Chris McCall

Hi All My daughter who is connected to the travel industry just told me that the president is closing all Panama Land and Boat boarders, Costa Rica, Puerto Oblaldia, and Darien. Airports will still be open. On investigation it seems to me only the boarder with Columbia by land and boat. http://www.noticiasrcn.com/internacional-america/panama-lanza-operacion-escudo-blindar-su-frontera-colombia It is called Operacion Escudo. Also stated in the articule above is: "Also he announced a drastic change in immigration policy of his country through changes in the law so that in Panama "remain" foreigners "with a defined legal status," the same for those who want in the future to settle in the country as made in strict compliance with the provisions." I wonder how that will affect us expats I think no problem unless you are doing your boarder Crossing in the Darien. Any of you really good investigators on this site have more info? Chris

Hum uber has actually been in Panama City since the end of 2014, so they are pretty well geared up. The cars all must be 4 door cars and newer than 2006, many are nice suv's. The prices are much lower than the gingo rate charged by taxi drivers, more close to the rate charged for locals. No cash changes hands, uber debits your credit card and and sends the money to the driver at the end of the week. Uber does state that you don't tip, however I always tip and the drivers are very happy about that, so please tip them well!. Average wait time is from 5 to 10 min sometimes just a couple of minutes. Uber charges a flat pick up fee then a fee based on mileage driven and time it takes to drive. My daughter has been using them since Jan 2015. Most uber drivers do not speak English it since you have to have a cell phone to get them you then have a map to show where you want to go. Uber in the states is terrific since I don't have insurance in the USA and don't have a insured credit card it is cheaper and much better to use uber. For example in Orlando we went to universal studio city walk one evening, cost $20 to park took 1/2 hour to find a space 20 min to walk to city walk from parking and then took an hour to get out of the parking lot. Next night took uber dropped us off at the entrance, cost $5 plus $2 tip picked us up when we were done with only a 3 min wait same cost back. Can would have been $20 set by parking rate not distance. Uber to the airport, in Orlando cost $15 for 2, via shuttle cost is $32 a person or via cab cost is $40 to $60 depending on you negotiating skills. This is in Orlando not here. . Please use my uber code to get $15 credit on your first trip and you can take $15 off the next cement art class or paper making class I offer :-) download the app and enter my code below. Thanks. You will love uber. christopherm9123ue

Price mart in the spice section there is a new product a mixture of flax seeds, hemp seeds and chia seeds. One heaping teaspoon per serving of oatmeal is a great addition, it give the oat meal a slightly crunchy texture. I also add a tbl spoon of vanilla to the oat meal plus the dried fruits listed above. people are welcome to come for breakfast, we have an incredible view and will prepare our famous oat meal served with yogurt and/or unsweetened almond milk and a side of fresh fruit. We enjoy meeting new people. You must call day before directions on our web site www.blackrockbnb.com. Chris and Lauren

Rey's in the health food sections n carries red mill steel cut oats and also rolled oats. Rolled oats are the best, they take 10 min to cook adente and are terrific. I add dried fruit, dates, apricots, blueberries, cinimon and nutmeg. It makes wonderful oat meal all my guests rave about it.

That charge is an increase in your deposit, you do get the money back when you move. If you missed paying a bill they adjust your deposit. Bud, do you have any water pumps on your property? I do and got a leak in the system and my bill went way up, found the leak after about a month.

Seems so Keith, one good thing is that she does have really really good coffee and does some great mocha coffee. So it won't be to hard to support her :-)

Dottie - another thing to try, we don't eat gluten and found that cutting the sweet potatoes into rounds about 1/4 or little more thick browning as you say and using them as hamburger buns, with all the fixings. Great taste, even if we could eat bread I would not go back. The sweet potatoes are so so much better. Try it, you will love it. Also make a few extra thinly sliced or french fry slices to accompany the burgers :-)

Thanks Bonnie, my memory and spelling suck :-) Expensive is a relative term, for me $6 is good $15 is expensive for others the scale can be completely different. :-)

David - an excellent restaurant...Gordo Novelle The fat cow. Not an exact translation but there is a fat cow on the sign. This restaurant is on the old boquete highway next door to the big used car dealership. It gets bad reviews on trip advisor as being expensive and small portions $9 to $20 BUT we discovered a non advertised secret. They have an incredible lunch special for $6 which includes soup and very very good Panamanian meal and they honor jubliado discount. We eat there twice a week for 6 weeks after Lorraine's therapy. Really really good soup then sometimes incredible main courses, the chief is really good so makes the best Panamanian lunch we have ever had. Once or twice it was just ok but most times very very good. If you want to try it, refuse the menu when they bring it and ask for the special of the day. Mostly Spanish speaking wait staff, but a little English. Another great plus is shaded off street parking, air conditioning, nice decorations, good service, soft lighting. I think the place is owned by some wealth Colombians but not sure. Somebody put a lot of money into it. Really worth a try, the entrance and sign are a little hidden but it backs up to the car lot, driveway goes into parking area that has shade.

If your card had an E on it and said Republic of Panama, carne de residents permanent, across the top then do not go to immigration, you have a cedula. You need to go to the tribunal electorate which is across the street from Daisies art store.(1 block down from Ciudad David hatel) Go into the building turn left go through the glass door and immediately turn right through a wood door

Ok, I see I am a little late for directions however what do people think of these places? my opinion is that La casa de Cedro has the nicest pork I have seen in Panama also he will do any cut for you. Warning-it is best to call in advance for some cuts as he runs out. Especially lomo which is pork loin and thick pork chops. He is more expensive than pricesmart but you get what you pay for. He speaks English 730-7362 Jaun Carlos Palacio seems expensive to me, I did buy a rib eye but have not tested it yet. i would like to here how Su Carne compares to Palacio. as an aside I bought a whole ribeye at pricesmart cooked it whole on very hot grill to medium rare, very pink center, (135f) let it rest sliced it very thin, it was very tender and delicious. Coated it with Simon and garfunkel spices that had soaked in olive oil before cooking. thanks

Pat and Susan also asked about dotties question in miscellaneous about directions to the pork and beef place. I under stand no replies in classified but it seems you should be able to reply in miscellaneous category. I could give Dottie excellent directions which others may like.

Marcelyn this site is doing some interesting earthquake prediction research with a Japanese man Dr u-yen. www.suspicious0bservers.org. They have a high rate of world wide prediction accuracy.

Hi where in chiriqui can you buy Indian art crafts, tawa nut carvings, baskets, molas, beads etc.. I now Tuesday market has some and in Panama City theren is the huge craft market but I can not think of any here. I have guests who missed going to craft market in Panama City and won't be here for Tuesday market and would like to buy some stuff thanks

Creating Cement Art - including Sculpture and Acid Staining In the Studio in Caldera at Black Rock Art Ranch www.blackrockartranch.com/Cement_Art.html by Chris McCall January 6, 7 and 8, 2016, plus four extra elective workshop days January 9, 10, 12 and 13 if you wish.* Class is From 10:00 till 12:30pm workshop time till 3:00pm. (Studio opens at 9:00am) Cost is $75 including all materials and supplies*** Reservations: chrismccall@me.com, 6137-5602 - deposit required email and we will send Paypal invoice or you can deposit in the bank www.blackrockartranch.com/Cement_Art.html Directions to The Art Ranch on the web site. There is lots of one-on-one instruction during the workshop periods, and after class on the 3 class days. Many students work the whole time but many students just come to the class days if they don't have time in their schedule. You the student decide how much you want to do. Concrete is used widely in Panama for all construction. Concrete is also a great medium for crafts and artwork. In this workshop we will learn how to mix concrete and mortar, make concrete stepping stones with various designs and patterns, make concrete bowls and planters, bird baths, and any 3d shape plus acid stain concrete, and color concrete with liquid and powder dyes. January 6 - Working with concrete and mortar, 10:00am to noon with workshop time in the afternoon until 3:00pm — Please come a little early. The tools you need for working with concrete Safety procedures for concrete and acid staining How to properly mix concrete and mortar including the common formulas and some of the additives used in concrete. A slide show on the use of cement for counter tops and unusual house construction. Adding powdered color to your concrete Making molds for concrete Arranging leafs for pleasing patterns Planning for your 3d (sculpture project). Proper use of steel and the different types of wire that can be used for the artist. All students will make one bowl to learn techniques of working with forms. Workshop time will include one-on-one instruction in the first steps in creating your sculpture. January 7 - Sand Casting and Sculpture work (open at 9:00am with class at 10:00am and workshop in the afternoon) Sand casting allows you to create very irregular shapes, beautiful bird baths form leaves, serving platters, bread dishes, only limited by the imagination. All students in class will make a sand cast leaf. Also during class students will clean up their bowl from the day before, learn to release the form, shape the "green cement" with rasps, sand paper and wire brushes. Class will have discussion on the use of Ferro Cement. Ferro cement is doing cement work over thin metal. Commonly used for sculptures and things like concrete counter tops. Using Ferro cement you can make almost any shape in concrete. Preparing the metal, using rebar to support different shapes. Scratch coating the metal and finish repello. It is really easy to make wonderful pre Columbian type sculptures or anything that you can think of. Workshop time will be one on one help with each persons projects. January 8 - Acid Staining and Finishing (open at 9:00am with class at 10:00am and workshop in the afternoon) This is the day you finish all the projects you have been working on. Staining them and sealing them. Everything must be taken home at the end of this workshop day. Safety precautions for working with acid. Using and buying Commercial stains Mixing your own stains from common chemicals used in pottery. Preparing the concrete for staining Working with old concrete and new concrete Different methods of application Making patterns with the stain Using acrylic colors to fix areas that don¹t take or to add accent to the staining. Sealing the concrete after staining Waxing the concrete Work Shop Days January 9, 10, 12 and 13 - Workshop Days 9:00am to 3:00pm (you may come and leave as you desire until closing) During workshop days Chris will work one-on-one with each person helping them as they need it with there projects. There is no formal schedule, you may come any time between 9:00am and 3:00pm. The workshop fee is $75. Materials and space fee is included. ***Extra material charge for really large projects. Deposit is required and you may do so on the website via Paypal which accepts any credit card. The teacher for this workshop will be Chris McCall. Chris has been in the arts for many years. In 1985 he opened the Stained Glass School and Supply in Denver Colorado. Chris moved to Panama Central America in 2004, he designed and built a resort called Rancho de Caldera. In 2010 he opened his art studio in Boquete teaching cement art, stained glass, paper making, felting, and spinning and last year moved the Studio to Caldera. Caldera is beautiful, the studio is on a hill top so is cooler than Caldera itself because of the mountain breezes. You will leave the workshop with new knowledge, some beautiful cement art pieces and sculptures. Please email your reservation to Chris McCall, pay deposit on the web site - chrismccall@me.com For Questions call Chris at 6137-5602

Second thought, I could be wrong, maybe they cancelled the redo of the old terminal and are moving it to the new mall? And my above video is just wrong.

Hil you are not wrong. They are not moving the bus terminal. Check out this video and look very closely at the map they show in the beginning. The new terminal Phase 1 is going to be built on the site of the existing terminal, what the **** are they going to do for a terminal while construction is happening they do not say. Phase 2 is in the big empty lot next to the current terminal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=68&v=Yd86cEhhQdo The construction on the new David Boquete highway is for the new (Albook type) mall that is going to be built. The bus terminal will not be there. The confusion around this, I think, is from my friend Don Ray (Chiriqui Chatter), he posted the two together on Chiriqui Chatter. I love Don and I am sure I make more mistakes that he does by a bunch. But if you look really close at the video you can see that both phases are at the current bus station, not at the new mall.

I received a notification that somebody have me a reputation??? Huh. I know I already have a bad reputation but what does it mean that somebody gave me a reputation? I looked at the posting that caused it but can not see what happened. Sorry to be so stupid. :-)

Ambreen is Indian from Mumbai, India. That is why she sounds different.

Bonnie, you have discovered who she is, the text of the letter and he text on your link are surely written by the same person. And English is not her first language that is why it sounds strange.

A couple of things I noticed, on my iPad mini and android Fire phone the new site took awhile to load, appeared like it was frozen. Now works OK Also the star for new content on the android phone has been replaced with a "newspaper" type icon. Also if you had the site book marked to go to new content that link will no longer work and will return page not found. Just redo your bookmarks. Love the new layout and it looks great. Works quickly on my Mac no load problem.

they credited my deposit back to me after two years. then I did not pay them for a month then paid almost the whole balance except $1.80 which went into second month. Opps that triggered them requesting a $90 deposit. Having lived her for 11 years I learned along time ago that taking up a buerocartic fight with any Panama company is a wast of time and can even cause worse things to happen.