My apologies for the lack of posts over the last few weeks - we’ve been spending most of our time working on the apartment and running around getting stuff we need for the new place. Not very exciting to write about, even when I’m not feeling worn out. Jane has also been very busy - chief decorator, painter and most importantly my “board holder” and “gofer.” Wags, of course, has been hanging around and most of the time staying out of the paint. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Apartment

Over the last ten days Casco Viejo has had several important visitors:


The most important (to us) was a visit we had from Panama Notes reader’s Merry and Don. They were on their sixth visit to Panama and are making final plans to build on property they own near Boquete. We walked around Casco a bit then went to dinner at Buzios - it was a very nice evening to eat outdoors, a little breeze and no bugs. The best part, just chatting about Panama and the choices we make and how this place has something for everyone. Had such a great time I forgot to take any pictures - next time guys.. Read more

Tags: VIP

Today was a big holiday in Panama, MOTHER'S DAY! Yup, Mother's Day is an official government holiday and it’s a big deal. Restaurants and florists do a booming business, but government offices and banks are closed up tight. It’s also what is called a “bridge holiday” here in Panama, most of us know it as a “three day weekend”. The “bridge” refers to either the Puente de las Américas (Bridge of the Americas) or the Puente Centenario (Centennial Bridge) the two bridges that cross over the Panama Canal and which Panamanians use in great numbers to escape the city on these long holiday weekends.

Hope all you mothers had a great day. Take care.

Tags: Culture

Although Thanksgiving is not a Panamanian holiday, that didn’t deter a group from hosting the first annual Thanksgiving fiesta in Casco Viejo. Sounded like the perfect opportunity to meet some of our neighbors - so off we went, pretzel salad and pickled mushrooms in hand. What made the evening, and indicates the diversity of the community we’ve joined, were the people. Seniors were well represented (the host’s mother was Panama’s first female doctor), as well as the younger crowd (business owners and professionals). We chatted with people from England, Italy, Spain, Columbia, Germany, Canada, the U.S. and several “citizens of the world” who spend part of each year in Panama. Our host Panamanians (remember this is not their holiday) who were the majority of those attending, enthusiastically embraced the Thanksgiving spirit and welcomed everyone as Casco Antiguo Vecinos. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Friends

Without any explanation you might think the picture at the left has something to do with the Thanksgiving/Christmas holiday season. The colors may seem unique but the words (if you read Spanish) saying Happy Holidays lead to the same conclusion. In this case however the City Hall in Casco Viejo is all decked out for the nearly month long celebration of Panama’s independence from Spain and then Columbia. We’ve had numerous “official” holidays already with the big celebration coming this Friday, November 28th, with the celebration of Panama’s independence from Spain in 1821. Several big parades will take place - but surprisingly Casco Viejo will be eerily quiet with no government workers around and the narrow streets not very conducive to big parades. We will just watch the fireworks across the bay and avoid all the excitement.

Enjoy your holidays, whatever they celebrate and wherever you are. Take care.

A while back I did a “note” about the doors of Casco Viejo. Today I want to show you what we think is the most important door in the neighborhood. You might also remember that I had briefly mentioned that Jane and I were busy with a little project and offered that as an excuse for the lack of posts lately. Well, the “project” and today’s door offering are related - Jane is standing in front of the door to our home we just purchased in Casco Viejo. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Our Casa

Last Tuesday I was out with Wags and noticed a long line of people at the National Theater. We’d been told the scheduled concert had been canceled, but obviously, something was going on - I’d never seen a line like this. So, back to apartment for a quick change of clothes and I’m off to see what’s happening. The line was gone, but lots of people were still arriving and I didn’t see any ticket takers (another freebie) so in I go. Turns out the canceled concert was indeed going to happen. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Music

Every now and then I plan to include “notes’ from special correspondents who may have a special viewpoint on life in Panama. This “note” is from our roving reporter who has had his nose to the ground over these last four months sniffing out aspects of our adventure that may be overlooked by us mere mortals. So, from the paws of B.G. Wags some observations - woof, woof, woof-woof, woof. Oops, forgot to turn the translator on, now that that’s fixed you can. . . . Read more

Tags: Wags

After a lot of research, and a one month visit in 2006, we decided to make the move to Panama and were pretty confident that our decision was the right one for us at this particular time. What we were less sure of - where in Panama did we want to live? We arrived determined not to rush, to explore our options, talk to people, and gain some first hand experience within the country. We considered everything from Cerro Azul (east) to Cerro Punta (the far west) and lots of places between. Jane ruled out “high rise” living and our island experience left us with no great desire to reside in a beach community (Caribbean or Pacific), other than that we were pretty open. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo

Last night we spent a very enjoyable evening at the National Theater at a free concert by the Joven Orquesta de Centroamerica (the Youth Orchestra of Central America). Fifty or so young musicians from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama put on a stunning performance. They played a wide range of music and had a couple of adult guest soloists, but the youngsters were clearly the “stars”. It was also interesting in that they started the concert with just the brass section on stage, then the string section had their turn, then the entire orchestra. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Culture, Music

C.J. and Richard paid us a visit today for lunch in Casco Viejo and a little tour. They are new friends that we first met a couple of months ago when we were staying at La Cresta de Ore. They have made several trips to Panama working on visa issues and (like us) hunting for their place in Panama. They had just returned from a trip out West to Chiriqu Province and came back with good things to say about the area around Boquete. Jane and I had made a similar trip two years ago and although we liked what we saw it’s become apparent that we prefer the big city experience (Panama City) after our nine years on a 6 by 27 mile long island. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Friends, Food

Saturday night Jane and I ventured out to the Theatre Guild of Ancon for a performance of “The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940”. The Theatre Guild (spelling intentional, as the organization was founded by British Expats in 1950) is like many small community theaters anywhere in the world - all volunteer, with budding actors/actresses doing their thing for a small but appreciative audience. The show was a comedy where the “Slasher” kept popping out of secret passages to dispatch his victims while the various cast members alternated between being the prime suspect, victims or less than great detectives. It was a fun two hours. Read more

Tags: Entertainment, Food

Stopped by Casa Góngora tonight to see what all the excitement was about. Upstairs a mariachi band had the packed house up and dancing. It was the usual diverse crowd for this place - young and old, smartly dressed and the blue jean set (me). A group of “senior” ladies was burning up the dance floor. Folks from the audience were joining the band to sing, with everyone having a great time.

It’s things like this that make living in Casco Viejo interesting and a lot of fun. Take care.

Tags: Casco Viejo, Music

Jane and I are tied up on on little project but thought you might want to enter the “Guess what this is contest”. Grand Prize for the best answer (judges ruling is final) a treat at Casco’s ice cream shop when you visit - you are planing a trip, aren’t you? So if you want to enter . . . Read more

Tags: Misc.

Our walking tour of Casco Viejo was rained out, but the folks at the Casco Antiguo office offered to give us a special tour on Monday. They only have two English speaking guides and one offered to come in on a day when they don’t normally give tours. We’re both looking forward to learning more about the place.

Odds and Ends: Walked down Avenida Central the other day to shop. On our way back Jane decides to get two bananas. Asks the street vendor how much for two - he says 25¢. Jane leaves with six bananas, the price, still 25¢. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Misc.

Just thought we’d let you know all is well in Panama - nothing really exciting to report. Still looking at housing possibilities but most days we are just doing the “normal” things people do regardless of where they live.

In the meantime, if you missed this little slide show the first time around - hit PLAY and enjoy!

We are trying to catch the Saturday history tour of Casco Viejo tomorrow and hopfully come back with some pictures and information to share. Til then, take care.

A few days ago Jane was one egg short for a batch of brownies. Out the door she goes to one of our little grocery stores (think convenience store with a little more character) a couple of minutes later she’s back with ONE egg. Cost 15¢. Brownies coming right up.

At the pharmacy if you want a single Advil, no problem. Need twenty - they’ll count them out for you. The same with most drugs, you only need to buy the quantity you want. Read more

Tags: Misc.

Today on the way to the monthly flea market at the plaza we stopped by to check out the baseball playoffs. No, we didn’t stop at the local sports bar (Casco doesn’t have one), we joined the crowd at the local “ballpark”. If you’re familiar with Casco Viejo you may wonder exactly where the “ballpark” is. Well . . . . Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Life

This week the Festival Internacional de la Cancion de Autor (International Festival of Singer Songwriters) had it’s final events. The festival was a series of free concerts - this year featuring the guitar and had performers from Panama, Spain and Mexico.

On Wednesday, Jane and I walked two blocks (stopped for ice cream on the way) to Casa Góngora for a small indoor event. Casa Góngora in a partially restored building that is the home to the Casco Antiguo Cultural Center. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Culture, Music

Definition: “Birthday Bash” for us = quiet night out together.

Jane and I have birthday’s exactly two weeks apart and for more than a few years we have forgone the usual “give each other a gift” thing and have opted for a quiet evening at a good restaurant. So, Monday night we went around the corner to Indigo, described as a “oriental-mediterranean fusion” restaurant - whatever that is. After settling in a a corner table in the bar (because it’s in a restored building the restaurant is comprised of several small rooms and a patio) I ordered a Mojito (mainly because I’d never had one - think I will stick with plain old rum and coke) and we picked up the menu. Soon thereafter, one of the owners stopped by and chatted with us about the various dishes - many of which seemed to have a Moroccan connection. We ended up having Shrimp Couscous and a cold Duck Salad (unusual and very good) as appetizers. Green Curry and Moroccan Chicken for the main courses and dessert. Bottom line - best restaurant meal I’ve had in looooong time.



If you’re ever in Casco Viejo, Indigo is located next to the Tourism Police on Avenida Central.

Postscript: No people in the pictures because I returned the next day before they opened for business to take these.

Tags: Casco Viejo, Restaurants

Imagine what lies behind Casco Viejo’s many doors. Historically important events took place behind many. Others are vivid reminders that Panama almost lost a national treasure. They are guardians of the past and portals to the future. Side by side they tell us of the hard times, a rebirth and the joyfulness of Casco Viejo and it’s people. They make us smile and almost cry, protect the rich, provide sanctuary for the poor and always remind us that Casco Viejo is real. Walk with us and wonder.

Tags: Casco Viejo

Today we needed to run a couple of errands in the El Cangrejo neighborhood. A two dollar taxi ride, then we walked around and amazingly accomplished everything on our list. It was around noon and there had been a light rain that cooled things off a bit - so we decided to hike back to Casco Viejo. Besides, we had wanted to eat at Restaurante Boulevard Balboa which was at about the halfway point so we could always grab a taxi if our legs gave out. We had been once before (on our 2006 visit) when a Panamanian took us there. I had a “combinación especial”, Jane a Cubano and a chocolate shake - everything was great AND we took half home with us for dinner. Read more

Tags: City

On any given day you can see just about anything in Casco Viejo. School kids on a tour. Art classes in the plaza. Police on their morning run. Vendors and craft sellers. Tourists. Last week our neighbors plunked a tent down in the middle of the street (albeit a side street) and two soccer goals for the kids - somebody’s birthday party. It was an all day festivity ending in the required fireworks. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Culture

From about any location in Panama City you can see a huge Panama flag atop a very prominent landmark - Ancon Hill, 650 plus feet high. While we had the rental car (between all those important errands) we decided to play explorer. The guidebooks said there was a road to the top of Ancon, the challenge was finding it. Off we went to Balboa (originally a Canal Zone town) and Quarry Heights, where the U.S. Southern Command was located. After finding a road behind the current headquarters of the Panama Canal Authority that looked promising up we went, until - we came to an imposing guard post. Oops, maybe we were not on the right road after all? Edging forward, we finally decided that it was just a leftover from the U.S. Military (you come across these things frequently in the old Canal Zone) and where once you would have encountered a serious MP we were greeted by a bored Panamanian guard waving at passing tourists. Read more

Tags: Exploring, City

Will try to get back on schedule after my little layoff - was very busy doing nothing!

Last Friday we rented a car so we could do a little exploring outside the city and run a few errands. Our first trip was to La Chorrera to check out a small development. It was a thirty minute drive West on the Interamericana Highway to Brisas de los Lagos where the project engineer gave us a great tour. They have done a very nice job so far and we liked what we saw. Two big decisions we still haven’t made - city versus country and this project would require we build (something that I didn’t want to do - hassle factor, mainly) as they have no existing homes for sale. Still, it was impressive enough that it is on our “list” as the search continues. Read more

Tags: Misc.

As you walk around Casco Viejo chances are you will eventually see one of these guys, usually under a shade tree in one of the plazas. They make snow cones the old fashioned way - from a big (but getting smaller) block of ice they purchased at the start of the day. We normally get cherry (rojo) with the “works”. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Food

With our hardhats in hand we made the short walk back to La Posada, a restoration project we looked at last week. As you can tell from the pictures, they have a little work to do. The agent says it will be ready by November. In a lot of ways Panama is just like the islands - when someone asks a question the answer is always meant to please - not be accurate. In the islands it’s the “don’t worry be happy” attitude, in Panama it’s "juego vivo" - live without hassle, that rules the day. Hey - “whatever works” does it for me. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Real Estate

Because we are both now retired and on the infamous “fixed income” we try and watch our spending - we actually have a budget and a surprisingly (for us) effective way of tracking our money (will tell you about the “system” someday). But, as with all well laid plans certain things occasionally popup that were not planned for. In our case it’s . . . . Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Food

Yesterday after shopping on Avenida Central we walked a couple of blocks to the Mercado de Mariscos (Fish Market). If you noticed the Japanese flag on the sign -the building was a gift from the Japanese government. Upstairs is a restaurant that overlooks the floor of the market where we had lunch. In addition to pretty good food you get the added benefit of the free show going on below. You can even buy your entree from one of the vendors and take it to the restaurant for preparation.

Read more

Tags: Food, Sights

Avenida Central is one of Panama City’s main avenues, originating in Casco Viejo just a few feet from the front door of our apartment and running to the edge of the banking district. Today we took a little walk down Central to the “peatonal” section (pedestrian mall) to check out the shopping. This area of the city is not on the “must see” list of most tourists (some guidebooks even say avoid the area) but if you live in the city and want to find stuff at reasonable prices, this is the place. Plus it’s just an interesting, not sterile, slice of life in the big city - with real people going about their daily lives. Disneyland cute and perfect it is not! Read more

Tags: City, Shopping

Tonight we attended a jazz concert at the National Theater. One in a series of events in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the theater. The concert was free - a gift from Alliance Francaise (a French cultural exchange organization) to the people of Panama. The theater is a great concert venue, very good acoustics and ornate almost beyond description - they don’t build halls like this any more! Looks like it could accommodate about 600 if they packed the place, and you wouldn’t be more than 75 feet from the stage in the worst seat. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo, Music

Our major accomplishment for the day - we looked at another apartment that is for sale in the building next to our rental. Two bedrooms, nice view of the city, and some great inside architectural features inside - exposed “calicanto” walls and remnants of the very old foundation. It’s on our “maybe” list.



A trip via taxi to the grocery store (one of the amenities that Casco Viejo lacks) and several walks around Casco, took care of the rest of the day. What a life.

Special Note: I’ve upgraded the software used to create this site. If you see something that doesn’t look right or won’t display - please let me know.

Take care.

Tags: Tech, Misc.

After church at Iglesia de la Merced we walked around the corner and past the Presidential Palace. The guards allowed us to walk right past the front door - didn’t see the boss.

Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo

The plan when we moved to Panama was to rent and “test drive” the various living options available. Location (city, country, mountains) and the type (high-rise, low-rise, condo, single family home) - we saw no advantage in rushing and wanted to give ourselves a reasonable shot at finding something (somewhere) that meet most of our criteria. The only thing that has happened so far is that we’ve pretty much ruled out a high-rise - just not our thing. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo

Tonight you get to tag-along on one of our late afternoon walks. We usually just wander around, get a snow cone from a street vendor, and explore.

Out the door we go, turn left, and head towards this little park, with a nice view of the city.

Then it’s past Rubén Blades’ house (Panama’s Minister of Tourism). If you are a film buff or into Latin music you may recognize the name. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo

Casco Viejo (also know as Casco Antiguo or San Filipe) is the old quarter of Panama City, founded in 1673 after the original Pacific settlement (Panama Viejo) was sacked by the pirate Henry Morgan. It is the oldest city on the Pacific Coast of the Americas and remained the center of Panamanian life for nearly 300 years, until the 1930s, when, like many old quarters in Latin America, Casco Antiguo declined as Panama's upper crust moved to the suburbs. Read more

Tags: Casco Viejo

A couple of “Extras” that will get lost in the shuffle if I don’t write them down.

Today (Wednesday) we went for our first major trip to the grocery store - up until now, we shopped almost daily for the things we needed. Now that we are settling in, it was time to stock up. Get a taxi and off we go. Load up a cart and head for the check-out lane (those dying for some cost of living comparisons will have to wait) and we are greeted by the usual “bagboys” - one unloads your cart for you, then joins his buddy at the other end to bag the stuff up. Then he rolls the cart to the curb and gets you a taxi, loads the groceries into the taxi and we are on our way. Service with a smile.

The taxi drivers continue to amaze. Going to the grocery we had “Mario Andretti” - thought Jane was going to jump out if given a chance. On the return, just a leisurely drive. Arrived at the apartment where our neighbors maid and handyman helped carry in the groceries. Then the amazing part. We had been inside the apartment unpacking the groceries when someone knocked at the door - it was the maid with a bag of our groceries. She told Jane we had left the bag in the taxi and the driver had RETURNED when he later discovered the bag. Maybe I’m getting cynical but I wonder in how many places that would happen. His total fare - a whopping $3.00.

Take Care. Read more

Tags: Misc.

Tonight we ventured out for a real football game (soccer to those of you in the U.S.), a Liga de Campeones (Champions League) match between Chivas U.S.A and Tauro F.C. at Estadio Rod Carew. This was the first time I have been able to see a MLS (Major League Soccer) team in person and anticipated a pretty good game because they were facing one of the better local teams. It was a good game, although Chivas had several serious defensive lapses - guess that’s why they lost 2-0. Read more

Tags: Sports

Looking around for something to do after church I found a little blurb on a “Varsity League Football” game in Balboa. Tried to find a little more information to no avail (was it soccer, rugby, “American football”) as the “Varsity League” had me a little stumped. But, what the heck - let’s just go and see. Turned out to be “American football” (if you’re wondering why I use quotes - it’s because in the rest of the world “football” is really soccer). It was the leagues opening day and we saw the Jaguars vs the Falcons plus two other teams we never got the names of. The format, (don’t know if the do this at all their “games”) two teams play a quarter. Then the other two play a quarter and then they start rotating opponents. Lots of cheering (no cheerleaders), music, Spanish announcer with a little English. Had fun, and the football, although not the NFL, was entertaining. Read more

Tags: Sports, Misc.

Went on one of our little walks today - ended up at MultiPlaza Mall. Jane’s pedometer said we did almost two miles total. Nothing exciting happened so I thought I’d just post a couple of pictures and then watch a soccer game on TV.

Take care.

Tags: Pictures

One of my major complaints when we lived on St. Croix was the lack of information on upcoming events. There was always plenty to do - but unfortunately we often found out about a particular event too late, often after it had occurred. Living in Panama City has only magnified the problem where a LOT is going on, but learning about what’s happening is a real challenge - especially for those of us not yet tied into the local “network” and still working on our Spanish language skills. Read more

Tags: Events, Links

I suspect that a lot of you are watching non-stop coverage of the Olympics and cheering the efforts of the your home countries team. Our Olympic TV coverage here in Panama is nothing to rave about - language is not the problem, it’s the amount of coverage (not a lot) and trying to find it on the local channels. For those of you paying close attention who might have looked WAY down the medal standings list to those countries who have a single medal to their credit you would have seen Panama and maybe thought “that’s neat” or even “that must be a big deal” down in Panama where Steve and Jane are. Read more

Tags: Sports

Our Mac Mini returned from the shop today, fixed - sort of. For you techies out there our problem was no sound, but unlike most computers, the Mini has no sound card but a chip that is part of the “motherboard”. Short story version - No sound, replace the motherboard. The Mac Store ordered a new board, it arrived on time, they estimated three days and I could get it back - three days later I’m back in business. Read more

Tags: Tech

Today has been one of those rainy, lazy days - sort of a Dracula type day, and I started thinking. Not about the Count from Transylvania but a finca (farm) in the Chiriqui highlands just outside Cerro Punta. Finca Dracula is a 22 acre farm whose focus is growing orchids, it’s namesake is the Dracula Orchid - and they have 124 species of Dracula alone. The greenhouses and surrounding gardens have over 2300 species of orchards in total - the place is one of the hidden wonders of Panama. During our visit we took these picture - hope you enjoy Read more

Tags: Places

We returned to PC yesterday. It’s a little warm (Jane says, hot) after our week in the mountains and will take a couple of days to readapt. Because our apartment wouldn’t be ready until late in the day we decided to tour a small development just West of Panama City, so we cross the canal on the Puente de las Américas (Bridge of the Americas) and head for the town of Arraijan, about a thirty minute drive. Closer to the city than Cerro Azul, a small development in Arraijan had all new construction - so we thought it might be worth looking at. The location was pretty good but the construction quality just wasn’t what I thought it should be, so it won’t be on our list for future consideration. Nice trip though - gave us a look at an area we had not previously visited. Read more

Tags: Misc.

We are packing for our return to Panama City from Los Altos de Cerro Azul after our nine day stay and have a few observations to share. First, we are very happy that we changed our plans and made this trip. It was worthwhile and we learned a lot about Cerro Azul and the surrounding area. Is Cerro Azul where we want to live in Panama? Maybe, maybe not - it’s too early in our search to tell. We can tell you that Cerro Azul has moved from a place we where curious about, to one that is now on our list of possibilities. Our observations: Read more

Tags: Cerro Azul

Jane and I went for a drive into the “city” today. Nothing special in mind - primarily it was OJT on how to survive while driving in Panama City plus navigation 101. Nothing really exciting happened, we ended up at Los Pueblos (think VERY big strip shopping center), walked around and then had lunch at TGIFridays. Heading back to Cerro Azul we stopped at El Machetazo (the Panama version of a Super Walmart) for groceries and dessert, a DQ Blizzard. Then back to the apartment where Wags was, not so patiently, waiting. Read more

Tags: Misc.<