Blog.PanamaForum.com

Some beautiful Panama Hats and other Panama memorabilia being sold on the streets.

Photo by avenue44.

Hi Panama friends!

Update on the Panama Canal Expansion

Yesterday, Panamanian President Omar Torrijos announced that the Panama Canal expansion project is on schedule. However, of the $5.2 billion total cost, the government is still considering options for financing $2.5 billion.

“The Panama Canal board is meeting with financial advisers to seek the best terms,” Torrijos said yesterday during a visit to a construction site where workers were excavating rock to widen the 93-year-old canal that links the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

Torrijos said 283,000 Panamanians have applied to work on the expansion. However, the agency that oversees the canal estimates that only 7,000 construction jobs will be created.

I’m happy to hear that the Panama Canal expansion is on schedule. I’m sure it will greatly benefit Panama and the entire world.

http://www.panamaforum.com/panama-news/13909-canal-expansion-schedule-toronto-star.html

Below you’ll find more Panama news and the latest threads on PanamaForum.

Enjoy Panama and have fun!

TOP PANAMA THREADS:

• Internet in Panama
  How readily can you access the Internet in Panama? Is high-speed Internet available? Wireless Internet that works all throughout Panama? Find out on this thread.
• What’s your first language?
  This thread inquires about your first and second language. It focuses especially on Spanish and how long it takes to master it.
• Is it worth living in Panama?
  The best advice comes from MRWOOHOO: “Swing on over, be prepared to have a good time.” This thread shows you the pros and cons of Panama, from the people who have seen it, done it and are now living it.
• What can I do with an offshore company?
  More great advice continues to be posted in this thread. Check it out of you’re thinking about doing business in Panama or setting up an offshore company.
• Panamanian Mail Service
  Is the Panamanian mail service reliable? What are other mail options? How can I best send mail and larger packages from the US and Europe to Panama?

PANAMA NEWS:

• PanaExpo 2008
  The culture, excitement and opportunity of Panama are coming to Toronto. PanaExpo 2008 is a consumer trade show that will feature dozens of exhibitors from across the Central-American country, providing visitors with essential information about opportunities available in Panama. The three-day exhibition will be held from May 2 to May 4, 2008 at the Toronto Congress Centre.
• Live and Invest Overseas Names World’s Six Best Beachfront Buys Right Now
  1. Panama. You’re likely familiar with the many reasons why Panama remains one of the best places to invest your real estate dollars (your retirement and second-home dollars, too). Veraguas. That’s the place to look right now. This large province about three hours west of Panama City hides the best Pacific coast buys in all Central America.
• Canal zone (Yachting Monthly)
  More than 150 yachts are in a marine ‘traffic jam’ on the east side of the Panama Canal, awaiting transit to the Pacific Ocean. Many have been told it will be ‘weeks’ - in one case two months - before they will be able to get through.
• Vacation dollar goes far in some places
  Panama: This small country boasts mountains, rain forests, 1,500 miles of coast (your pick of the Caribbean or Pacific) and, of course, the magnificent canal, where you can gawk at supertankers being raised and lowered through the locks. Forget exchange rates: Panama’s currency, the balboa, is pegged at parity with the U.S. dollar, and the dollar itself is accepted virtually everywhere.
• Torrijos Keeps Steady Rating in Panama
  Public backing for Panamanian president Martín Torrijos has remained stable this month, according to a poll by Dichter & Neira published in La Prensa. 51.1 per cent of respondents say Torrijos has done a good or excellent job in leading the country, practically unchanged since February.
• Port Authority is expected to renew pact with Panama Canal officials
  The Virginia Port Authority today is scheduled to renew an agreement with the Panama Canal Authority to promote additional trade through the critical cargo route that links the U.S. East Coast with Asia. “The Panama Canal is, of course, a critical trade lane for this port and it will be for (a long time),” said Joe Harris, a Virginia Port Authority spokesman.

Wow! What a great shot. From the description of the photograph: “Underneath the canopy of tropical trees, the mother frog lays her mass of gelatinous eggs from which the tadpoles develop and hatch out dropping into a pool of water beneath.”

Photo by xerantheum.

An oil painting like photograph of Panama City late in the afternoon as seen from Casco Viejo.

Photo by J Catlett.

A lovely flowery path in a garden in Boquete.

Flower Arch

Photos by Jason’s Travel Photography.

Panama has its own beer and it tastes great! Panama beer comes in glass bottles and cans.

Photo by J Catlett.

Welcome to the 22nd issue of the Panama Forum Newsletter!

Drumroll… this week we passed our 3,000 members mark. Woot! Woot!

Thanks Panama friends for your continued support and especially for your participation in Panama Forum’s online discussions.

TOP PANAMA THREADS:

• Social Events in Panama
  Buddy shared a website that has a Panama social event calender with many fun and interesting activities.
• First time visiting Panama?
  Check out these great tips on what is a must see when traveling to Panama. Have you been to Panama before or are you living in Panama? Share your favorite places and experiences here…
• Apartment Rental In Panama City
  What’s the best way to find an apartment for rent? Through a real estate agency? But aren’t apartments more expensive through an agent? Are real estate agents corrupt? Find out and share your own experiences.
• Panama the Real Estate Haven
  What’s the latest news on property investments? Specific details on already existing real estate projects. Check out a blog about real estate. Buying real estate or building your own home? This thread gives you great ideas and food for thought.
• Dating in Panama
  Read Mr. WOOHOO’s advice on dating beautiful girls in Panama. What do you need to watch out for? This thread is especially useful for those who want to have fun without getting burnt.
• History of Panama
  Lee provided some great YouTube videos about the history of Panama, the Panama Canal, and the US invasion. Very interesting indeed.

PANAMA NEWS:

• Big dig: The Panama Canal
  On Sept. 25, 1513, after an arduous journey through the Isthmus of Panama jungles, Spanish colonial leader Vasco Nuñez de Balboa reached the summit of a small hill. Turning one way, and then the other, he saw - astonishingly, in one swiveling glance - both oceans of the Western Hemisphere…
• Vaccination Week In The Americas
  Vaccination Week in the Americas 2008 will include a series of launches and special events featuring ministers of health and other dignitaries, as well as celebrities. The regional launch will take place in Panama on April 19…
• Panama Canal Authority
  Paradise Hill, located north of the Pedro Miguel Locks in the Canal’s Pacific side, has been excavated from its original 136 meters height to 72.5 meters, the height equivalent to a 21-story building, since the Expansion Program began in September 2007.
• News Now: 18-Year-Walk Around the World
  At times his quest hasn’t been a walk in the park. He has had brushes with knife-wielding assailants in North Africa. Now he is in Panama and hopes to reach Texas in 2010 or 2012.
• Glance at politics in Latin America
  Panama: centrist, close historic ties with U.S.

These are the Miraflores Locks, just before coming out at the Pacific Ocean.

Photo by J Catlett.

A Cuna woman sells her exquisite mola artwork by the Panama Canal.

Photo by Ray G.

The country road leading into Volcan Baru National Park, Panama.

Photo by J Catlett.