2 Retire In Panama? NEWSLETTER
Volume 12 December 14, 2020
Panama is welcoming visitors...
...and one of the questions I get the most is how "under control" is COVID-19 in Panama. I am going to continue putting this update in my newsletter from Karyn Saunders. This is Karyn's update as of December 10th, 2020. Thank you so much Karyn for continuing to keep ex-pats aware of the statistics:
Panama has 185,424 total cases + 2447 new, 3287 total deaths + 23 new, 173 in ICU, 1127 are hospitalized, 24,249 active, 157,888 have recovered + 1018 new, resulting in a death rate of 1.8%.
1) 1,020,898 total tests, 13,299 new, 18.4 positive rate.
2) Today MINSA received a mobile hospital worth $400,000 and PPE (personal protective equipment) worth $120,000 from the United States.
3) The positive rate is acceptable if it remains under 15%, but the goal is to have it consistently below 10%.
4) Panama has agreed to buy 3,000,000 vaccine doses from Pfizer and Biotech subject to the study and regulatory approval in 2021.
As visitors begin filtering back to Panama, one important consideration is the mandatory COVID test within 48 hours prior to entering the country. We have talked with people who spent as much as $1000.00 for 4 tests, and others who have paid nothing. I am told that Walgreens and CVS are offering free tests by appointment at select locations. Check out this option, but be advised that some people have been told that the result may not be back in time to travel. Time this option carefully. The test is available at Tocumen International Airport for $50 each. The airline must allow travelers to fly without the test, so check your airline requirements. If you land in Panama and test positive, the government may require you to quarantine at a government selected location at your own expense. This can be costly for tourists, but people who can show that they own their own home are being allowed to quarantine at home.
Jen and I are going back to the States...
...for Christmas and New Years. I am going to try to include our COVID test experience in a future newsletter. We plan to get a COVID test prior to leaving Panama so that we are not concerned about infecting our hosts in Florida.
Between now and the 2nd week in January...
we will be concentrating on our travel plans. We are excited to be planning a visit to family and friends during the holidays. For that reason I may not put a coupon offer in every newsletter. I have been spending a great deal of time each week looking for just the right offers. Two times now the offer has been sold out just prior to publishing. I realized the problem last week just in time to look for and change the coupon. Consequently the offer was not as great as I would have liked, even though it was a really good deal.
Remember the fitness watch offer from a couple of weeks ago? Remember, also, that I said it may not arrive until after Christmas? I have been tracking mine. It turns out that it shipped directly from Tiawan. I figure it must be on a slow boat...LOL. I will let you know when it arrives? My expectations are simple based on the fact that total price including shipping was under $10. You never know what kind of crazy deal I may come up with, so keep your eyes open after the middle of next month for new and amazing deals.
One of our favorite restaurants...
...here in Coronado is a Nazca 21. It is a Peruvian restaurant with an excellent chef. We have taken a couple of recent opportunities to enjoy their awesome offerings. Last week we went with a couple of our friends. They too love the special food and atmosphere. It does not hurt a thing that they have a daily two for one happy hour and Jen loves the Pisco Sours. Personally, I think they serve one of the best Margaritas in town.
As retirees...
...Jen and are always interested in finding ways to enjoy our free time. During the heigth of the COVID lockdown, we started enjoying a weekly luncheon with friends. We take turns hosting and everyone takes a turn at cooking or providing a delicious dessert. After lunch we always play a game of Mexican Train, and depending on the venue we have also been able to enjoy a swim. Condo pools are only open to residents per the COVID regulations, but one of our hosts has their own pool. It is these weekly events that has helped all of us retain our sanity. Having contact with others is so important to keeping it real. This is a weekly event that we all look forward to and I expect it to continue.
New Year Celebration...
In Coronado and the surrounding beach communities means that the Old Year Dolls “Muneco de ano Viejo” will be showing up along the highway. Last week Jen and I were out and the dolls are starting to show up. We do not know how Covid will affect these traditions this year. The following is an exerpt from Chapter 24 of my book which gives a bit of detail about the Dolls.
A couple of weeks before the New Year, effigies start showing up all over Panama. The effigies are also referred to as Munecos, Dummies, Old Year Dolls, and Judas Dolls. They are life sized “stuffed people” and they make up one of Panama’s many New Year traditions. Folklore has it that the effigy should be stuffed with firecrackers, beaten, and set on fire. The sins and evil spirits of the old year are destroyed to make way for good fortune in the new year. It is believed that ghosts are afraid of light and noise. The firecrackers, therefore, help drive the evil forces away. They usually try to make the effigy look like well-known politicians, movie stars, or other popular people from the past year. We have seen candidates for Presidential elections here in Panama, snowmen, road workers, movie stars, pageant queens, cartoon figures, and of course there were a few attempts at President Trump. Imagination is off the charts. We find the whole thing a bit sacrilegious, so initially it was difficult for me to write about this tradition. As I thought about it, I decided that it would be unfair not to share fun and interesting cultural traditions regardless of our beliefs.
My book has great detail of Panamanian traditions. 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.
When Jen and I travel, we make arrangements with Marc Vargas for transportation to and from the airport. Marc has the best work ethic of anyone who I have ever met. He can set up great tours, help with rental cars, transportation, relocation, translating, and a multitude of other things. Click the link above to visit his FaceBook page.
Blessings from paradise,
Greg 