Penny

Send a text WhatsAp to Axel at 6989-9615. He speaks English and has painted two exterior houses and one interior house for me. I pay him $25/gallon and that includes all the prep work and the cleanup. If it's a big job he can bring his brother Joel who is also a good worker.

DeWALT DC988 Heavy Duty 1/2 18V Cordless Hammerdrill plus charger. You will need to purchase a new DeWalt or generic battery or a battery rebuild kit. This tool sells new on Overstock.com for $150.28 plus shipping. The Boquete Handicap Foundation will guarantee this hammer drill for 60 days. You can purchase the DC988 for $70 including charger. To purchase email Penny at pjbarrett@aol.com or text WhatsAp 6510-8934.

This nice two bedroom, two bath furnished home is located almost at the end of the dead-end main street in the desirable Santa Lucia neighborhood just off the Volcancito Road. Your $725/month rent will include electricity (up to $40/month), water, and garbage service. Access to the private Santa Lucia social club is also available at an added expense. In addition, should you desire to purchase the house, 1/4 of your rent payments will be applied against the purchase price. Renter can opt for a year's lease or a month-to-month contract. The yard is large and totally fenced with a gate opening up to the carport. There is a 1000 gallon water tank in the back yard. Well-behaved dogs are welcome. The living room/dining room is large with 2 nice sectionals and a large screen TV. The master bedroom has a king size bed, en-suite bathroom, and large closet. The 2nd bedroom is set up as an office but can also be used for guests. There is a futon and closet and access to the 2nd bathroom. Lots of storage space. In addition to the walk in closet in the master bedroom, there are also three large wardrobes and pantry storage for the kitchen. There is a separate laundry room with a washer and dryer. Also a good refrigerator and stove. All rooms have ceiling fans. Email Penny at pjbarrett@aol.com for more information.

I've been told that all available slots in June and July have been scheduled and they haven't released the August schedule yet. My suggestion is to keep trying because some people cancel their appointment and that time slot will open up. Eventually they will start to make August appointments.

I went to the David bus terminal yesterday and spoke to the only employee there -- a security guard. He told me there is only one daily bus going to Panama City and it leaves David at 9 AM. I assume the passenger would have to have a salvo conductor pass to board the bus.

Two questions: 1. How often is the bus going from Boquete to David? 2. Are there any buses going from David to Panama City. If yes, how often and what times? Thanks so much

Many people have experienced problems trying to book an appointment to renew their drivers license. My friend who wishes to remain anonymous has worked her way through the site for me and has documented the procedures so I can share them with all of you guys. Go to: https://www.sertracen.com.pa/ On the Home Page, click on the word "Aquí" in the photo/box on the left-hand side of the page that says: "Haz tu cita en línea para trámite de licencia." (Make your online appointment for a license procedure) This will take you to Paso 1 (Step/page 1): Sistema de citas (citas = appointments) The boxes on this page are for indicating your choice of procedure: Box 1: Seleccione una opción: Open the box and click on "Generar cita" (schedule an appointment) There are 2 other choices available here: "Reagendar Cita" (Reschedule your appointment) and "Cancelar Cita" (Cancel your appointment). Box 2: Seleccione tipo de documento: Choose the ID document you possess: passport or cédula/C.I.P. (carné de identidad personal for permanent residents) Box 3: Ingrese número de documento: Type in the document number. If it's a cédula/C.I.P., include the dashes: E-8-111111. Then click on the box "No soy un robot." When the green check-mark appears, click on Continuar to go to the next page. Paso 2 (Step/page 2): Box 1: Seleccione trámite: Open the box and click on Renovación (renewal) Then enter the digits of your "control number" (número de control). This is the number that is printed vertically in the right-hand corner of your license. Type this number WITHOUT the zeros at the beginning of the number. Click "Continuar" to continue. Paso 3 (Step/page 3): Ingrese correo electrónico: Type in your email. They will use this to send a confirmation of your appointment. Repita correo electrónico: Type in your email again. Ingrese número único de contacto (Enter your contact number): Type in your cell or landline phone number, no 507 and no hyphens or spaces. Box: Sucursal. Open the box and click on David. (or the branch office you want to visit) The appointment calendar will come up, with dates available for appointments marked in green. Click on the date you want, and the available times will come up in a separate drop-down box. If times aren't available, a message in yellow will appear at the top of the page saying that no hours are available that day. Click to close ("cerrar"). The calendar includes dates for 2 months. If nothing appears to be available, even if the date is marked in green, close, and try again later, preferably early in the morning or in the evening after 5:30. Once you've clicked on a time, you'll get a message that Sertracen will contact you with an appointment confirmation email. This will include an appointment number ("# de cita") that you will need when you go to your appointment. Here's what the beginning of that confirmation email looks like: From: Sertracen Panama <citas@sertracen.net> To: your email Sent: date and time email was sent Subject: CONFIRMACION DE CITA PARA TRAMITE DE LICENCIA DE CONDUCIR Estimado/a YOUR NAME , en respuesta su solicitud de cita, informamos: Fecha: 18/07/2020 DATE OF YOUR APPOINTMENT Hora: 09:00 TIME Sucursal: DAVID WHERE Trámite: RENOVACION # de cita: 23211 YOUR APPOINTMENT ID NUMBER. YOU'LL NEED THIS WHEN YOU GO TO DAVID. Es necesario presentarse 15 minutos antes de la hora acordada, se requiere presentar los siguientes documentos: YOU WILL NEED TO ARRIVE 15 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT AND BRING WITH YOU THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS: 1) ID DOCUMENTS: PASSPORT AND C.I.P. FOR FOREIGNERS, BOTH THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS AND A CLEAN PHOTOCOPY OF EACH. 2) PLUS THE DOCUMENTS LISTED IN CATEGORY 2 BELOW ('RENOVACION DE LICENCIAS"). Below is a partial translation of those requirements. If you have traffic violation issues or tickets, open the second link and read the details. There's also a link where you can check on your standing with traffic issues. -Documento de identidad (cédula para panameños,pasaporte y carnet de migración para extranjeros) -Requisitos según trámite(depende de cuál sea el trámite): http://www.sertracen.com.pa/licencia-primera-vez/ http://www.sertracen.com.pa/renovacion-de-licencias/ http://www.sertracen.com.pa/ampliacion-de-licencias/ Clicking on Link #2: Documents to bring with you and additional requirements (most, but not all, are listed here): 1) Your appointment number: the 5-digit number after "# de cita" in the confirmation email. 2) Original and clean photocopy of your passport and C.I.P. If your passport number has changed, bring the old and the new ones and copies. 3) Vehicle title papers. 4) Your original (current) driver's license (which will be attached to your file). 5) Visual and hearing check, performed at the branch office. 6) $40.00. 7) A clean record with the Transportation Authority: traffic tickets paid, no more than 50 points on your record for traffic violations. There are more details and conditions here on the Sertracen website, which you can see by clicking on the second link: "renovación-de-licencias." And a link to check on your record. 😎 For applicants over 70 years of age: a Certificate of good physical and mental health from a physician specializing in internal medicine or geriatrics. The document should include your physician's full name, professional ID number, cédula (or passport) number, their seal/stamp and actual signature; the Certificate should be issued within 6 months of your appointment. 9) Special conditions for drivers over 85. A driving test every 2 years.

I just learned that Bob Kane passed away yesterday. Bob lived with his wife Anne in Jaramillo Abajo. I knew Bob because he used to play duplicate bridge with our local club.

Luis Arce has room in his van leaving Boquete on Thursday, June 18. Call or WhatsAp him at 6536-1179 to reserve.

My friend needs a ride to PTY to catch the humanitarian flight to Houston on June 19. If you have room in your vehicle, or know who we can contact, please email Penny at pjbarrett@aol.com or WhatsAp 6510-8934. Thank you

You can borrow an oxygen concentrator from Boquete Hospice. Do a search on this forum for their contact information.

I was vice-president of BCP for several years and I will tell you that this is a Mexican Stand Off. The rent on the facility is substantial and BCP cannot cover that nut without the income from the Tap Out lease and the Tuesday market. Conversely, I doubt that Tap Out alone can cover the rent. It's a fallacy to say that Tap Out is a more stable tenant than BCP. BCP has a substantial bank account that it has been accumulating for many years with the goal of someday owning their own facility. BCP has put tens of thousands of dollars of repairs into the facility. They have replaced the roof, installed a water system, and rewired most of the facility. This is in addition to many structural repairs and improvements. It would be very difficult to move the market to the feria or one of the gyms. For one thing, where would the tables be stored? Also, I highly doubt the vendors would want to move and take a chance on an unproven location. In the past BCP has not treated the vendors very well and that has caused some resentment. I believe that if Tap OUt wanted to take over and run the market, most of the vendors would stay as they don't really have any loyalty to BCP,; their loyalty is to the BCP location. There is one other auditorium type facility in town and that is at Hotel Fundadores. Before they had their own facility, BCP did use the Fundadores for several productions. However, it is smaller than the current theater and not so well equipped with sound and lighting. As I said, right now it's a Mexican standoff with a lot of bluffing from both sides. In the end, we should all hope for some kind of mutual agreement that keeps the BCP going. I believe Anayansi wrote the email because she wanted to explain her position because there was a lot of negative feedback from the community. My personal opinion is that she made a huge mistake and one that she may well regret in the future. Penny

This is why I grab a big handful of forms whenever I'm in the tax office in David. For those of you who need one (Alan and Bud) I have one for you.

Today, Sunday, May 24, my gardener appeared at my gate. He hasn't been here for about 3 months so lots of work for him to do. I don't know if he got special permission or if the government has just loosened up the restrictions for gardeners. In any case, I'm happy.

Well, back in February my license plate expired. Having lived here long enough to know not to wait until the end of the month, I went to Dolega to renew sometime in the middle of February. Because this is Panama, they don't just issue stickers to designate the year of your license plate, you have to buy an entirely new metal plate. Yes, somebody's cousin owns the placa company obviously. Also being Panama they sometimes forget to order the new metal placas. This was the case with me. After paying they explained that the February plates would hopefully be in at the beginning of March and in the meantime they gave me a letter saying I was allowed to "circulate" with an outdated plate. Okay, I didn't go back the first week in March and then we were locked down and the Dolega Municipio closed up. This morning I received insider information from my friend Lynda Rogers that it was possible to go and pick up my long overdue plate but I had to go during my designated release time. When I arrived at the Municipio I discovered that the building was indeed locked up but they had partially opened up an exterior window and were doing business through the window. Of course, there was a line and for some reasons the locals kept cutting in front of me. I waited patiently and finally got my new plate and window sticker. Now to get back to Boquete before my time expired. The whole procedure at the Caldera checkpoint has changed. Now you go through 3 distinct stations. At the first they spray the sides, tires and back of your car with some kind of anti-viral spray. At the 2nd stop they take your temperature and have an ambulance standing by in case your temp is out of acceptable range. At the 3rd stop they check your ID and wave you through. And that's how I navigated two bureaucratic governmental processes in one 2-hour outing. Ain't this pandemic thing great ???🤯

I'm hoping somebody will go to Price Smart or any other store in David today and report back whether they were able to buy their one bottle of vino tinto in David.

So, I announced to my friends last week that I was planning on getting a flu shot on Monday during my two hour old-folks window. Wow, I'm astounded by how many of the seemingly rational people I hang out with don't believe in the shot and (even worse) believe it is a Bill Gates plot to kill off half of the world's population. Amazing !!!! Okay, for those who are still in your right minds, here's how to do it. I arrived at the Social Security Clinic across from the Bomberos about 10:45. There is a desk set up outside and to the right of the front door. I was the only one there at the time for the shot. The technician checks your cedula and updates your yellow card (if you have one). He asks you how old you are and what neighborhood you live in. Then we waited for the nurse who finally came at 11. The technician had told me I could also get a pneumonia shot but the nurse told me that the pneumonia vaccine wouldn't be available until May. The shot was given quickly and painlessly and I was on my way. It was free. There was only one other person waiting behind me.

I think when you see the men out on ladies day (and vice-versa) you are forgetting all the people who have passes. For example, all agricultural workers, bank workers, grocery store workers, pharmacy workers, gas station workers, medical personnel, etc, etc. In general I would say that this draconian lockdown is working. And I agree with Allison that there's going to be a lot of general unrest if things aren't loosened up by May 1.

A better long term solution and one that works right now -- go to Mandarin and buy a Panagas regulator for about $12. Then buy a tank of Panagas for about $75. You can swap out an empty Panagas tank for a full one for $5.37. Who knows when Novey will reopen.

I won't name them because they're litiginous.

I immediately laughed and thought about a few people I know.

Today (April 7) News.Boquete sent out a translation of the official government policy concerning both drivers licenses and car plates that could not be renewed because of the shutdown.. You can subscribe to these news releases coming directly into your email inbox by sending your complete name to news.boquete@gmail.com. See the topic here:

This is a google translation of the notice the mayor has posted on his facebook page: As of the date, the safe-conducts and circulation permits granted in the Boquete district that do not specify the date, time and reason for their circulation, are suspended. In the same way, as of the date, new safe-conduct requests will not be accepted both in the Mayor's department and in the Houses of Community Justice and Peace. Only those given by MIDA and municipal officials may circulate.

It with sadness and total shock that we learn of the death of Pat Carter from corona virus while she was in the U.S. Pat was a resident of Jaramillo Centro and lived near her son Scott and daughter in law Holly. Pat was a great friend of the homeless dogs and also a member of the Boquete Chicas club. RIP in Pat Carter. This is a photo of her toasting one of her adopted street dogs.