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

Yesterday we spent several hours at the Club Ecuestre Metropolitano watching a horse jumping competition. The competition was a qualifying event for an upcoming international event. Most of the riders were young (some very young) and the horses were impressive. It was an interesting change of pace (our first horse show) and we had a nice lunch (BBQ chicken and Papas Fritas) while we watched the festivities along with a fair sized crowd.

The challange (as is most often the case for us) is finding out what's happening before it's over. In this case we did - and enjoyed the afternoon. Read More . . .

Tags: Sights | Events | Video

I was going to do a straight forward "note" about the Albrook Mall but while doing a little research I came across some information that I though some of you might find interesting. So . . . this will now include a little historical tour of the "Albrook" area of Panama City and the transformation it has undergone over the last 75 years.

We start our walk through time in the early 1900s with this picture of the "Balboa swamp" from George Chevalier. After the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914 security concerns brought about a slow but steady increase in the number of US military installations in the Canal Zone. In 1922 the "Balboa Fill Landing Field" was completed and as the name implies the swamp was "filled in" and the river was diverted under ground to make room for the airfield. In 1924 it was renamed "Albrook Field" in honor of Lt. Frank. P. Albrook - the general area is still referred to as "Albrook" although many of the facilities, including the airport, now have names honoring Panamanians. Read More . . .

Tags: History | Shopping | Transportation | Video

In many parts of the world a transcontinental trip is a big deal, requiring significant planning and days (if not weeks) of travel often under less than great conditions. Not so in Panama where people live on one coast and work on the other, riding the world's first transcontinental railroad (established in 1855) or driving the newly opened Corredor Norte (tollroad) on their daily commute. We even have vantage points in Panama where you can actually see both oceans at the same time. Not surprisingly, our transcontinental journey is more akin to a leisurely Sunday outing than an expedition as we can travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic (Caribbean) in under an hour whenever we want to do a little exploring. Read More . . .

Tags: Video | Travel