Penny

Making Calle F Sur one way will be a disaster. Many people use this street in order to make a left turn onto the Pan American Highway. There's a stop light at the intersection that facilitates making this left turn. No such stop light on the intersection of the Via Rapida and the Pan American and making a left from the Via Rapid is very difficult and dangerous. Speaking of stoplights, the one at Calle F Sur and the Nissan Dealership has been non-functioning for at least a month.

The guy who had a shop next to Super Baru and behind the Sabroson #3 restaurant has moved. I need a minor repair on my watch band. Ven Jewelry fixed it a couple of weeks ago and it didn't hold and they charged me almost as much as the watch cost originally. ? Does anybody know where the guy moved to? He was a whiz on fixing things like phones.

I bought 5 small items at Super Baru this morning. Sure enough, the bag boy substituted paper bags for the ubiquitous plastic ones. However when I got home I discovered my 5 small items were bagged with 3 paper bags of various sizes. I guess you can train them to use paper instead of plastic but what is needed is to train them that not every item needs its separate bag.

Anybody else having trouble with USTV Now? This is how the website comes up for me. Been like this for about 3 days. Is there a fix?

SOLD

I bet that many gringos don't realize that what they want to see stocked at Price Smart are not necessarily the items that Panamanians buy. No store can continue to stock items that don't sell to 80% of their clientele. People need to take a wider world view especially when you're living as a minority in a country not your birth country I was at Price Smart yesterday and the lines were very short and went quickly. Don't know if PS put on more cashiers or if there were just fewer customers because City Mall has siphoned off some of them. Probably a combination of both.

I heard it's now owned by some Chinese folks.

This is very good news.

I highly doubt it as the US seems to believe that Panama uses a foreign currency called the Balboa.

Best name for a band that I've heard for quite awhile. Maybe even better than "Black-eyed Peas".

Bonnie is the ultimate proof-reader; newslady, not so much. In any case it turns out that this abandoned dog is being cared for by the folks who run the Rock Restaurant and the Riverside Inn. They are feeding and medicating him. He was returned to them yesterday.

I closed my Panama checking account when I discovered that they had taken more than $100 out of my account because my balance had fallen too low. In the many months it was too low (by just a few dollars) could they not have sent me an email? The once every couple of years I need to write a check, I pay about $5 for a cashier's check. I also cancelled my Panama bank ATM cards. The fees were terrible.

A trusted Panamanian friend has told me that the labor union Sun Tracs plans to close all the Boquete roads on Thursday. Given the state of the roads, it's probably pretty easy to close them.

Somebody needs to go to this and report back "what is glamping?" Also, it seems additional people cost $10 admission. What does the first person cost? A potluck dish to pass? Very confusing.

Is this possibly a vacation to Boquete on taxpayer expense?

What I've noticed is that cars and trucks will park across the entrance to the handicap spot thus effectively blocking its use but not technically parking in the reserved spot. This is a quite common sight.

Seven of us left Boca Chica about 10 AM with Captain Beto. Our first stop was "Piedra Ventana" (Window Rock). We dared Captain Beto to motor through the window but he wisely declined. There's a lady named Diana in Boca Chica who organizes these excursions. Our first sighting was a playful group of dolphins who entertained us with their jumps and dives. We started seeing whales almost immediately including a mama and a baby. Then a stop at an uninhabited island for a picnic and a swim. And here we are, our little group of "Survivors" Life is good in Panama

You're right, Keith. I won't know exactly what he died from until I speak to his sister on Saturday. I do know that Hospice couldn't find needed donors for him because of the requirements imposed by Hospital Regional. And I also know that expats have died in the past from lack of blood (according to Hospice). I hope you're not an apologist for the way this country has laws about blood donation that are senseless and outdated. Currently the requirements are that you have to be under 65, not out of the country for six months, and not on most common medicines. These requirements eliminate about 99.9% of expat donors.

The Panamanian guy in hospital regional that Hospice solicited for two weeks ago died. Probably from lack of blood. His funeral is today. Panama doesn't seem to care. It seems they cling to their stupid system at a cost of peoples' lives.

We've reduced the price of this scanner to $20. It's in like new condition and the resolution is much better than the printer/scanner/copier multi purpose device most people have. If you're a photographer or an artist (or just want cleaner scans), this is for you. Email pjbarrett@aol.com to buy for $25.

This very nice apartment will be available about Sept 10. A single person is best but a couple who is friendly with each other will also work. Not only the neighborhood is great; the neighbors are also great.

I don't think you need a paypal account to send money to another paypal account. You can charge it on your credit card. Of course, there is a fee for doing so. BTW, I have found my paypal account to be an invaluable asset when living in Panama. I can send and receive money from anywhere in the world with no fee.

Wonder if they accept Hormel in the can?

Brandy is well known locally as the queen of trivia ??

I also like the Palacio butcher shop. The butcher used to work in the US and he knows cuts of meat that Panamanian butchers don't know -- like a chuck roast. However, if you want a special cut (like chuck roast) you have to give him a day or so to produce. I usually buy my hamburger here. They also have great pork chops in the freezer. Coming back from Price Smart, turn right by the DK Tire store. Go about 3 blocks. You will see the Palacio (fleabag) hotel on the left. Drive across the intersection and the Palacio butcher shop is on the left.