Don Winner is probably the best known expat in Panama. He publishes a popular English language blog at www.panama-guide.com, in which he translates items of interest from Spanish newspapers in Panama. He has been doing it daily since 2005. Opinionated, investigative and often short off the cuff, he manages get into people’s business to an uncomfortable degree.

Love him or hate him, his site is an important source of information about what’s going on in Panama. His keen nose for trouble has been instrumental in bringing 4 killers to justice.

Don Winner will be speaking at and attending the Playacommunity Mixer on THURSDAY, MARCH 1 at Paraiso Restaurant and Bar in Las Uvas. 4 km up the road to El Valle. The event begins at 11 a.m. Buffet tickets will go on sale at 12 p.m for Rose’s famous $10 buffet. Come on out, meet your neighbors and get to know Don Winner a little better. Click here to  RSVP.

Since its inception, Coronado Bible Church has been blessed to be able to use space at the hotel of Coronado Golf and Country Club. The hotel generously provided that space to the church at no charge. Their generosity has been greatly appreciated!

Due to the renovations and expansion project at the hotel, the church was advised that space would no longer be available. Coronado Bible Church is now blessed to be using the facilities of Rey de Paz Church. The air-conditioned sanctuary provides comfortable seating for over 180 people and the facility also has adequate parking. Rey de Paz is located next door to the new Him shopping center on the autopista, directly across from Cochez.

Once you have decided to change the cold weather for a tropical and sunny day at the beach. There are just few places in the world that are still affordable and if you have done your research, you will know that Panama is one of them.

 My country is small, with about 3.5 million people. We have great beaches, nice weather, and incredible friendly and kind people.  It has a great balance between the countryside and a cosmopolitan city, with one of the strongest banking systems in Latin America. We also have a large community of professionals in various sectors.

We have always been recognized in the world for the Panama Canal, the Ninth Wonder of the World. For people relocating here, we have much more to offer than that, like the possibility of being in the beach in 45 minutes from both sides, Pacific & Caribbean, amazing restaurants, great food, shopping malls. In Panama, there is a whole world of things to discover, that’s why the prestigious magazine National Geographic has recommended Panama as one of the top tourist destinations to visit in 2012. 

The Coronado Area Social Association (CASA) voted in a new all-volunteer board for 2012. The association which was formed in 2005 was originally called the Coronado Social Association (CSA).  It was started as a means for English speaking expats to meet and socialize. The organization changed its name last year to be more inclusive of surrounding beach neighborhoods. Since it's inception, the organization's social agenda included raising funds for worthy local causes.

The CASA organizes and runs several annual events at the beaches: Chili Cook-Off, Beach Picnic, Craft Fair and Christmas Dance. Apart from that, they also maintain a Book Exchange, which is located at El Litoral Bed & Breakfast in the Coronado Area. Over the years, the organization has donated funds to a number of causes including, an orphanage, distribution of food baskets to the poor, distribution of care packages to new mothers in need and educational programs for local children.

CASA maintains a mailing list and sends out useful information to their membership. For more information about  CASA does or to become a member email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Coronado International School is back on the beachgrapevine. The school, which was supposed to open last year stalled due to delays. The bells will finally ringnstudents in this year in August. The school is located at Colinas del Mar, in the Coronado area. The road to the school is accessed from the Interamerican Highway through a small street running  by the Coronado Mall.

For the upcoming new school year, the billingual school will offer classes for pre-school students from 2 years of age, and Kinder students from 5 years of age. To ensure individual attention, class sizes will be limited to 20 students.

A young single father, the son of one of our neighbors, was paralyzed from the waist down after a horrible car accident in the USA. A premier stem cell institute in Panama has accepted him, giving his family some hope that one day he might walk again. BUT, the institute can not begin treatment with the up-front cost of $31,000. Help give Jason a chance!!

Mark your calendars for the next CASA social event, THE CASA CHILI COOK-OFF CHALLENGE being held on February 29 th in the Alcazar lobby.  Celebrate Leap Year by putting on your chef’s apron, cook up your favorite chili and submitting it to the true ‘taste test’, 

Last year,  we had over 80 people tasting and judging the eight chilies which were served, and for the first time ever a woman, Rene Schafer, walked away with the grand prize of $100.  See last year's link

 This contest is open to everyone, if you are interested in cooking and submitting a chili for the contest  and a chance to win $100.00 graciously donated by Playacomunity.com, (which will publish the winning recipe) ,  2nd prize is $50 and 3rd prize will fetch $25!  Just send a message to the CASA email, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , to let us know that you want to b a cook.  A few places are still available. 

9:00 a.m. Thank you Steven Johnson for calling in and letting us know. The road is bloacked in both directions. If anyone has any more information, or pictures, please call me or send them in or comment on this article, so we can get the word out to people travellig in this direction.

10:00 a.m. Traffic is now flowing on both sides.

11:00 a.m. This update from Len Melso of Panamauto Garage in Rio Hato:

It was SUNTRACS, doing a quick mini-blockage and going back to work before the cops got there. It's in solidarity with the Nogle. It's hard to say what will happen these next few days. There might be a general strike, or widespread rioting, or things might just simmer down.

Deciding to sell your property takes a lot more than sticking a price tag on it, calling a real estate advisor and sitting back to wait for a buyer.  Oh no.  There is so much more that you will need to do to put yourself in the position of being prepared for that upcoming offer.

The first thing I always recommend (and yes, I’ve been known to get pushy about this :), is to contact your attorney immediately.  It is extremely important to know where you stand on your property and corporation taxes and to know if you have a property tax exoneration in place . 

Give your attorney a call and let them know that you have your house, condo or lot on the market and what price you are asking.  They will be able to let you know what your tax obligations and closing costs will be when you sell your property.  Also, since you will need your attorney’s representation in the sales transaction, it is a good idea to communicate with them what you are up to so when they get the introduction from your real estate representative they too are prepared to move forward.   And, to state the obvious, knowing what your tax and closing obligations will be is very helpful when determining the price of your property.

This month, Panama is host to athletes arriving from around the world to participate in the Ironman Triathlon, on February 12th. While this competition has professional athletes participating for a $75,000 prize pool, which will be paid out to the first 8 positions in the male and female category, the majority of the athletes entering the Ironman competition are doing so to challenge themselves personally.

Rick Yazwinski a software engineer from Toronto, is relatively new to the world of triathlons. He ran his first ever triathlon just 9 months ago in May of 2011. It was a sprint distance, which is considered as an entry level event for athletes just starting out in the triathlon world. Since then he has done 3 Sprints, 1 Olympic length and 1 Half Iron - and he is hooked to the challenge.

Panama’s Ironman distances are as follows: Swim, 1.9K in the Pacific Ocean at the entrance to the Panama Canal. Bike, 90 km across the Bridge of the Americas. Run, 21 km through Amador Causeway. The event must be completed within 8 hours. Ideally Rick hopes to complete within 5 hours and 15 minutes, climate and weather permitting. Here in Panama, his biggest challenge will be the heat and humidity. Rick is hoping the unseasonably cool weather we have been experiencing at the beaches, stays long enough and makes its way to the city next week.

I received a parking ticket in Panama City, which had been adhered to the driver's window of my vehicle. You do not have to go into Panama City to take care of it. The closest ATTT (Autoridad de Transporte Terrestre something..) is in La Chorrera. I called the phone there (244-3266) and ascertained that they were indeed opened

The ATTT office is VERY easy to locate: as you enter La Chorerra, pass the Accel gas on your right, and as you come to the Texaco gas on your left, (NOT the one on the right) make the left. It's behind and to the left (west) of the Texaco pumps. Go inside, and go to the CAJA window. Present your ticket, and you will be asked for a Cedula, Passport or Nacional Driver's License. The attendant will ask if you are the owner of the vehicle ticketed, and put either your name (if it's not your car) or the plate number (if it is your car) in. He then has all the information on you in Panama: License status/previous tickets/outstanding tickets/passport status and registration status. The fine is only ten dollars for the summons. It was my first and I don't know if subsequent ones are more. I asked what would happen if you didn't answer the ticket. He told me there was a 10% increase in the fine per thirty days, and your registration will be blocked upon renewal date, you could expect problems at customs, then ultimately, if you are stopped by the policia, you can/will be arrested. The computer system is amazingly effective and thorough, and the local policia have hand-held versions.

As an Expat in Panama, are you looking for information regarding Health Insurance? 

Located on the mountain side of the Panamerica Highway, half a mile before San Carlos when coming from Panama, Mamma Mia Restaurant offers a taste of Italy in Panama.

La Chorera is hosting their International Fair from January 18th to the 29th.  Open all day and in the evenings.

This fair has a lot going on!  Busy little streets full of stalls offering everything from food to jewelry, hand made sandals, pots, pans and quite a few novelties.  Naturally there would be ponies to ride and a few animals to check out in the agricultural area.   A little further away, there is the flower section where you can buy anything from orchids to herbs.  Even the National Borders Guards were on hand to show off their jeeps and uniforms.

On Sunday, the Spay the Strays Group conducted our first clinic of 2012 in Bejuco. Unfortunately, one of our vets was unable to attend so we operated on about half our norm: 27 animals. The good news is that no abortions had to be done, for the first time ever. If this clinic had not occurred, chances are that at least half of those animals would have become pregnant with unwanted litters. Several first time volunteers helped out and the slower pace allowed for a lot of cross-training. Please check out the photos below.

On 3 and 4 March, we will be holding our huge annual blitz in conjunction with Spay Panama at the Casa Cultural in San Jose (the town just past Coronado). Our goal will be to spay and neuter at least 200 dogs and cats. That will really help since we now have a waiting list of 72 animals. If you have a rescue animal or if you know a low income petowner with a dog or cat who needs sterilizing, this is the time to do it! Otherwise, our smaller clinics are full without even announcing them. We will be scheduling three shifts of volunteers so any assistance either working or by providing supplies will be greatly appreciated. This Blitz is made possible by the many generous donations during our past donor match that totaled $3600!