Bud

El Santuario area is not experiencing any problems with CableOnda television. (Had some Internet outages on Friday and Sunday, but TV is fine.)

You betcha! Not the absolute all-time best, but very good. Perhaps a bit too much chicken meat to my pleasure, but as us former sailors say: "any port in a storm" (any chicken pot pie when there are so few).

Marcelyn and I ate at Mike's Global Grill late yesterday. The mesera (waiter) indicated that they had a special menu item that evening -- chicken pot pies (CPP). We needed to read the menu no further, and immediately ordered two CPPs. After a few minutes the chef came out to apologize that they had only one remaining CPP. We were disappointed, but kept the order for the one remaining item and back-filled with another item for my main entré. Here is a picture of the CPP (the spots on the plate are decoration). And there was good news as we were finishing our dinner. The chef came out to our table a second time, given our strong support for CPP as a menu item. He told us that he was planning on adding the CPP to their menu. That doesn't mean that they will have this specialty item for everyone everyday because the plan was to make up one batch of the ingredients on a regular basis (perhaps not everyday because CPPs involve a lot of work in the kitchen), and when the supply was gone, then someone would have to wait until the next round. The chef also said that CPPs take extra time for cooking once ordered, so plan not to be in a hurry. And get there early -- certainly before we arrive -- if you want your own chicken pot pie.

Marcelyn and I, along with friend Penny Barrett, had dinner last night at this new eatery in Boquete: Milan Italia. The ambiance was warm and inviting, and we were surprised at the beautifully matching chairs and tables (read probably fairly expensive), etc. Even more impressive was the attentive and competent customer service. I had expected a typical Italian cuisine, but concluded after reading the menu and talking with our waiter, that this is a new restaurant in Boquete that is owned by Italians. Sure, there were some Italian dishes, but there were non-Italian dishes as well. Not a big deal, but I mention this only because the Italian "label" that I had heard about really didn't fit the situation that I saw. Marcelyn and I had an eggplant dish that was vegetarian and simply called "Parmigiana". It was not a pasta dish, but rather a layered eggplant dish. Excellent tasting, and ample serving size. We generally order one entré and then split it between the two of us. Still had plenty to eat. Marcelyn went bonkers over the dessert selection, and so we split a chocolate item, but I can't remember its name. BTW, there were no alcoholic beverages available. It wasn't clear if wine and beer, etc., might be coming in the future after licensing issues are completed, or they choose not to have alcoholic beverages. Good selection of non-alcoholic beverages, though. We plan to return to try some different dishes. Here are the business card and another copy of the menu. Here are the phone and email in case the business card image is hard to read: 6954-3036, milanitaliapanama@gmail.com.

In driving by the old Parmigiano (aka N22) Restaurant today, there was a new sign out front. It now says "Kamcha, Peruvian Brasas". Anyone know what is happening now at this eatery that is seemingly doomed because of lack of parking?

We know one of those 80 Panamanians currently studying in Taiwan, and soon to be in China. She is Boqueteña and about 20 years old, with a full four year scholarship in engineering. This has to be exciting for her and her family. We wish all of them the best.

Pardon my ignorance, but what does Chiriqui Producers produce? What is the significance of this strike?

Keith, The subject of driving habits and skills has obviously grabbed your attention. This topic and the "road carnage" topic are testimony to the need to make things better. For you to post your words here, which are uncharacteristically sharp for you, tells me that you are really concerned. I concur with you. We (Marcelyn and I) have seen on more than one occasion cars (and motorcycles) literally racing at extreme speeds on Calle Principal here in Boquete. And cars driving on the wrong side of the street. And cars not even slowing down, much less stopping at stop signs, and, and, and, .... You get my drift. I don't want to come across as a "do gooder", but the changes in driving patterns in my 16+ years here in Boquete are inescapable, and the trend is definitely in the wrong direction. Given the news articles that we are reading, and first hand experiences while driving, I have dramatically changed my driving habits to a considerably more defensive posture. That means that if someone reading this posting is behind me on the road, I will not apologize for driving as slow as I now drive and for being extra attentive. Perhaps others should adopt my safer posture.

Don't know about Renfro, but we just had a very good experience with Taller Felipe Rodríguez in David. Wheel alignment, balancing, etc., with outstanding customer service, including by Sr Felipe Rodríguez himself along with his son. We started out using my Spanglish with a person who turned out to be Sr Felipe Rodríguez himself. Sr Rodríguez then got service representative Roberto in the loop because Roberto speaks good English. We had no appointment, but got scheduled for service a couple of hours later when the technicians returned from lunch, and we were on the road home by 4:00PM. All of this was just last Friday. Absolutely fantastic service. Our maintenance service included balancing, alignment, and replacement of windshield wiper blades. And we considered their charges to be very reasonable. Taller Felipe Rodríguez is located on Avenida Olbadia, fairly close to the Romero grocery store that is across the street from Rodelag. If you use Waze, then search on 'Taller Felipe Rodríguez'. Their telephone is 775-7740.

Attitude definitely affects one's altitude (about their situation).

Our insurance agent has reviewed our situation, and responded:

Can someone help me understand the bottom line here? On the surface this sounds like it is good news for consumers (policy holders), but then at my age I have learned to be cautious (at times skeptical). Yes, I do intend to discuss with our insurance agent.

While running errands in town today we looked at that intersection. Never noticed them before, but lo and behold there are arrows painted on the roadway (not doubting you, Keith). Interesting learning on my part. I intend to respect those restrictions in the future.

The way this is worded (i.e., use of the word "extend") means that take away (take out) food is soon to be banned. Wow, seems Draconian.

Yesterday Marcelyn and I joined a group of about 15 gringos for a tour of the Ralph Dessau Mariposario. For those who may not know, Ralph Dessau was a very talented and highly educated gentleman who lived in the Potrerillos area, but died in a car wreck about the time that his vision of a butteryfly sanctuary was to come to fruition. His dream carried on, and is very active. That facility is located in Los Naranjos (just north of Bajo Boquete), down the side street where Milqueburger is located. Fascinating stuff. There is a LOT more to see and do at this place, but we only did a quick tour of the butterfly sanctuary. Following are just a couple of the pictures we took. Photo enthusiasts will go wild in a place such as this mariposario. The facility is managed by Emily Haworth. Here is Emily: Here are scans of their descriptive pamphlet and business card.

Agree with you Penny. And we know your opinion of Rudy the naughty wonder dog is totally unbiased.

Driver licenses are handled by Sertracen, which is located in Chiriqui Mall. The government has outsourced driver licenses to that company. We have found the staff at Sertracen to be very friendly and helpful. More often than not there will be large numbers of people in process, but they seem to automatically move jubilados to the front of the line, without even requesting special treatment. We were there in January for Marcelyn's license renewal, and we were in and out in 12 minutes. Don't forget to bring cash for the renewal fees. They do not accept credit cards or checks. I seem to recall it was ~$18.00.

It appears that Oscar's Delicias Chiriqui is more than just a coffee and sandwich shop. Apparently it has branched off into being a bakery as well. At a recent birthday celebration, there was a birthday cake like none that many of the celebrants had ever seen (or tasted) before. It was wonderful. Moist, not too sweet, full of "Decllcias" (pardon the play on words) flavors, colorful, etc., etc. Here are two pictures of the birthday cake: And here is a handwritten note describing the name of the cake: BTW, the birthday party was this past weekend for Penny Barrett. The next time you see Penny, give her a hug and best wishes for another banner year.

We had a party of four last night, and really enjoyed the flamenco dance event at Hotel Oasis. Besides a wonderful performance by Garsinia Carrillo, the chicken/Spanish sausage paella was something we had never experienced before, and it was really good food. And of course, being at Hotel Oasis meant that the service was impeccable. Anayansi and her staff outdid themselves last night. Even the weather was perfect. Here are some pictures taken during the event:

I find this entire topic quite illuminating and disconcerting at the same time. As an "old timer" here in Boquete I remember the Peter Gordon incident very well. Thanks to Jim for posting some links to that history. I also remember my attorney back in those days telling me to be very careful about not violating the Panamanian libel and slander laws. This subject is very important and very relevant to me, given that I am one-half of the owners/administrators of CL. A bit of history here for those who might be interested. Most who read this post will not know any of this, but some of the older timers may. I owned and administered the Boquete.org website, which was one of two community information channels serving the Chiriqui highlands. Boquete.org was created in 2003. The other community channel is what is known today as News.Boquete that is administered by Penny Barrett. Back in those early days that mailing list was known as Hershel's List, being named after Hershel Stolebarger, who set it up and administered it. Hershel's list had about 300 subscribers, whereas Boquete.org had about 5,000 subscribers. (As an aside News.Boquete currently has just short of 1,900 subscribers.) I shut down Boquete.org (I seem to recall it was about late 2007 or possibly early 2008?) after being threatened with five different lawsuits by people, specifically businesses, in Boquete and in David based on claimed defamatory content that had been posted on Boquete.org by some of its members. I was the one threatened with the lawsuits because the offending libel was on Boquete.org, which I owned, and not because it was something I wrote or said. I have never forgotten two of the five interactions about the threatened lawsuits because of the knocking on my front door (both of those instances were on a Sunday) by attorneys and business owners. The emotional stress, the financial drain, the vague and much delayed rulings of the courts, etc., are just some of the reasons for me to avoid litigation. I was told by my then several attorneys that libel and slander are extremely serious matters in Panama, and that truth is not a defense. Now I read here differently. Whether something is true or not does not justify or warrant the damage done by libel or slander to one's reputation. Hmmmm, whom to believe and trust? As Paul Harvey used to say in his radio broadcasts: "now for the rest of the story." For me, I don't intend to test the murky waters of libel and slander litigation, but rather avoid that environment altogether if at all possible. This piece of history is a reason that CL comes down hard on its two guidelines: treat others with respect, and know and obey the law. [[To read the exact words of CL's guidelines, see http://www.chiriqui.life/topic/4-site-guidelines/.]] Going further, especially after reading Bonnie's reply: ... my experience also is that a denuncia is a public document. However, not many people go to the Personaria and review denuncias. But the main point here is that if one were to use a denuncia as a "weapon" to further libel or slander someone or a business, then my experience (and advice of my counsel) is that said person is committing a crime. The matter of truth is not resolved until a judge makes a final ruling, and said ruling is upheld (or not appealed). This then brings into question two more issues: is the ruling judge impartial, and whether the judge truly understands the entire scenario. Note further that my counsel has said that Panama courts do not make rulings based on case law, but only based on statutory law as understood by the judge at the time of the ruling. I will continue to watch this topic; however, I prefer not to change my modus operandi regarding protecting myself from litigation. Everyone gets to decide for themselves. Your mileage may vary.

I have been in Angulo's office only about three times, and the last time was at least a decade ago. I recall looking out of the window and seeing the buildings on the side street, not the Parque. Perhaps he has changed offices during these intervening years. On the other hand, I could have been rip roaring drunk and hallucinating. 'Tis not that important anyway. Please forgive me if I have erred.

You are not mistaken, Keith. It is the same building. Same steps. I believe Sr Angulo is on Piso 1ra.

Penny, Just goes to show where our interests differ. My eyes do not even see a casino because I do not patronize them. I'll take your word for it that there is a casino across the street. I do not recall seeing a parking lot next to the entrance to the Brencan Building. Maybe I need my eyeballs checked again.

Not a handicap friendly building in the least. Only one elevator, and a wheelchair would not fit in it, well certainly not a wheelchair that would accommodate me. The stairs were something that I would not be able to navigate. What I did not understand is that there was one male employee at his desk in the far left of that office. He was in a wheelchair, and I did wonder how he got into the office.