The combination of incredible natural beauty, pleasant moderate climates as well as access to international markets and the quality and low cost of the labor force, make Panama an ideal place to live. You can drive from a modern, bustling urban environment to a rain forest teeming with animal and plant life in as little as an hour.
Stats:
Full country name: Republic of Panama Area: 78,000 sq km (30,420 sq mi) Population: 3 million (July 2005) (growth rate 1.3%) Capital city: Panama City (pop 700,000) People: 70% mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 14% Amerindian and mixed (West Indian) 10% White 6% Amerindian Language: Spanish English Indian languages Religion: 85% Roman Catholic 10% Protestant 5% Islamic Government: Constitutional republic President: Martin Torrijos GDP: US$8.8 billion GDP per head: US$3200 Annual growth: 4.1% Inflation: 1.1% Exports: $5.699 billion f.o.b. (includes the Colon Free Zone) (2004 est.) Exports – commodities: bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, clothing (1999) Exports – partners: US 50.5%, Sweden 6.6%, Spain 5.1%, Netherlands 4.4%, Costa Rica 4.2% (2004) Imports: $7.164 billion f.o.b. (includes the Colon Free Zone) (2004 est.) Imports – commodities: capital goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals Imports – partners: US 33.3%, Netherlands Antilles 8.1%, Japan 6%, Costa Rica 5.7%, Mexico 4.6%, Colombia 4.2% (2004)
Panama’s Economy Three-fourths of Panama’s GDP relies on an economy based primarily on well-developed services sector. Services include the Panama Canal, banking, the Colon Free Zone, insurance, container ports, flagship registry, and tourism. Panama’s economy has positive and sustained growth due to economic stability in the last few years, including an inflation level that is among the lowest in the world, and a per capita income that is among the highest in Latin America.
During the last 15 years, income from international tourism in the Republic of Panama has grown 1.5 times faster than the national GDP, and there is no indication that it will decrease. For the year 2005, tourism has contributed between 15% and 20% to the national economy. Panama has 1,398 tourist attractions of which 70%, are natural sites and 30% are cultural and historical sites.
Panamaexpertos.com – Call us — 561-210-5832
SOURCE: panama-travel-bureau.com
If you are interested in doing business in Panama or doing business with Panama you will want to make the right contacts, hire a competent, English speaking lawyer, and have someone on your side who knows local customs and politics. VIP Panama takes pride in connecting its clients to the right luxury living accommodations, the right business arrangements, and the most discrete entertainment, when required.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
While in a foreign country, you are subject to that country’s laws and regulations, which sometimes differ significantly from those in your home country and may not afford the protections available to the individual under your home jurisdiction. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe for similar offenses. Persons violating Panamanian laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Penalties for possession, use, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Panama are strict, and convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and heavy fines. If you are not a money launderer, drug seller or terrorist you will find Panama to have a relatively laid back attitude towards crime compared to North America, Australia and the EU.
In general while in Panama the average Expat is unlikely to run afoul of the law. In Panama business has not been criminalized as it has in the USA, UK, Australia and many other countries. The vast majority of the law enforcement people in Panama devote their time and energies to real crime, drug traffic enforcement and crime prevention. There is not a whole lot of victimless crime prosecution in Panama. Prostitution is legal and the prostitutes are medically inspected weekly for STD. I have yet to see street walking prostitutes (except in really poor neighborhoods) so I assume most if not all of them are working in the many gentlemans clubs or are working as paid escorts or as outcall massage girls. So it is there but not all that obvious, unlike numerous American cities where it is in your face with drug addicted street walkers male and female.
Many people say be careful while wearing jewelry since a child can get a running start and grab a bracelet or necklace and keep running. Did we ever see it happen, No. Did we ever meet anyone it happened to, No. Lot’s of people say they know it happens but seems you never meet any of these victims. Could it happen? I guess it could. Do we think it is likely to happen? No. I suppose if one was out late and had been drinking and was walking around looking like he was partying someone may interpret this as a crime of opportunity and take a shot at it. I would suggest when going shopping on foot to not wear a lot of flashy jewelry. Remember Panama as a nation has much less violent crime in a year (a mere fraction) than what New York City has in one day. Panama is far safer than North America. Violent crime in Panama is relatively unheard of. The assaults that happen here are overwhelmingly going to be amongst people well known to each other like husband and wife, criminal gang members, etc. Armed robberies are vely unheard of. Rapes are again not a likely occurrence but I would not advise any young woman to go running around without other people at night. This advice would apply in USA except having a friend or two along in the USA might just mean you all become victims. Panama is way way more safe than even the safe cities in the USA.
Panama as a nation has much less violent crime in a year (a mere fraction) than what New York City has in one day. Panama is far safer than North America. Violent crime in Panama is relatively unheard of. Bars on windows are common in Panama. Again children can become thieves of opportunity. There are a lot of really poor people in this country and an open window could tempt a child to become a thief and enter to take a tv, cash, radio etc. Some dwellings also have an extra door, like a storm door; made of ornate iron. When the USA was here anyone who was in military or was an American working for them was required to put these iron doors on in front of the regular door so this is why you see a lot of these doors. Most apartment buildings have security guards 24/7 who are sharp and vigilant. Some are armed, some are not. They usually station one guard in the lobby to buzz up visitors after you clear them, to sign for packages and deliveries and there is usually at least one other guard watching the garage area. Some have guards roving the grounds. Rest assured the apartment buildings most Expats are likely to gravitate towards are going to have security far beyond what you would need to feel really safe and the type of security you’d get if you lived in a high rise building in say Central park South in Manhattan paying upwards of $10,000 a month rent (minus the elevator operators). Rest assured no one is going to be lurking for you in the lobby or the garage, you are not going to enter the elevator on the lobby floor and wind up going down to the basement for a nightmare, no one is going to come to your apartment door unannounced, no strangers are roaming around the halls, etc. Just accept the private security as a way of life down here and not as an indicator or high crime.
For the more security conscious monitored alarm systems are available and yes the police will come when the alarm company calls them but I think this is overkill. You can get a safe for valuables and bolt it into floor/walls inside of a closet with a solid core wood door with a dead bolt installed. A safe may be a nice touch if a lot of strangers are in your house and you have a lot of valuables you do not want to keep in a bank safe deposit box. Multilink (trade name) doors are very interesting, first saw something like them in Israel over 10 years ago. You have a steel door maybe with decorative wood over it. In the door is a high security lock nicely mounted so it can’t be easily pulled out. The door frame is reinforced with an all steel liner. When you a turn a key deadbolts come out and into the frame on all four sides of the door making a real secure closure. It would take a lot of battering with a battering ram and to get in, probably easier to go through the wall. You can put up a fence with razor ribbon. You could get some big dogs. Best of all hire your own live in bodyguard/driver/errand guy. Cost would be at about $5.00 per day if you let him live in, feed him etc. He’ll have a gun license and carry a pistol. You can use him as a driver too. Let him live in the maids room and hire a day maid instead. Remember this paragraph is for the ultra security minded folks (not paranoids), not for most people. In law enforcement they say if you ever used it you needed it, so if you carried a gun 24/7 for 45 years and one day actually used it well then you needed it all that time. A decent line of logic considering the stakes involved.
Panamaexpertos.com Call us — 561-210-5832
If you are interested in doing business in Panama or doing business with Panama you will want to make the right contacts, hire a competent, English speaking lawyer, and have someone on your side who knows local customs and politics. VIP Panama takes pride in connecting its clients to the right luxury living accommodations, the right business arrangements, and the most discrete entertainment, when required.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
Where in the world can you go to be within thirty minutes of some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and enjoy an almost perfect daily climate in a mountainous setting? El Valle De Anton! El Valle De Anton is one of the most sought after locations for Expats relocating to Panama. The year-round average high temperature is 20° C (68° F), and the average nighttime minimum is a comfortable 16° C (61° F), there is little variation between summer and winter temperatures, the major difference being the amount of wind and rain from season to season.
At an altitude of 2200 meters (7217.85 ft) El Valle is nestled in the long extinct second largest volcanic crater in the world (three by five mile crater). When you begin your descend into the crater from the rim you will notice that it is indeed situated in a round bowl of jagged mountain peaks. You will also notice an overall green appearance to the area due to the richness of the volcanic soil lending itself to the abundance of flowers that bloom there year round. It is very refreshing in contrast to Panama City where the building and houses fill the lots from corner to corner barely allowing sunlight to pass between them. El Valle is spread out with large lots; an abundance of trees and grass separating the well maintained houses. Many of homes are owned by local residents whose names could make up a Who’s Who of Panama book.
Without the presence of a town square the pavilion covered local artesian market sells a variety of crafts, produce, and plants and is the true hub of the town. It is located on the main street that runs through El Valle it is enhanced by the presence of several restaurants, hotels, and markets that have sprung up over time due to El Valle’s popularity with visiting tourists and as a weekend getaway for many of Panama City’s residences.
El Valle is a step back in time when neighbors paused in the street to greet one another. When it was safe for children to ride there bikes or ride horseback in the street without a concern for safety. Where once you are established it’s still possible to run a tab at the local grocer and pay your bill monthly. It’s the kind of place where if your kids take off with friend after breakfast only to return at bed time you don’t worry. Someone’s Mom has fed them lunch or they’ve picked up something in the grocery and you know they are safe. A favorite weekend pass time of locals is gather together for dinner at someone house and following it until late in the evening with board games and great conversation. But don’t be deceived, this deliciously lazy and gentle little community has more to offer than first meets the eye.
Pozos Termales (Hot Water Springs)
The hot water springs are located just off the main road in El Valle. The facility is the only one of its kind in the area, as are the thermal waters. Open from 8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. from Monday-Friday, and 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. on weekends, it costs $2.00 cents for adults and $1.00 for children. It offers two therapeutic mud treatments, one for the face and one for the body. An attendant will some you how to use the treatments and explain it’s therapeutic benefits, some English is spoken. After allowing the muds to dry it’s off to the rinsing station, where the thermal waters flow from a pipe allowing you to remove the mud. Next you will be allowed to enter the pool that offer bathers still warm, hot springs water. Soak as long as you like and on the way out don’t forget to grab a couple of containers of mud to take back with you. On your departure you may also notice a home on the right side as you are leaving the springs that has a fountain/pool in the front yard with steam rising from it, only in El Valle.
El Nispero Plant Nursery & Zoo
Open from 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 7 days a week, the zoo provides the best location in El Valle to see the endangered and famous golden frogs of Panama. The zoo contains numerous animal and plant species. There is a trail that passes through the zoo, which takes an hour or so to complete depending on your pace.
Golden Frogs (Ranas Doradas)
There are no wild frogs in El Valle proper. To see the frogs in their natural habitat you will have to take a tour into the surrounding mountain range. Starting at the area they call “La Mesa” the hike is quite challenging as it is mostly up hill on a thin winding path and depending on your physical condition takes approximately 2-2 1/2 hours to complete each way. You should plan to dedicate one day to this hike should you decided to go.
Bird Watching
El Valle is full of birds and rated as one of Panama’s best birding areas. You can enjoy them from the valley or you may choose to take a birding hike in the Gaital Nature Preserve.
Square Trees (Arboles Quadrados)
These particular trees have a square trunk at the base becoming round as your gaze progresses up the trunk. The trail to the tress is fairly easy to find and relatively well marked, it’s an easy few minutes hike on the trail.
Waterfall “El Macho”
This waterfall is the largest in the region (70 meters/210 feet) and is a 15 minute walk from the town. The waterfall is open from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., 7 days a week. There are two small trails and one longer trail; all are good for photographic opportunities. There is also a lovely little natural pool deep enough for swimming at the base of the waterfall. There is a small changing area and benches at the pool area. You will be provided a walking stick with your entrance fee. It will help you maneuver the trail and suspended bridges that stay slightly wet and mossy. The smaller trails are suitable for children.
Rainforest Canopy Tour
This is a ride in a gondola supported by cables through the canopy of trees. You will ride along the picturesque waterfall, El Macho for a breathtaking panoramic view of the great rainforest.
Petroglyphs (Stone Writings)
About a 15-20 minute walk from town are the Petroglyphs, or stone writings. All of the writings can be found on one large vertical rock face and there is no mention as to what they signify.
The Sleeping Indian Princess (La India Dormida)
You can see her from many places around town and she looks exactly like the profile of a girl sleeping, complete with eyelashes. Ask any local to point your gaze in the right direction. If you speak Spanish or they speak English ask them to tell you the legend that goes with la India Dormida.
Bike riding and mountain biking
The flat floor of the crater the town sits is an easy ride for site seeing or just exploring the town. On some of the nearby mountain slopes are mountain biking trails. Bicycle rentals are available in town.
Horseback riding
Horses can be rented by the hour with a guide available upon request. Everyone in town knows where the place where the horse are rented at the fork in the road. Just ask a local.
IPAT Office (Tourism Office in Valle del Anton)
Last but not least, we suggest you visit the office Panama’s Tourism Institute. The office is in the center of El Valle. Open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. they have maps of the area with all f the major tourist attractions clearly marked.
If this is too much back to nature for your taste then you may prefer one of the many restaurants available for your dinning pleasure.
There are street vendors, a bakery that sales the most delicious fresh items and double yolk eggs. A pizza shop or even Don Pepe there are about eight different restaurants to choose from. There is even a boutique hotel and restaurant nestled on one of the hillside slopes which was created by a well-known restaurateur. The hotel features beautiful Tuscany type architecture and it tastefully finished with beautiful lush gardens, a picturesque view across to the mountains and an outdoor spa. The restaurant was the first thing built on the property the rest was built based on the restaurant’s popularity; people drive in from Panama City just to eat there.
One of the hotels in town has a stream that runs through the center of its indoor-outdoor lobby and restaurant area. The rooms are clean well kept yet offer a rustic artesian décor. Another has a wellness and outdoor adventure focus. There are various bed and breakfasts, a world class eco resort, hostals, lodges, backpacker domitory, and lodgings that accept pets. There is even a small gourmet coffee shop and El Valle has its own brand of organic locally grown coffee.
Suffice it to say there is something for everyone, lodgings and cuisines ranges from a world class boutique hotel to simple backpacker fare.
Panamaexpertos.com Call us — 561-210-5832
If you are interested in doing business in Panama or doing business with Panama you will want to make the right contacts, hire a competent, English speaking lawyer, and have someone on your side who knows local customs and politics. VIP Panama takes pride in connecting its clients to the right luxury living accommodations, the right business arrangements, and the most discrete entertainment, when required.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
If you are looking for picturesque tropical beach front property set in a small remote fishing village that offers pristine white sand beaches and lots of privacy maybe you should be considering Punta de Chame, Panama. Think of every postcard picture you’ve seen of beach front paradise and this is Punta Chame.
After leaving Panama City on the Pan-American Highway, Punta Chame is located at Km 78. A small sign on the left of the Pan-American Highway in the town of Chame points the way to Punta Chame. Punta Chame is located about an hours drive from the highway. After you pass the town of Lebanon throughout the rest of the drive you will see the shrimp farms and mangroves of Chame Bay located along the road to Punta Chame. When arriving at the city limits there is a sign that says “END” and “CHAME”, it’s not hard to know you’ve arrived.
The town of Punta Chame mainly consists of fisherman, and has approximately 400 residents (375 according to the census of the 2000). Punta Chame is a small town with a school, police station, hardware store, a basic food supply store, a hotel, orchid nursery, and a landing strip. Years ago it was more like an island as it was only possible get there by boat. Now everything is much easier with the road, although currently the road is in desperate need of repair. Some small vehicles may become lost in the potholes that pepper the way to Punta Chame. In fact it is a reasonable guess that the travel time to Punta Chame could be reduced by as much as 15 to 20 minutes if road repairs were completed. But for some this adds to the charm and remoteness of the area.
The Punta Chame is peninsula that is comprised of about 22 miles of white sand beaches, and the beaches here are pristine and relatively deserted, especially during the week. However, this area is fast becoming a real estate hotspot for beachfront weekend and retirement homes.
There are beaches to both sides of the peninsula: one side towards inland makes the Chame Bay and the other side faces the open sea (or the Gulf of Panama). The north beach, the one that faces inwards to the Chame Bay, has a unique view to the hills of Chame and Campana. A little beyond that you can see Isla Taborcillo in this area the sea is calm and it is where a lot of people choose to swim and spend time on the beach. The south beach less is visited due to the sea being rougher. The sand on the south beach is very white. This is where Kite boarding and Wind surfing events and practices take place in the dry season. There is a Kite boarding school that takes up residency in the Punta Chame hotel during the dry season and as annual completion is held there.
Due to the north beaches direction it is the only beach of the Pacific (mainland) where it is possible to bask in the sun in afternoon. From the north beach location boats are taken to Isla Taborcillo, an island once owned by John Wayne.
John Wayne liked Panama and bought the island of Taborcillo as a retreat. The island has a little town with a sheriff station that doubles as a post office and the theme on the island is the American Cowboy. Taborcillo, also goes by the name of John Wayne Island.
Punta Chame’s beaches are supplied with sand from the great sleeping volcano of El Valle De Antón, by its rivers comes the sandsl that becomes beaches on this side of the Pacific. The main rivers that supply these beaches are: Chame, Lajas, Teta, Corona, Agallal, Las Guias, Platanal , Majagua , and Hato.
In City of Panama you see many enormous buildings under construction, in fact a record numbers of new towers are going up in the next two years. In order to make these buildings sand is needed; lots of sand. The interior and exterior walls of these high rises are constructed of concrete. Before sand was taken directly from tourist beaches, then in the mid 90′s the government prohibited the removal of sand from these beaches. Now there is euipment that take the sand from the sea bottoms in the front of Punta Chame. The sea has a way of replacing the sand that is being removed from it and it appears to be replacing the sand by taking it from Punta Chame’s beaches, one high rises at a time. It seems as if daily that the beaches of Punta Chame become narrower.
The last thing to mention about Punta Chame is the sand flies, or midges. During the dry summer months the wind blows briskly enough to keep the sand flies from landing and biting. The dry summer months are roughly from December to the end of March or first of April. But during the rainy winter season the winds stop and the rains start. This coupled with the abundant mangroves and shrimp farms make for a perfect breeding environment for the sand fly. If you’ve never had the pleasure of meeting a sand fly let me introduce you. They are small in size and fast, think mosquito. As long as you are in motion moving across the beach you minimize your chances of getting bit. But pause to pick up a sea shell or piece of driftwood and you’re likely to experience the unpleasant bite of the sand fly. The bite can leave a welt and be enduring in discomfort, it can also possible lead to a secondary infection.
Even with the unpleasantness of the seasonal sand fly and arduous drive some of the wealthiest residents of Panama have weekend homes at Punta Chame. More than likely this is due to the remoteness and privacy this area has to offer coupled with it’s unsurpassed beauty.
Rumors about Chame:
The country of Spain has purchased a large area of land in Punta de Chame.
Because of Spain’s land purchase the President of Panama has stated he will repair the road out to Punta de Chame.
Panamaexpertos.com Call us — 561-210-5832
SOURCE: panama-travel-bureau.com
If you are interested in doing business in Panama or doing business with Panama you will want to make the right contacts, hire a competent, English speaking lawyer, and have someone on your side who knows local customs and politics. VIP Panama takes pride in connecting its clients to the right luxury living accommodations, the right business arrangements, and the most discrete entertainment, when required.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
The Panamonte Inn & Spa is a place of stories from a century of travelers going back almost to the founding of Boquete itself in 1911. It tells of visits by American Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, the Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, actors Sean Connery and Ingrid Bergman. Antarctic explorer Admiral Richard Byrd visited as did aviator Charles Lindberg, who flew here to Chiriqui Province in the Western Highlands of Panama in 1928. More recently Panamonte has been the inn of choice for international travelers coming mainly from Europe, the U.S. and Canada , and for Panamanians who hop the one-hour flight from Panama City on weekend escapes.Opened in 1914, its rustic structure may be affectionately described as “Scandinavian cottage”, perhaps “Russian dacha”. Its accommodations are home-style and comfortable, ranging in size from small, twin-bed spaces to larger efficiencies with wet bars and private patios. The cozy 19 rooms are attractively furnished and reminiscent of an earlier time in highland travel. In 1946 the inn was acquired by the Elliot-Collins family and it is now operated by the current descendant, Mrs. Inga Collins. When in residence she is often found at the stone fireplace in the recently redecorated cocktail lounge where she is known to share stories on the history of the inn, the region’s natural attractions, and its native people.
In fact, the cocktail lounge is one of the great rooms in Boquete and a draw for guests and locals who gather most nights to share their day’s adventures. With two roaring stone fireplaces, the décor extends the inn’s European flavor by adding a little California and a dash of the Old West. Spanish-style wrought iron lamps, brass candles, and sheer, floor-length curtains frame large, open windows. Overstuffed couches and wicker chairs add the right degree of casual comfort. Throughout the room fresh Bird of Paradise are set in large vases. The lighting is romantic and the mood completed with aromas of highland air and oranges wafting in from outdoors. You might imagine Connery or Bergman sidling up to the new, exquisitely-made hardwood bar, the work of design consultant Michelle Fogarty de Brewer who also conceived the room’s redecoration. Overall, the design is a sophisticated balance of mountain and tropical elements that fit wonderfully with the inn’s unfussy elegance.
There is an atmosphere of excitement in Boquete with travelers feeling like they’ve arrived early to the next great getaway. It’s common in conversation to reference Costa Rica as being “over”, while Panama is considered the rising star. In the last two years Boquete has realized something of a land rush beginning with its selection as one of the Best Places to Retire by Modern Maturity and International Living magazines. Its location at 3,500 feet, nestled in the craggy hills below the dormant Baru Volcano and year around temperatures of 75—85 degrees are idyllic. Stories have appeared in travel features of the LA Times, New York Times, Boston Globe, and others. Once considered a tiny hideaway in the distant Republic of Panama , Boquete is officially on travelers’ radar screens. Europeans, mostly Swiss, Germans, and Yugoslavs, along with English and Canadians, began moving here in the earliest years of the twentieth century and were instrumental in the development of the coffee industry and establishment of the town. Of a total population of around 4,100 the new ex-pat community in Boquete is estimated to be as large as 600 and growing everyday.
The Panamonte Inn & Spa is ideally situated at the edge of town at the head of the main street as you drive in. It’s close enough to walk to the shops and bodegas, but still a little away from the traffic and noise. Just beyond its covered main entrance, past the reception hall and the restaurant is one of the Panamonte’s real gems: a garden bounded by the back portion of the inn and its cabanas, all connected by covered walkways. The result is a semi-secluded retreat joyously filled with several flower varieties, verdant green trellises, a water fountain, and clusters of comfortable outdoor furniture. Hammocks tucked under overhanging trees provide cozy places to escape for siesta. On a line strung between two ivy-covered trees we found dozens of dark-brown bark chunks sprouting new orchids. In the dewy mornings all manner of tropical birds can be heard chirping in the new day. These are some of the same reasons to consider the Panamonte Estates, a development of 26 home sites on a new road adjacent to the inn. The exclusive enclave is situated in a prime location with beautiful mountain views and in-place infrastructure designed to support a range of hacienda- or Caribbean -style homes to be built by the owners. Nearly half the properties are already sold with prices for most remaining sites ranging from about $66,000 — $92,000. Four are priced from $103,000 — $145,000.
Panama is home to some of the most pristine tropical rainforest in the world. In a country of less than 30,000 square miles (smaller than the state of Maine) there are over five million acres of national parks and nearly one-third of the country is set aside for conservation. Panama has over 1,500 islands along its Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the two oceans are so close together, you can swim in both the same day.
The diversity of flora and fauna is so great there are hundreds of species found nowhere else on earth. A naturalist and bird watchers’ paradise, there are a recorded 944 bird species, 218 mammal species, 226 species of reptile and 164 amphibian species. It’s no wonder that visitorA Guide to the Birds of Panama: With Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Hondurass to Boquete spend a good portion of their time in outdoor activities, including the most exciting whitewater rafting in Central America (See the accompanying feature, Panama ’s Best Chiriqui River Rafting.) The inn can arrange excursions to the magnificent 11,490’ Baru Volcano, Caldera Hot Springs, bird watching on the Quetzal Trail, horseback riding, cloud walking through the forest canopy or visits to one of the 1,200 coffee farms or “fincas” that dot the hillsides around Boquete.
Before visiting Panama I was under the impression that coffee was grown, harvested, roasted, and delivered. Not much else was required, or so I thought. A visit to the Kotowa Coffee Estate changed all that. Boquete is coffee country with its rich black volcanic soil, frequent fog, and great variety of trees, like cedar, ash, guayaba, and cuellito. As your eyes scan the hillsides, you’ll notice all the trees, including the Valencia oranges – imports from California .
But where, you may ask, are all the coffee plants? Soon you’ll discover nestled underneath the aforementioned shade trees are tall coffee shrubs, in season laden with ripe, red berries. The bean is actually the seed of the berry and that’s where the fun begins. A process that requires picking the red berries at precisely the right time — not too green and not past red — means the plants progress is continually monitored, often up to three times a day. Beans are picked on schedule and begin a journey of separation by size, weight, and density, all designed to bring the best quality beans to the surface. Boquete coffee is 100% Arabian — no bitter Robusta beans used here. Those are for the “mass” coffee growers in Brazil and Vietnam. Ultimately, the process has about a dozen steps which will take several months from picking to roasting. You’ll learn about it from A to Z and enjoy some delicious home grown coffee on any number of tours. We enjoyed the three-hour outing hosted by Terry and Hans Van Niekerk; call (507) 720-3852 or (507) 634-4698.
Dining Is Evolving Delightfully
The Boquete restaurant scene is small and constantly changing. Standouts in the center of town include Boquete Bistro, owned by Loretta Bonfiglio, an Aspen transplant, who cooks up an enjoyable mix of Latin and American dishes. Hibiscus, a French restaurant started by Parisian-trained Christophe Giroud, who returned to Boquete with his Panamanian wife to start the new business. Both restaurants serve lunch and dinner entreés under US$10. The best dining in town, both for food and ambiance is right at the Panamonte. Charlie Collins, son of the owner, is a well-known chef d’cuisine who has consulted with Panamanian presidents and has a successful catering and retail business in Panama City . Collins created the menu and oversees the dining room which features fresh fish including trout, salmon, and corvina (sea bass), as well as New York steaks, rib-eyes, fillet of beef, plus grilled pork chops, and my personal favorite, Mignon de Cerdo (Grilled Pork Mignon). There’s a delicious shrimp and plantain appetizer and a lemon meringue pie that is famous. Entreés run US$8.50-$11.00. They also have the best wine selection in town, with French, California, and Chilean varietals well represented.
Relax In The Spa
Kate Traicos has managed spas in five countries, including three in Africa where she worked for several years in connection with the upscale safari trade. Recently, she took over as manager of The Panamonte Spa to the delight of her expanding clientele. Located on the second floor of the inn the spa is rapidly becoming THE place in Boquete for everything from therapeutic massage, hot stone treatments, aromatherapy to reflexology, and shiatsu to facials. Currently, the spa occupies one large room divided into three, white-linen, tent-type, private treatment areas that provide calming environments for her clients with a separate room for couples massage. In the works are a steam room, hot tub, and additional massage spaces, plus Kate expects to introduce the first yoga classes in town, most likely by the time of this writing. Prices are reasonable, especially by U.S. standards, with a full-body, one-hour massage at US$50 and other treatments ranging from US$35-US$95. Call the inn’s main number for reservations (507) 720-1324 or e-mail Kate at http://thepanamanetwork.com
The Inn Is Growing
A wonderful catch for the Panamonte has been manager E. David Brewer, who joined the team last year. His three decades of management experience, first at Little Dix Bay Resort in Virgin Gorda, B.V.I., then at Kapalua Bay Hotel on Maui prior to 15 years at Caneel Bay Resort, St. John, U.S.V.I., plus additional stints in Jamaica, Antigua, and the Seychelles, add up to a career of running some of the finest resorts in the world. David is a man in motion who can be found darting around the inn on his mission to make the experience more unique. He has seen it all when it comes to the upscale hospitality trade, so his confidence and know-how translate into a gracious way with guests. Working closely with Inga Collins on new ideas for the inn, David reports plans for ten new rooms in addition to the spa improvements already in the works. He promises the first new addition in decades will in no way interfere with the Panamonte’s present allure.
Boquete Is Wired
Jim HollisterFree Reprint Articles, Jetsetters Magazine Editor – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Hollister, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
If you are interested in doing business in Panama or doing business with Panama you will want to make the right contacts, hire a competent, English speaking lawyer, and have someone on your side who knows local customs and politics. VIP Panama takes pride in connecting its clients to the right luxury living accommodations, the right business arrangements, and the most discrete entertainment, when required.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
Hector Sanchez has the style and good looks of a man who has spent a lifetime outdoors. Held together by a wiry, near six-foot physique he appears every bit the “best river guide in Panama ” as touted by Lonely Planet and other travel guides. Before starting Chiriqui River Rafting in 1994 Sanchez spent two decades as civilian Director of Outdoor Recreation for the U.S. Army South in Panama. As a young man he received the Carnegie Medal for courage and outstanding bravery when he saved a drowning swimmer in Rockaway Beach , California. Today, he is standing in front of four new clients beginning his talk on safety with a company video featuring rafts and kayaks careening down Chiriqui River waterfalls. Three minutes into the video he switches it off and informs us that “you won’t need most of this instruction.” The four novices, here for a day’s outing with Sanchez’ company, breathe a sigh of relief and take this as a sign they didn’t make the wrong decision after all.
Sanchez moves through a demonstration of paddling technique and a review of the commands his guide will use during the trip. “All forward” he says firmly. “All back” he calls out. “Left forward, right back, right forward,” he commands. He tells us about “high side” which is the order for all rafters to move to one side of the raft if it is forced up by the rapids and in danger of going over. Because we are rafting the Esti River with mostly Class II rapids, we don’t expect to hear that instruction. We learn, however, why whitewater rafting in Chiriqui is the biggest in Central America . The majestic Baru Volcano peaks out at 11,490 feet on a ridge of mountains that run from Costa Rica through the center of Chiriqui province. Panama is a very narrow country and from atop the volcano is a breathtaking view of both the Pacific and Atlantic on either side of the isthmus. When the rains come and the waters rush down the mountainside, they have a very short distance to travel before reaching the sea. The steep descent becomes the fast moving Chiriqui, Chiriqui Viejo, Esti, and Gariche rivers.
Finally, Sanchez goes through the procedure one uses if a rafter goes overboard. He explains how not to get tangled up in the lifeline and be sucked under and how to scramble back to safety if you’re tossed into the rushing current. Hector Sanchez is known for his safe approach to rafting and his students are paying very close attention. It’s as if their lives depended on it, which, in fact, they do. He has never “lost anybody on his trips” he says by way of reassurance, and the neophytes begin to wonder who might be the first. We have signed our liability releases and indicated beneficiaries for our life insurance policies and we are, well, sort of ready to go.
Sanchez leads us to a van where our young guide Leignadier “Len” Santos awaits. At twenty-one Len has four years experience with Chiriqui River Rafting and is one of those seen in the company video skillfully maneuvering the big rapids. We pile in with our gear, wave goodbye to Sanchez, and head south for the hour’s drive to the Esti. Near our put in point we pick up another young man who will drive the leap-frog route down river meeting us for lunch and, we trust, an end-of-day ride back to the town of Boquete .
This part of Panama still feels quite wild, and as we approach the river, we see it is wide and moving very fast. We don our life vests and helmets take charge of our plastic paddles, and with some trepidation slide into the surge. Len works to get us oriented by calling out a number of commands and soon we are doing 360s down the middle of the flow. Over the next two hours we handle the rapids well, gain confidence in our abilities and feel relaxed for most of the morning’s ride. Along the way we see egrets, kingfishers, cormorants, blackbirds, hawks, and impressive vultures hovering overhead. We joke about how they are working this part of the waters in anticipation of our demise. On the river banks we see lizards and large iguana. Thriving in the massive shade trees overhanging the river are numerous epiphytes with varieties of purple and red flowers. We watch a river otter catch fish and then swim alongside close enough for us to look into his eyes. Twice we see Ngobe-Bugle (Guaymi) Indian women washing clothes along the river’s edge. The air smells soft and fragrant with the flowers that surround us. Of the climate in this part of the country it is said to be like eternal Spring. We climb inside our thoughts for brief stretches of time and soak up Panama’s luscious nature. In silence we seem to acknowledge that we are somewhat awed by where we find ourselves on this particular mid-week day.
After shooting two hours worth of Class II rapids, Len guides us to a landing under a highway overpass and we meet our number-two man who has lunch already set out. We make sandwiches with cold cuts and fresh bread, slurp sodas like we’ve been in the desert, and polish off sweet treats as though they might be our last. After thirty minutes of rest we are back in the raft and heading for the homestretch.
Underway only a few minutes we get sideways in what appears to be the only Class III section
To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link:http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/sports02/raft/panama/chirqui/chirqui.html
Jim Hollister, Jetsetters Magazine Editor – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jim Hollister, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com
If you are interested in doing business in Panama or doing business with Panama you will want to make the right contacts, hire a competent, English speaking lawyer, and have someone on your side who knows local customs and politics. VIP Panama takes pride in connecting its clients to the right luxury living accommodations, the right business arrangements, and the most discrete entertainment, when required.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
Panama’s program for retirees is said to be the best in the world. There is no age limit to qualify for the Tourist Pensionado Visa Program. You need only to be able to prove a monthly pension or retirement income of US$500 from a government or corporation, plus US$100 for each dependent. Legally, you could be as young as 18 to retire in Panama.You will need documentation proving your pension income, certified and stamped by the Panamanian embassy in your country of origin, plus a valid passport and a clear police record for the past five years.If you don’t have a pension, you can still qualify by depositing sufficient funds in the National Bank of Panama to generate $750 a month. This amount covers any number of dependents. Alternatively, you could start a qualified tourism-related business, or invest in a forestry project.You must use a Panamanian immigration lawyer, pass a medical on arrival in Panama and be tested free of HIV. Your legal representative will shepherd you through the immigration office, once to register various documents and a second time to have your photograph taken and be presented with your identity card (carnet).Carry this card with you at all times. You can be fined for not doing so. Prior to receiving your carnet, carry your passport or a photocopy of it.Legal expenses and fees can vary depending on size of family and complexity, but should be around $1,500 for one person, or $2,000 for a couple.The immigration process must be started before you leave your home country. Once you arrive in Panama as a tourist, you will be able to stay for up to 90 days. This can be extended for a further 90 days if needed.Qualifying for permanent residence takes from 30 to 60 days, depending on the time of year and the availability of certain key immigration officials. Given all the public holidays, November and December are good months to avoid.Although not required, it will be helpful for you to obtain letters of good standing from your bank or banks and any other financial institutions. Do not close your bank accounts. You will need at least one, and preferably two, open bank accounts somewhere in the world before you will be able to open an account here.Also, keep at least some credit cards. Getting credit cards in a new country ranges from difficult to impossible. One bank here, HSBC, offered the writer a card with a $5,000 credit limit provided $10,000 was placed on deposit.Finally, go to your local automobile association and get an international driver’s license. Your own license is good here for 90 daysScience Articles, but there is no limit on an international license. (Expect lots of puzzled looks from local traffic police as they thumb through the multi-page document written in several languages.)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sydney Tremayne publishes http://www.yourpanama.com, a leading website for tourists and for potential ex-pat retirees in Panama. His team of experts gives regular Q&A teleseminars that can save costly mistakes. To find out more, go to http://www.yourpanama.com/fear.html
If you are interested in doing business in Panama or doing business with Panama you will want to make the right contacts, hire a competent, English speaking lawyer, and have someone on your side who knows local customs and politics. VIP Panama takes pride in connecting its clients to the right luxury living accommodations, the right business arrangements, and the most discrete entertainment, when required.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
This is a new concept but one that is gaining in popularity. This is for the nautically inclined only with boating skills that are developed. Basically you live your present country and become a citizen of the world traveling perpetually on your yacht. While all this sounds great you still need to have papers and documents of registration and passports to avoid constant hassles with authorities wherever you go. So what can be done is as follows:
You form an anonymous Panama SA company (bearer shares). This company then buys a yacht for at least $150,000. Now you need to hire three Panamanians for at least $253.00 a month each. So you have deckhands, crew, cook etc. This would let you get residency in Panama quickly and after three years you could apply for citizenship and get a Panama passport. You could also do a version of this using the small investor visa to do it with a $40,000 investment and three employees on your fishing or touring boat. You can get a Panama cell phone, mail box, bank account, visa debit card, atm card and you can travel the world. For most this isn’t feasible but it is fun to dream anyway.
Investor Visa (Inversionista) Designed for those who wish to establish a business in Panama (note, though, that some retail businesses and some professions are reserved to Panamanians). There must be a minimum investment of $150,000 and minimum of three, permanent Panamanian employees hired. It is granted provisionally for one year and after renewal is granted permanently with the right to be issued a cedula identity card. Five years after obtaining the permanent visa, holders will be eligible to apply for Panamanian nationality.
Small Business Investor Visa (Inversionista de Pequeña Empresa) Designed for those who wish to establish a small business in Panama (note that retail businesses and some professions are reserved to Panamanians). There must be a minimum investment of $40,000 and minimum of three permanent Panamanian employees hired. It is granted provisionally for one year, and needs to be renewed three more times before it is granted permanently with the right to a cedula. Five years after obtaining the permanent visa, holders will be eligible to obtain Panamanian nationality.
If you’d like to know more about this go to. www.panamalaw.org
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ronald_Edwards
SOURCE: panama-travel-bureau.com
If you are interested in doing business in Panama or doing business with Panama you will want to make the right contacts, hire a competent, English speaking lawyer, and have someone on your side who knows local customs and politics. VIP Panama takes pride in connecting its clients to the right luxury living accommodations, the right business arrangements, and the most discrete entertainment, when required.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
I like to pay for things—especially expensive things—with cash, as it sends a message to the cashier that I am wealthy. Perhaps even that I am a prince. When I am buying large ticket items, such as pianos or vintage grandfather clocks or whatever, if there is any chance to go to the ATM before hand, I do. I like the feeling of bills in my pocket: it makes me feel strong.
I was preparing for a road trip to Santa Catalina (a tiny dash in the Azuero Peninsula that nearly straddles the equator) and was in need of transportation, being that the tired wheels on my rollerblades had recently come loose. This preparation, as I often like to do, took place over a meal that I had prepared for myself. A smorgasbord of my favorite foods: Triscuts (woven snacks you can eat), lobster hotdogs, and of course pizza because a weekend without pizza is lame. After the feast, I wandered into the neighborhood of El Cangrejo where several Panama car rental agencies do their thing.
Within just a one-block radius, I could see three major agencies and, being a sucker for catchy advertising, I walked into the one with the nicest sign: Thrifty. There was a line of people about six deep, so I stood my place and just chewed on a few mysteries that had been bugging me of late, mainly, what would happen if I shot a gun in outer space. I was also kept busy with a bag of pork rinds which I had just purchased around the corner. They were fresh and almost supernaturally crisp.
I finally got up to the counter and was greeted semi-unkindly by a thin Indian man, who if he wasn’t wearing a tie, I would have described as a thin Indian woman. He had a pin on his jacket that said “Hi, My Name is…” then a label reading “Bahn Xio”.
I pointed to the pin, “Is your name pronounced like the instrument?” “Actually yes.” He seemed pretty impressed with my phonetics. “What can I do for you today?” “Well Ban-jo,” I said, putting an extra-proud stress on his name. “I need an SUV.”
He tapped around his keyboard a bit making small faces and frowns and little grunts—the way you might humor someone when they ask you for something you know you don’t have. (“Sorry man, I don’t have any spare change”).
“We are fresh out. No SUVs in this office!”
I cringed like a skunk in a headlock. This was the worst news I could have anticipated. I requested that he check again. And again. Ban-jo offered me something smaller, something puny. An Economy vehicle. The fact that he would offer me the downgrade was not what bothered me though. It was the way in which he said it, with this annoying little squirrel voice and this all-too-pleasant look on his face. It was at this point that I was reminded of a quote I thought up a few days back: He who smiles in the face of adversity, probably farted.
I could have taken that as an answer but I decided to be difficult. “What do you mean you don’t have any SUVs? What kind of car rental agency is this? Let me guess, you don’t have any vans either? Or electric hybrids?” I don’t know why I said the hybrid’s part, as it sounded kind of sci-fi, even nerdy.
“I’m sorry. Would you like to take the Economy car or shall I help the next customer?”
Economy just sounded so inadequate and there was no way that little thing would ever get me Santa Catalina. I had been planning this trip for hours! Here I am chasing down a dream, but I can’t catch it because I’ve got a sprained ankle.
“Would you like my opinion?” asked Ban-jo. I snapped back, “No thank you Ban-jo. I wouldn’t trust you any further than I could throw you.” I pulled out my wallet and paid for the Economy car in full. With cash. All $159 of it.
Rates at these sort of places can vary from $39/day for the small cars, like the one I got, to upwards of $90/day for the largest gas-guzzling monsters you can imagine. There are lots of Panama car rental agencies that you would know like Hertz, Avis, National, and Thrifty at Tocumen Airport as well as peppered around Panama City in certain neighborhoods (El Cangrejo being a major one). Depending on the time of year, getting the car you want can be tricky, so if you have time before your trip, just jump online and reserve yourself a vehicle. Also, this way you will not have to fight with anyone. If you are flying in from another location in Central America into Albrook (domestic airport), there is a National Car Rental across te street from the terminal.
Getting from the airport into Panama City is relatively easy. Getting from the airport to somewhere else like Chiriqui or Cocle can be a bit trickier so be sure to get good directions. I would recommend you purchase insurance but it is not required. The roads you will be using will most likely be very good especially compared to our northern neighbor; the ones who claim to have this tourism thing down pat, yet still can’t fix a pothole. Ban-jo did not represent his fellow Panama car rental colleagues well: almost all of them always have a variety of cars to choose from and usually the salespeople aren’t smartasses.
Matt works doing Real estate for sale in Panama land as well as Panama Investment
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Landau
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
by: Paul Selson
A Panama Cruise is amongst the most spectactular cruise available worldwide.
Just in case you are unsure exactly where Panama is in the world,… it is situated in Central America. Panama is home to the Panama Canal, which is a man made waterway joining the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The canal is known as one of the greatest feats of engineering in the 20th Century, due to the fact it physically severs the land mass of North and South America for a total distance of 80 kilometers. Since opening in August 1914, it’s use has steadily increased, culminating with over thirteen thousand vessels using the canal last year.
Hundreds of ships, including Panama cruise ships travel the length of the canal offering spectacular scenic voyages to a truly international audience. Actually touring the canal aboard a luxury cruise ship is an amazing experience. The journey takes a little over eight hours, passing through three locks, which raise the water level to allow the ships to pass.
The highlight of the voyage was standing on deck awaiting our turn to travel through the passage whilst a local historian commentated on interesting details and facts about the construction of the canal and it’s operational history. We also stopped off in the ports of Cristobal, Isla de Coiba, Isla San Telmo and Colon.
A Panama cruise will take you on a magnificent journey through the canal and offers many individual tour options such as sailing, kayaking (on Gatun Lake which the canal passes through), or the Panama Canal railway.
Whilst on your Panama cruise, you must take a trip to Panama City to take in some of it’s beautiful architecture and culture. Although it’s possible to take a round trip cruise, most people opt for a one way Panama cruise departing from either the Pacific or Atlantic side and ending on the opposite coast. Whichever route you choose, you typically can opt for a cruise duration of between ten and twenty nights,… the most typical Panama cruise being for twelve nights. Some of the itineraries take in Mexico, Costa Rica, Acapulco, Cayman Islands, Caldera, Columbia, Montego Bay and Florida with most routes now being available.
For me, experiencing a Panama cruise allows you the chance to enjoy breath taking scenery just a short walk from your luxurious cabin, fine dining and spectacular night life. Is it any wonder Panama cruises have become so popular? About The AuthorPaul Selson makes it easy to decide upon your Cruise destination, quickly & easily. Discover the 7 Top Cruise Destinations for the coming year. To receive your free 7-part mini-course visit: http://www.Cruise-HQ.com.
Email us at The Panama Club
+507-836-6542 / 43 (Panama) | 1-(305)-503-9957 (USA)
