Bud

Keith,

Interesting information based on close scrutiny of the photo collage. For instance, all were Panameña except one Ecuadorian. All were speeds over 100 KPH. All were violations in Chiriqui (4th zone, whatever that means). Different classes of driver licenses involved. There appears to be different cosmetics in the background designs of the licenses (or possibly the differences are because of a watermark in the photo collage itself).

Can you tell us what the differences between classes C, D, F and E3 licenses are?

39 minutes ago, TwoSailors said:

We have an extremely reliable and honest young man that comes to our house and cleans our car. Abraham Quintero. Does a lot of other work as well. His card and price list are attached. Whats app is the best way to get a hold of him. Limited English.

Car Wash copy.pdf

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.

46 minutes ago, Bonnie said:

Is there a comfortable waiting area? What do you estimate the time to have been?

Yes, there is an air conditioned waiting room with a TV (not a channel that was of interest to us) and free WiFi. There might have been a soft drink machine as well, but I am not sure.

Assuming that there is not a queue, a typical complete cycle should be about 45 minutes based on our experience. We were there when there was only one other vehicle, and so on a bright sun shiny mid-day scenario, the wait time could easily be more than an hour. I believe one of the "programs" (perhaps "packages" would be a better term) is NOT to include cleaning of the inside of the car, which means that the waiting time could be considerably less.

BTW, there was a sign that they also do detailing, but we have no information about that service.

Here is a better picture of the facility (as seen from the side street where customers enter).

Marcelyn and I made reservations for this event at the Oasis for last evening. We arrived a bit early in order to get a convenient parking spot, and then waited in our vehicle for a few minutes before going into the restaurant. It was beginning to rain as we entered.

The bottom line is that it was very good food and the usual outstanding service by the Oasis staff. Anayansi greeted us as we were being seated at a table for two. Then the buffet food service was opened, and there was quite a selection. The only thing we could fault for the entire evening was that we ate too much.

Kudos to Anayansi and her staff. This event was obviously well planned and executed. Even the heavy rainfall and the faint aroma of a wood burning fireplace in the gazebo area added to the ambiance.

This was a class act. Thank you, Sra Anayansi.

Marcelyn and I discovered the Quick Shine Car Wash (QS) in David earlier this week based on the recommendation of a friend. If you are in David and need a car wash, then we recommend QS.

Location: QS is in David on the Pan American Hwy directly across the hwy from the Colegio San Agustin, and across the street from Parroquia Del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus Church. That location is a bit (maybe half a kilometer) southwest of where McDonald's is located.

Description: QS is an automated car wash for the most part. The appearance is that of a tent, rather than a building.

Hours of operation: Monday through Saturday, 8:00AM to 6:30PM.

Don't get in a hurry. The staff was not slow moving, but rather thorough and meticulous about things like the vacuuming of the vehicle. I don't think the inside of our car has ever been so clean.

Here is a picture of their fees, but given that it was slightly rainy the prices are not easy to read. Our car wash cost $15.00, having picked "program 4".

We would like some blue candles, to match my mood. I suspect Gas Natural Fenosa doesn’t even know where El Santuario is located so I best not get too depressed if I don’t get my candles.

Seriously, does passing out candles mean they expect a long outage? Our service has been out since about 2:15 PM today, and it was another ugly outage. By that I mean ups and down with heavy hammering of our appliances. As I was headed to the garage to take us off the grid then all power went away.

My posting on Monday was correct. The restoration two days ago was only temporary.

Tell my again why I enjoy living here...... And where are my candles?

Marcelyn and I spent most of Tuesday, November 21^st in David on business. We were not a witness to an accident, as it apparently occurred immediately prior to our arrival at the scene. It did not appear that anyone was injured, but speed sure seems to have been a factor to get that much weight over a curb and into the ditch. Shortly afterwards, a team of about six police arrived to cordon off the area so that a tow truck could begin extracting the two vehicles. This accident occurred about noon, at the intersection on the Pan American Hwy where there is an overpass to the Colegio San Agustin, and the Parroquia Del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus Church is located (a bit south of the curve where McDonalds is located).

In this first picture you can see the second vehicle behind the foreground vehicle. That is the Pan American Hwy on the left, and it is the lane that should be going northeast but you see no cars moving because it was blocked; it was really congested for about an hour. The background vehicle did an approximate 180 degree rotation from the impact.

Although disappointed to hear of more electrical outages mentioned here, at least there was advance word. After about six hours our service at our home was back and seemingly pretty good. I did not want to jinx it, but I found myself thinking that maybe this outage was a significant step forward in terms of reliability.

But jinx it I certainly did. We had another [unplanned] outage today, Monday, November 20th. About 11:00AM one phase of our grid disappeared. And then the other phase became very unstable. It was over five hours of crazy electrical ups and downs, with the eventual loss of all power. This kind of service is very destructive of appliances. To protect our appliances I took us off the grid and started the generator. 

Service was restored about 4:30PM, and here I go jinxing it again. The service appears to be solid — so far. Experience tells me this will be only temporary.

For years I have had hope that reliable, clean, stable power would eventually be the norm. I now am losing that hope. In the meantime we keep replacing damaged electrical components.

20 hours ago, Keith Woolford said:

Cedula wouldn't have helped.

It was my understanding from the conversation regarding the gringo vehicle towing experience was that the cédula (absence of any identity document) was a big deal during the interchange with the officers, but not related to his vehicle. It was a big deal about his legal status as to his presence in the country.

This is one of the nicest, most informative, easy to read, and well-prepared monthly reports that I have seen recently. This sets a very high bar for others to follow.

Thank you to Amigos de Animales for all of the work you and your supporters do for our domestic pets.

The subject of the damage that plastic bags inflict on the environment is also confronting other countries. Two African countries (Kenya and Rwanda) are taking Draconian measures against violators of plastic bag bans, including fines and imprisonment. See the below recent articles about this issue from the New York Times.

I hope Panama uses a positive/constructive path to address this issue -- meaning reusable and/or biodegradable bags -- rather than punitive measures.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/opinion/kenya-plastic-bag-laws.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/28/world/africa/rwanda-plastic-bags-banned.html

Quote

A lower court judge has ordered that the Odebrecht File be closed because it wasn’t compiled in due time. This case involves $60 million in payoffs and is a huge file which required international cooperation to put together.

I am stunned speechless. All Odebrecht criminals in Panama are now free to enjoy their spoils?

WryAwry,

Great to see you back here on CL. Great posting that you did, as usual.

We know the moderator who posted the content that you refer to. Will chat with the lad about his stepping into your kingdom without your permission. Shame on him.

The frog in the mouth was a bit much to stomach, to my way of thinking.

Yes, there are some ham operators in our area. They have a breakfast meeting on the first Saturday of each month.

Contact Hazel Bowling for more information. Hazel is a CL member and can be contacted by PM at @Hazel Bowling.

There also is a ham group in the David area. I have no info about that group, but it is possible that Al Mulaire (of Planet Telecom) may be able to help. Contact Al at @Al Planet Telecom.

It is my understanding based on what I have been told (not first hand experience) that a police report must be filed in the case of lost identity documents (cedulas or jubilado cards, etc.) That doesn't seem to be the case here. Can anyone clarify with facts, not conjecture?

P.S., from first hand experience, I can say that a police report is absolutely required in the case of a lost placa for your vehicle.

IMO, a small step in the right direction.

7 hours ago, Jim Bondoux said:

Happy to elaborate, but perhaps in a private conversation, not in a broadcast. I can say that we have lived as retirees in the USA, Chile, Australia, and Panama, and have scouted other venues such as Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Uruguay, South Africa, Mauritius, Argentina, Hong Kong... and our first choice remains Boquete, warts and all. The knocks on Mexico include the burden of heavy security imposed by the civil war, urban congestion, taxation of one's worldwide income, and the complexity of estate planning.

Jim,

No need to expend more energy on this for my needs/desires. Your quoted reply provided sufficient information to satisfy my curiosity. Thanks mucho for elaborating on your experiences and decision logic.

Jim,

It appears that you have done quite a bit of on-site research. Would you elaborate on why you chose Boquete over Ajijic and the other locales that you mentioned. Just a bit curious.

P.S., I did read the last sentence of your first paragraph.

An interesting YouTube video clip (about 16.5 minutes runtime) about Ajijic, México. This video clip was sent to me by someone who has visited Boquete, but decided not to immigrate to Panama. His main comment was that Ajijic is what "a lot of people told him that Boquete really is." He then said it is more like what many Boqueteños think it is, or want it to become, or words to that effect.

https://youtu.be/6lYA7c1Pnuo

I will say only that Ajijic sounds like a nice place.

This raises a question in my mind. Why did the police conduct a raid in his home? Was there a tip off? Was this retaliation? A "deal" gone bad? Angry neighbors?

Like Paul Harvey used to say, where is the rest of the story?

Great idea for setting up a listing of pet friendly restaurants.

I have not heard of an "official policy" at Mike's Global Grill, but several times we have seen [well behaved] dogs walking around, and without complaint. Big Daddy's also, in the rear patio area at the round, fireside table seems to be acceptable.

I am of the opinon that restaurant owners have a right to decide their pet policy for themselves. In some jurisdictions perhaps the health code may override a business preference and prohibit such; I do not believe that is the case here in Boquete. Can anyone clarify?

And I do know people who are uncomfortable having dogs in a restaurant. Everyone gets to decide for themselves.

Will be interested to see how this plays out.

Marcelyn and I had a [very late] lunch today at Señor Gyros (SG). It has been a long time since last patronizing SG, and having heard about the change in management we were curious. We had not been avoiding or boycotting SG, but simply had not gotten around to stopping by. (We do not know what happened to Mark Perren-Jones, but wish him well, wherever he is.)

It was a wonderful dining experience today. Things have changed a bit with the new owners, however the basic menu is essentially the same. A really pleasant surprise was that Nelson now works at SG. The "olde timers" in this area will recall Nelson as being one of the really good waiters in our area, having worked at numerous restaurants through the years. Nelson is not a waiter at SG, but appeared to be more like el gerente. Nelson told us that the new owners are from South Africa, but we did not meet them, nor do we know their names.

Re the menu selection, be advised that you should not eat at SG unless you have been stranded on an island for a long period of time without benefit of food. The servings were huge. The prices were very good, especially given the good quality and fresh ingredients, the portion sizes, and the "delectability" factor. Marcelyn and I had a pollo/puerco gyro, which was very tasty. The ingredients were high quality, fresh, and full of flavors, and well prepared. Another surprise for us was the onion rings, which we are addicted to; SG used large, sweet onions for the onion rings, and it appeared to be a beer batter coating that the onions were prepared with. The onion rings could be a meal by themselves.

All in all, this was a pleasant and informal dining experience. We both said in unison as we said our hasta luegos to Nelson that we definitely will be coming back.

Here is a picture of their menu (chalkboard style as was used in the original SG):

Marcelyn and I know the owners of the property in the Potrerillos area that is the subject of this topic.

At the time of the events discussed in Mark's writeup, the owners were Bill Streit and Donna O'Toole. Bill died in December 2009. I recall that exact month because I was scheduled with a few friends to have lunch with Bill and Donna, but higher priority issues intervened in that planned luncheon. Not sure where the name Bill Strong comes from, unless it is simply a pseudonym.

Donna remarried after Bill's passing, and we know her new husband. Details are omitted here because they are not important. The owner still lives at Finca La Pagoda (the name of the former Noriega finca there in Potrerillos).

Not being a CL member, we provided a link for Donna to read this topic. She responded back to us via email, with permission to publish her words here.

Quote

Mark, thank you for the hilarious story. I laughed when I read it with your poetic liberties knowing that you wrote it in love and respect for Bill Streit, your friend, and myself, Donna O’Toole. Mark, when this is made into a movie I would like input into who plays me! lol But I must let the readers know that we did not have caverns or secret hideaways under the house or around the house. There is no secret door for the safe. When the Delta Force came in during the Noriega invasion, they emptied the safe of all of its contents and it remains empty to this day. And over the years, many prominent Panamanians have told me that we got Finca La Pagoda at a very reasonable price. Yes, we remodeled it to our liking as it was our forever home. The grounds were brought to life with luscious landscape that brought happiness to many who visited. And our gardens live in many homes in the Chiriqui province as we allowed those visiting to take whatever clippings they wanted to have for their yard. Peace and tranquility reigned on the property.

 

When Bill died in December of 2009, approximately 30 Panamanians came to our home to pay their respects. At his memorial (which Mark and Martine Heyer so graciously assisted with the preparations, etc.), one third of the audience at the BCP were Panamanians. Several of them spoke to the kindness and generosity that Bill had shown them or how he significantly touched their lives.

 

Bill and I did charitable work, but anonymously, as we believed that is true charity. “To give from the heart without any expectation or recognition.” Giving seed money to a Panamanian so they could start their business, buying a 3 year old truck for someone that needed it for their job, feeding lunch everyday to all the children attending the school, building a home for a Panamanian, paying for college education, room and board for an indigenous so they could become a school teacher, bringing Santa Claus (a wonderful volunteer who looks like Santa Claus) and Mark (to take photos so we could distribute to the families) to Potrerillos and then providing every child with a toy; and the list goes on. I am not writing this to toot my own horn and would never have said anything, but felt the need to set the record straight.

 

I hope that anyone who reads this will know that I only send love to all and hope and pray that this response will help everyone to see others for the good that is within all of us. This world needs people to come together, celebrate our blessings, and love one another.

 

Love and Light,
Donna O'Toole

In closing, we both know Donna (and I knew Bill, but he passed away prior to Marcelyn's arrival). What Donna writes is truth to the best of our knowledge.

Wow, Keith, you are a fountain of knowledge. I plan to pursue this.

One thing I do not see in my first look through of the web information is the matter of parking in handicapped blue spaces without the placard. Did I overlook that?

I really, as in REALLY hate to keep harping on this, but driving skills are woefully inadequate in this area. Just this morning while running errands around town, we had two -- yes 2 -- near accidents. One was an older blue SUV that clearly was not honoring a stop sign. We got within a few inches of metal on metal. It would have been what is called T-bone hit on our right side. Frightening, to say the least. Our impression of the young female at the wheel was that she was not paying attention to anything.

And the second near accident was even more scary. We were returning home from Plaza San Francisco when a big 18 wheeler was trying to enter the highway with a left turn from the Alto Dorado area. The driver just gunned it, apparently not checking for any traffic on the main roadway coming from his right. That easily could have been a fatal accident for us (and Anouk who was in the back of our vehicle).

Is there someplace where I can send my dashcam recordings to get these ill-trained people sanctioned, licenses cancelled, or ???

Am I the only one who is having these experiences with recent Boquete driving habits?