Penny

This is wonderful news. I hate that they put every item you buy into a separate bag. I just returned from San Francisco, U.S. where plastic bags are totally banned. They offer you a paper bag for a dime. The other interesting thing is that they raised the minimum wage to (I believe) $15/hour in San Francisco and as a consequence all of the restaurants we ate at added a 5% sur charge on the bill. The explanation for this sur charge was given in very small type at the bottom of the menu.

My friend Daisy Quiel has a small apartment available now for one or two persons. It is located in Los Naranjos. She furnishes cable TV, internet, water, electricity, and garbage services. Located in a quiet area but easily accessible for buses or taxis. The rent is $350 for two people, possibly a little less for one person. Contact Daisy Quiel (speaks English) at daisyquiel11@hotmail.com or 6553-2384.

If Craig is not responding I would write directly to the owner, Sandeep Lal at slal@lucero.com.pa

Bud -- you don't get it. They're here to avoid Carnaval; not to participate in it.

Sandeep This is a very generous offer but I don't think there is a need for us to impose upon your generosity. In the end, we were all happy and quite amazes that Nelson and Enrique, and a woman whose name I don't know managed to recover so well. Your staff is great !!!

I passed by the Alto Boquete Terpel gas station about 7 AM Saturday and there was a bad accident slowing down traffic. Lots and lots of onlookers, lots of police cars and a truck from the bomberos.

It seems many of the folks leaving Panama City are doing so to avoid Carnival and Boquete is their destination. No Carnival here and it's easy to ignore the semblence of Carnival down the road in Dolega. No rooms to rent in Boquete and the restaurants are busy.

I would not be surprised if Casa Decor has closed. For quite awhile now they've been having trouble paying people for sold consignment items. The business has been for sale. I've twice gone there during posted open hours to find them closed. If you have items there on consignment I would try to retrieve them ASAP.

The Boquete Chicas had made arrangements with chef/manager Craig for 20+ of us to dine at Seasons today at 12 noon. The organizers had several email communications with Craig and had sent in our menu selections well in advance of the luncheon. Imagine our surprise when the group arrived and we learned that Craig had abruptly quit, and nobody knew anything about the arrangements. That's the bad news. To their credit, the staff at Seasons rallied, had us email them a copy of the menu selections and went to work. Nelson, who used to be head waiter at both the Panamonte and The Rock got kitchen duty and turned out some fantastic meals. Enrique who used to be head waiter at Amigos did a masterful job of taking drink orders and soothing our ruffled feathers. It all ended well but you can put another notch in Craig's belt as leaving unexpectedly seems to be a pattern. The gossip is that he's going to a restaurant on Taboga Island. In my book, Taboga Island is the most boring place in Panama and you sit and count the hours until the ferry leaves to sail you back to civilization.

Does anybody have a current phone number for Erick Quintero, the lawyer in Alto Boquete? Thanks. You can email me at pjbarrett@aol.com

The emergency battery powered lights in the BCP theater were recently replaced by our great electronics guy Phil Bennett. I can ask Phil where he bought them. As I remember they were relatively inexpensive (maybe $30???)

Hard to believe there wasn't enough demand for pepper jack cheese. Everybody I know is wishing it would come back.

Major General Albert Stubblebine died a few days ago. For several years he and his wife Dr. Rima Laibow were controversial residents of Volcan. They were both extreme conspiracy theorists and felt they were hiding out in the mountains of Panama but in reality they were developing a commune or cult like development on the outskirts of Volcan. General Stubblebine was known for his work in the intelligence division of the army and was in charge of conducting psychic experiments, the most famous of which was training soldiers to stare at goats until their heads exploded. A character ("General Hopgood") in the 2009 film The Men Who Stare at Goats is loosely based on General Stubblebine as head of the project to walk through walls. TRU TV once did a show with Jesse Ventura (ex governor of Minnesota and ex professional wrestler) interviewing Dr. Laibow. The theme was she flew in from her secret hideout in the mountains of Panama to a small undisclosed landing strip in the U.S. where Jesse interviewed her about her plans to develop a utopian community of followers in Panama. The truth is that the residents of Volcan gave the group so much grief they eventually picked up and moved to Peru.

I second (or third) the recommendation for Dra. Zapata. 3rd floor to the right when you get off the Hospital Chiriqui elevator. She's very thorough and explains everything in English. I have heard nothing but good reports about her services.

Furnished 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment. Lower level of house in Jaramillo Arriba. 20 minute walk to town. Private patio and shared garden area. Washer and dryer shared with upper tenant. Totally fenced with secure under-cover parking. Electricity, wifi, and cable tv included. Must love dogs.Available March 1. $500/month plus deposit.Contact Leslie: peeverleslie@yahoo.com

I traveled the Pan American about 12 noon.

I just traveled the Pan American highway from Price Smart to Novey and there is no visible protest action and no part of the highway was closed.

Bud The recycling place across from La Posada restaurant will take your appliance. They will even pay you the scrap value for it. Get a Panamanian with a pickup and give him $10 and he'll probably get another $10 from the salvage place. It's good to know about La Reina. I find their prices to be quite reasonable on most things. My dishwasher went electronic/circuit board crazy after only 7 months. Am going to try to get it fixed under warranty (ja, ja, yes, I know this is Panama and it's a long shot). Actually, in my neighborhood I just set stuff out on the curb. Don't even have to put a "gratis" sign on it. It's usually gone within an hour or two.

During "Just Cause" the US Military went to the house and opened the secret room. There is no written report of what they found but they apparently took whatever they found.

Email me

My car is going to the body shop next week because of that damned pole.

Tomorrow's Tuesday Talk is a very special one. We've been working on putting it together for many months. TV Chiriqui is going to film the presentation. This is one you should not miss.

I wonder if this is the daughter who is married to the son of my neighbor Julie Fogarty.