Monday, December 31, 2012

Panama U.S. Navy League Monthly meeting info



From the Panama U.S. Navy League:
Happy New Year! Next Dinner -- Tuesday, January 8
Hello!

Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!

Next week, we kick off our dry season dinners with:

Estate Planning in Panama

Jaime Raul Molina will again joins us to give us a brief overview on the three most common mistakes people make and how to avoid them.

If you have assets in Panama, or live here even part time, you will want to join us for our dinner.

Jaime Raúl Molina has a Bachelor of Law and Political Science from the University of Panama (1998), and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) by University of Bristol, England (2000).  Mr. Molina has held positions in both the private and the public sectors.  He has practiced Law since 1998.  From 2000 through 2004 he was Fiduciary Officer at the Panama Branch of Dresdner Bank Lateinamerika.  Thereafter he was an advisor to the Director of Public Policies of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, from the end of 2004 until 2008.

Please RSVP by January 7th, 12 noon.

Date: January 8th
Time: 7pm
Place: Hotel Le Meridien
Ticket: $30
RSVP to this email address.

Enjoy the holiday!

Kind regards,

Hunter Schultz
President
Navy League Panama

Saturday, December 29, 2012

January Events in Panama



January Events in Panama:


Panama 10th Annual Jazz Festival, January 14 - 19: http://www.panamajazzfestival.com/english/

Taboga Island, Fiesta del Mar, January 26 - 27:  http://www.fiestadelmarpanama.com/

American Society annual fest in El Valle (1 1/2 hour drive west of Panama City), Saturday, January 26, for details see:  http://amsoc.org/  This is always a great event and all nationalities are welcome to attend.

House for rent in El Valle de Anton, Panama



House for rent in El Valle de Anton:

El Valle de Antón is about a 1.5 hour drive from Panama City, between 22 to 23 kilometers on the road to the town of El Valle which is 28 kilometers from the Pan American highway. Elevation:  800 meters, approximately 2600 ft. above sea level.


House: Fully furnished 2-bedroom, with a semi-open second floor loft/bedroom. The house was built in 2003 and is about 130 SQ meters, - approximately 1400 square feet.  All 3 bedrooms have queen size beds, 2 full bathrooms with hot water. Included is a full kitchen with china/cutlery, basic cookware, microwave oven, mixer, toaster/oven, coffee maker, washer/dryer, and TV.   

Pueblo of El Valle: The house is a 5 minute drive from the center of El Valle . Attractions include the week-end "flea market" in the center of town, hot mud bathing pools, horse riding, canopy tours, mountain climbing adventures, 4-wheels, bike rentinga beautiful zoo and botanical gardens, cool temperatures at night & beautiful surroundings including birds, butterflies and animals of all sorts including the spectacular "golden fog.


Rent is $195/day, lower if rented for 5 days or more.  Contact the owners directly at:  mnoriegac@cwpanama.net 
The house is not available January 4 - February 16.

Pueblo of El Valle: The house is a 5 minutes drive from the center of El Valle . Attractions include the week end "flea market" in the center of town, hot mud bathing pools, a beautiful zoo, cool temperatures & beautiful surroundings including birds, butterflies and animals of all sorts including the spectacular "golden fog". 

 

El Valle is about a 45 minute drive to the beach area (green arrow on google map) which is a stretch of about 40 kilometer from Gorgona to Rio Hato (Playa Blanco/Farallon) along the Pan American highway where it dips close to the coast.  See:  http://goo.gl/maps/FsVgj for a map of the area. Punta Chame is also a beach area east if Gorgona, but about a 45 drive to the tip. Other beaches are more accessible & the area around Coronado beach is more commercialize with many restaurante/cafes, store/shops & super markets.  These beaches are my favorite beaches in Panama, the sand texture changes from a black volcanic ash on the Gorgona beach to a white powdery sand like the beaches in Florida, USA on the western beaches, Santa Clara, Playa Blanco/Farallon.


Santa Clara Beach

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Dengue in Panama


NewsRoom Panama:

Dengue cases receding

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 Aedes aegyptiAedes aegypti
Citizen awareness, spraying,  and the elimination of mosquito breeding sites, has led to a fall in reported cases of dengue fever in San Miguelito.
The Regional Director of HealthAlgis Torres said, on TVN News, that during 2012 only 24 cases of dengue fever were recorded and no cases of hemorrhagic dengue.
The disease, is transmitted by the mosquitoAedes aegypti .
Last year the Ministry of Health reported 899 cases of dengue fever and 5 hemorrhagic dengue in the country.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Golf informacion in Panamá

Golf:
Coronado Golf & Beach Resort, 1.5 hour drive west of Panama City, see:
http://www.coronadoresort.com/
DeCameron Golf Course, located at the DeCameron Resort, Farallón Beach, 2 hour drive west of Panama City. See: http://www.decameron.com/eng/panama/royal/golf.html
Panama City Golf Course: Panama City, San Miguelito area, see: http://clubdegolfdepanama.com/
Santa Maria Golf & Country County (Future/Planned), Costa del Sol, between Tocumen International Airport & Panama City, see:
http://www.santamariapanama.com/eng/location.html
Summit Golf Course, located about 35 - 40 minute drive north of Panama City on the road to Gamboa & by-past to the transmission highway, see: http://www.summitgolfpanama.com/web/en/ http://www.larsenoutdoors.com/html/golf_panama.html
Tucín Country Club & Resort, west bank of the canal (site of the old military course HoRoKo for the join bases Howard Air Force base, Rodman Naval Station, Kobbe Army post--all located on the west bank of the canal) & when the U.S. had the Canal Zone), see: http://www.tucancountryclub.com/
Vista Mar Golf Club, 1.7 hour drive west of Panama City, see: http://www.vistamarresort.com/Default.aspx?tabid=55


Summit Raddison Hotel & Golf Resort

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Things to see & do in Panama


Things to see & do in Panama:



Panama City area:
Old Panama (Panamá Viejo) destroyed by the Pirate Capt Morgan.
New old town: Casco Viejo: city built after the destruction of Panamá Viejo by Capt Morgan. This is the combined “barrios” of San Felipe, Santa Ana & El Chorrillo. Central Avenue is a closed street-walking shopping area, Ave B is the Asian shopping street with bargain shops. “Sale se Puedes” is a side street close by vendor with shops in the middle of the street, warning “Sale se Puedes” translates to “get out if you can”, good bargains and I’ve never personally known of anyone not to get out, but “¿quien sabes?”
Amador Causeway: Shopping/clubs/yacht facility including Mi Ranchito Restaurant first island on the right, best view, prices & view. Balboa (Amador) Yacht Club located just before the causeway (Amador) by the TGI Friday/Town & Country Inn. See http://www.balboayachtclub.com/
Azuero Peninsula: including Las Tablas, Pedasi & the beaches in this area. This area is a 5-6 hour drive west of Panama City. Best B&B Casita Margarita email peashooter@gmail.com website www.pedasihotel.com
Beaches-west of Panama City:
1-2 hour drive, beaches include Chame, Gorgona, Coronado, San Carlos, Rio Mar, Santa Clara & Farallon. The PanAm highway “dips” down along the coast in this area & the beaches in this area stretch for about 40-50 kilometers. Hotel Coronado: Gaviota Hotel, Coronado http://www.hotelgaviotapanama.com/index-1.html Coronado phone 240-4526, Panama phone 224-9056 Also the DeCameron & Breezes all-inclusive resorts are located on these beaches.
Canopy Tower Bird Watching Sanctuary: Gamboa Road, between Summit Gardens & one-way bridge to Gamboa: http://www.canopytower.com/error.lasso
David, Boquette, El Volcan & Chiriqui Province:
This area is a 6 - 61/2 hour drive west of Panama City.
Very popular for the higher elevation & cooler temperatures located north of David.
El Valle:
Volcanic area 1½ hour drive west of Panama City, week end flee markets, mud bathes, Zoo & a number of excellent B&Bs. Also a number of great B&Bs.
Miraflores Locks tourist center:
museum, viewing area of the locks operation & restaurant. See: http://www.pancanal.com/eng/anuncios/cvm/index.html
Summit Gardens Zoo & Gardens just past the “Y” to Gamboa on Gamboa Road.
Taboga Island: Located just south of the Pacific entrance to the canal, about a 35 minute launch ride to the island. See
Eco Sites:
Barro Colorado Island: Gatun Lake, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, see:
Canopy Tower Bird watching: near Gamboa, see:
Eco Tours:
**Embera Village, see:
http://www.emberavillagetours.com   **The lady who provides these tours name is Sue Gordon de Barron from Washington State, she is married to an Embera.  Tell Sue Lou said hello if you use her services, she will give you a discount if you mention my name.
Gamboa Rain Forrest Resort: see:
Gamboa Ivan’s B&B: Birding Lodge (Bird Watching), see:
Panama Railroad, Though not eco itself, you will see a lot by riding the train. see:
Playa Venao: Azuero Peninsular, El Sitio beach & surf resort, see:
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) who has been in Panama over 100 years, has a seminar every Tuesday at 4:00 pm at their headquarters in Ancon in the main auditorium followed by a “social hour”.  The subjects maybe very scientific & over my head, but I always attend when in Panama City—one visit the historian from Washington, D.C. did the address on the history of the Smithsonina in Panama (over 100 years) & what I found interesting is President Roosevelt had the Smithsonian do an environmental study before the canal project began.  see:
Taboga Island: Located just south of the Pacific entrance to the canal, about a 35 minute launch ride to the island. See: http://www.tabogaislandpanama.com/
Torti, Panama: about 2 hour drive east of Panama City toward the Darien includes the Hotel Avicar and Restaurant Avicar. The hotel, is a 10 room hotel with swimming pool. Prices ranges depending on the occupancy (beds) from 35.00 to 50.00 US Dollars. The food at the restaurant is a la carte and it ranges from 3.00 to 5.00 US Dollars (steak with rice and salad). Bird watching & jungle tours, for more information contact Luis Gonzalez Nelson at luis_gnelson@hotmail.com or see: www.hotelavicar.com
Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge: Bocas del Toro, see:
**Whale Watching:
**The lady who provides these tours name is Sue Gordon de Barron from Washington State, she is married to an Embera.  Tell Sue Lou said hello if you use her services, she will give you a discount if you mention my name.


Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Miss Panama in Miss Universe contest

NewsRoomPanama.com:

Miss Panama wows audience at Miss Universe

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In the final hours  of the Miss Universe contest in Las Vegas, Stephanie VanderWerf, Miss Panama 2012,  was being touted as  a crowd favorite.
There are 89 contestants and  Miss Panama shares a room with  Miss Canada and are said to have an excellent relationship, even working out in the gym together according to  the event  organizers.

Panama City Hotels & B&B information



I have about 11 pages of text if you print it out on information about Panama that I give people who contact me about visiting Panama. Below is a sample of some some of that information:

Panama Hotels & B&Bs

Panama City & Balboa (I have similar Hotel & B&B info on the Beaches, El Valle, Azuero & Boquete & Chiriqui):
Albrook Inn: Old U.S. Air Force base in the Visiting Offices' Quartershttp://albrookinn.com/ (should have a car to stay here & be familiar with the area)
Balboa Inn B&B: Balboa thorwald@thebalboainn.com 314-1520
http://www.thebalboainn.com/index.php
Inn on the Canal B&B: La Boca/Balboa, franzWald@cwp.net.pa 314-0112 
www.InnOnTheCanal.com 
Esplenador Hotel, Banking District, http://www.esplendorpanama.com/site/home/en/the_hotel 
Av. Samuel Lewis y Calle Gerardo Ortega ( NULL) 
RESERVATION +507 209-9696
Front Desk 507 209-9600 reservas@esplendorpanama.com
###La Estencia B&B: La Estencia B&B, conveniently located to good shopping, casino, restaurants/cafes, supermarket, drug stores, etc. My favorite Bed & Breakfast in the old Canal Area is located on the old U.S. military Southern Command Headquarters area on Ancon Hill. Owned by a great Asian couple, Gastavo & Tammy Lu, it is an old U.S Military NCO quarters building converted to a B&B. Great animal watching at breakfast from their balcony. Office: 314-1417&1604 email: enquiry@panoramicpanama.com Website:www.bedandbreakfastpanama.com , www.panoramicpanama.com 
***Hotel Las Vegas: El Cangrejo 
hotel@lasvegaspanama.com 507-300-2020 
www.lasvegaspanama.com 
***Hotel Marbella: El Cangrejo, see http://www.hmarbella.com/welcome.php 263-2220 
***Hotel Milan: El Cangrejo, see http://www.frommers.com/destinations/panamacity/H56896.html hotelmilan@cwpanama.net 263-6130 Fax 263-7723
***Torres de Alba Apartment Hotel, El Cangrejo see: http://www.torresdealba.com.pa/english.htm email: alba@sinfo.net 
Tantalo Hotel, Casco Viejo see: http://www.tantalohotel.com/contact.php

***My favorites in Panama City, El Cangrego area, convenient to good shopping, casino, restaurants/cafes, supermarket, drug stores, etc. 
###My favorite Bed & Breakfast 

Louis Seldon 
Keller, TX USA
Cell # 954-610-5121 
Panama Cell # (011-507) 6649-9815
Email: llseldon@verizon.net or llseldon@yahoo.com
Website: http://panamalou.com/
Blog: http://panamalou.blogspot.com/

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Estadio Nacional Rod Carew de Panama

Estadio Nacional Rod Carew
Panama City

Estadio Nacional de Panama, also called Rod Carew Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Panama City, Panama. The stadium has a capacity of 27,000 and was built in 1999. It is currently used mostly for baseball matches from the national league, and Panama national baseball team matches. It has also hosted many international baseball competitions as well as many concerts and different types of events. The stadium is named after Rod Carew, a Hall-of-Fame Panamanian-American baseball player. Since the year 2003, there have been many plans and talks in order to expand the capacity of the stadium reaching a capacity of nearly 45,000. Some of the artists that have performed in the Estadio Nacional de Panama include Christina Aguilera, Sting, Enrique Iglesias, Soda Stereo, and Ruben Blades.

See Red a Marker for location:  http://goo.gl/maps/V7WlF 

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Gamboa weekly research seminar


[Gamboa seminars] Next Gamboa Seminar
-------- NEXT GAMBOA SEMINAR
-------------------------------------------------

Please join us in the schoolhouse for the following seminar:
* Monday, December 10, 2012 - 4:30pm
Lilian Alba (STRI & Universidad Nacional de Colombia)
Analyzing the spatio-temporal interaction among neighboring
groups of free-ranging white-footed tamarin in Colombia

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Panama Eco Sites & information


Eco Sites:
Barro Colorado Island: Gatun Lake, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, see:
Canopy Tower Bird watching: near Gamboa, see:
Eco Tours:
**Embera Village, see:
http://www.emberavillagetours.com   **The lady who provides these tours name is Sue Gordon de Barron from Washington State, she is married to an Embera.  Tell Sue Lou said hello if you use her services, she will give you a discount if you mention my name.
Gamboa Rain Forrest Resort: see:
Gamboa Ivan’s B&B: Birding Lodge (Bird Watching), see:
Panama Railroad, Though not eco itself, you will see a lot by riding the train. see:
Playa Venao: Azuero Peninsular, El Sitio beach & surf resort, see:
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) who has been in Panama over 100 years, has a seminar every Tuesday at 4:00 pm at their headquarters in Ancon in the main auditorium followed by a “social hour”.  The subjects maybe very scientific & over my head, but I always attend when in Panama City—one visit the historian from Washington, D.C. did the address on the history of the Smithsonina in Panama (over 100 years) & what I found interesting is President Roosevelt had the Smithsonian do an environmental study before the canal project began.  see:
Taboga Island: Located just south of the Pacific entrance to the canal, about a 35 minute launch ride to the island. See: http://www.tabogaislandpanama.com/
Torti, Panama: about 2 hour drive east of Panama City toward the Darien includes the Hotel Avicar and Restaurant Avicar. The hotel, is a 10 room hotel with swimming pool. Prices ranges depending on the occupancy (beds) from 35.00 to 50.00 US Dollars. The food at the restaurant is a la carte and it ranges from 3.00 to 5.00 US Dollars (steak with rice and salad). Bird watching & jungle tours, for more information contact Luis Gonzalez Nelson at luis_gnelson@hotmail.com or see: www.hotelavicar.com
Tranquilo Bay Eco Lodge: Bocas del Toro, see:
**Whale Watching:
**The lady who provides these tours name is Sue Gordon de Barron from Washington State, she is married to an Embera.  Tell Sue Lou said hello if you use her services, she will give you a discount if you mention my name.

Investing In Panama's Luxury Market: Overbuilt Or Approaching A Tipping Point?


www.nuwireinvestor.com:

Investing In Panama's Luxury Market: Overbuilt Or Approaching A Tipping Point?
Published on: Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Written by: Kent Davis, PanamaEquity.com

iThe wealthy and super wealthy are starting to discover Panama, and we believe this market segment will be the driver for 2013. We saw it in 2006 and we’re starting to see it again: a second wave of buyers looking to live and invest in Panama, and they have their sights on the NEW Panama. Multi-billion dollar infrastructure investment is creating a new urban vitality and renewed sense of livability in the city, and we’re seeing buyers coming in once again from all over the world, but these buyers are different from the first wave. Panama is becoming Latin America's hub for wealth, and we see strong indications that the high end market is the place to be in 2013.

It's happening in other sectors of the local economy as well, and for our readers who already live in Panama, the signs are obvious: New high end restaurants, more luxury cars on the road, and new and expensive retailers carving out a space in the shopping malls all catering to this new affluent demographic (and it's not just foreigners). Ten years ago, this could have never been possible, but strong signs are indicating that there is money to be made investing in high end real estate in Panama, and prices haven't been this low since early 2007.

We see the luxury sector as one of the best positions to be in for 2013.

Those who have followed the Panama story since 2007 know that just five years ago, Panama had no 5 star hotels, no ultra high end car dealerships, and the idea of selling out a housing development located on an artificial island (Ocean Reef) where prices for completed homes started at $3 million each was considered simply impossible.

The luxury sector in Panama is driving the market right now, and we see a tremendous upside in properties which meet the needs of the affluent buyers who are demanding quality construction, first class service, and more than the standard list of amenities in their residences.

Evidence all over Panama is supporting the trend.

The first phase in the Ocean Reef project is now completely sold out, the Jack Nicklaus golf course in Panama City's Santa Maria development is well underway with homes selling at an average of $1 million, and good luck finding anything for sale in Punta Pacifica's Bellagio Tower for anything under $2 million.

The buyers for high end real estate are already here, and large retailers believe that there are more on the way: Mercedes Benz TRIPLED their sales in Panama last year, BMW's massive new showroom just opened in June, Multi Plaza (Panama’s high end retail center) is adding another 200 stores, and the Ritz Carlton Group just started construction on their first project in the region, to be located in downtown Panama City.

In addition, TWO new marina projects were approved at the beginning of November to address the pent up demand for accommodation for yachts and sailboats. New marina capacity brings first time visitors to Panama, many of whom will discover what is quietly evolving into a radically changed city.

High end properties in neighborhoods like Punta Pacifica, Balboa Avenue, and Costa del Este are selling and renting, and the development pipeline for new inventory is slowing down. If fewer new projects are starting there will be less to choose from, which is another reason we like the sector.

As a company, we've closed more $700k + transactions this year than ever before. Many of the clients who have expressed interest in buying in the first quarter of 2013 are looking for well built, large, high end apartments and there are less than 10 buildings that meet their criteria in the city to choose from.

Kent Davis is founder and head broker for Panama Equity Real Estate, a boutique real estate agency based in Panama City, Panama. Featured in Time Magazine, The Miami Herald, and Capital Financiero, Kent's agency is known best for its analytical market reports on the Panama real estate market.  

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/Panamaequityrealestate
LinkedIn:  pa.linkedin.com/in/kentpd

Monday, December 3, 2012

New bridge on Atlantic side of Panama Canal contract awarded.

Source: www.punchng.com 

Vinci wins $366m bridge construction contract in Panama

Vinci Construction Grands Projets logo
PanamaVinci Construction Grands Projets, a subsidiary of Vinci SA, has secured a $366m contract from Panama Canal Authority, a government agency for Panama Canal, for the development of the Atlantic Bridge in Panama.
The new 1,050-metre long cable-stayed concrete bridge will be located three kilometres north of the Gatun locks, near the city of Colon, according to constructionreviewonline.com.
The new bridge will be carrying two lines of traffic in each direction. The central span of the bridge will be 530m and have 212.5m high pylons.
The vertical clearance of the new bridge will be 75m above the canal. According to Vinci, the Atlantic Bridge will be the longest concrete cable stayed bridge in the world with a central span of 530m.
The company plans to use cast in place decks for the bridge, which will prevent disruption of navigation in the canal. The new bridge will comply with the canal expansion programme, which includes offering a clearance to the largest container ships. Furthermore, the bridge will also allow vehicles to cross the Panama Canal on the Atlantic side, in both locks opened or close states.
The project also includes construction of access viaducts on either side of the bridge, which will have a total length of 2km, together with connections to the existing road network. The work on the project is scheduled to start in January 2013 and will span for three and a half years.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Two dead rescue workers honored by the state (Panama) R.I.P.

NewsRoomPanama:


Two dead rescue workers honored by the state

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The funeral of two Red Cross rescue workers, killed in a landslide in Quebrada AnchaColóntook  place  on Saturday, December 1
President Ricard Matinelli  attended the mass  in  Magarita, and  after paying tribute to the two men, both  with long service records, announced that they would both be posthumously awarded the  Order of Belisario Porras. He was accompanied by First Lady Marta Linares, several Ministers and senior Red Cross Officials from Central America and Mexico.
It had taken rescue teams from Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico  84 hours to recover the vehicle  containing the bodies of Jorge Arosemena and Fernando Johnson
 Arosemana  had 37 years of service and was coordinator of the Risk Management Department, while Johnson had 30 years of service and was the national director of volunteers.
Their pickup truck  was swept away in a land slide  the previous Sunday, but  It was not until Friday at 8:45 am that a shovel touched the vehicle. The hydraulic “jaws of life” were needed before  the bodies could be removed and identified.
The  Chief Operating Officer of the Red Cross in Colon, Joseph Chong, said the discovery was made ??at 23 feet deep on the level of the street suffered slippage. , Mark Franco, national relief coordinator of the  Mexican Red Cross, said the example of Arosemana  and Johnson shows that "in this profession we are at  risk and we do it gladly." The search mission involved 42 members of the National Border Service and 80 Panamanian Red Cross volunteers. The team was aided  by six rescuers from Mexico, and six from, Colombia  and Costa Rica.
The president said that both of the deceased were  examples for the country, to follow  because they were dedicated to saving lives. And he  promised that the necessary aid  will be given to their families.