Bud

A captivating image, obviously taken by a drone. Wow! Given that I am height-phobic (with the exception of airplanes, go figure), it is highly unlikely that I will ever venture to the top. I suspect the views are awe inspiring. Maybe someone could post some pictures.

This product should be outlawed — Kirkland's Kettle Brand potato chips with Himalayan pink salt. Recently got our first package at PriceSmart, and they are sinfully captivating. Can't be the healthiest food in the world, but if you like chips and dips, these are the chips to use. Thick, crinkle cut, crispy, with just the right amount of salt.

I suspect that the prices we see here for beef have been impacted by the large exportation levels to China. On the other hand, we tend to shy away from Panamanian beef for several reasons. We are happy for the beef industry here in Panama, but at the same time not too worried about our meat budget being exceeded.

Bernardo Montenegro. We have used his service for years and years. Not much English, but Spanlish works fine. Honest and polite as anyone can be. 6599-6751. Doesn't do email. Don't know about texting (because we don't do it).

There are three large pools to swim laps in the Boquete area, at least three that I know of. Two discussed above: close to Plaza San Francisco and at VE. There also is a pool at the seminary on the road in Alto Boquete. It is NOT heated, but there are dressing rooms. They used to charge $1.50 per swim. I also mention the pool at the Haven Spa. It is small but workable. The pool has a "water jet assisted" resistance swimming equipment. You buy "membership" by the month. I used to swim there 3 to 4 times a week. Very nice facility (but not saying anything bad about the others mentioned here).

Interesting article. Thanks for posting.

This is going to sound redundant, but... This time the increased speed is for the upload direction. I pay for 10Mbs uploads but recently have been consistently seeing uploads at 15Mbs. Are others having a similar experience? Not complaining here, just curious.

Keith, thanks for that news. Yesterday's outage was 7.5 hours.

I agree with Erin and others about “running the gauntlet” not being prudent. Sure there is an alternate route, but why isn’t public safety a high priority?

The last week has been horrible electrical service yet again. Today we are without electrical service from the utility since early this morning. Granted, we do have a generator but it was not designed for continuous use. Plus the cost of fuel to run it is expensive. The situation never improves. Why so often without electrical service here?

Three of us tried out a new restaurant in Bajo Boquete yesterday afternoon late. It is called Brasa y Leña, which is located on the entrance road into Bajo Boquete on the left after passing by the CEFATI building and curving down while going into the valley. It is located right next door to a chocolate shop and just before getting to the left turn to go to The Haven Spa. Off road parking for three or four vehicles immediately in front of the restaurant itself. Bruno is the proprietor, and he indicated that he had just opened the restaurant the day prior. We believe that this facility previously housed an eatery of some kind, but that Bruno and his partners have just taken over. When asked about the strong Italian accent, Bruno indicated that he was from Italy, but now in Boquete and the proprietor of Brasa y Leña. He is assessing whether to change the name of the restaurant, but for now it is Brasa y Leña. The primary entrees were roasted chicken, pork filet, hamburgers, and a few appetizer items, such as nachos, etc. Since Marcelyn and I were very hungry, and ahead of schedule for our dinner partner (Penny), we ordered drinks and nachos. The drink selection is somewhat limited as Bruno has only sodas, canned drinks such as orange juice, bottled water, and three brands of beer. Tap water was offered, but declined. No wine or hard liquor. We ordered our drinks and one order of nachos. Drinks were served very quickly. Penny arrived about the time our drinks were being served, and then about two minutes later the nachos arrived. Nachos were tasty with the basic ingredients including carne molida, but no guacamole. Quite tasty though, and the chips used were very crispy. There were no menus, but Bruno told us about the entrees. Marcelyn and I decided to split a roasted chicken dinner with French fries (patacones also available). Penny order the pork filet with French fries along with her drink. We sat outside and were the only customers. Very pleasant except for the occasional highway bus (noisy) and a few vehicles that had boom boxes going full bore. All in all it was a very pleasant dining experience. The really pleasant finale was when the bills were delivered. Penny's total was $6.00, and ours was $11.00 (don't forget that we had the nachos as well as the entree and two drinks). Great food, and very good value. Bruno indicated that they are open Wednesday through Monday (closed on Tuesdays) from about 10:30AM to about 7:00PM. Contact information: Bruno is the proprietor. His cell is 6565-2852, email carebruno@hotmail.it. Bruno spoke good English. We intend to patronize Brasa y Leña again. Our only complaint was that there was simply too much food; we both had doggy bags for take away. Here are some pictures taken of the facility itself, and our main entrees. First is the front of the building and its sign. Next is Bruno. He was always smiling and offering assistance, but not intrusive about it. Here is Penny's pork filet dish. Here is our roasted chicken dish. (We took no picture of the nachos.) And then a panoramic shot inside the restaurant. Kinda reminds one of a log cabin up in the mountains (duh!).

I had to renew my driver license this week. Interesting that I got an email reminder from Sertracen about a week prior. That was a first for me. Anyway, the process was fairly quick even though there were about 35 to 40 people going through the process at Sertracen at the same time. We were the only gringos in the office, and I obviously was the only jubilado going through the process. I found all of the staff to be very professional, helpful, and generally not English capable but able to understand my Spanglish. Given my age I had to have the doctor's paperwork as to my competency, etc. Total time in the office was about 25 minutes. Overall, rather pleasant experience. Total fees (as a jubilado) $16.00. I'm good to drive for two more years now.

Just a side thought here: if Panama were to change its annual "revisado" process to include a safety and mechanical check of critical vehicular components (e.g., brake lights, head lights, brakes, turn signals, etc.) then perhaps some of these accidents due to failures could be eliminated.

The following message is being posted for a friend. I and many of us "old timers" have known Dan for many years. If you would like to contact Dan, his email is salesboquete@gmail.com and his cell is 6614-3575.

In general, yes, Panama uses the same traffic sign and lane marking color conventions as in the US. Yellow stripes between lanes means opposing traffic, whereas white dividing lines between lanes means vehicles going in the same direction. Passing allowed, when it can be done safely, if the line is broken. Solid lines are not to be crossed over. Insofar as curb color goes: Reference for the bottom quote: http://guide.saferoutesinfo.org/engineering/curb_paint_signs_and_school_pavement_legends.cfm

No injuries to the humans involved, but I'm sure the perps' egos took a beating. (I couldn't resist this. Please forgive me.)

Be advised that SENADIS recently relocated. Here is the link on Google maps for the new location of SENADIS, which is the agency that issues the handicap parking placards: https://goo.gl/maps/DjqDoqPtVFJZmj5P9

Yes, on the requirements for renewal. Mine was renewed earlier this year, and I had to have all of the same paperwork. Unlike my original placard that was valid for two years, the renewed placard is valid for five years. I do not know if that is because it was a renewal, or if all placards are now valid for five years as a policy change. The staff at SENADIS was/is extremely polite and efficient. Total cost = $0.00, not including the doctor’s fee.

Keith and Doug, I've never thought about minting of coins and printing of paper currency from a life cycle cost perspective. Thanks for enlightening me on this subject. BTW, there are some dollar bills circulating here in our area that really need to be retired. Is there a bank process for swapping aged bills that are falling apart?

Three plus hours with no electricity this morning. Fortunately we have a generator, but jeez, why so many?

Thanks for the warning. We are headed to PS tomorrow, so will be on the look out and extra careful. Wish we could avoid it, but we have to go.

Thanks for making work for me. 😀 The clock is about 23 inches in diameter. I was not able to get the glare removed.

Marcelyn and I enjoyed another round of bingo last night at La Posada, along with a good friend, great conversation, and a tasty pizza and drinks for dinner. Unfortunately we did not win anything, but still enjoyed the evening with friends. And it is all for a good cause. Here is a picture taken of the winners (only those who were willing to have their picture taken) as the event was shutting down. Dr. Bill (on the left in this picture) is becoming well known because he has won several rounds so far; you might want to see if you can sit at his table next time and hope some of his good luck rubs off on you. Oops, maybe I jinxed it for him now.?!

Brandy and her team continue to help those with needs in our community. Thank you for doing what you do.