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Hil

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Blog Entries posted by Hil

  1. Hil

    New Immigration Policy

    By Hil,

    The Policy Did Not Change For US Tourist.
    The information was very confusing until the Embassy got the correct information from the Panamanian Government and passed it on. Some countries will be effected by the new decree.
    Changes are frequent in Panama.
     
    I hate to see this happen for the honest people using the old 180 days tourist visa (border hopping was LEGAL and still is) or the 90 days tourist visa with driving on a foriegn drivers license privalge and not working here illegal. There are people here that can NOT afford to live in the USA on Social Security. And, those living here on Social Security will have a difficult time getting residency because some live from check to check. Also, those living here on small social security checks will have difficulty staying out of the country for 72 hours or more on their income. IF, and I say ,IF, you get a good lawyer you can get residency in 4 months. I had a good lawyer and got mine in 4 months. Some of these lawyers will have to do a better job now. But the vote is out on that. And, about over staying a visa in the USA----not everyone gets a tourist visa to over stay. The USA doesn't have the open visa policy. In other words, a tourist visa for Panama is automatic if you are not a wanted criminal listed with interpol or Panama and if you are "clean" you are stamped in at all immigrations points and in the USA you have to apply ahead of time through an embassy. Most panamanians are refused tourist visas to the USA. Some people don't know this. We were in Panama for my girl friend's visa and 7 out of the first 10 in line were denied. The reason given for denial up front by the interviwer was----the U.S. is afraid you won't return to Panama (over stay.) So, I would Not compare Panama to the USA on immigration. Panama is a friendly nation when it comes to Tourist Visas and the USA is not-----because we vette more on terrorism, over staying visas (not much enforcement once overstayed) and illegal workers sneaking across borders without visas. I will say that Colombia and Venezuela have caused this problem. And, to "NOT" discriminate they are giving equal opportunity for all on tourist visas unless there is something I'm missing------(now as of 12-28-2016 they are discriminating for good reason.)The other visas will be for people that can afford them such as the Friendly Nation Visa and that will help eliminate the illegal employment here. Visitors will need to abide by the rules-------So will residents. Panama had to do something on immigration for a lot of reasons not just because of expats using the 180 rule. My 3 cents worth.  Whether you agree with me or not it is new policy. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
  2. Hil

    Ecedula

    By Hil,

    I had heard rumors of 3 hours to all day for completion of the Ecedula at the Tribunal Electoral in Panama City. Well, I'm either a lucky guy or they streamlined the process. I was in and out in 40 minutes------Totally completed and they said; they would send the Ecedula to the Boquete Tribunal Electoral. Very nice staff and very professional. Three trips up and down from the second floor (1st) to the first(PB). But the good new is the elevator worked every time. The first woman you see with your paper work is from Bouqete also. Anyway, with all of the immigration stuff going on I decided to go to another level.
  3. Hil
    We had a great time. Medellin is a nice, clean, and a modern city. Lots of things to see and great food. I was surprised this is a Very Cheap vacation in a 4 star hotel. Parque Arvi is amazing. Lot of arts and crafts for sale. The Hiking Trails are for serious hikers only. It's really cool up there and you can see all of Medellin while in the gondola. While going up the side of the mountain you will see how the poor people live. Lot of good history displayed in Medellin. Parque Pablado is a great park also and it is in centro Medellin. I was suprised at the art in the city also. Highly recommend the trip. Planning another trip soon;  Cuba, Peru---Machu Picchu, Ecuador and Galapagos. Think we will do the paper with names in a basket and draw one out!! All of the dogs on Parque Arvi were healthy pets and would walk with you if you snapped your fingers other wise they eat and sleep!


























































  5. Hil

    Mini Vacation Costa Rica

    By Hil,

    Great little vacation to the Quepos area. I had been there before but never visited the tropical rain forest. Quite the adventure. All of the guides were talking about La Nino changing things 4 years out. They said the immediate transition would be felt the most. I believe them as they have first hand experience in the rain forest with La Nina and La Nino.








  6. Hil
    In all my years I have never seen this much anger with politicians and the voting public. While in the US last month, I had time to visit friends and the election always came up. I didn't engage the political conversations much and don't here much either. But, having said this;
    There are more questions but I will keep this short. Does it really matter which one is elected? Could it get any better in the US than it was before Bush or after? Can a new president make sufficient foreign policy to keep the US out of wars? Can the Tax loop holes for the rich be changed? Can the infrastructure of the US be upgraded to modern times without taxes (federal highways/electrical grids)? Can regulations in general be changed to benifit everyone? Is the President's cabinet too large? Who benifits the most with Global Economy? Can the US be protected more from terrorist? Will a wall be built on both borders---North and South? Can Education and Child Care be improved in the US? Why not spend more on Elderly Health Care by the Government? This Election will  come to an end soon and we can take day to day assesments of the new leadership. And, we that decided to move here can observe the results. Some issues in the USA are important to me like my family that live there and are affected by the out come.
    I'm not taking sides in the election merely asking questions.
     
    My answer to all of the above questions is NO to a degree. The reason; 4 years in office and a slow acting congress can't fix anything important (unless it's paid for under the table or benifits some greedy politician)
    Now, I could go on and on but I didn't retire here because of the state of the nation in the US nor am I searching for the hole grail nor are the cops after me!! I just found  a place I love and respect.
    (Please remember my friends This Is A Blog monitored by the owner/administration). And if THEY disapprove I will take it down. Please use the ignore feature If you do not like my post or blog. I won't be offened you'll just be better off.
    Have a good day folks.
  7. Hil

    Metro/Subway Panama City

    By Hil,

    Great experience for Panama.
    Buy the Metro card ($2) at a kiosk before entering the gates. Then add money to the card at the kiosk. Simple as that. We rode the Via Argentina Route (L1) to Albrook mall. 35 cent per person one way. Fast, Clean, and Professional. It is safe to take it during rush hours in the daylight but I would recommend the off hours. We tried peak and off hours. Both are good but it is really crowed during rush hours.




  8. Hil

    Volcan Flower Festival

    By Hil,

    Last year was great. They may have promoted this year beyond imagination. I'm thinking there was approx two thousand cars going in circles around town. Today was a nightmare. It appeared just as many were leaving as were arriving because of no parking. They did not plan on this many visitors/cars I'm sure of it. So, no parking and a lot of people left. I never got out of my car. 
    Maybe they'll figure out more parking next year.
    A few photos from last year;
    The table without the horse on it priced; $16,500





     


  9. Hil

    Isla Boca Brava

    By Hil,

    Repost requested!! My original post was NOT meant for advertising or critical advice. Bud's wife ask about it out of curiosty. Another person did a critical overview of the project. That was NOT Necessary on my Blog. My blog is for information on things to do in Chiriqui. So, to stop any speculation on what this project is going to be I took the blog down. We had great visit to the island and that is ALL the Blog was about. We watched a ferry take cars across from Boca Chica landing across to Isla Boca Brava and it took about five minutes. The road down the middle of the island all the way to the west end will be improved soon. If you've never traveled all the way on the island from east to west I recommend it. Take plenty of water and some food. The new four lane from David to Boca Chica has really reduced the time for the trip---about 45 minutes. I drive from Boquete to El Reys in David in about 25 minutes. And, the rough highway from the Interamericana to Boca Chica is suppose to be repaired this year (rumor fingers crossed) and that might take a few minutes off of the trip. So, this is a nice day trip with little drive time involved. If you are retired and in a hurry in Panama you have created yourself problems. This culture is slow like NO OTHER!!!!! It took me about a year to learn how to BE  RETIRED. Now, it's fun. Fun is what it's all about in retirement.









  10. Hil

    Zika

    By Hil,

    The U.S. always steps up to the plate. This article gives quick hope for prevention. And, hopefully a vaccine.
    http://www.newsherald.com/news/20160812/almost-900-innovators-submit-ideas-to-combat-zika
  11. Hil

    Healthy Dogs In Bouqete

    By Hil,

    There are a couple of groups in Boquete that do good work with dogs and cats. I couldn't resist this one enjoying his sidewalk downtown. He looks healthy. A lot of dogs are not well taken care in the area. The spay and nueter clinics seem to work well in Boquete.

  12. Hil
    Some say the rains have started early this year. Going into my third rain season here I agree. Looks like La Nina could be very wet this cycle (possibly serious flooding and land slides) and have other consequences also. Seems like too much rain causes disease with coffee plants. La Nina appears more benificial than droughts. They both have their postives and negatives.
    IICA always has good information because they depend on rain for agriculture---the main source of substance for the populations and income in central america.
    http://www.iica.int/en/press/news/impending-emergence-la-niña-will-impact-agricultural-sector-central-america-and-dominican
     
  13. Hil

    Water Buffalo?

    By Hil,

    I had seen these animals on my way to Volcan before taking the short cut to Volcan (Potreros road). This trip for Mexican food, I told the girl friend if I see them I'm stopping for pics. And, there they were in the same place last time I seen them. They are in the huge orange grove.
    I'm not sure if they are pure bred or crossed with cows. But, you can see the water buffalo in them for sure.



  14. Hil

    Win 10 Update

    By Hil,

    I committed to June 4th for the upgrade. Not a lot of difference with the interface. A few minor cosmetic changes. It does run faster. But, it defaults to window's new browser. I changed that back to my google chrome browser as my default browser. If enough people tells me microsoft browser has out done Google then I'll switch to windows browser. Right now I'm happy with google.
    Now we wait for the bugs to show up.  This is normal with windows upgrades and any other platform.
     
     
    Having managed a computer network for a college and at one time trouble shooting for microsoft (agreement with college) on our network, this upgrade will surprise most users. Only the users that get too comfortable with one OS will complain the most. I don't like change with the OS either but this one is going to give mac/apple a run for it's money. Maybe not as good on security (personal security is the responsibilty of user not that of the OS or name brand)----Plenty of ways to secure your PC. Win 10 is operationally stable and user friendly and should be very good. Remember when Windows 8 and 8.1 first came out and they were seriously flawed. Not so with Win 10.
     
     
    I have read for months on tech sites and software engineer sites about Win 10.  Most agree Win 10 will be the best from MicroSoft so far. It's a matter of quick fixes when bugs do appear--not if they appear!! lol
     
    The upgrade only took a little over an hour with 5mb speed. Good luck.
     
     
    I was programming DOS with Windows 3 and hated when Win 3.1 came out!!! These newer systems are really nice considering technology now days.
     
    Thank goodness Microsoft didn't go proprietary on PC's.
    NONE OF MY FILES WERE LOST ON THE UPGRADE.
  15. Hil

    Vietnam

    By Hil,

    Vietnam 45 years and 20 days ago I came home.
    Would I do it again?
    NO
    WHY?
    This war had nothing to do with our national interest or in defense of our nation.
    Unjustified wars kill innocent soldiers and civilians.
    Are there justified wars?
    Yes.
    45 years and 20 days ago I came home to the USA.
    Too many sleepless nights with nightmares in the past 45 years.
    Have a nice memorial day everyone.
            LikeShow more reactions CommentShare
  16. Hil
    Interesting searches locally and in David. The USA and many other countries and thousands of individuals listed. Legal in some countries and not in others.
     
    https://offshoreleaks.icij.org/#_ga=1.72650774.467971681.1462812105
  17. Hil

    Dr. Harminio Carrizo

    By Hil,

    Rest in peace good Doctor. We attended a small service for him yesterday. All five of his daughters were here. Four of them live in the USA. Very beautiful family.

  18. Hil

    Cubanos At Paso Canoas

    By Hil,

    The cubanos that left out on a plane to Mexico have been replaced with new ones coming from Ecuador and Columbia. My understanding is there are a few hundred more in Paso Canoas now. I was at the Frontera last weekend and the warehouse before the InterAmericana Hwy Check Point was empty and now it is full. Also, the highway check point was checking ever vehicle and documents in both directions. The traffic line through the check point took me 30 minutes. It is full of cubanos today, Saturday, March 19th. I had to return items to City Mall.
    The HOAFI MOTOR, SA bldg, just a few hundred yards before the immigration check point, is full and they have the side walk in front of it full of people and tents. Some are sleeping on cardboard boxes.





  19. Hil

    David Feria

    By Hil,

    We went today, Sunday, around noon. Not many people there at all. That's why we went at noon. We bought a few things. I got a belt and she bought a purse. I love the beautifull live stock show. They grow some fine animals in Chiriqui. Lot of condo sales, gated community sales, and property sales inside the cool buildings. I was more interested in history and the live stock than anything else. And, there was a shooting in the fair last night. I went at night last year and I'm convinced we are a mark in big events like this. So, day time only for me. On the way home the radio announced they had sold 70,000 tickets yesterday. The cabalgata day is always big.




  23. Hil

    Panamanian Mail

    By Hil,

    I have used the David post office many times for packages going to the USA. Nothing has gotten lost so far. In David, you are required to wrap the package onsite for inspection purposes, use brown paper, and glue. No string or tape allowed. Also, in David you have to put a copy of your passport in the package. My last package with three pair of sandals got to Florida in less than 21 days. If you need info about Boquete I suggest visiting the post office. I would assume the rules are the same. Lee Seltzer gave me all of my information a year or so ago. I mailed a letter snail mail from Boquete yesterday to St.Louis. We'll see how long that takes.
    Centro Office Supply by the park in david has all the glue and paper.
  24. Hil

    Sports Illustrated

    By Hil,

    I've always pulled for the underdog or less fortunate. Sports Illustrated got this one right.
    http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/14/entertainment/sports-illustrated-cover-models/index.html
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