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Panawanna

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Everything posted by Panawanna

  1. Hi Stacey. I think you are the L.A. Stacey that I know and met you when you were here! I am happy to answer all of your questions and tell you how I am handling things after being here for about 3 years. Just email me as you have done before. Looking forward to having you here!
  2. until

    THIS EVENT WILL NOW HAPPEN AT THE BCP ON THE SAME DATE AND TIME. IT WILL NOT BE AT THE LIBRARY!
  3. until
    In November 1940, days after the Nazis sealed 450,000 Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, a secret band of journalists, scholars and community leaders decided to fight back. Led by historian Emanuel Ringelblum and known by the code name Oyneg Shabes, this clandestine group vowed to defeat Nazi lies and propaganda not with guns or fists but with pen and paper. The resistance effort against persecution and oppression during the Holocaust is a topic not specific to just the Jewish community but to all peoples globally, especially in current times.
  4. We stopped in this three level store today and were amazed! It is a mashup of Ahorra, Conway and Super Baru with an array of additional merchandise that you may need and much that you might not. There are higher end clothing labels available such as Columbia, Izod and Italian makers. A huge selection of shoes, sporting goods, electronics, toys, jewelry, watches, home decor, kitchen and bath, a very large pharmacy and health and beauty area, and the grocery section is as large, if not larger than Price Smart. I found many American label foods at reasonable prices and items that are hard to find (or stock that is seldom replenished) like Blue Diamond brand Almond Milk, Ghirardelli dark chocolate and dill pickle relish. The fresh meat and fish section is very big as is the veggie and fruit selection. All prices seem to be on par with Baru or Price Smart although some are higher, some are lower. The feel is what a department store used to be in the U.S. The place was jammed today with shoppers taking advantage of many ofertas and live entertainment outside in the front parking lot. We will definitely make this a stop when we schedule our Price Smart visits.
  5. A 14 lb bag of the turkey protein was $29.35. A 28 L bag of the salmon protein was $45.70. They also carry the Nylabone tartar control drinking water additive.
  6. Prior to moving here, we changed our dog's diets over to Kirkland brand grain free dog kibble from a top quality grain free food from Nature's Variety...only to find the high quality grain free was no longer available at PriceSmart. We had seen it there on our prior visits in 2015 and 2016. The closest thing I could find is Triumph brand at the Melo's nearest the Conway/Arrocha center. It isn't cheap but our pooches seem to be fine with it. Both have terrible skin problems with grains. I hope that PriceSmart does offer the Kirkland brand grain free. I've always trusted the Kirkland brand items and have rarely been disappointed.
  7. As new members of the Jubilado community in Chiriquí, it would be appreciated to understand exactly WHERE this discount is appropriate. Are there general categories of goods and services where this is applicable such as restaurants, hotels, specific stores for specific goods, auto services from dealers, etc.? We've noticed it isn't offered generally as we go about eating, touring, shopping and spending... but when is it appropriate to ask for it? For example, do all drug stores offer discounts on prescription or over the counter drugs and/or supplies? I have made several purchases from drug stores in town and not once was I asked about Jubilado. Should I have ASKED them about it? What about stores such as Do It Center or Conway? Grocery stores? We have our temp cedulas at the moment. Thanks for the guidance!
  8. There are several horses located in Boca Chica that are suffering from neglect. What we know is that these horses are owned by someone living out of the country who left their care with a local. That local is suffering from dementia and has severely neglected the horses and the owner is not to be found. Supposedly, the horses are from prized bloodlines. We have minimal information on this so please correct this post if you know more about this. A local named Stefania, stefynet@yahoo.com, is trying to help. If you know the owner or are interested in helping or adopting one or more of these horses, please contact Stefania directly.
  9. Wow! I didn't know this service was offered! I will look for you and use it in the future. I will also ask my future visitors to bring stamps.
  10. We have an ID on that snake. A Tropical Neo Racer, non venomous garden type snake that eats lots of mice and typically hangs out around human habitats. For very rapid snake ID, send a picture of the your visiting snake to teamsnakepanama@gmail.com They were very happy to ID the snake for us and are part of the research team cataloging the resident snakes in Panama.
  11. We have the small black ants that BITE. They create nests about 1.5 down in the soil. Vibrations bring them boiling to the surface. Our neighbor uses a very toxic poison to kill the nests. Any other things that might work so as not to poison other creatures or our dogs?
  12. Can anyone identify this snake? We found it resting on a towel bar in our bathroom. We released is safely (for us and the snake) back in the wild. I have the snake guide that was recently published but could not find this one to ID it.
  13. We are now in Panama City and using $100 or $50's is no problem at all. Each bill is inspected by at least one manager and the serial numbers are recorded. Perhaps David or Boquete are different with this. We will find out. Starting our drive end of next week and stopping at points along the Pacific. See y'all soon!
  14. LOL! Got me on that one, TwoSailors. I should have done my research before asking that question! Shows how long it has been since I've actually acquired cash for transport! $100 bills it is. Thanks.
  15. Another question... when arriving in Panama with cash...is there any issue with the denomination of the bills? In other words, is there a problem exchanging $500 or $1000 bills at banks for smaller denominations?
  16. When we first started our research on retirement locations, we subscribed to IL. About three issues in I realized that what they are selling is the 'dream'. I realized professional, if not overbearing, marketing of something that many hope exists...a perfect place to retire. Perfection doesn't allow for cons, only pros. We thought to attend one of their seminars just to see what we could see and it was a BIG mistake to just inquire. We didn't sign up. After that, we were inundated with invitations, c'mons, hurry quick or it will expire type offers. Much hype and not much meat. I reached out to a few folks that had attended their seminars and found that much of the material could be found online. For the seminar break times, many business folks were there to sell their tours, services and real estate to excited dreamers embracing the idea of perfection. Perhaps this type of presentation is good for some people. Not for us. Clearly the founder saw an opportunity for a good business. Can't blame for that but didn't get sucked in either.
  17. This may have been posted prior, but I didn't see it. Forgive if I've duplicated. Volcan Baru is classified as an ACTIVE volcano...or at the very least, dormant and not extinct. The fact that hot springs exist in Caldera indicates that magma is close to the surface and ongoing activity is... well, ongoing. So earthquakes should not be a surprise to anyone in that region. Wikipedia has an interesting article about Baru and clicking through to other sites yields interesting, if not concerning, USGS study results. Having lived in CA for so many years, earthquakes have become a part of our background noise unless damage from the tremors is more than minimal. No volcanos in site. Living on the side of a volcano I'm certain will change our dismissal of tremors as 'background noise'. Baru's last eruption? In the 1500's according to Wiki. But the USGS suggests residents around the volcano should be prepared for the worst. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcán_Barú https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1401/of2007-1401en_text.pdf
  18. Not everyone learns the same way. We are doing Duolingo, Rocket Spanish and Language Transfer/The Thinking Method (on YouTube). Each has a different approach to learning. I find it better to switch between them to keep the neurons firing and to not be stuck with understanding only one delivery. Ultimately, we need to practice with a native speaker to best understand at the speed and accent of the region. I am doing the reverse of how most Spanish speakers learn English...they watch TV in English. I am watching tele novelas in Espanol. I also have fun by translating what I find on Encuentra 24 that I don't yet understand, using Google translate. That helps me learn valuable words that will be used in everyday interactions or descriptions. Best phrases to learn first are 1) Por favor, habla mas despacio (please speak more slowly) 2) Por favor, perdone mi espanol malo. Sigo siendo estudiante. (please forgive my bad Spanish. I am still a student.) 6-9 months total into this, and we habla espanol poquito, no Bueno! Ha Ha
  19. Sorry...meant the Chiriquí neighborhood.. although we won't be there until next month, we already think of it as our neighborhood!
  20. Interesting to note that the CDC and travel clinics here in the U.S. provide advice to prevent malaria in Panama. No where have I found a mention of Zika or Dengue fever as an alert. What is the status of malaria in our neighborhood? Is there typically a rise in cases after the rainy season?
  21. Thanks, Ray. Good information. We can access all of our accounts from anywhere in the world. Already established that. And we have our medical coverage handled in the interim. My question really was about the 'we don't know what we don't know' stuff. That being... what retirees abroad need to do or say or NOT do or say to maintain full access to their financial accounts that are still based in the U.S. Does any financial institution have an issue with retirees that no longer have physical presence in the U.S.? That is really what I'm trying to get to... I think.. I don't know what I don't know! Woody, no intentions to avoid our tax obligations. But taxation is a whole different topic. As we don't own property in CA any longer (we are renting until we depart) we can provide a physical U.S. address for all that you mention, pretty much in any state at this point. It was interesting that Fidelity asked for our overseas address and our mail forwarding address and stated that the only access we would not have, once living in Panama, was to buy and sell mutual funds (which we don't). All other activities such as trading stocks and accessing our money via ATM or wire transfer is good with no restrictions. If your experience has been different, let me know and I'll call Fidelity and ask for confirmation in writing. THANKS! I have not gone as far as asking if our credit card companies would cancel our cards if we departed the U.S. permanently. Perhaps someone has dealt with this already??
  22. Regarding banking and access to accounts in the U.S. - has anyone had experience with the requirement to provide your legal address (in Panama) to your bank or Fidelity or Schwab account? Our Fidelity advisor asked us to provide the legal physical address AND the mailing address (which will be a mail forwarder in Houston). My concern is the unknown repercussions of doing so on our other financial accounts, our taxes, etc. We had not intended to broadcast our lack of brick and mortar residence in the U.S. Guidance please... Thanks.
  23. I was given examples of where the agent's own family members had used this insurance in Panama City after enduring a terrible car crash and another with a similar situation. Both had direct payment to those hospitals and doctors in Panama City. I know the process could be different in David and have not checked directly with the hospitals. (Who would I even call there?) Our plan is to find local insurance that would cover the high deductible to hedge our bets. Thanks!
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