My Panama Blog

The Panama Post has a nice article about new efforts to publicise Medical tourism in Panama. This is one of those little secrets about Panama that is not widely known. Quality health care is in fact about 50% cheaper. Many of these doctors were trained in the USA and speak pretty good English. Of course, ambulance service is still not widely available or takes a very long time to transport the patient to the Hospital. Finally, without worldwide advertising, who the heck is going to know about the great medical care available in Panama?

Panama is a Tax Haven. So what!  What really gets me going is when half-truths, inaccurate facts, and Politics adversely affect the perception and reality of Panama’s Tax Haven status. I have recently seen this via a YouTube Video and writings on a well known Blog. Read the rest of this entry »

Mango and Pit

The Mango Pit is a little play on words so please don’t get excited and think you have reached a cooking Blog. This is the Category I use to insert Posts that don’t fit anywhere else. Stuff like humor, things that make me happy or mad, questions for you, and anything else which strikes my fancy. The real deal Mango grows everywhere in Panama and they have a Pit. Read the rest of this entry »

I was standing on the curb in front of Tocumen International Airport in Panama City when a first time tourist approached me with a question on transportation. I was sure of this. It was hot and humid yet this “please rob me” tourist was wearing a heavy jacket, a loud and obnoxious  Hawaiian shirt, shorts with socks up to his knees, a dangling camera and other garb which told the undesirables that he was an easy mark. Read the rest of this entry »

Flying to Panama is easy with numerous Airlines serving the Country. However, finding the best deal for your flight requires some techniques and careful planning for your flights will save you some grief. Iv’e flown from Las Vegas, Nevada numerous times and I hope you will learn from my mistakes. The first time I visited Panama from Las Vegas, Nevada, my roundtrip air was over $1,000. Ouch! Read the rest of this entry »

The short answer is NO! MLS means Multiple Listing Service which is universal in the USA. When a Listing is obtained in the USA, the data on this property is placed in the MLS database. It’s a requirement for all Brokers in the USA to do this and part of the Listing agreement which you sign. Read the rest of this entry »

Ricardo Martinelli soundly defeated the governing center-left party’s candidate in Panama’s presidential election Sunday, enhancing the chances that the U.S.-Panama free-trade pact signed in 2007 will be approved by the U.S. Congress. Martinelli, a wealthy supermarket tycoon, will serve one five-year term as president. Read the rest of this entry »

MIREYA MOSCOSO - Ex-president of Panama. In her lovely Pollera

The Pollera is the most beautiful and admired national costume of Panama. There are many tales related about its origin, but the popular opinion is that it was adapted from a gypsy dress worn in Spain at the time of the conquest of Peru and brought to Panama by the servants of the colonial families. It normally consists of a blouse or shirt and a two-tiered full skirt.

The large gathered skirt is generally white with two or three ruffles which have a floral design or embroidery. The top has several ruffles as well on the shoulders and has inlaid yarn. There is a large pompom matching the yarn in the front and back of the top. The yarn also matches several large ribbons at the waist and the slippers that go with the outfit. The clothing includes a headdress called a tembleque (or tembeleque) which is made of beads attached to a spring so that they tremble when the wearer dances.

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