There Are Plenty of Nearly Deserted Beaches in the Azuero Peninsula
Things are really changing at the bottom of the Azuero peninsula. When I visited the southern tip about 2 years ago there was virtually nothing for tourists. All of the hotels past the Playa Venao area were basically surf camps and not really family accommodations.

Filed under: Country Guide, News, Reviews on July 10th, 2008 | No Comments »

Character Abounds In Casco Viejo
Casco Viejo was founded in 1673 after pirate Henry Morgan sacked the original Panama City - Panama Viejo. Casco Viejo is sometimes called Casco Antiguo, and the Colonial Quarter. Walking through this beautiful neighbourhood gives you the feeling you could be in Havana or New Orleans.

Filed under: Country Guide, History, News on July 9th, 2008 | No Comments »

Hospital Punta Pacifica in Panama City
Panama is famous for a lot of things but many people don’t realize just how great health care is in Panama. Panama has two health care systems - public and private. The public institutions are run by the Caja de Seguro Social (Social Security System). Working Panamanians have a set [...]

Filed under: Country Guide, News, Reviews on July 8th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Panama offers some incredible and unique lodging
I have grown weary of the endless lists of things I “must do before I die”. Is it really necessary to constantly remind me of my mortality? I’m still banking that frozen head treatment that Walt Disney and batting king Ted Williams reportedly submitted themselves to will actually [...]

Filed under: Country Guide on July 7th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

 
Panamanians Tell It Like It Is

Generation X-ers in North America have been groomed in politically correctness. Apparently, Panama missed that class in school. Whether or not you even agree with the “politically correct” movement, for those of us who grew up being chastised for being “not politically correct”, Panama can take some getting used to.

Filed under: Culture, News on July 7th, 2008 | 3 Comments »

Is Being Asked For Your Passport A Good Reason To Avoid Panama?
I recently read a very interesting article on the Panamanian Tourism Institute website. There was a letter written by a US citizen who was considering a permanent move to Panama. The woman was expressing her concerns over Panama’s immigration officials asking for passports in [...]

Filed under: News on July 3rd, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Fishing for tuna in Pedasi, Panama
ZEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeee!
The sound that brings instant delight to any fisherman. No matter how old you are or how many “keepers” you’ve landed, hearing a fish hit the line evokes some primal instinct. It’s a magical sound that can cause any or all of the following symptoms:

sweaty palms
increased heart rate
perma-grin

Filed under: Country Guide, Sports on July 2nd, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Sex Is A Booming Business In Panama
If you’ve ever been in Panama City, there’s no denying it - sex sells. The city is full of strip clubs, massage parlours, brothels and casinos. There are thousands of girls from many countries that are in Panama working in the sex trade business. The majority hail from Colombia, the [...]

Filed under: Country Guide, Culture, News, Reviews on July 2nd, 2008 | 1 Comment »

Help Out A Neighbor In Panama
All too often foreigners forget they are guests in their new home. I think we are all guilty of that at some time or another. We feel free to take advantage of all of the great things Panama has to offer, but I think many of us could stand to [...]

Filed under: Culture, Living & Retirement, News on July 1st, 2008 | No Comments »