Doug Tyler

I am 99% sure it is all about the shade. We are overthinking this one. This is Panama.

H1N1 is not Zika virus. How can you say a baby with H1N1 died from Zika?

We will never go there. We paid over $3000 for permanent resident status and it's benefits. Any restaurant opening knows the law and must abide by it. They are deliberately flaunting it for greed at others expense. Not ours.

An E cedula is a permanent residency card, like a social security card. It is not a pensionado indefinido visa. It is not related to immigration. I was at an airport coming here and I showed my Cdn passport. They said I couldn't enter Panama because it would expire too soon. I pulled out my cedula. There was a big AHA and I was in. I do not carry my passport here. I get waved through checkpoints, show it in restaurants for jubilado discuenta, no hassles. It is the same card every 18+ resident carries but with an E. It indicates a degree of legitimacy to Panamanians that I don't just have a permanent tourist visa but have gone through the process of becoming a resident. It is registered on title with our corporation. It was a hassle getting it 4 years ago but I'm sure glad I have it.

Delicious Italian fare in Alto Lino. Mattias is from Torino and learned his artistry in Italy and Paris. I had a very thin crust pizza - Chef's choice which was wonderful. The seafood pasta is also great. He has a flair for Mexican as well. It's a large menu to suit all tastes. *****

Much discussed subject over many years. Unfortunately no saved data base. Depending on the province and whether or not you have a permanent residence in Canada, you may be able to recover your health costs from the province, provided it is not a pre-existing condition. You can join a co-pay at Hospital Chiriqui, which has lots of conditions - call them directly to find out. Other Canadians belong to BUPA - pretty expensive but good. You can use a broker to find some other company. We have co-pay at Chiriqui, and maintain our Ontario health plan. We want Canadian doctors. If you give up your Cdn. health plan, you have to wait 3 months in Canada to restore it. Make sure you have a catastrophic fund set aside, or lots of credit card limit. or both. as they will want money up front here, or even for Medevac to Canada. You could end up in the regional hospital which is really basic. Do your homework. As we age, the requirement for care increases.

Mango is no more. The classiest restaurant in Boquete couldn't make it after 2 years of extremely hard work. Craig and Maureen have lost everything. They may attribute it to issues with the owners around extravagant rental demands. Personally I believe they were not willing to change their standards to give Boquete what it wanted. There isn't enough of a market in Boquete for the upscale fare they offered. We supported them, as did many others, to get them going and establish a customer base. But with limited working capitol they weren't able to provide the diversity of fare required to attract clientele and sustain the payment of onerous expenses. I am saddened by their closing, and don't anticipate any immediate investors willing to keep the bar high and provide Boquete with the same quality dining experience. I wish Craig Miller and Maureen all the best in their next endeavours.

Mark, the last thing I would ever want is a shouting match. You should know that. What I want is clarity, because safety is paramount for us. We will support whatever is in the best interests of us and the community as a whole, but we need to understand what that is. CL contributors could help us disseminate the information. We have been away for a time and need to catch up. I'm reading the Rodny Direct info posted as well as AaC material. I'm wondering how and if they would positively interact, and how we can most benefit.

I am a little 'gun shy' about the BCP market. Haven't been for ages. If Rodny AND AaC were there it would be a worth going to debate. I hope I can get feedback here.

What do people feel about AAC and Bob Gregory? Rodney and his plan [with Mark H help]? Which if either should we choose?

Chica I'm onside with you on most things, and it tees me off the see gringos without documentation waltz into Chiriqui taking opportunities away from Panamanians. On this one though I defer. There was no market before gringos came. They have specific requirements needing specific skills and technical and language assistance. Knowing the local market for these types of vehicles is essential, and it's almost completely within the gringo community. Keith in particular carries it a step farther by providing the expat populace with diverse and comprehensive knowledge of relevant information and issues. I hope Panamanians develop the ability to compete. I would use them first without hesitation.

Steven, I'll be back Nov 2. Save some special plants for me. We may need to correspond beforehand.

Bonnie, I'm returning Nov 2. I'll call you. Thanks.

I am looking for seeds, plants or cuttings of mandevilla vine - preferably red. Does anyone know where I can beg, borrow or otherwise acquire some. bjtrdt at gmail.com?

I dislike the inference that I'm a 'newbie'. It gives less credence to anything I would post. There must be another way to categorize longevity on the site. I don't want to just complain. This is a growing phase for the site and I will submit feedback. I don't know if I'm supposed to post this here either.

I want this site to succeed, but for me it has to be easy. This is pretty complicated for most of us.