Sunrise over the Pacific photo credit Lyn Gilbert
2 Retire In Panama?
NEWSLETTER
Volume 10 November 30, 2020
Panama continues to reopen...
...and one of the questions I get the most is how "under control" is COVID-19 in Panama. This is the update as of November 25th from Karyn Saunders.Thank you so much Karyn for continuing to keep ex-pats aware of the statistics:
Panama has 158,532 total cases + 1602 new, 3002 total deaths + 16 new, 151 in ICU, 889 are hospitalized, 16,174 active, 139,326 have recovered + 1349 new, resulting in a death rate of 1.9%.
1) 858,579 total tests, 9978 new, 16.1 positive rate, 18,963/100,000
2) The rate of transmission (RT) in San Carlos is 1.68% and Chame is 1.03%. These jusidictions are nearest our home in Coronado.
3) Panama is in the top 4 countries of the Americas that have administered the most tests per capita. U.S., Canada, and Chile lead the Americas.
5) The positive rate is acceptable if it remains under 15%, but the goal is to have it consistently below 10%.
6) Panama has agreed to buy 3,000,000 vaccine doses from Pfizer and Biotech subject to the study and regulatory approval in 2021.
My coupon offer this week is...
...the best yet. This Eriuaes D13 Smart Wristband Health Fitness IP67 Waterproof Bluetooth 4.0 Sports Smart Bracelet Smart Watch is 80% off. get offer here. This offer is good through midnight PST on December 3, 2020. While supplies last. Check out the link above. There are several colors from which to choose. Mine ended up being $9.19 at checkout including tax and $1.99 shipping. At that price order one of each color. My order said that the estimated delivery would be Dec. 30 to Jan. 23, so keep that in mind if you are ordering one for someone on your Christmas list.
Remember the shoe offer a couple of weeks ago...Mine came and I am very happy with them. My only disappointment was that they were made in China. That being said, they were a perfect fit.
Our bathroom remodel is...
...almost complete. Ventana Y Vidrio Jamarillo measured for our mirrors last Monday, and it will take 2 weeks for the manufacture and install. That is all we lack.
One of our regular stops...
is a place that many of you would compare to Speedway. We stop in to get gas at a place called Va y Ven. The stations have a great lunch counter and seating so they are kind of like a truck stop. In this new normal of social distancing the company has come up with a great way to social distance at their tables. Every other table is occuped by giant teddy bears. We got quite a kick out of it and wanted to share.
A few weeks ago...
...Jen and I met with Panama Living to talk about my book. They published a great article as a result of the interview. A click on the link takes you to their site and the feature article of their latest newsletter. Panama Living is another great resource for information about retiring to Panama. I encourage you to bookmark the site for information sure to help the decision process when it comes to future plans to retire in Panama. I have agreed to write future articles in their newsletter. You may also like to subscribe to their newsletter.
December is a big holiday...
...month all over the world and Panama is no exception. Today is the celebration for Independence from Spain. The official holiday was on Saturday causing it to be celebrated on December 1.
Mother's Day is celebrated next Tuesday December 8. It is a celebration in Panama where people here show how much they appreciate their mother and the other people who are considered mother figures. Mother's Day is always celebrated on December 8. This picture is of my sweet mom who lives in the United States.
Christmas Day is celebrated just like in the states. The baby Jesus, though, is not put in the manger until midnight on December 25th. Panamanians do not really celebrate boxing day, and their big Christmas celebration is typically held on the 24th of December when families gather together to enjoy a meal with their loved ones.
In the past, Coronado and the surrounding beach communities have been among the top destinations for bringing in the New Year in Panama. Fireworks are a must during this fiesta. A tradition, unique to the Panama West area is a New Year’s doll called a “Muneco de ano Viejo.” We celebrated last year with a Muneco Snowman. We do not know how Covid will affect these traditions this year, so I will put more detail about the New Year's dolls a little later in December.
My book has great detail of Panamanian history. If this interests you, pick up a copy to read more detail of the events taking place in a normal year. You can get a copy of my book by clicking the link here, or the link on the blog. It is exclusively available on Amazon or Kindle. Kindle Unlimited subscribers read it free.
One of the things that we have been blessed to be able to support is The Mola Mask Project Victor and Christian stopped by on Thursday to bring us a few more masks. They are colorful and comfortable and made by the Kuna women to support the local school on San Blas. This link will allow you to connect with them for the purchase of masks in the U.S. and Canada.
Blessings from paradise,
Greg 