This was our third Thanksgiving Day in Panama and we again celebrated with our friends and neighbors with a potluck dinner that has now become a Casco tradition - thanks to AVACA and Clara’s (plus her helpers) hard work in getting things organized. The food was great, all the usual Thanksgiving stuff, plus some surprises. The usual mix of nationalities attended - Panamanian, German, French, Italian, British, Columbian, Canadian (plus others I probably missed) and of course a few of us from the USA - lots of good conversation, I’m pretty sure none of the worlds problems were solved - but everyone had a good time!

The location for this years celebration was Las Clementinas Chambers, Café and Bar, Casco’s newest hotel - a great setting and a wonderful job by the staff, thanks.


Take care. Happy Holidays.

Tags: Living | Video

   
One of the little annoyances associated with living is Casco Viejo has always been getting into and out of the neighborhood - too much traffic trying to use the too narrow streets nearly always resulted in wasted time just sitting in traffic. This past weekend we got some relief when the latest section of the Cinta Costera (a $54M project) was opened for traffic. The project is not finished (notice all the construction barricades and fencing) but being able to access Casco without a hassle sure is nice. The completed project will add some green-space, walking and bike paths, along with some much need parking. It will also allow us to walk along the waterfront to the city with views like this.

Take care.

Tags: Transportation

Yesterday was World Beach Cleanup Day and our neighborhood organization (AVACA) joined the effort. Beaches across Panama where selected by varies groups and by all accounts it was a good day for the environment and environmentally awareness in Panama. Unlike our previous cleanup efforts in Casco Viejo that had focused on cleanup and education, this project also performed an inventory of all the trash that was collected - trying to gather some data on what was washing up on these various beaches and thereby gaining some insight on where all this stuff comes from. We had a pretty good turnout, the weather cooperated (cloudy, not too hot) and the organizers were happy with the data collected.       
Take care.

Tags: Events

AVACA (our neighborhood organization) sponsored an Earth Day related project in Casco Viejo today. Six Royal Palms were planted next to the Teatro Nacional to replace palms that had died some time ago. As you can see, these were no little seedlings and it took a lot of manpower (plus the kids) to get these big guys in place. You might also notice that we received an added bonus, as the palms are right outside our apartment - a nice addition to our already great view.


      Click image to see larger version. Click center image to see video.
Everyone have a great day. Take care.

Tags: Community

With a gallery opening, an exhibition, the jazz festival, eating out and the theater it was a busy weekend.

Like almost everywhere things are quiet and then it seems everything happens at once. This past weekend in Casco was one of those busy sessions. We got started Saturday afternoon by doing a mini gallery crawl. I would guess that we have at least a dozen galleries in the neighborhood, ranging from the required tourist souvenir places to those that showcase original works only (high priced). One of our favorites, Galleria Vida (prior home of our angel), was hosting an exhibition by an artist visiting from Key West. These miniature paintings of scenes around Casco Viejo were very nice - looks like a couple will find their way onto our walls along with another angel. Read More . . .

Tags: Festival | Music | Art | Dinning