What: PARTY & DJ

When: Saturday, May 26. Starting at 9pm 

Where: Picasso Bar and Restaurant, Coronado 
(Intersection of Ave. Roberto Eisemann and Calle Punta Prieta)

Grab some drinks, eat some dinner, and spend your Saturday night with some young people from the beach area!

The Pacific beach area in Panama is known as a retirement haven for ex-pats from around the world.  Coronado, Santa Clara, Decameron, El Valle, Playa Blanca – all of these developments are full of older retirees who have their established "playa" communities.

Mixed into this crowd, though, is a much younger group of Panamanians, ex-pats and travelers all looking for younger friends.  There is no real community for us young people living on the Pacific beach in Panama.  We find ourselves stuck in location "bubbles," rarely going out to meet new people, largely because there is no place to go! For many reasons, Cevichito's should not be the only place for us to go out at night.

On Saturday, May 26, come have a drink on us at Picasso Bar and Restaurant.  Meet other young people from around the beach area, and make some new friends.  There are a ton of us out here at the beach, and now we've got a place to meet each other!

We'll have a great DJ at Picasso starting at 9.  Join up with some friends and make some new ones over pitchers of sangria and some good pizza.

Hope to see you there!

Hosted by Kara 
Young Person
www.playacommunity.com

Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Fifteen years ago in Puerto Rico, animal shelter manager Mari Pily found herself troubled by all the hungry and stray dogs and cats in her neighborhood. Thus began her life's journey to caring for, feeding,and supplying veterinary medical attention to local strays.

Despite the help she was able to provide, Mari Pily knew it wasn't enough. She lived in constant worry that one of the animals would be run over by a car as they frequently chased vehicles and played in the street.

When Mari Pily moved to Panama, she saw an alarming number of strays in the area that most of the local animal lovers had given up on due to the overwhelming numbers and increased, uncontrolled breeding. Mari Pily, however, refused to do the same, and began taking animals into her home to care for them.

Panama Tides delivers daily Panama tide tables to Android and iPhone users.  The app gives location specific high and low tide prediction times and tide height information - in local Panama time. The app also gives sunset and sunrise times and a daily moon phase with countdown to full and new moon.

Once installed, tide table data up to 60 days is loaded on the app, so it can be consulted even without cell or internet service.  A sync feature is enabled once the user gets close to the 60 day mark and is within cell or internet service for loading. Perfect for boaters, surfers, fishing and beach walking.

Panama Tide table app is developed by Playacommunity.Com, an English community news and information site, covering Panama’s Pacific Beach neighborhoods.

The app is available for download through Android and iPhone App Stores for $1.99. Click the 'Read More'  link to see screen shots of the app.

Located on the InterAmerican Highway, just minutes from the entrance to Coronado, Bayside Center is the realization of a dream come true for Susana Cheng, her brother Alex and their father Mario Cheng. The family owns and operates the popular HIM (Home Improvements and More) store in Coronado, which has been in business in Coronado for ten years.

On Saturday 28th, the first Bayside Center tenants stood side-by-side for the ribbon cutting ceremony, to officially announce the center open. Even as merchants prepare for business, Susana Cheng has already started planning Phase Two of Bayside Center's expansion.

Did you know that you must be under 65 years of age to apply for a local insurance plan in Panama? 

Visiting a zoo to view exotic animals is loads of fun, but the opportunity to see them in their natural habitat, the wild, is even more exciting.

During a visit to Monkey Island, visitors have the opportunity to see the Capuchin Monkeys in the wild and even have an up close and personal chance to feed them; it's been said that such trips are the highlight of a trip to Panama for many visitors.

However, a long trip isn't necessary to experience the natural wildlife of Panama.  The Gato Solos, a name used by Panamanians for the Coati Mundi, can be see in your typical Panama neighborhood bordering the jungles.

Madonna, Cindy Lauper, Robin Williams and Valentino are some of his clients. The architecture is part of his life and he is presenting his work in Casa Cor 2012. He is a South African, but is living in Panama since five years now, after emigrating from Los Angles.

"On St. Pat’s Day, I attended the function at Finca la Maya. I was very impressed with the facilities and the work that they and their volunteers are doing in the community.

It is one of many such examples of community involvement by EXPAT’s in the Beach area.

Although I live in the City, I feel that I am part of your Beach Community. As such, I would like to give something back to your area.

The Beach area has responded so well to our Offshore CD Network Certificate of Deposit Program.
I have decided to donate $100 for each new Certificate of Deposit from EXPAT’s in the Beach area. That would include Altos, El Valle and as far as Penenome.

I will make the gift in the name of our client to Finca Maya.
However if the client has different favorite local charity, I will make the gift in their name to that organization.”

Lee Lukes
Offshore CD Network, Inc.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Buying a car in Panama, can there be anything more intimidating!

Our first vehicle was bought at the dealer new, so they took care of everything, could not be easier. Now, that it was time for a second vehicle we decided to get one second hand.  As of that moment the stress and anxiety settled in!  What needed to be done?  Asked around, put notes on message boards, you name it.  I did get quite a few responses which varied from:  ‘let us know as we are looking at doing the same thing’.  ‘Use a consultant, the process is not worth your time and effort, to go here and there’  mixed info as to where I needed to go,   and well … have fun!

So, I set my intimidation aside and decided to confront the problem head on!  I started with going to the local license plate office in Chame  (situated on the 2^nd floor of the building where the Banco Nacional used to be, next to the post office) and in my limited Spanish got some information but also got my confidence back as  the clerk was so nice and realized that most Panamanians are willing to help you get through the process.  I found out that I could not get anything done in Chame but needed to go to where the car was originally registered.  I had  a stack of papers (given to me by the owner)  and the clerk was able to tell me where I needed to go.

A quick reminder that the Playacommunity mixer will be held next week Wednesday,  April 25th, at 11:00 am. The mixer will be at Paraiso Restaurant in Las Uvas this month. Tanya Coronado from PTY Lawyers will be there to kick off the event. Tanya is a knowledgeable lawyer who knows the ins and outs of real estate law, and buying or selling as a foreigner in Panama. She will be speaking and answering questions starting at 11:00 am. Tanya is fluent in English and has office hours in Coronado every Monday at the Playacommunity office.

If you are new to the area, or hearing about the mixer for the first time please join us! The Mixer is a wonderful opportunity to meet the people of the community. Lunch will be served buffet style, for only $11.00. If you will be joining us for lunch please be sure to RSVP to ensue there is enough food for all!

This month we will be playing PANAMA FACTS for prizes. It's a great way to learn about Panama. There are Panama Facts on every page of Playacommunity.Com. Answer quiz questions to win prizes at the Mixer.

Clair Ross, owner of Picasso Bar & Restaurant is one of the hardest working restaurateurs at the beaches. Since opening Picasso Bar & Restaurant in Coronado in January of 2011, the venue is becoming a popular area night-life spot. Several times in the month, Piccaso hosts popular entertainers that put on party and draw a crowd. Claire has brought in DJ Miki who keeps the music spinning until the early hours of the morning. Also on the calendar are rock bands, such as Zodiac and The Gorgons; Irish folk singers and recently Improv8 preformed live to a rave audience. Along with the entertainment, Picasso offers wood-oven pizza, pastas, Thai curries, weekend breakfast and a daily happy hour. Keeping in line with popular offerings, Picasso has recently opened up a “Zen Corner”. Nestled in the lounge area of the restaurant, Picasso’s Zen Corner offers local crafts, philosophical books, Panama hats, handmade bags, organics, candles, incenses, natural food products and more.

The Spay the Strays will be holding a patio sale in Chame for the local Panamanians as a fundraiser on Saturday, 21 April.  The success of this depends entirely on your donations.  We collect your unwanted items such as clothes, shoes, handbags, housewares, furniture, garden tools, etc and we sell them for an EXTREMELY affordable amount to those who could otherwise not afford to purchase them.  In the past we have had much success by holding these patio sales in El Valle. We normally raise enough money to pay for one of our smaller clinics.  This time, we’re trying a new locale.  So, please take a few moments to look around for things that you no longer use and help a win-win cause!  If you call or email me, I can arrange to pick up your items.
 

The beach
Characteristic of Panama's Pacific coast, the El Palmar beach is white sand, speckled with diamond black sand. An 18 foot tide swing creates lots of sandy beach for walks and playing in shallow waters. If you do head out for a walk, be sure to get back within a couple of hours, as the tide rises high enough to cut off walking paths. For surfers, there are several sandy breaks, even thought the majority of the beach is rocky. Businesses and residents of El Palmar are very proud of their community and strive to keep beach access pathways and the beach itself clean. There are garbage cans at access entrances, and regular garbage pickup.