might as well take a cheaper taxi.

As for protest by blocking or slowing traffic on the streets - welcome to Panama.    Seems to me they do themselves more harm than good.   Take an Uber because the taxis are all busy protesting.   Competition is a good thing and we, the customers, win when there are options that provide better services to our current needs.   Find a way for both services to co-exist and let the public choose to fit their needs.

Thanks for the news update Bud.

You will never get the massive number of lawyers to give the same information since it is to their own self interest to give or exclude certain information.   What is a shame is that the government could very easily solve the confusion by having a single website or set of sites that stated the information factually.   Of course enforcement of the rules is another matter all together.   The law says one thing, the decree says another and enforcement seems to be independent of either.   Having a resource that the common man could access would help protect against unscrupulous lawyers.

In my case, after stating on this site that I was giving up, a lawyer came forward and suggested that it was a simple matter for us to get my wife a "family reunification" visa or "dependent" visa based on our marriage.   No other lawyer had offered this and I found almost no mention of it on Panama's migration and government websites.   The lawyers only offered me various other paths for her to become part of my Friendly Nations visa and quoted prices of $5,000+   Now, whether or not this family reunification visa is in fact available to us, and at the quoted price of $1,050, remains to be seen.   This goes to the point that there does not appear to be a single authoritative source to list all of visas that are available along with their requirements.   There are many websites that list a few common ones, often out of date, yet no authoritative one that I have been able to find.  I like to be well armed before approaching a lawyer so I can discuss things intelligently.   After all, it's Panama.   The only one looking out for us, is us.

Interesting point Doug... had not thought about it like that.   Like everything in life, it is all about perspective!