Bud

We have also found as of late that the ground hamburger meat at PriceSmart is very good. Not talking about the ground, pre-formed, frozen hamburger patties, but the freshly ground package in the meat cooler. Flavor is excellent and very good quality (fat content, etc.). Always be sure to check the dates on the package label.

Chris, we will arrive about 7:30am for breakfast at your place.  

Seriously, great suggestion about adding dried fruits and things. We have just done the cinnamon thing so far.

Interesting day today. Based on the information provided here, we decided after breakfast to go to Volcan to shop at that Romero store. Got the oatmeal (less than $3.50), maicena (some boxes call it maizena), and some other food items. Still haven't found the broth, and of course there were no muffins, etc., but we did make major progress today.

As mentioned, we found the Romero store in Volcan to be clean, wide aisles, and a helpful staff (since we didn't know the locations of many things). Noticeably missing at that Romero store was a bad odor around the meat counter (that is good news). Also found some things not mentioned above, such as green beans that are not French cut style, etc. Stopped by Berard's as well, but decided not to go in, partly because we didn't have ice in the cooler.

We got to meet Dottie Atwater in person, and had a wonderful conversation with her. What a fine lady. She loves dogs, as does Marcelyn.

We then had lunch at La Carbonera Restaurant in Volcan on the road to Cerro Punta. Great food, good service and good prices. We ended the day with a drive through Cerro Punta, and then took the long route home through Concepcion and Bugaba.

Great day today. Many thanks to all of you for helping us add to our list of pleasurable experiences. And thanks to Dottie for being such a wonderful hostess.

Amazing help here. Thank you all. Isn't the Internet a wonderful tool!

Actually considering driving to Volcan to check out the Romero store per Dottie's and Maria's comments. It has been many months since we were last there. And then have lunch at that really great eatery whose name I can't remember -- on the right on the road toward Cerro Punta.

Having difficulty locating a couple of what we think of as common grocery store items. Have been to Romero, El Rey, PriceSmart, etc., but not finding them. Any assistance in pointers to available supplies would be appreciated.

• oatmeal, the real thing, not the quick or instant cooking version
• broth, either cans or cartons of beef, chicken or vegetable broth
• English muffins
• cinnamon-raisin bagels
• corn starch

The meal portion for us, which included the steak dish that Marcelyn mentioned and dessert and tip was about $23.00, after the jubilado discount. Note that we don't eat much, and so tend to share dishes. The drinks we found a bit spendy; The drinks added another $19.00 to the price, and that was for just one drink for each of us.

On March 5, 2016 at 11:30 AM, Keith Woolford said:

The headline is misleading. The real story is in the byline.

"Insurers are obliged to cover accidents involving alcohol consumption"

Currently Insurers can refuse to pay costs of an accident if a driver is impaired.

Of course, the consequences of this legislation is that Insurers will be paying out a lot more in claims and premiums will rise.

Keith, thanks for the clarification. I'm chalking off my confusion to advancing age.

It appears that the Panamanian government is much aware of AirBnB and is trying to figure out how to manage (control) its impact on tax compliance.

Here is a reference that caused this post: http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Hotels_vs_AirBnB_War_Continues.

When I started typing the title for this post, I was intending to use "Panama and AirBnB", but then while reflecting on the content of the referenced article the 'and' word didn't seem to convey the proper posture. Note that the subject in the web link used the word 'war', but it inferred that the hotel industry is the main party behind this interest. My guess is that it is both the hotel industry and the government taxing authorities.

While we don't participate in AirBnB, we are aware that several Boqueteños do use it. Further it seems to be a big boon for tourism as well as a good source of revenue/cost savings for those who do use it. This has to be a tough nut to crack for all governments, not just Panama.

There seems a parallel between AirBnB (etc.) and Uber (etc.) v the hotel industries, the taxi cartels, and the governments around the world when considering how technology moves forward much more quickly than those impacted by the advancing technology.

So much for my intellectual curiosity this morning. Have a great day. 

According to the following article, automobile insurance is now becoming a legal requirement. This confuses me because I have always been told (I've been here for 15 years) that automobile insurance was a requirement for registration and license plate renewals. What am I missing here?

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Approves_Mandatory_Car_Insurance

The Dubai-Panama connection is again delayed.

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama__Dubai_Flights_Postponed_Again

Oops. Spoke too soon.

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Put_Back_on_to_OECD_Gray_List

I still don't think this really changes anything in how I run my affairs.

3 hours ago, Bonnie said:

There also have been fires around Boquete. We encountered a lot of smoke on our return from David on Wednesday. Maybe this merits a new topic, Bud.

Bonnie, sounds like a good idea. If someone is experiencing fires close to their residence, or just an abnormally high number of field fires in general, then maybe they could start a new topic here.

Happy to read that everything worked out well for David Burnet. Apparently his home was not affected by the fires.

I'm still hoping for more details about the fires, but that is up to someone with first hand knowledge who is willing to share. I do see that David Burnet is a registered member of CL. Perhaps he could add the details?

We are considering a short visit, meaning a day or two, from Boquete to Bocas del Toro. I was last there more than a decade ago. Some questions arise, and we are hoping that someone more experienced would share their thoughts.

1. Should we drive or use a shuttle service? We don't know the particulars of where to arrange for a shuttle, how much it costs, schedules, etc. Can anyone provide some details?
2. Any recommendations for lodging?
3. Any recommendations re "gotta eat at this place"? (Or, stay away from that place?)
4. Neither of us are beach people (concerns about sunburn sensitivity), so what are the other things to see and do in Bocas?
5. Are there any dates to target being in Bocas, or perhaps dates to avoid?

An interesting sequence of events as discussed above. Based on limited information, and perhaps flawed logic on my part, there also appears to be confusion on the part of Mr. Burnet going on here. With phone calls (plural) being unsuccessful, I find it unusual that a person would send an email in the hope that someone would see the need for assistance and summon the bomberos on behalf of Mr. Burnet. I obviously am not seeing the whole picture here. Personally speaking, I never would summon help in such a scenario via email; if telephoning did not work, then I would physically go to the bomberos unless I were desperately involved in extinguishing the fire myself.

i am pleased that Rodny's tech support was able to fill in details on the telephone communications issue that is the main topic here. However, noting that Mr. Burnet never explicitly said it was Rodny that he was calling, I would like to see an AAC response to this topic as well. And why did Dottie presume the phone calls by Mr. Burnet were to Rodny rather than AAC?

Going a bit further, what hasn't been addressed in this topic so far is the matter of multiple fires being in close proximity to at least one home. I presume from what I read that the fires were not of nearby homes or structures, but rather brush or field fires, likely set by someone who was clearing land. If they in fact were fires involving structures, then is there a chance of a pyromaniac being involved? Granted that they could have been fires from lightning strikes, but I really discount that possibility.

To use Dottie's words, "I find it [multiple fires] concerning." What if Mr. Burnet had not been at home to protect his property? Would we now be reading requests for donations to repair/replace a burned out home?

I am not trying to make more of this situation than warranted, but some aspects just are puzzling to me. And so my question is, can someone provide more details about the two fires?

I would love to know what was going through the maleante's mind during his arrest! He must be one of the stupidest criminals in town -- or did he want to get arrested?

According to: http://www.fatf-gafi.org/about/ regarding the Financial Action Task Force (FATF):

Quote

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF is therefore a “policy-making body” which works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.

Panama was on the FATF "Gray List".

According to: http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Gets_Off_FATF_Gray_List, Panama is now (as of this week) off the FATF "Gray List".

Methinks this probably is a good thing.

Apparently the blockade / truck strike has been terminated.

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Truckers_End_Strike

The blockade between Chiriqui and Costa Rica apparently continues.

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Blockades_Continue_on_Costa_Rica__Panama_Border

22 minutes ago, Woody said:

After 4 years in Panama, I think I finally get it.  The majority of Panamanians don't worry about things that they can't control, and they will find any reason to make it a happy day.  

There are some real bad apples in the bushel, but the good apples are the sweetest anywhere.

What a great attitude on the part of these "sweet apples".

Thanks for posting.

My reading of this article is that incoming and outgoing merchandise will be affected by the transportation strike that is scheduled for February 15 and 16, including at the border between Panama and Costa Rica at Paso Canoas. Here is the article:

http://www.centralamericadata.com/en/article/main/Panama_Freight_Strike_on_Monday

Yes, yellow fever shots are available in David. Never checked into hepatitis shots.

When I got my yellow fever shot a couple of years ago, I asked at Dr. Chen's office here in Boquete. He referred me to a hospital in David, but I cannot remember it's name. It is a government-run hospital in David, and is where the morgue is located. The shot is not available at Hospital Chiriqui or Mae Lewis; at least it wasn't at that time and I suspect still not.

When I arrived I was told that I needed an appointment, but I took on a dismayed expression and commented that I had driven "all the way" from Boquete. The nurse said not to worry, and she asked me to wait. I did wait, but only for a few minutes. It turned out she was preparing the shot for me. After the shot, I was asked to pay a small amount, which I recall was only about $3.00.

Take your yellow international immunization card with you when you get the shot. They will annotate the card after administering the shot.

I guess everyone knows that yellow fever shots are good for ten years.

7 hours ago, Jay Stuart said:

 

If people save the best for last

that means the worst is first.

Simple, but very profound. Had not thought about life that way before. Thanks for posting this.

Penny truly is a "Class Act". The world would be a far better place with more Pennys.