You could call her Superwoman, but her real name is Ana Reyes. She’s from Panama, raised by a Panamanian father and a Bolivian mother. She has worked for the Panama Canal for 14 years. A year ago, a friend of hers living in Shanghai offered to help her start a little business importing silk embroidered bags from China.

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How often can you say that the sparkling blue water of the Caribbean Coast can be seen through the floor boards of your hostel? Ummmm hmm? Never. In many a hostel I have stayed, and this was magical to say the least. The Aqua Lounge in Bocas del Toro, a funky hostel built above the water, is part hostel, part bar, part water park. (more…)

Lately, there has been plenty of discussion about Panama and its potential for tourism. Ruben Blades and IPAT are unveiling their “tourism master plan”, hotel projects are in the works all over the country and the real estate market is booming. Despite all the talk, hope and speculation, Panama has little history of tourism success and no clear plan for success. Success is defined differently by many involved in these discussions, but more worrisome is that few agree on what defines failure.

Here are the Five Deadly Sins of Tourism that Panama must avoid: (more…)

It was one of my first trips ever to a supermarket, as a toddler, that I distinctly remember a woman of middle age taking a donut from the fresh pastry case and eating it there on the spot. The woman made a great impression on me and, at the age of four, I recollect clearly thinking the donut aisle was where I wanted to spend the rest of my days.
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I’ve spent the last few weeks in Costa Rica, and while I love it here, there are little annoyances which make living here frustrating. My favorite being: the impossible task of getting a telephone line. Why? Because there is only one government run telephone company, ICE. This is NOT the case in Panama. (more…)

With all the hubub about the U.S. election up North, it’s easy to forget that Panama will soon be changing head of state as well. The election season is just getting underway and several hopefuls are establishing themselves as front runners. The Presidential election takes place in May of 2009, but that hasn’t stopped the following candidates from campaigning early. This is a list of leading candidates based on a recent local poll. Party affiliations are indicated in ( ) with the following abbreviations: (more…)

Mistake #1: Your real estate agent tells you financing will be no problem or your friend who just got a mortgage a year ago says not to worry.
Solution - Don’t accept banking advice from anyone other than a bank representative: Chances are the advice your getting on mortgages is not valid or up to date due to ulterior motives or outdated experiences. Over the past years, banks have changed their policies and what could once be financed up to 95% is now a totally different ball game. Panama Mortgage information should be considered on an individual basis and be dealt directly with a bank rep.
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