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Things I’ve learned in Boquete

 

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And Now I Know - Renewing Panamanian Drivers License Ain’t Easy For Seniors

Every resident applying for a renewal Panamanian driver license (good for 4 years) must pass an eye and hearing exam. For people 70-85 years old, a certificate of good physical and mental health from a Panamanian doctor who specializes in internal medicine or geriatrics is required. All this plus an actual test in parallel parking and back-up maneuvers is required for residents over 85 years old. For us seniors the renewed license is valid for only two years. Since I meet the requirements f
Marcelyn

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And Now I Know - Box Shop Boquete

As long term customers of the Box Shop in David, we are happy this service is now available in Boquete. Box Shop Logistics for delivery of packages is now open in Local #5, Plaza Los Establos, Bajo Boquete. Phone 778-0595. www.boxshoplogistics.com. (To WhatsApp the David office, use +507-730-1041 or +507-778-0270.) Arial, the friendly staff person, speaks excellent English. No charge for registering for an account. Credit card accepted for payment.    
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And Now I Know - Rodny Direct to the Rescue

Excitement in El Santuario this afternoon. We lost electrical service for a second time today (Friday, June 18th), with the first outage being scheduled maintenance. The first outage lasted about seven hours, ending about 2:00 PM. A second outage started about 3:15 PM, and a few minutes later a neighbor called saying a high tension wire was on the ground and “arcing and sparking” in front of his house. We alerted Rodny Direct, who called Naturgy’s emergency number. Rodny called back within
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And Now I Know - Overstaying a Tourist Visa

The recent CL posting about border hoppers (Click Here) by Mr. Abel Gomez (a well known Boquete attorney), reminded me of when Bud and I were sitting in the Mexican Naturalization Office waiting for finalization of our Mexican residency visa paperwork. We couldn’t help but overhear four Americans had overstayed their Mexican Visa allowance and now faced a major fine. One woman exclaimed “we can’t pay that much money, we’ll come back later”. The Naturalization Officer told the complainer “come ba
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And Now I Know - Haircut

Not long ago an acquaintance (maybe I should call him a “real character”) came to visit us. He needed a haircut...did he ever! But he claimed he didn’t have time or the opportunity for this. Too many other activities like Jazz Festival, Tree Trek, food to try, practice his Spanish, etc. Then one day after his spending the day touring around the Boquete area, I noticed his hair was neatly trimmed. Where? was my question. Bert explained he had asked friendly Panamanians standing near Romero’s
Marcelyn

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And Now I Know - Dental Service

Last month Bud broke a tooth. A chunk just fell away. He wasn’t eating anything hard or difficult to chew, but a big part of that tooth was missing. This was a major and unexpected happening plus scary. A new problem and no dental experience in Boquete. What a blow! Using the Health Care Resources for Chiriqui Province maintained by CL moderators Doug and Jo, I called Dra. Monica Sanjur. Told her Bud was in pain and requested an emergency appointment. (She is located in new building not far
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And Now I Know - Gardener & Coronavirus

This morning (Thursday) our Panamanian gardener appeared at our gate on time for work  Bud told him no work now.  Poor soul thought he had been fired! Bud spent several minutes explaining coronavirus and how Panama is in total quarantine. Bud paid him his full salary then asked him to return to work when quarantine is over. Our great gardener left with a better understanding of the current environment.
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And Now I Know - Tocumen Baggage Inspection Experience

A new experience at Tocumen last week. My one bag was stopped by a determined Custom inspector who asked me three times what food I had. Tried to assure “no food,” but she directed me to the inspection station where I had to open my luggage. Took her about two minutes to locate my bottle of water and a handful of candy mints I had dropped into the side pocket. The interesting part of this experience was my 50 minute delay caused by the lady in front of me. She had three suitcases all wrappe
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And Now I Know - Ladies Day for Shopping or No?

Silly me !!  I donned my mask and gloves to go shopping today (Monday, April 20) because I thought this was the assigned day for females to be away from their residence. Reckon not! I observed more males (in stores shopping, driving taxi, selling produce from back of their pick-up, walking along the street with shopping bag, numerous male vehicle drivers, etc.) than females during my quick trip downtown to buy groceries. Seems fines, taking away drivers license and car for 90 days, etc
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And Now I Know - Drivers License Renewal

January is my birth month and 2019 is when I had to renew my Panamanian drivers license. Visited a lab here in Boquete for blood test. Then two days later, with blood result information in hand, went to doctor office for a physical exam and memory test. (At my age this exam has to be done by an internalist or gerontologist). Dra Díaz issued the “results” letter which I took to the licensing office the following day. (Glucose and blood pressure reading seem to be the primary criteria for consider
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And Now I Know - Covid-19 Vaccination Documentation Requirements For Reentry into Panama From The US

Last week Bud and I had a scare at a Florida airport for our return flights to Panama. We trust the information posted on Chiriqui.Life and had even called the airline prior to going to the airport to verify the Covid-19 documentation requirements was still current. However when we arrived at the airport check-in counter two customer service personnel refused to issue our boarding passes. The issue was that they believed all international passengers had to show a negative Covid-19 test within 72
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And Now I Know - BCP Market Experience

Several weeks ago I purchased a purse from an indigenous lady at the BCP Market. Just the right size and color and I used it daily. Last week I was in a hurry, forced and broke the zipper. Tuesday I took the purse back to this family and asked if a replacement zipper could be installed. No problem and the lady would not accept any payment. I was so happy with the results and impressed with her “no charge” that I purchased a small purse as a gift for a friend. As I’ve thought more about
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An Now I Know - Tocumen Airport Handicap Assistance

Bud and I traveled from Mexico City to Panama City last week and noticed a substantial difference in the handicap assistance at Tocumen as compared to other airports. (Yes, I know the airport in Mexico is bigger than Tocumen in Panama City.) While waiting for two hours at the Mexico City Airport, Terminal 2, for our next flight, we counted 42 wheelchair assistance operations. In contrast there was Zero wheelchair assistance when we arrived at Tocumen Airport even though we had requested this ser
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And Now I Know - Tailor Shop

A short time ago I ordered jeans from an internet source. Quality was not very good. They were cheap; about half the price of what I could find elsewhere. Yes, once upon a time my mother told me “you get what you pay for”.  The color was O.K. The real concern was the length of the pant legs. They were seven (7) inches too long. Now that would be a heck of a roll-up cuff! What to do. I had paid for them; spent money to ship them here, and they were cheap. Off I went to downtown Boquete
Marcelyn

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And Now I Know - Laundry

Gurrr........another day with electricity outage. Again, home laundry is not happening. So I discovered a nice full service laundry guy located behind Boquete police station. This place does a fast turn around of wash/dry and fold at a reasonable price. He only does wash and dry — no ironing, dry cleaning, etc. Happy clean day at our house.?
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And Now I Know - Entitled People

Have you heard of the “entitled people”? Because of surgery on Bud’s hand and arm, we decided to fly first class on a recent trip in US. During our flight when Bud went to the toilet, a fella from economy section sat down in Bud’s aisle seat next to me. The flight attendant told him he couldn’t sit there. The passenger said that’s where he wanted to sit and started an argument with the flight attendant. I unfastened my seat belt and grabbed my cup of hot coffee because I could sense a fight
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And Now I Know - International Flights From/To Panama, and Covid-19 Testing

This past December we took our first international trip since the pandemic started. We have a condo in Mazatlan (Mexico) and typically go there every Christmas season. Arranging the flights was not easy; we engaged Andrea Cook and she worked some miracles for us. We finally got our reservations completed, but they were changed many times (I recall at least five changes, and they were major changes, not just minor time shifts, etc.). Previously we were able to go from David to Mazatlan in the sam
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And Now I Know - First Airline Trip from David to Panama City During Covid-19

With our first step inside David Airport for our first trip (Friday, November 27th) since the pandemic began, we were stopped by an attendant using a camera-like device to take individual’s temperature. Then it was a very long walk to board the COPA flight.  After arriving at Panama a bus ride (20 passengers per trip) delivered us inside terminal. We had no luggage to claim, so we went immediately to taxi pick-up area. Very few passengers in Tocumen Airport. Boarding return flight
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And Now I Know - Beneficiary On Bank Account

A friend and I were enjoying a before dinner conversation last week when she inquired about who was listed as beneficiary on our bank account. I answered with certain names of people. And she said “are you sure, really sure?” Then she told me a scary tale. (This is a smart, clear thinking woman.) Recently when this couple visited their local bank and inquired about who was listed as beneficiary on their account, they were told two names of people they didn’t even know! So yesterday Bud and
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And Now I Know - What About the Future Economic Stability of Panama?

Our electrical service has been interrupted daily (sometimes lasting several hours), Netflix reception poor (maybe because of heavy usage by stay-at-home folks), long waiting lines at grocery outlets, more & more empty shelves in stores, restrictive hours allowed for necessary errands like medical consults, “cowboy” drivers on almost empty roads, etc., with no end in sight to the quarantine. Feel like we are “camping out” in our home. The next scary situation is I may have to start braiding
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And Now I Know - Courtesy Gestures Where Everyone Wins

Bud and I were waiting in the check-out line at PriceSmart when a Panamanian couple joined the line behind us. She was very pregnant. A birthday cake was their single item for purchase. We asked this couple to go ahead of us. Another Panamanian couple observed our gesture and stepping aside, invited us to move ahead of them. The husband asked the clerk to move his items aside and place our purchases ahead of theirs. We were impressed by this Panamanian style courtesy. They noticed what
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And Now I Know - Garbage Pickup Anomaly

For several years early on Tuesday mornings our garbage has always been collected from the elevated wire bin with lid container in front of our electric utility meter. We pay for that contract service through the Municipio de Boquete. Today going outside our gated yard to install the new 2021 garbage contract placard we noticed our garbage in black plastic bags had been removed from the bin, but stacked in a pile near the paved street. That has never happened before, and certainly made no s
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And Now I Know - Admiring Panamanian Tolerance & Patience

Bud and I had an interesting experience in airline travel last week. We boarded a crowded plane at Panama City (PTY) and then sat on the tarmac for about two hours! Engines were running and the plane full of passengers were in their seats with seatbelts fastened. The pilot announced the reason for the delay in take-off was a problem at David airport; the destination airport was closed to all air traffic. Finally attendants offered water and a snack. Passengers were allowed to use the plane
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And Now I Know - Antique Clock Repair

One of my favorite items that I brought to Panama from US is a large 1920s vintage Asian wall clock. I purchased it from a surplus store many years ago. “This clock hung in the office of the Hong Kong harbormaster” was the story told by the sales clerk.  This favorite item has hung on my kitchen wall here in Boquete for several years. Recently the clock stopped working. A friend told me about a repair shop in David, so yesterday off we went to David with my clock nestled in the back seat of
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And Now I Know - Mercado Boquete

Yesterday we wandered into Mercado Boquete (across the street from Romero grocery store). Why? Because I was seeking eggplant (berenjena) to make moussaka. Now I had searched for this purple vegetable in several different stores locally and in David. No luck. In The Mercado I encountered mostly Panamanians, some folks were shopping and several were just talking with friends. And then at the fourth stall there was this wonderful lady selling my sought after eggplant or berenjena. I think my
Marcelyn

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