Bud

Marcelyn and I did finally find this Blue Sky place. It is exactly as shown in the aerial photo (Google map photo?) above. Go one block off the Boquete-David road, turn right, go one block, turn left, go about 100 yards and look to the left. Here are some photos that we took so that you can see the ground level view.

I have a policy of not publicly disclosing private information. I know Michelle and know that she would want to hear from you. Look for a private message.

For Phyllis,

Michelle Brewer is one of the two owners of this restaurant. Why not share your dining experience with her? I am confident she would like to know.

I find this topic fascinating for several reasons. One reason is that I see some really fantastic posts by intelligent and articulate people having an interesting dialog about one aspect of life in our part of the world. Another reason is that this topic is about an aspect of human nature, a subject that I freely admit still baffles me at times even though I have passed the 70+ years marker.

In a conversation yesterday, I was challenged about my stance against border hoppers. I was not prepared for that question, simply because I am not opposed to border hoppers. It seems that some have interpreted my prior postings, especially the above one suggesting a trip through immigration procedures to get legal residency, meant that I was opposed to border hoppers. For the record, I am not opposed to border hopping -- for others; I am opposed to it for my wife and myself, but only because that is how we choose to live our lives. Here I refer to reducing complications in our lives. I believe in free choice, and given my personal set of priorities for my life, legal residency works best for us. Others get to have their own set of priorities, and I am totally okay -- nay, quite pleased -- that such is the case. One example of how it works better for us is regarding the recently successful registration of our US marriage on the Registro Civil here in Panama. Marcelyn has wanted that from the time she arrived here, and it turned out to be relatively simple given that we both have cedulas, albeit E-cedulas. We understand it to be more complicated without such status.

1 hour ago, Keith Woolford said:

...

Every traveler has to return to his country of origin or residence eventually and should be able to provide an itinerary for it  ..otherwise they're not a traveler.

...

Keith,

Not trying to be picky here, but your assertion that "every traveler has to return to his country of origin or residence..." is not correct. For the vast majority of the people in the world that is a correct statement -- probably more than 99.999%, yes. However, there is a very small category of people who are, primarily by choice, "nomadic" in nature. I actually know three such individuals. I never could live a life like that. I need roots and some quiet time. But for three whom I do know, they spend three or four months here, and then four to six months there, and the cycle never ends. Yes, they have citizenship in at least one country and legal passports to document such; and they have legal residence in at least one country other than their country of citizenship. They have to go back to their citizenship country or the closest consular office for passport renewals every so many years. It is a lifestyle they choose. Few, but they do exist.

Two of the three I know work through the Internet. The third is essentially independently wealthy and doesn't worry about creating revenue.

Again, not for me.

5 hours ago, JohnF13 said:

Ouch Bud........Some folks seem to think that Panama is one of the U.S. States and expect everything to be provided, including medicare.  Of course, they dont expect to hsve to pay U.S. taxes.  Apparently soverignty is an unclear concept to some.

No "ouch" intended, unless someone has an issue that would stop them from formally applying for residency.

3 hours ago, Bonnie said:

My post was in response to Bud's. I'm assuming that he had the embassy in mind as one of the potential "connections." I should have be clearer.

Bonnie, I think you have misinterpreted my reply. I had no thought of any consular staff involvement in my writings. My suggestions was plain and simple: go through the formal process of applying for residency and avoid the border hopping excursions. Another way to say this is to "play by the rules". I understand that some may feel that these recent changes are unwarranted and/or overly burdensome, but that draws little sympathy from me unless that process is abused according to the published law.

The above are my views on this subject. Everyone has the right to make their own choices and do what they believe is best for them.

5 hours ago, Pantah said:

An acquaintance just returned from a very problematic border hop at Rio Sereno, where he has hopped before. He left Panama on Monday and was told he could not come back until Thursday.

On returning he showed showed his airline reservation as before. No good, reservation must be paid. Migration was asked if it could be onward travel. They said no, it must be to the US. (this runs counter to what the US and UK embassy states on their webpages). He managed to get a paid reservation after a few stressful hours. His ATM statement showing a balance in six figures meant nothing.

This person shares his time between Panama and another Latin American country, with no intention of returning to the US anytime soon. He is considering bailing on Panama if he has to go through this again.

Anybody have any Panamanian government connections to put an end to this idiocy.

Your last sentence was an interesting question that actually provides the solution to their self-inflicted problem. I suggest that there are several government "connections" who can end this idiocy. They are called employees in the immigration department. Approach them with a packet of the required documents and tell them (via an attorney) that the packet is being submitted for legal residency. It might help to end the request for residency with a "Thank you, sir."

For the record, neither Marcelyn nor I are totally anti-gecko people. However, there are two serious issues with the gecko(s) in our home. First is that they poop all over, including on our heads. Second is that they are extremely loud, so loud that he/she/they can wake us up from sound sleep.

No cat would be of use in controlling the gecko population in our home. Our gecko(s) are ceiling gecko(s), and our ceilings are 20 plus feet high. I have yet to see a cat be able to jump that high. Further, I don't think we could (or even would try) to throw a cat (which we do not own) up to the ceiling and have the cat's claws stick there.

14 minutes ago, Brundageba said:

Congratualtions !   Couldn't be happier . 

Bill and I first fell in love with Latin culture having traveled and lived in a teeny home we purchased in the mountains of Silvia, Cauca, Colombia.  We said then...lets live somewhere like this when we're old !  We're old...and we have. Bud...hats off to you for your on-going accomplishments.

Bonnie...I graduated FSU !.  I never knew your talents and Tallahasee history.

Congratulations to both of you.

Alison

Just a bit of clarification here. The new U.S. Warden for the Boquete area is Hank Landis.

Penny,

Good catch. I missed that little nuance in the spelling. Yes, indeedy, a paper thin bowel would be a difficult health challenge. 

Come to think about it a bit more, a paper thin bowl would be a different kind of challenge, but less risky to good health.

Being paper thin and hard to describe never were on my list of traits or characteristics that I aspired to before I retired. Maybe I led a sheltered life or was overly naive. On the other hand, Penny tells me I need to get thicker skin. (Just playing wit ya here.  )

Those are beautiful works of wood art. Al Mills also crafted great wood items. I assume he is still active in this field.

Even the photographic skills used to display those items is of high quality. Note the black backdrop, the soft lighting, the absence of harsh shadows, and the arrangement, etc. Done by someone who knows and cares. Above the average skill level.

There seems to be a large number of artisans here in Boquete, not just woodworks, but also music, the display arts, jewelry, etc. Aren't we lucky.

1 hour ago, Bonnie said:

"City of God" is available on Amazon video for $2.99 or free for Amazon Prime members.

That might explain why no takers for the DVD. I just assumed it was because of the content of the movie, but maybe it was the cheaper price elsewhere. Hmmm, perhaps both reasons?

Did anyone go and take pictures. We understand that there were over 7,000 horses in the parade.

Well, here we go again to Restaurante La Casa Vieja last night. Some very close friends called us earlier in the week and suggested a gathering at this new restaurant, based on my comments in a conversation held Wednesday morning. Great idea, and we made a reservation for a party of six at 6:30PM for Friday evening, last night (being Good Friday). We were told that alcohol would not be available due to the holiday, which we all agreed would not be an issue for us.

We gathered at our friends home for socializing and appetizers prior to going to the restaurant. Our group grew from six to ten persons. A few minutes before our reservation, we jumped into three vehicles and headed out for the restaurant. We had forgotten about the ceremonies and blockage of Avenida Principal in downtown Boquete, and so we were delayed quite a bit and eventually got over to the side streets for our journey. Arrived at the restaurant about 7:00PM. As was our experience during our first visit last weekend, there were no other patrons. I approached one of the waitresses and mentioned that we had a reservation for six people at 6:30PM, but that we were delayed because of the traffic blockages. She understood, and was ready for our group. I then dropped the surprise of having ten in our party rather than the six as reserved. Not a problem. Some tables were shuffled around and we were ready to sit down and order food and drinks in short order.

The staff was very friendly and accommodating. Our group was mixed Panamanian and expats, and so the language issue did not come up. We ordered our food and drinks. Then I looked up to see more people coming into the restaurant. That was good news. Pretty soon the entire restaurant was full, and some people were standing near the parking side entrance for tables to become available. That bodes well for the restaurant as the word gets out about good food and service. BTW, the restaurant provided complementary appetizers, which we all agreed were tasty and much appreciated.

Then another surprise occurrence. I looked up at the side entrance again, only to see Michelle and David Brewer coming through the door. I immediately got up to greet them, not knowing what was about to unfold to me. I had not seen Michelle or David in a long time, and so it was good to see that they are doing well. They came over to our table (actually four tables assembled together into a group) and greeted the others. As Michelle turned to go to their table, I just happened to mention that this was our second visit to the restaurant and that we really were enjoying it. Michelle then told me that she and her friend Eduardo are the owners. We were all caught by surprise. We have known Michelle for many years, and we knew that she was busy with her wood furnishings business (used to be at the corner of the Volcancito Road across from CEFATI). Michelle told us that she also now has a construction company, and I believe she said that they have built seven homes. And now the restaurant. Obviously, Michelle is not one to let the dust collect under her shoes.

It was another wonderful evening. Even though the restaurant was full, with more people waiting at the door, the food and the service were very good. Most of our group had one of the seafood items, and one had a hamburger, and Marcelyn and I had a pasta with chicken dish.

Toward the end of our time there, Michelle came over to display a bottle of Boquete wine. We all were unaware of any winery in Boquete, but it was not a misspoken sentence. There actually is a winery somewhere here in the Boquete area. The bottle could not be sold, but she did open up a promotional bottle and provided samples for our group. The general consensus was that it was fruity and bit on the sweet side.

I took a couple of pictures. Here is one of Michelle and Eduardo, and then also one of a painting on the wall. Michelle told me that was an oil painting done of her when she was nine years old. The artist apparently tried to make her look older than she really was.

Bottom line here is that the restaurant is owned and operated by Panamanians. Advertising has been withheld to minimal while, as Michelle said, they "work out the kinks of the start up business and go slowly to be sure that it is a quality experience for the customers". Michelle and Eduardo, you are off to a good start. Thanks for a great evening.

More on the movie "City of God". We received the DVD from Amazon, but have been traveling, which delayed our viewing of the movie. We have now watched only 15 minutes, maybe 20 at the most, and then shut it down. Not our cup of tea.

Will sell the DVD to any interested party for $10.00. Hardly used. It is a "Blu-Ray + Digital HD" disk (whatever that means). Send private message or email to bud.huber@grommet.net.

We heard from our housekeeper about a serious home invasion and murder in the Bugaba area earlier this week in which a mother was seriously wounded and her 21 year old son was killed.. In trying to research this incident, I could only find a Newsroom Panama article about what appears to be yet an unrelated incident in the same general area.

Here is the Newsroom Panama link: http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/15000-reward-home-invasion-murder

The confirmed assault was on March 22nd in which a 29 year old Panamanian mother was killed in a "hail of bullets" at her home in Boqueron.

In researching these events I came across a Chiriqui Chatter blog entry talking about yet a different incident north of Concepción earlier this week. I found that article to be lacking in particulars, and so has questionable credibility. Here is the link to that blog post: http://www.chiriquichatter.net/blog/2016/03/24/home-invasion-north-of-concepcion

You truly are blessed. And many thanks for sharing your blessings with others here on CL.We get to live vicariously through your words and pictures. Have a great day, a wonderful 71st year of your life, and even a better 72nd, and more.

Marcelyn and I ate at La Casa Vieja last weekend. It was our first time there. We actually did not know it was a restaurant until chatting with friends. It is a very old building. That didn't surprise us, given the name of the restaurant. There were many B&W photos of Boquete from the 1920s, 1930s, etc., and forward. I really like seeing those historical images. The menu was extensive, but with a lot of fish dishes, which we typically don't select. But we did find adequate alternatives. Marcelyn had a pasta dish and I had their hamburger.

The service was good, the food was well prepared and prompt, and with prices reasonable. Actually there was too much food, and so we both had a take away, which was handled expeditiously.

We were the only ones there. Don't know how they can survive with such low patronage. Signage could be improved, and maybe that would help with the patronage. There is lots of parking, but knowing how to get in was a bit of a puzzle -- access is via the side street, not the frontage road.

We plan to go back.

Thanx to Bajareque for starting this thread, and all of the replies.

This has been an interesting and somewhat emotional reading for me. I hear about Uber (not Easy Taxy until now) and have always dismissed it because I live in Boquete. I also did not have Internet access (other than WiFi for use where it is available) on my iPhone until this week. The 'emotional' part of this is that I really don't like being gringo'd, and it happens a lot, especially in PC. My Spanish has gotten better, and so I have made it policy to always tell a prospective taxi driver where I want to go and ask how much before getting into a taxi. I frequently find the driver's response when I decline a ride to be a downgrade to a much more reasonable price (possibly still higher than the locals' price, but acceptable to me).

Now that I have Internet access on my cell phone, I think I will give this a trial run during our next trip to PC. Even though we typically drive to PC, I detest driving there, and so the car remains parked at our hotel, and we use taxis (except for our run to Riba Smith to load up on the things not available in Chiriqui).

Following Bonnie's thoughts on this subject, I add that we have a taxi driver (now a very good friend) in PC who has never failed us. We always use José (no, not José Saenz for the long timers here) when timing is critical, or we need translation assistance, or we need someone who knows where things are and how things work. I will ask José about his thoughts re Uber.

Just curious if Uber works in Boquete? I don't plan to try it here in Boquete myself because we typically drive ourselves, and for the few times we use a taxi here we have another good [taxi-driver] friend, Bernardo, who we always call on.

Again, thank you for this thread. I soon will learn what the Uber code and the $15 credit is all about.

I'm still looking for it also. Will try again tomorrow when we go back to Plaza San Francisco for errands.

Across the road from Plaza San Francisco is a sign pertaining to "Blue Sky". It says there is a restaurant, a swimming pool, and a meeting facility. We couldn't find it. Can anyone tell us anything about this place?

I start with a statement that I am not a lawyer, nor am I trained in matters legal.

I have been told repeatedly by people I believe to be highly qualified and competent in these kinds of notarial matters that it is absolutely of no value or legal standing to use a stateside notary service outside of the state boundaries in which that notary is authorized. The US Consulate can provide notarial services that should be acceptable in all 50 states and the territories of the US.

Because of our commitment to CL and other business requirements we have redundant Internet services. We use a high end gateway router that switches between the two service providers. Those providers are CableOnda and the former "MobilNet" service. MobilNet was bought out by CableOnda in late 2015. There are two different technologies used in these two services, specifically broadband cable technology and microwave RF technology.

Twin Wolf is correct about Alex at CableOnda. Marcelyn and I took great interest in Twin Wolf's posting that started this thread. We had to go to David for reasons other than Internet service today, and so went to CableOnda's office. We were a bit concerned about the new office location, but learned from a friend that their office has returned to the old facility, but after some major remodeling.

We were taken care of by Alex. His English and my Spanglish did pretty well together. We opted to go with the 2MB service; I currently have 1MB service. The dramatic cost reduction will end up saving us about $500.00 per year. It took a bit more than 1.5 hours to get through all of our paperwork, but it was worth the time spent. From the way Alex handled things and answered all of our questions we are confident that this transition will be uneventful (at least we hope it will be uneventful).

My only complaint about our time in David today was the heat - a bit over 40C when we left the CableOnda office, which was before noon. Can't imagine what the temperature was during mid-afternoon.

The bottom line here is that we will end up with double our Internet speed at 1/3 the cost of what we were paying previously.

Thanks to Twin Wolf for posting this topic.