With the $8B canal expansion come 8 billion new opportunities
As an entrepreneur and business startup-a-holic, I often wistfully ask myself, “Why couldn’t I have $20M to incubate all my zany biz ideas?” Of course, if I DID have a rich uncle or some other benefactor, I’d probably just be another one of those brooding, [...]

Filed under: Business on June 16th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

“Sr. Halloran, this is Ruben Blades.”
The Internet, and the Blog phenomenon specifically never ceases to amaze me. Surely, plenty of companies and most politicians loathe them as it’s allowed schmoes like me a forum. How else could I land a meeting with Mr. Ruben Blades?
YES, it’s true. I am pleased and surprised to [...]

Filed under: News, Politics on June 16th, 2008 | 5 Comments »

Panamanian Slugger Carlos Lee and The Author
I am sure that I will catch a lot of heat about my selections of people in Panama that I admire. Do I care? Not really. For the most part, Panamanians are great people; there are also a lot of top notch foreigners here. I have been in Panama [...]

Filed under: News on June 13th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Las Tablas’ Catholic Church
Las Tablas is probably best known for its incredible Carnaval celebrations, but there is much more to this interior town than that. If you are in Panama and have a few days to spare, it is definitely worth a visit. Here is a brief video glimpse of this quaint town.

Filed under: Country Guide on June 12th, 2008 | No Comments »

According to www.Perezhilton.com (guilty) James Bond himself, Daniel Craig, has sliced off the end of one of his fingers while filming “Quantum Solace.” Some believe that this film is cursed…and the curse began where production began! Panama! (Where Daniel Craig bruised his ribs).
A production team member said, “There was quite a lot of blood and [...]

Filed under: News on June 11th, 2008 | No Comments »

Statistics Support That Panama is Safe
Real estate developers and retirement magazines are constantly trying to push the notion that foreigners are rarely the victims of crime in Panama. Recent statistics released show this is actually pretty true. Panama’s tourism ministry says that in the last five years, nearly 6-million tourists have set foot in Panama, [...]

Filed under: News on June 9th, 2008 | 2 Comments »

What IS, “El Sereno”?

There is apparently a sinister force blanketing the evening sky in Panama. The terrifying phenomenon has a name: El Sereno.
A quick search through a couple of dictionaries will tell you that “Sereno” translates to serene, calm and night watchman. Many, many Panamanians will tell you that El Sereno is a mythical fog [...]

Filed under: Culture, News on June 8th, 2008 | No Comments »

Since I arrived in Panama I feel like the woman with no boobs. Like the British actress Jane Birkin. My apologies, Jane.

Filed under: Culture on June 8th, 2008 | 8 Comments »

Panama’s Minister of Tourism, Ruben Blades

Actor/Singer and Politician Ruben Blades recently replied to an article I wrote on Panama’s tourism industry. To anyone familiar with my writing, public speeches and opinions, these ideas are not new. Apparently however, both my ideas and persona are unfamiliar to Mr. Blades. Puzzling, given that he has met me on [...]

Filed under: Business, Politics, Real Estate on June 5th, 2008 | 7 Comments »

We often get questions regarding the future of Panama City as a viable capital city and international investment and travel destination. While few of us were around before the days Panama City rose to stardom, it’s sensible to ask whether, without the real estate boom and tourism surge, without the newfangled industries rising in the [...]

Filed under: Real Estate on June 5th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

I, who usually am full of words (a boyfriend once asked for an hour of silence), am almost speechless about the Panamanian department store Machetazo.

Filed under: Country Guide, Culture on June 5th, 2008 | No Comments »

Note to readers: I originally wrote this letter back in September of 2006. It was my reaction after attending two successive AMCHAM tourism conferences. I was invited as a speaker at last year’s event, due in no small part to this letter circulating and some local friends who felt I might make an [...]

Filed under: Business, Politics on June 4th, 2008 | 7 Comments »

Lawmakers in Panama scramble to catch up to the tourism boom
Be forewarned, I invented all of these laws myself. I am not sure that the lawmakers of Panama have any intention of implementing such policies. But in my perfect world, were I king of the land, these are laws I would pass to [...]

Filed under: Business, Politics on June 4th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Pedasi, located in the Azuero Peninsula is a quaint town steadily becoming a tourist destination. Well, kind of. The beauty of this town is that it has a typical charm not found in other parts of the country. Multiple blogs have been written about it. see: Why I Dig Pedasi, Panama [...]

Filed under: Country Guide on June 3rd, 2008 | No Comments »

According to La Prensa the Archbishop of Panama since 1994, José Dimas Cedeño, made several phone calls yesterday to politicians and government authorities regarding the defense of social welfare programs.

Filed under: News, Politics on June 2nd, 2008 | No Comments »