Bud

Is all of this carnage a new definition of insanity?

Another picture of Inga from earlier days at the Panamonte.

Again from an Inga Collins family member:

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The service in Boquete will be on Wednesday, January 17^th, in the San Juan Bautista church, at 11.00 AM.  It will be appreciated if instead of sending flowers, donations are made to the Hospital Oncologico in Panamá City.

Following extracted (with permission) from a communication dated Friday, January 12^th, between me and a relative of Inga:

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Inga is to be cremated in Panamá city.  A service (misa) will be celebrated there, and there will be another service in Boquete.  Shall give you the dates as soon as I have them.

What is the story with the Chinese steak house in David? Stopped by, but found it closed. Remodeling? Closed? Vacation? Change of ownership? 

I'm a bit confused. This posting (and the News.Boquete email) indicate this event is a "private event". My confusion is that this event is being posted in public forums and communications channels, so is it really a private event?

Please help me understand.

International news media is reporting that this recent crash with fatalities involving Nature Air of Costa Rica is the second crash with fatalities in 2017 involving Nature Air. Curious as to what is really going on here.

1 hour ago, NewsLady said:

The newslady joins in wishing Bud & Marcelyn a wonderful Christmas and the best new year ever. She's always appreciative of the times that Bud puts on his newslady dress and takes over the job.

Penny, thank you very much for these kind wishes for both of us.

(I guess my secret is out now. )

Jo and Doug,

What a super nice posting to find as we did our routine CL administration duties this evening. Thank you. Marcelyn was almost in tears. Such a warm and heartfelt message. We appreciate this very much. Thank you, and all the best to the both of you.

With love,
Marcelyn and Bud

One would think that the "perps" should know that they are going to lose. They must have been really seriously drunk, wiping out all logic.

Curious what the penalty will end up being?

2 hours ago, Palo Alto Jo said:

Ouch!  I do have a degree in microbiology/parasitology and had hoped not to be categorized as "naive", but  I've been called worse!  I did have my water tested at the point where it enters our subdivision.  It was negative for E coli , and Giardia.   I still use a millipore/UV light filtration system because I can't test daily.  However, our water's great taste comes from the rocks and minerals it passes through before it reaches my house.  I've lived in many countries, both first and third world, and this is the best tasting I've ever had.  And it's clean.  But as Pantah noted in an earlier post, the quality of the water is moot for those without water.

Palo Alto Jo, Brundegaba, et al.

On the matter of laboratory analysis of a water supply, that is something that we get done on a periodic basis. I read once many decades ago, after oxygen, that water is the second most important thing that is necessary to sustain life. Awkward wording there, but hopefully everyone will understand the point that I am trying to make.

We strongly recommend that your water supply be routinely (not just once) be subjected to laboratory analysis, and then assess what action(s), if any, should be taken based on laboratory results.

The only remaining question, to our way of thinking, is which laboratory to use. The local labs in Boquete can do the testing. However, we found that the results vary greatly, even when using the same water sample. (Go figure!) We then learned of Laboratory Dixon in David. The results there have been the most consistent, but at a slightly higher degree of cost and inconvenience. 

Bottom line here: do yourself a favor and test your water supply routinely (e.g., twice a year unless you have reason to believe there is a problem). Do your due diligence and select a laboratory that gives you a high degree of confidence. (For more information about Laboratory Dixon, do a search here on CL for "Dixon".)

Finally, even with our attention to the purity of our water supply, our doctors (US based as well as our local primary care doctor) recommend that we undergo a prophylactic anti-parasite regimen. We do that once a year.

20 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Someone's dashcam caught this spectacular rollover this afternoon near Arraijan.

Cause #1  -  Excessive speed, couldn't control the vehicle when he encountered...

Cause #2  -  An idiot pulling off the shoulder and entering the passing lane without accelerating first.

 

7 hours ago, TwoSailors said:

Lots of insane drivers out there! 3 vehicles in this video were in the wrong!

I agree with you, TwoSailors. That dash-cam video clip was distressing, and we were not even there. 

We have a dash-cam in our car. This incident and Keith’s posting caused me to consider posting some of the insanity that we have seen, experienced, and recorded.

Speaking now as an owner/administrator of CL, we have received a few complaints about why we “allow” such “gore” to be posted on CL. It is our view that we all need to keep roadway safety in the foreground because it may help prevent a future incident. I now drive more slowly and attentively, given the routine carnage that goes on around us. Some drivers are simply willing to take risks (for some stupid reason).

Think about it — statistically speaking* in Panama slightly more than one person every day is killed on the roadways. The other leading cause of death in Panama (excluding natural causes) is violence, typically but not always involving drugs and/or gangs. It is my understanding that vehicular carnage is the highest cause of death and bodily injury, even higher than violence (again excluding natural causes).

_____________
*Reference statistics provided by Bryan Weller of the US Consulate in PC that were discussed on 29 November at their ACS outreach meeting in Boquete.  See:

Agree with your feedback, Hil.

Going a bit further, as I studied this article (rather than just browsing it), I came to the conclusion that both sides need to grow up. I support the canal authority “managing” canal transits based on safety and security, as well as using sound business practices, etc., but for a person of authority to say that a transit customer has to “...prove themselves worthy...” is not part of the canal’s purpose or responsibility. Maybe I am misinterpreting this article?

Alas, things are slow to change, and a bit of pain always seems to be part of the process.

1 hour ago, 2Freds said:

I took my opthamologist Rx from the States for Optica Vision.  The optometrist re-checked my eyes and came up with the same Rx.  I've had glasses made by them but it's no savings really over the States.

I have had a similar experience. US-based Rx for glasses, and got the same Rx here. That is encouraging.

The cost of glasses here is essentially the same as prices in the US. The advantage here is not a reduced cost, but local availability for adjustments in the future should such be needed. A potential disadvantage was less selection of glass frames here when compared to the US, but so far that has not been an issue for me.

Bottom line: I have had only good experiences with acquiring and follow-on adjustments regarding my eyeglasses in Panama.

29 minutes ago, Moderator_02 said:

 

https://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Tender_3_million_for_Medicines

To my way of thinking, $3M is not even a drop in the bucket.

14 hours ago, Pederhaney said:

Was inquiring about the cost of the service Bud had done at his home in Boquete.

It is my policy not to disclose those kinds of details about my business transactions. José's price sheet says all that I believe to be appropriate.

On 11/24/2017 at 4:45 PM, Bud said:

Thanks for this information. A local guy with a good recommendation is grounds to give him a try. And then possibly from his business card we see that he could also power clean our driveway.

We gave José Abraham Quintero a call and scheduled a car wash and wax. That all happened yesterday. Since he did not know the area where we live, he parked in town and then I picked him and his co-worker (Juan) up for the ride to El Santuario. After a cup of coffee, their work began about 8:15AM, and they finally finished about 2:00PM. We provided lunch for both of them, along with our housekeeper. That is our normal procedure, and so they were included in lunch

Bottom line is that their work was far beyond detailing. A total "restoration" of our 2007 Toyota Fortuner. There wasn't one square inch of the vehicle's surfaces that wasn't touched by them. And the inside was not only cleaned, but the upholstery parts were shampooed. We are very pleased with their work and will bring them back for maintenance waxing, etc.

Here is a STRONG recommendation. If you want your car pampered, then these are the guys to do it. They bring all the tools and equipment and supplies. We provided only the water and electricity, and a very dirty car. Neither José nor Juan speak any English, but they arranged for a friend to help us through the initial communications via a telephone call.

30 minutes ago, Brundageba said:

Consider how many thousands of acres of coca plant would be involved to produce this much refined narcotic.  That would be impossible to hide.  So that said....what's up?

You certainly are not trying to suggest that there might be collusion between the drug growers and the security forces are you? Heavens to mergatroid. I never have heard of such a thing.

Agree with Keith. For breakfast you can't beat McDonald's. And Marcelyn says their coffee is excellent.

For other meals, there are many options.

I got an email from a friend who knows me well. He asked why I was "grousing" about having a lot of homework.

For clarification, I was not "grousing", but rather letting you know that there is a lot of homework. To my way of thinking, having homework is a good thing. Based on my experience, one cannot learn Spanish (or any language) by simply listening to a classroom lecture or participating in a discussion. You gotta work at it.

We did Renny’s class that began last January. We found it to be worthwhile. I assess myself as competent only at a basic level, providing that the subject matter is not dense/complex and that the Spanish speakers talk fairly slowly.  Marcelyn was not as successful. Our poor results are not a shortcoming of Renny’s class. At our age we just find learning a new language to be difficult. There is a lot of homework.

Personally speaking, I am very skeptical of any class claiming success after three days.

I still routinely complete one Duolingo session on my iPad everyday, and it is free but very basic, being more for vocabulary and phrases.

Marcelyn and I dined last evening at the newly opened Butcher Chophouse, which is located on "restaurant row" here in Boquete, next door to Retro Gusto. It was a wonderful experience. The owners indicated that they had opened just a few days earlier. When we arrived there was only one other patron. Our timing was very good. The service was excellent, with all of the staff with whom we interacted speaking English.

The menu includes domestic steaks, US steaks, Nicaraguan (surprise!) steaks, and Argentinian steaks -- your choice. Since we do not consume much, we ended up ordering a single entree, and we selected a US rib eye with a baked potato side and a grilled asparagus side, plus our drinks. Service was prompt, and obviously well-trained; e.g., when the steak knives were brought out they were meticulous about the proper placement on the table. While waiting for our food to be prepared, more patrons started arriving. It wasn't quite a full house, but likely was going to be after our departure.

When the food arrived, it was a very nice presentation, obviously a large cut of beef (larger than we had expected), hot, and prepared exactly as we had requested.

This was a very nice dining experience, with a warm and inviting ambiance. We definitely plan to return to the Butcher Chophouse. We understand hours of operation are 5:30PM to 10:00PM. This looks like another successful eatery by the same owners of A Pizza, Ottos Parmagiana, and Retro Gusto. We wish them continuing great success.

Here are some pictures, not very good (iPhone only, as we had not planned to take pictures and thus did not bring our camera).

First, a general view of the dining area, with the bar at the far right. Entrance to the Butcher Chophouse is in the upper right of this shot behind a wall.

Here is the menu. Not easily readable, but maybe you can see what the selections are.

Here is a shot of the kitchen area. Note the wood burning ovens (multiple ovens).

And a departing shot with Marcelyn and the owner.

7 hours ago, Penny said:

My advice to everybody who has ever asked me is to leave your SS deposit going into your US account. It's a whole lot easier than dealing with a Panamanian bank. Also, in my 14 years here I have witnessed at least 3 Panamanian banks closing either permanently or temporarily because of various problems. The best advice ever is to get yourself a Schwab or Fidelity account with an ATM/debit card and have your SS deposit go there. You then pull out your money with the ATM card and these investment companies immediately credit your account for the ATM fees (which are now around $5.25).

Penny is bringing up some important considerations about this topic.

This general subject has come up previously here on CL. Also see related postings at:

• http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/4584-why-is-a-boquete-bank-account-needed/,
• http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/37-best-way-to-handle-banking-coming-from-us, and
• http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/1120-depositing-a-us-check-into-your-panama-bank/.

We use the Multibank approach of depositing a check on our US bank, have a 5 day waiting period, and NO fees involved. This option is limited to $3,000.00 per cycle, but we have never found that to be an issue.

Further on the matter of the "rules of the road" booklet discussed above, it turned out that my copy was not so current, being dated 2007, and so I felt it prudent to get a more current version of this booklet. We went to Supercentro Ivan yesterday, and upon asking for the book (in Spanish, but the clerk responded in English) I was directed to an area about ten feet to the left of the check out stand. There they were. That book cost $8.00, and it includes a copy of the also required accident report form. After my purchase, I counted 14 more copies being available.

Here is a scan of the cover the current version (note that it is labeled as the 2018 edition):

And here is the accident report form:

You might also try La Reina here in Boquete. Behind their main store on Avenida Principal there is another “store” ( building) that specializes in appliances. If they don’t have what you are looking for then give them the make and model and I’m told they will order it. It is my understanding that they deliver, install, and take away old appliances (orr at least did such in times past).