Hil

I know a lot of expats that emerse themselves in panamanian culture in Valle and Boquete. Perception is the key.

exactly. A lot of foriegners live here and mingle well with Panamanians. Events are put on all of the time here and invitations are sent out to the public.

Jim you might want to get better information. You can eat at the restaurant, join the gym, play golf WITH/OUT living there or being a member. Workers pass the gate every day.

well lucky me

Casa Batteries gave me the discount and i was surprised----3 times. you can ask them why. im not concerned why they gave it to me. i am not looking for right or wrong. conway gives me jubilado also. maybe we can get a private investigator talk with these two companies to solve the discount issues some people have. I dont have an answer for you. might just be good panamanian companies who knows.

maybe you should buy a battery there.

I have bought three batteries there and they HONOR the jubilado discount. Really a big savings on batteries.

Grace period? How long and for what purposes?

Water pressure is the problem with the on demand heaters here. If you have a tank with a pump you are okay, set it to 30-50lbs and then the ignitor and flow will work good. 
Also, you have to keep the small inline filter cleaned regular. It is located on the cold water inlet side of the heater.

Here is the process;

Water pressure/flow triggers the battery operated ignitor, then water pressure and flow keeps the burner burning, and the water Pressure HAS to be constant for continious flow of hot water. The on demand heaters usually have three controls on them. The controls work great if the water pressure is constant at about 30-50lbs of water pressure and filter is clean. It will  NOT work properly all of the time in the Boquete area on the public water system because of flucuations in water pressure and trash in the water.

If you an afford an electric hot water heater it is the best. We have an electric heater and no more hot water problems.

8 hours ago, Marcelyn said:

We are always stopped at the Check Point between Boquete and David. Officers are friendly and only sometimes ask to see our cedulas. We usually offer bottled water....especially on hot days.

I'm a lucky guy. I've had my papers checked one time in 2.5 years there. Never had my new license or ecedula checked. I know it's happening soon. Immigration is on a manhunt. lololololol

19 hours ago, SP87 said:

If you just walk back across, How do you plan to pass the check point a few minutes down the road from the border crossing of Paso Canoas? There is a permanent set up checkpoint where the police check documents making sure you have entered. We have experienced this every single time. Whether going by car or bus, and only 1 time did they not look in our passport.

Surely you would have to pass this whenever you head to the city to go to Tocumen. 

I had never been checked at the Check Point headed back towards David before I got residency. Maybe they have been instructed to start doing so since they are "enforcing" their laws now. Thank goodness I got my Pensionado and Ecedula.

5 hours ago, Uncle Doug said:

I flew out of Tocumen last Wednesday, and security absolutely scrutinized my passport.  The lady had a problem with it and started grilling me in Spanish.  I'm not even close to fluent, so fished my e-cedula out of my wallet.  That fixed everything instantly.  In hindsight, she clearly was troubled that my last entry into Panama was far more than 180 days ago.

If you didn't have your Ecedula it probably would have cost you $50 for over staying your visa. I wonder where and how long it takes to pay the fine?

17 hours ago, Rooikop said:

I have a ticket for the first of May and my wife for march 22nd.and we can't get in to use them.the whole situation is a mess.

Like another person has said. Walk back across. Get her on the plane in March out of Tocumen. If they say something just tell them to deport because she already has a ticket for herself. Do the same with yours later and then maybe you can at least get a contract on your land and house.

We ate there and the lasanga was great to us. She had the veggie and I had the pollo. Reasonably priced and the portions were fitting also.

22 minutes ago, Penny said:

Steven

Many people care about your situation. Trish Daugherty is the UK Warden and her email is triciajdaugherty@hotmail.com.

However, like Bonnie said about the U.S. embassy, there is very little they can do about Panamanian law.

Good luck with this. If you decide to just walk back across the border, I will come and pick you up. Email me at pjbarrett@aol.com

A little additional information -- apparently some border immigration people are telling folks they have to stay out of Panama for 30 days before being allowed to return.

Good idea Penny--yes he can walk across. Then "maybe" he can make his flight out of Tocumen. I don't think they will look at his passport too close when leaving Tocumen. They don't look too close at the exit stamp out of costa rica when leaving from Tocumen. If they say something at Tocumen he can tell them deport me on "My Flight I have booked." Anyway you slice it if he walks across and makes it to Tocumen in May they can let him pass or deport him on his "own" scheduled plane ticket. It's worth the gamble to get his property on the market.

3 hours ago, TwoSailors said:

Hopefully a lot of questions will be answered by the US Ambassador on Tuesday. 

Two sailors, I have dealt with the ambassador personally. He and his staff will answer any and all questions with the information they have at the time. They are talking to the Panamanian Government---they already sent out a letter. Things might changes since the letter. Go to the meeting and ask questions. The ambassador helped me with a VA problem and answered my emails personally and he got the VA to straighten out a problem for me. His stafff does screen emails and I addressed my email to him. So it's worth the effort.

9 hours ago, Penny said:

Judy and John are correct. When you have a temporary visa waiting for your permanent visa, you need to buy a multiple entry visa for $100 from immigration. This is just a large stamp in your passport which allows you to exit and enter the country.

It's $50 and only good for six months now. It used to be good for a year. I used one until  my final garnet was obtained. David migracion has the temp 6 month visas.

On 3/8/2017 at 3:11 PM, Roger B said:

Hil.

No. It is not.   The problem is more complicated and serious that anyone can imagine and it is rising to levels that could end in something not so good for everyone involved.

Panama might not be exaggerating but I know from experience there are just as many Vens and Colombians working in Costa Rica (costa rica doesn't do 180 day visas) on a 90 visa as there are in panama if not more. So some of them being denied entry to border hop into Panama and return to Costa Rica to work have the same delima. So, Costa Rica might be next to enforce there labor issues also or they will have Vens and Colombians overstaying Visas in there country illegally.

I talked with a prominent Panamanian today and he slammed Varela and the ministry of immigration. I guess he supported the expats more than his own country. I didn't pursue the issue anymore and kept hitting golf balls.

I'm safe---I have an Ecedula.

Those that don't have the carnet or ecedula are not happy and will be forced to leave soon or when there Visa expires and I understand. Most of them are good people not stealing jobs and spending a lot of money in Panama. Sad. A few expats work here illegally but the Vens and Colombians are the real problems. I don't know how a country could cherry pick by nationalities and get away with it.

We'll see in a couple of weeks. I don't think all the information has been publized yet.

Does the BMA take insurance?

Thanks,

Hil

Some of them might be working in Costa Rica on the Venezuelan owned Palma Farms on the Pacific Side. Costa Rica requires 72hrs out of country also on a tourist visa. I toured a Venezuelan palma farm and watched their operation near Quepos. The have a huge herd of water buffalo they use to pull their trailers on the farms. Also, they have so much respect for their animals they work them 2 days and rest them 5 days. 300 is a huge number at the same time. I wonder if Panama is exaggerating a little.

I have observed the restaurants giving discounts by age NOT nationality or tourist status. They jubilado age is 62 males and 55 women I believe. I have my Ecedula but my Pensionado card was alway honored. It says Permenant Tourist on it. So, I don't understand some of these laws. 

Big give away today in David.

5 hours ago, JudyS said:

Nobody is expecting them to grow tomatoes for charity.  These tomatoes were already grown, then dumped.  Couldn't they have offered them to charities instead of dumping them?

It's called PROTEST here.

19 hours ago, Brundageba said:

what ?????????????????

You kiddin me?  We could have had an Italian dinner benefit for the folks in need here or a gzillion other ways to productively use those tomatoes.  I find this hard to believe.

Aime Gonzalez, a tomato producer in Volcán, said that imports in full harvest time, as well as a super production of the item is causing prices per pound in the field not to exceed 0.07 or 0.10 a hundred, which do not serve to cover the costs Of production of 0.20 and 0.25 a hundred per pound.

These growers can't just grow for charity. Although when the market is good (less the imports) they could donate to charity. They might donate already I don't know.

1 hour ago, TwoSailors said:

Hil,

Sounds like they should've had you as the project manager! Your information was an education...thanks.

Sailer, "this ain't rocket science." Two things to remember in piped sewer systems, stinks goes up in the air (at the treatment plant and vented out of the house usually through the roof) and water, poop, and objects are pumped to the treatment plant or gravity fed down hill----UNLESS pumped uphill. Treatment is another story. I can't wait for the new smell in Boquete. You can bet they did not include the price of  a scrubber. Scrubber; a system to prevent smell and some corrosion. Also, if they don't treat the water to a potable state they will have to sprinkle the liquid on land and let the land purify it before it gets back into the aquafer. Another problem with a sprinkle waste water system here is rain, run off and lava rock. It's going to be a challenge. I don't know of another city in Panama that has EVER installed a new and complete sewer system all at one time. This will have a huge learning curve for future use. I'm sure the mayor has a responsibility with the contractors.

Solid waste is another story. It can be used for fill in certain areas. We have a golf course built on top of a solid waste site back home. The also use the methane gas for heat and lights on the golf course. And NO SMELL. Septic tank solid waste will be the same. It has to be moved out of the tank sooner or later.