TwoSailors

Those are very fair ticket prices for a great organization!

1 hour ago, Keith Woolford said:

The Title of this post is incredibly misleading.

Totally agree! The last post from 2 guys and a cooler was for free food when all it was really was a free sample. They need to be honest and cut way back on their post and sense of humor!

We use Unlocator and no problems.  https://unlocator.com/   You probably already did, but have you tried rebooting everything? Sign out and sign back into Smart DNS?

Have not seen any workers at the new building in Boquete across from Dollar store. It went up pretty fast and seems like it is at a snail's pace now.

Correction: It is SOUL Kitchen.

1 hour ago, Hil said:

This seems like a huge project but it is not. Train routes are easier and quicker to build than super highways. As a matter of fact, they have been building these rail lines in Europe going from country to country for years through mountains and coastal areas. Japan and China do these projects with ease-----they are equipped and have the technology to get the job done. This line will be short compared to most rail lines in country to country travel. It will be under 500 miles to Costa Rica.

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

1 hour ago, Siempre Soluciones said:

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. 

IMO: Just a matter of time and definitely not in our lifetime. But if anyone can do it, it is China. They got the money and think to the next 100 years, not the next fiscal quarter.

2 hours ago, Moderator_02 said:

It is part of a long-term China plan to link South America with the north as it has done with the China Europe link.

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/

Coming soon to the former Señor Gyro's location: Sol Kitchen! An all-new restaurant by our neighbor, Juan Tiran, a chef for over 20 years. We're looking forward to seeing what Juan comes up with and wish him all the best.

That is a great place from personal experience. Same great reviews for Casa Montana!

On 4/17/2018 at 4:57 PM, Doug and Jo said:

Colombia is now requiring that foreign visitors show proof of Yellow Fever vaccination or show a certificate of exemption prior to entering the country as a preemptive measure

Doug and Jo,  Where did you get the above information? I have researched everywhere, called Copa Airlines, looked at the WHO site, CDC, and the Consulate of Colombia's website and find no information as you have stated that Colombia is "now requiring visitors must show proof of the vaccine. How about sharing your  ( hopefully) verified resource for this?

This from the Colombia Consulates web site:

Vaccines
Vaccines depend on the characteristics of the traveler and the chosen destination. The former should consider: age, sex, previous vaccinations, previous illnesses, current health status, allergies to vaccines or any of its components, medication that may interfere with the response of the vaccine, pregnancy and immunodeficiency.
To travel to certain regions of the country it is required to have been vaccinated against yellow fever at least 15 days before the start of the trip. This vaccine is recommended for those who travel to the departments of La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Putumayo and the regions, such as: the Eastern Plains, the Amazon, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and the entire Atlantic Coast. 
It is harmful for people with HIV positive, pregnant women (can only be applied in cases of epidemics and with prior consultation with the gynecologist), children under six months, people with immune problems such as low defenses, patients undergoing chemotherapy or have hypersensitivity to the egg.

6 hours ago, Penny said:

I also saw that and wondered where it is? I haven't seen this place in my many travels around the area. Also don't recognize the photo. They say $140/night is half price. Wonder how much business they get for $280/night.

Not much I would imagine. Panamonte is $267 a night and Finca Lerida is $258. Many other less expensive great places to stay for under $100 a nite!

Saw this today on Oferta:

https://ofertasimple.com/ofertas/panama/hotel-la-serrania-boquete-cloudforest-travel-feria-de-las-flores-19abr18-e?utm_source=Ofertasimple+List+(English)&utm_campaign=de3950a72d-UA-16664697-1&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_26e53095a7-de3950a72d-162470077

$140 a nite is a bit steep! for Boquete.

Has anyone been to this place and tried the restaurant? 

42 minutes ago, Twin Wolf Technology Group said:

Unfortunately, most people do not do this kind of research and just think every vaccination is a good thing when in fact it often times increases your risk.   Luckily we have forums like this one that bring attention and make people think a bit more.

Well said. After age 60 one should be very cautious about taking any vaccines. 

I just got off the phone with a representative with Copa airlines. She spoke to her supervisor to confirm what is on their computers regarding entry requirements for Colombia. They said presently there is a Yellow fever Vaccine "recommendation"  but NO mandatory requirement. She suggested checking with the Colombian Embassy to make sure.

This from WHO:

http://www.who.int/ith/ITH_country_list.pdf     scroll down to Colombia. Same as what Copa told me.

I have an email request to the embassy if anything has changed and will report back.

12 hours ago, Twin Wolf Technology Group said:

Let me make a few comments...

This is an obvious hoax and easy to detect based on a few items.   First, the supposed source of this information is "According to IT colleagues of my daughter"  and "reported on the BBC" without any link to the story or source.  I am afraid that "Tricia's daughter's IT colleagues" are not much of a reliable news source unless you believe everything you read.     It also states that it will happen in the future (tomorrow), so someone must be psychic if this is to be believed.   

The next thing is that a simple Google search easily confirms this to be a hoax in case a person is finding Tricia's Boquete News posting to be in any way believable.

I can understand that the NewsLady can not vet every message that gets submitted.   I would suggest that any message that appears to be a warning of something dangerous should get a second opinion before being posted.   It only takes a moment to email a computer tech or to do a Google search.   I would be happy to respond in a timely manner if something like this appears again and the Newslady or others have questions as to its legitimacy.   An extra set of eyes often keeps one wise. 

 

That is great info and as you stated very easy to confirm by doing a google search. If one is going to put news information out to the public as a community service then they should take on the responsibility of vetting the accuracy and truth of the information. It is not difficult to do.

Thank you! We are heading to Colombia soon. 

Was this on the Volcan side or Boquete side?  I doubt that "guide" will be popular any time soon!

We hiked the Boquete side yesterday and the road that has been graded is a big improvement and we really did not see a lot of environmental damage because of it.  We did not see any rescue activity and the weather was perfect. We signed in and saw in the book a good 2-3 dozen folks already on their way up. Lots of hikers coming down and more 4 x 4's going up and down as well.  We only went to 8000 feet. The zip line facilities that were being installed last year have been abandoned. Finca El Oasis is still closed up and no sign of life. ( Last year it was supposed to be re-opening soon.)

4 hours ago, JohnF13 said:

Yes, there is climate change, BUT, there always has been.  CO2 emissions are a red herring, CO2 levels were much higher in medieval times - that wasn’t man made.

I think science has the proper handle on all this.

CO2 facts:

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/the-last-time-co2-was-this-high-humans-didnt-exist-15938

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide_in_Earth's_atmosphere

https://climate.nasa.gov/climate_resources/24/graphic-the-relentless-rise-of-carbon-dioxide/

https://www.co2.earth/co2-past-present-future-article

Global water rising facts:

https://www.popsci.com/nasa-data-sea-level-rise-decline-climate-change

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/sea-level-rise/

https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/

15 hours ago, KrisDogMom said:

have been waiting for dog biscuits for weeks and have received conflicting reports here in Panama regarding their availability. 

Yes! Where are those dog biscuits?

But are they tender?

Windy TV:

https://www.windy.com/8.779/-82.432?rain,7.539,-82.432,7,m:dTMadRL

1 hour ago, Siempre Soluciones said:

The new name containing the word "music" seems to leave it wide open.

 

To make more money, probably!

Additional pictures.