One of the great things about living in Panama is its close proximity to a number of countries that have spectacular attractions – Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica – and the list goes on.

My plan when I first moved here, thinking that there would be cheap flights to both South and Central America, was to take the opportunity to visit places that may have been too expensive if traveling from the U.S. or Canada – I was particularly excited about South America. I also thought this would be an easy way to update my tourist visa every six months.

Like so many of you one of the reasons we chose to retire to Panama was because of the good health care. Although comforting to know it’s available we had no idea one of us would be finding out just how good it really is, sooner than expected.

It was that time of year for my annual checkup of the lady parts so I decided to try the new Clinica de la Mujer in Coronado. Once inside I met with Dr. Antonio Altamar Jimenez who spoke very good English. He performed the routine Pap test and said “I’ll call you in a few days with the results.”

Fondas are small roadside restaurants offering Panamanian cuisine at affordable prices. Whether traveling through or living permanently in Panama, it’s a good idea to get to know the local fondas.

This month Playacommunity set out to find the best Fondas in the pacific beach area.

The Fonda facts: These small open air food stops called fondas are usually open for breakfast and lunch; few stay open for the dinner crowd. The always changing menu is small, offering a few Panamanian dishes everyday for under $4.00. The day starts early for a fonda worker, usually around 5:00 am. All the food for the day is prepared early, and when it’s gone, the day is over.

A Beach Sunset Celebration is being held in Franco Getzy's honor this Sunday. Franco, friend and local artist passed away a few weeks ago after a battle with diabetes and heart issues. Franco was a gentle soul who touched many in many ways. You can only remember Franco with an easy smile. He will be greatly missed. Details to this Special Beach Ceremony as follows:

In the last couple years Panama has begun a nationwide shift to the Accusatory System of Justice. While part of the country remains under the old written Inquisitorial System, the change has been imposed in two judicial districts of Panama. The adoption of the Accusatory System has been in an effort to reduce overcrowding in prisons and reduce a backlog in the courts. According to www.unhcr.org,  66% of prisoners are pre-trial detainees.  Under the Inquisitorial System many of those imprisoned will wait over a year before a pre trial judge hearing. 

His name is Jerry Dodson and, like many expats from many other countries, he and his wife Marj chose Panama to make their new home after they retired.   They had been looking for the right place for a couple of years but in 2009, fell in love with Panama and all it had to offer.  In 2009, they  purchased some land and broke ground in 2010.  They were expecting to move into their new home in the fall of 2011.

Little did they know, their future was up for grabs and that their new home may be wishful thinking.  In late 2010, his wife underwent some challenging surgery for severe migraines that plagued her for many years.  She would be a ‘new woman’.  Jerry’s job was to nurse her through those two months.  Little did they expect, a late Christmas present in early January left him with impaired vision and a few side effects from a stroke.  So Marj then became the caregiver.  However, just around the corner in early February, Marj was diagnosed with two types of cancer after exploratory surgery for something  non-life-threatening.     Family, amazing friends and work colleagues came to their rescue and ensured they were looked after.  They were overwhelmed by their unsolicited generosity and concern for them and are forever grateful.

Cholos has been serving authentic Mexican food for over 6 years in the Pacific Beach area. Currently Cholos is located in Las Lajas and is open Thursday - Sunday 12:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Friday nights Cholos has $1.00 fish tacos and 1/2 price Coronitas! 

 Owen & Mariela (oweners) have added some awesome new items to the menu! Carlos makes the best Margaritas on the rocks or frozen. He is constantly creating new drinks, and serving the coldest of beers.

Punto G Electronics, located on the second floor of Coronado Mall has 1000s of DVDs in stock. If you are looking for some new movies, here is your chance to schedule some entertainment time.

There are constantly a long list of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens awaiting their forever homes in Panama. Groups like Pal, Spay the Strays, and the many individuals who foster homeless animals provide hope for those abandoned.   

This black and white female mix was found wandering in Altos del Maria. It is believed that she was abandoned, as she was canvassing the area for cars, presumably hoping the one who dropped her off would eventually return.

The Five Stars Academy vegetable garden was the setting for a good, old-fashioned carrot-pickin’ yesterday afternoon. Students from Kindergarten through Middle School got their hands dirty picking carrots from the school’s raised organic vegetable beds.

In addition to intense studies using a U.S.-based curriculum, Five Stars focuses on an appreciation of basic self-reliance skills including farming and gardening skills.

“I really like gardening. I haven’t done it much before. It was cool to see the seeds I planted grow into carrots. Some of my friends took the carrots home to eat and others decided to feed them to our school rabbits.” Ronan, Grade 7 student

The inspiration for this Asian Slaw came from my good friends Jeff & Tania (they make great slaws). The thought to add fresh tuna came from El Sitio in Playa Venao, my last visit I ordered a great fresh tuna Asian salad from them. After spending a morning fishing off the Azuero peninsula, we had more tuna than we knew what to do with! We came home with over 20lbs of fresh tuna. After 3 days of finding creative ways to prepare it,  this asain slaw made it to the top of the list. 

As promised, here is the recipe for the winning Chili (Chili #1 by John Heidemann) from the CASA chili cook-off 2013. Enjoy! 

Makes a lot of Chili, approx. 10lbs

Beans
1 – 15 oz can bbq beans
1 – 15 oz can black beans
1 – 15 oz can Harmel Chili (hot)
4 – 15 oz can red kidney beans

This year the CASA chili cook-off was a huge success. For the second year in a row, over 100 people gathered in the Alcazar lobby and took part in the taste testing. Like in previous years, share plates and beverages were brought by those participating n the tasting. This year there were some spectacular homemade desserts up for grabs.

The rules were simple as usual; chefs were to make a large pot of chili (to feed a minimum of 100 people, 1 oz. portions). Tasters received a numbered tasting cup of each chili entered into the competition and a ballot to pick the one they thought was  the best.  No names were attached to the samples thus making it anonymous.  

The grand prize this year was $100.00 donated by Playacommunity.com, Chef John Heidemann was the winner! Congrats John, on the best chili in Coronado! Thank you to Anick Beadin, Guy Wolf, Lorena Ossa de Cabrera & James Kohls for all your hard work and innovative chili creations! 

The local Neighborhood Watch meeting held at La Ruina bar in Gorgona, brought out a strong presence from the police – in part to Don Winner of Panama-Guide.com spreading the word to the press and inviting officials to attend. The Gorgona Watch meeting is run by Jim Rizik who runs the program through Panama’s Vecinos Vigilantes project.

The meeting was attended by over 100 residents and business owners concerned about escalating crime in the beach neighborhoods. Reporters from TVN and La Prensa were also there to cover the event.

The meeting was run in an orderly manner, with both Police and residents taking turns to speak. Don Winner of Panama-Guide.com translated.

With regard to the recent robbery of Rancho Los Toros, the police said the investigation is about 80% advanced and they are very close to an arrest.

Yellowfin Tuna is abundant in the Pacific waters of Panama right now (Feb, 2013). The peak season in Panama runs from February through to May.  The yellowfin tuna is among the larger tuna species reaching up to 400lbs, still significantly smaller than the Atlantic and Bluefin tuna, which can reach up to 1000lbs.

Recently I spent some time at Casa Estrella el Ciruelo, a short distance from Playa Venao in the Azuero Peninsula. Casa Estrella is a small blue guest house that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. Pee-Wee runs the house, he’s a great guy. As soon as we arrived he let us know the tuna were biting. Pee-Wee said, in past years the Yellowfin tuna had not come, but this year the season was a good one, everyone was coming in with a boat full of tuna!