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

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