JimAndNena

Interesting wording. I think I just read it as scuttle and missed it. The port in Balboa has been run by Hutchison Whampoa Ltd since approved by former President Bill Clinton. China is renowned for patience, perhaps this next step is part of the OBOR plan? http://www.reuters.com/article/panama-ports-idUSL2N0S601220141011 jim

I remember the initial rollout for the machines but they were supposed to be on the web or some such requirement. Since the infrastructure could not support the system, the laws went into "review". The administration changeover probably left the whole thing in suspense. Found an old link: http://laestrella.com.pa/economia/impresoras-fiscales-fracasan/23892043

Probably one of those caja fiscal machines mandated by the government some years back. It added to the bureaucrazy burden on businesses.

This puzzled me as well, Dan, until I had to return something. They ask for the receipt and then some ID. If the names do not match, no refund. Even with the receipt, the store workers are not authorized to do returns without the owner or his representative's OK. I bought $300 of remodel materials once and found a defective lockset. I had to tell the manager that if I could not swap the lockset for a working one that I would bring the whole order back. He made 2 phone calls before getting permission for the refund. jim

It is the same all over except for owners who run their own store. The owners don't trust everyone to have access to the funds so there are checks and balances with all employees. Trying to get a refund or exchange without the owner present is exceedingly difficult for the same reasons.

Last listed phone contact: Hayes Henry, Gibson Alto Boquete 720-3590 jim

The US has recorded every cell phone, Internet communication since 9/11. Bluffdale has it all stored and nobody is doing anything to stop that. I doubt Martinelli is even a blip.

This bit of "culture" far predates retiree arrivals. It started as soon as cellphones arrived in Panama. Folks with landline service didn't pay for local calling so folks with cellphones would call family and friends and hang up. The folks with landlines would call back so the cellphone users were not charged. This was especially popular with kids given cellphones by their parents to keep track of them. The parents or friends would say, "dame una perdida", one ring, two rings, etc. As time progressed, anyone with paid cellphone charges called and hung up. If the person called wanted to spend money talking to the caller, he made the call. If not, he didn't. jim

And it is still functioning better than the expansion project. Old technology may be better.

No proof except that I sat with them and had a beer. Keep in mind, this was 30+ years ago before I took the pledge. Or perhaps it didn't happen. Much of that period is hazy to me now. I am sure all the drivers are sober and drug-free now. As I posted, it looks a lot like mechanical failure. Maybe the mechanics, maybe act of God, maybe poor road conditions. We're you on the bus? Can you give any information? jim

I think I spotted your problem. You should have a few drinks with the bus driver before boarding! Why be the only one on the bus who is sober?

We have been riding the buses to/from David for years, always an adventure. The "new" double deck buses are great on daytime trips but we were usually on the midnight express. The single biggest safety advance in 40 years was when the drivers were limited to 7 hours as their fastest time for the trip. The real fun was riding the Diablo Rojos. jim

I am going to guess the rear axle locked up on one side. Lack of maintenance issue. Driver's side of the axle moved backward, disconnected the driveshaft, back end of the bus goes left, driver steers into the "skid", bus rolls over onto the passenger side. If going fast enough, it all happens in an eyeblink. It might buff out? jim

No real effort to generate revenue, it is just how it is done. If there are no arrows, turn where you want. If there are arrows, pick one and follow it. Boquete only has about 3 one way streets so arrows are few. Lots of crosswalks however as the town is small and walking is really the fastest way to get around. Once you find a parking space, you may not find another. jim

Very common occurrence for a very early arrival. The gate times are scheduled like everything at an airport, get there 10 minutes early and wait for the other flight to push back. Airports are like square dances, it is all in the timing. I love flying; I hate airports. jim

China's Future in Panama, and the New Margarita Island (Deep Water) Port The recent agreement between China and Panama is going to have an effect on Panama's future. Whether that future is better or worse than what Panama has now will depend on what China's long range plans are. China is already buying large areas of Panama near the canal and has already made purchases that indicate where it is headed. ---------------------------- Consolidating power in the Panama Canal By Callum Wood • June 22, 2016 For more than 100 years, the Panama Canal has controlled the bulk of goods transferred between the Pacific and the Atlantic. For much of that history, this monumental feat of engineering was under the control of the United States. But this is no longer the case. In May, Panama’s largest port was purchased by a Chinese company called Landbridge Group. Margarita Island Port, on the canal’s Atlantic side, offers the company intimate access to one of the most important goods distribution centers in the world. While promising to upgrade the ailing Panama facilities and offer more trade with America’s distant east coast, there is substantial reason to hesitate at the purchase of such a critical trade hub. https://www.thetrumpet.com/13973-china-buys-panamas-largest-port A year later we see that China has obtained the agreements to make progress with its One Belt One Road plan. What will be next? jim Moderator comment: Here is the referenced news article: The Bejing-based Port Design Institute is set to design the piers. The construction will be carried out by state-owned China Communication Construction Corp (cccc). The cccc is the world’s largest company in the infrastructure and engineering sector. Only last year it acquired John Holland, one of Australia’s leading engineering contractors, for more than a billion dollars. According to the cccc website, the company and its subsidiaries engage in the design and construction of a vast array of projects around the globe, many of which serve to enhance China’s trade ties with the recipient nations. As we wrote in the May 2007 Trumpet: In return for its investments, China is gaining control of ports and much-needed resources, such as iron ore from Brazil and oil from Venezuela. Beijing’s strategy is to secure sources for critical resources and the ability to transport those resources back to China. Toward this end, China recently opened a shipping route across the Pacific linking several ports in China with ports in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile. Again, it is no coincidence that we see a Chinese state-owned company taking a vested interest and hefty investment in a trade choke point like Panama. An Ongoing Trend Landbridge is by no means the first Chinese company to move into the Panama Canal. On March 1, 1997, Chinese corporation Hutchinson Whampoa took control of the American-constructed ports of Balboa and Cristobal. Late Trumpet columnist Ron Fraser wrote extensively on this modern geopolitical phenomenon in the February 1999 Trumpet issue: As we gaze toward the procession of container vessels stringing out across the Gulf of Panama, it seems the light has not yet dawned on the United States and the rest of the world to reveal the catastrophic nature of this deal involving Panama and the Red Chinese. …The temptation to yield to the Chinese buying off Panamanian loyalty by filling the cash vacuum left in the wake of U.S. withdrawal may prove too great a temptation for Panama to resist. The Chinese could readily squeeze further concessions out of the Panamanian government by such a process. It was less than a year later that the U.S. officially handed over control of the canal to the Panamanian government. Flash forward 17 years, and today China owns and controls the majority of the ports and loading bays on each end of the canal. Economic or Militaristic When Landbridge acquired the Port of Darwin, many skeptics correctly pointed out that the purchase played into China’s broader foreign-policy goals. China’s string of pearls is heavily intertwined with the ambitions of the often-bellicose Chinese military. In order to extend a broader military reach or sustain a long-distance force, Beijing needs supply lines. Controlling crucial ports and sea gates such as the Panama Canal are pivotal for China. Not only does it ensure safe passage for its ships, but it also has the ability to deny enemy vessels. Mr. Fraser explained: The 50-year contract between Panama and Hutchinson Whampoa effectively places the ability to open and shut this great sea gate into the hands of an enterprise based in, and subject to, the influence and direction of Communist China. Not only has Hutchinson Whampoa been granted full control over the ports at both entry and exit points of the Canal, the Panamanian government has granted long-term options to this Chinese enterprise for the takeover of a number of military installations scheduled for evacuation by the U.S. …The potential threat to U.S. and world security posed by the apparent willing acquiescence of the current U.S. administration to the Panama-China deal is difficult for sensible minds to underestimate. Landbridge’s acquisition of the Margarita port has flown well below the radar of most media sites. Few, if any, consider such a purchase in any way a threat. But each purchase and each new dock or pier is cementing China’s stranglehold on world trade. Panama Canal in Prophecy Long-time readers of the Trumpet magazine know that the U.S., Britain and the English-speaking Commonwealth nations have been the end-time recipients of the birthright promise of national greatness conferred by God upon the patriarch Abraham. For more information, request The United States and Britain in Prophecy.) “[T]he most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,” as it states in Daniel 4:17. God promised Abraham approximately 4,000 years ago that his descendants would “possess the gate of his enemies” (Genesis 22:17; 24:60). In the last 200 years, that is precisely what we have seen. Britannia ruled the waves. The empire controlled Gibraltar, Malta, the Dardanelles, the English Channel, the vital Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden, Capetown, Sri Lanka, the Strait of Malacca, Singapore and Hong Kong. America had the Panama Canal, a string of islands across the Pacific, a substantial presence in the Philippines. Today it is almost all gone. Our enemies control our ports and sea-lanes. In an interview with the Plain Truth magazine in the late ’70’s, Prof. Donald M. Dozer from the University of California gave a truly chilling statement: Upon the defense of the Canal Zone by the United States depends the fate of the Canal. Upon the fate of the Canal depends the safety of world sea-lanes and the fate of the entire Caribbean-Gulf area. Upon these factors depend the survival of the United States as a free and independent nation and the safety and welfare of the American continents. In the July 1977 Plain Truth article “America’s Strategic Surrender,” which contained excerpts from that interview, the author wrote, “The Panama Canal sea gate is part and parcel of America’s God-given birthright, and a necessary vital territorial ingredient which has ensured and protected our inheritance. If America’s politicians foolishly dispose of part of the national birthright for nothing [as they went on to do] it shows they place little value on the future of their country.” Keep abreast of Chinese interests in ports and sea gates around the globe. Landbridge’s purchase is just one of many Chinese maneuvers to consolidate power over the world’s most crucial trade routes, and it brings our civilization one step closer to global calamity.

Hola John, And Omar Torrijos proved his National Guard troops patrolling Panama City were civilian police when he added stripes to their dress uniform pants to please the USA. If US troops were to be reinserted into Panama, I don't know where they would go. All the bases have been converted to other uses. Howard AFB, Albrook, Clayton, Amador, etc no longer exist. I would love to serve again on Fort Grant, I understand my old radio shack is now a 5 start hotel. jim

Workin' the system! Good for you. jim

Haven't read the treaty in a while but my memory is that Panama didn't want a military due to past dictators and opted for a helpline to the USA if something happened.

I think I would check with these folks for info, Judy: Mail Boxes Etc. MAIL BOXES ETC. BOQUETE AVENIDA CENTRAL, LOCAL 2,EDIF. SAN ANDRES, CHIRIQUI Tel: (507)720-1019 jim

You are cracking me up, Bonnie. Here's a photo of your favorite bridge from 1984. You can see the remains of the one washed away in 1970 in the "button". jim

Have I gotta deal for you! 2 bucks a pair, all you can carry. And the pre-washed treatment is already there. https://familythriftcenter.com/store-locations/ jim

My quest is for serenity, preach on, sister! :-) Boquete as the number one retirement destination started it all. EVERYBODY knows what a retirement community is like, even if they have never seen one. Retired people want activities but also want everything handled for them (vast generalization, I know, but so is #1 retirement community). That ain't Boquete. You can apply all the lipstick you want, it is still a pig. That being said, it is THE getaway place for the country, especially those from Panama City. As a tourist stop it is worth the trip. It is living there full-time that wears one out. jim

I have yet to see a good attitude repair a broken water main. Or restore electrical power at 3AM. Expats arrive with a certain expectation of services are going to be sorely tested in rural parts of any country south of the border. And as the number of expats increases, the services that have provided sufficient reliability for the locals for decades will quickly become erratic. The expats themselves are responsible to some degree as the consumption of services increases dramatically with each new American style home. The locals were always happy in spite of outages because they were not dependent on them. The host country is not interested in spending tax dollars on improving the infrastructure in the province because all the votes come from the capital city and expats don't vote. I have read stories on the blogs of folks who were really intent on making it work. I don't believe they all failed due to a bad attitude on their part. The situation just eventually wore them out. jim and nina

(Bud, still trying to learn the system so if this is the wrong forum move it as you see fit.) I have encountered negative comments online about being married to a Panamanian. Has anyone experienced problems with having a spouse who is not the same nationality as you are? The comments are generally from women (at least that is the profile they have online) so I am interested to know if we should avoid social situations that could be awkward. We generally visit to see extended family all over Panama but part of our time is spent in Boquete because that is Nena's hometown. How very curious that wives are not welcome in their own country by expats by virtue of being married to a foreigner (of the same country as the expats). jim