Siempre Soluciones

8 hours ago, Bonnie said:

Where is City Mall? (I don’t go to David often.)9

City Mall is indicated in the attached aerial by the dashed red lines.

On 8/24/2018 at 6:37 AM, Bud said:

In the recent past PriceSmart changed the packaging of their hamburger meat. To my way of thinking that meant that they changed supplier. The label still says it is a PriceSmart “select offering”. Our experience is that the “new” hamburger meat is less flavorful and more tough. And perhaps a bit more gristle content. The “prior” hamburger meat was so much better.

Are we looney or do others experience the same?

I've never experienced any success with Pricesmart's hamburger meat.  Not enough fat.  If I want fat, I purchase it from El Rey in David.  If I want flavor and less fat I purchase it from Super99.  If I'm creative, I mix the two.

If you've got the time and don't mind spending more, the butcher by the old Policia National headquarters usually stocks ground beef with 20 to 30% fat.  Sometimes he stocks the same but a pre-seasoned blend for a local restaurant and the flavor is off the charts.  My experience is the meat tastes better if the seasoning is ground in with the meat.  Of course he won't tell you which restaurant the blend is for. 

I just picked up five pounds of ground pork containing 30% fat from Palacio's to make Italian sausages, they do custom orders on the spot.

The Galleria Central mall is now about 90% occupied.  The Polo store is having a sale, up to 70% off.  We got some nice shirts today at 50% off.

The mall is located in the lower left hand corner of the attached map.  It's easy to get to, just take via Boquete over the bridge and keep driving until it dead ends and it's on the right.

There's a Subway sandwich shop along with a Kotowa coffee shop too.

A nice convenient treasure in town.

http://www.galeria-central.com/

28 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

The issue dealing with the proposed rate increase to pay for costs generated by delays in construction of the third transmission line was resolved.

It had nothing to do with Gas Natural Fenosa and everything to do with ETESA, the 100% state-owned electrical distribution company.

Union Fenosa hasn't existed for about ten years. Where you been?

Sorry Keith, I live in a Panamanian neighborhood and that's how everyone here refers to the electric company.  Just like when us gringos say "Is your power out?" or "Is your electricity out?" here they say "Tienes luz?"

I'm giving you an up vote for catching that!

A category that the US isn't the worst in!

19 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Wrong. I'm not defending the supplier but the assumption is flawed.

I've worked as an electrical engineer in many countries and I'm in fact retired from a regulated utility.  I'm not familiar with the service levels that Union Fenosa has guaranteed Panama but if they're anything like what's mainstream throughout the world then Union Fenosa possesses the ability to deliver A+ to C- level of service without violating their contract so it is plausible.

1 hour ago, Bud said:

Bonnie, of course we have electricity here in El Santuario. However, it is not as a result of Gas Natural Fenosa. We are on our generator.

These outages continue to be an almost daily occurrence for us here at the end of their line. Ugh! ?

If Union Fenosa is like other unscrupulous regulated utilities then get used to the outages until President Varela allows the rate hikes.

55 minutes ago, Sheila Strunk said:

Bud, I'm sure you can understand that sometimes there are no-win situations!  We have had complaints in the past about attendees voting for their friends rather than for the best chili, so we decided to change it up this year.   Judges (3 local restaurateurs - yes, that is the correct spelling) will be tasting all the entries but will not know who submitted them.  We'll determine after the event whether we should return to public judging next year!

Sheila,

Perhaps you guys should have two contests for best of, one for the public and one for the chefs.

26 minutes ago, Whskyman said:

Well said Keith!!!  That adaptation seems to be a lost/low priority by so many people that come here to Panama.  Adapt or go back.

Whskyman,

Agreed.  The whole Rodney gringo hotline thing baffles me.
 

43 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

Show us a published report of a change of ownership at Casa de Jamon.

Keith,

I probably should've used the word "management" since the fact remains there's an entirely new staff on board there.

Sorry for the confusion.

36 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

Spanish is the only official language of Panama.

Instead of asking a country to adapt to them, immigrants should think about adapting to the country.

Keith,

You're right, it's not like in the US where when you call a business telephone number you're prompted with "Press "1" for English."

I sure hope it stays that way.

18 minutes ago, BlueBird said:

Just saying......maybe Panama has already began the deportation of US citizens ( or can you obtain a Panamian passport?  I can’t, even tho I meet the so called requirements.)

No border hopping allowed, no permanent US Ambassador in Panama, change in Warden responsibilities, emergencies contacts allowed one hour per day for only four days each week......just saying.

And the new owners of Casa del Jamon no longer keep their store open on Sundays, the El Rey in David remodeled and their above head signs are no longer in Spanish and English, and the RibaSmith website no longer has an English translation option.

Maybe it's time to go!

28 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

..yes, and now a threat to American security.

Perhaps Panama should begin the deportations of US citizens.

US embassies have essentially become welcome centers for new citizens.

Does anyone have an estimate on how much longer it will take to get in and out of town when using the Ave Belisario Porras bypass for via Boquete?

It's not looking good for travelers.

Why was Volcan's hospital completed and not Boquete's?

When purchasing a new keyboard and mouse combo at PARS in David I wanted to ensure that I had selected one with an English keyboard layout.  Most of the boxes are labeled either Spanish or English but this box wasn't.  I asked one of the clerks if they could verify it for me since I didn't want to break the seal.  She opened the box and removed the keyboard and verified it was in fact an English keyboard layout.  I then asked her to very that the mouse too was English.  She didn't hesitate and pulled out the mouse but then stopped and looked at me and laughed.

I bet she doesn't fall for that again!

On 4/25/2018 at 7:47 AM, TwoSailors said:

It can be built in the Darien. If Los Angeles can build an underground and elevated metro system in one of the most earthquake-prone areas in the world building a train route through the Darien will be a cakewalk in comparison.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Metro_Rail

It's never really been about being able to, it's more about the social impact.  Look at the problems with the US/Mexico border crossings, Panama simply doesn't want to deal with that.

25 minutes ago, JohnF13 said:

But WHY is it planned to go to the Costa Rica border?  What is there that needs a rail line?  I’m guessing that this is intended to be part of the new silk road.  Next will be pressure to push it through the Darien, with obvious results. Unless this is a line for moving goods, it makes absolutely no sense from a commercial standpoint.

Shipping containers from the canal destined for Costa Rica could be picked up a lot easier at the border instead of requiring truckers to enter Panama and vice versa.

Even shipments beyond Costa Rica would be easier since the truckers would have one less country to deal with.

6 minutes ago, Keith Woolford said:

Sources for those statements?

 

Search on:

china road OR railway OR train OR trains "darien gap"

There are thousands of articles on this subject.

36 minutes ago, TwoSailors said:

China is very smart! While the US is involved in too many conflicts in the middle east and Africa and who knows where else.

A train that goes from Chile to Mexico. Great way for China to tap into the continents natural resources and send by train to the canal and ship to China. Pretty brilliant strategy. While the US is preoccupied with military excursions and a  crumbling political mess.

https://sputniknews.com/analysis/201712291060418377-china-railway-diplomacy/

You wrote:

"A train that goes from Chile to Mexico."

I didn't see any mention of a railway between Panama and Colombia which would be required.  For two decades China has been begging Panama to allow them to build both a road and a railway through the Darien to Colombia to facilitate their enormous amount of trade that traverses the canal destined for Colombia, Brazil, etc.  Panama has consistently refused stating that they don't want that border to look like the US/Mexican border.

I'm sure both the airline and marine industries would be against it too.

It would be great for us budget minded travelers though.  Imagine hopping on a bus in Panama City for say $15 destined for Cali, Medellin, or Cartagena?

Is Panama like the US with regards to highway safety?

Last weekend was a Holiday weekend and when returning to Boquete the entire right lane of via Boquete (north bound) in front of Cefati was occupied with parked cars of people getting their photos taken with the new Boquete sign.

What made this dicey was that via Boquete traffic was reduced to one lane, the merge lane from Volcancito Road was full of cars trying to merge into via Boquete, and the parked cars in the right lane were opening and closing their doors.  Not to mention a car exiting Cefati trying to merge into via Boquete.  Obviously this is an accident waiting to happen.

Is Panama like the US that no action will take place such as additional road signs for safety or stationing a transito officer at that intersection on Holidays until there is a fatal accident?

1 hour ago, Penny said:

I'm trying to figure out if I have a unique problem or if it's system wide. For 3 days now half of the Cableonda TV stations have been "temporarily off the air" and the other half have been so pixilated as to be unwatchable. Anybody else having this problem or should I call and complain to Cableonda?

I don't watch my cable stations but i do use the internet and it's been spotty for a few days.  There's definitely something going on.

6 hours ago, NewsLady said:

 

Hi Bouqete,

 

I have been having absolute awesome results treating people with a variety of ailments using Rife technology along with minor diet changes. Treatments are painless and typically last 1-2 hours. Contact Dr Bill or Gladys McGraw at the Bamboo Beauty Spa to find out more how you can experience the amazing benefits of this new technology that has actually been around for a long time. 

 

Dr Bill McGraw, billmcgraw29@Hotmail.com,  6205 1605

Gladys McGraw, Glamor_31@Hotmail.com, 6531 0326

I guess Rife technology has done well and has been accepted in Panama.  Not so in the US, look at the backlash against the National Rife Association (NRA), it seems to have become a political hotbed albeit its amazing benefits.