Multiplaza Mall has added 100’s of additional parking spots to Panama City’s most high-end shopping center and while it’s always been free to park there, that will be coming to an end soon. The mall administration has just announced that they will start to charge for parking in the third week…
Panama’s new metro recently opened and while passengers are loving the fast transportation system, taxi drivers are not a fan. Before the metro opened, Panama’s infamous taxi drivers used to either drive around the city piling as many people as they could in a car or they would stop and…
Panama’s first Metro was inaugurated on Saturday, April 5 and then opened to the public on Sunday after 38 months of construction. The first line of the Metro includes 19 trains each with 3 cars and 15 stations going from Albrook to Los Andes. Operating hours will be 5:00 am…
The International Film Festival kicked off in Panama yesterday for the 3rd year. During the week there will be films from around the world shown at the Teatro Nacional, Cinepolis Multiplaza, open air projections at Plaza Cincuentenario in Casco Viejo, and a few other locations. The same films have been…
After two consecutive years of double digit growth, Panama’s economy slowed down a bit to 8.4% growth in 2013. The easing in growth comes as investments in large-scale infrastructure projects, including the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal, draw to a close. One of the other major infrastructure projects…
Starbucks, the coffee franchise on every corner of the U.S., plans to open stores in Panama at the beginning of 2015. In April 2011, Starbucks Coffee Company signed an agreement to begin operating franchises in Central America. Since then they have opened 5 stores in El Salvador, 4 in Costa…
Tired of hoping the border every six months to renew your tourist visa in Panama? I did that for my first two years here and I’m finally happy to be a permanent resident now. I just completed the Friendly Nations Visa that was recently created and I’ll write a blog…
After my Spanish class every Saturday in Casco Viejo I have started making a habit of renting a bike to ride around Cinta Costera after. Cinta Costera is Panama City’s park system located on the waterfront that was constructed within the past couple of years and is still expanding. There’s…
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about how I was beginning classes at Casco Antiguo Spanish School. I’ve been going there every Saturday morning for three hours – giving up my Friday nights in Panama – so I can finally get better at speaking the language of the…
Uber, the transportation app taking over the world, has just launched in Panama. The app allows you to hail an Uber driver based on your location using your smartphone and then the fare is calculated on distance and time it takes to arrive to your location. Payments are managed through…
There are several websites in Panama like Groupon in the U.S. that offer deals on restaurants, spas, events, and tours for over half off. Subscribing to these can be a great way to save money whether you live here or are just visiting. Here is a list of the websites…
Panama City, Panama was ranked as one of the least expensive cities in the world to live in according to the latest Worldwide Cost of Living Survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit twice a year. The survey takes a look at 400 individual prices across 160 products and services…
This April begins the first commercial flight to the International Scarlett Martnez Airport in Ro Hato, Panama. The airport was inaugurated in November 2013 after a $53 million renovation, but has not received any commercial flights yet. Juan Carlos Pino, Director of Tocumen, S.A, indicated that the name of the…
This year me and a group of friends headed to Penonomé, Panam¡ to celebrate the legendary carnaval in Panama there. We spent two days of non-stop partying at the culecos and Peskito, which lead to some interesting things happening. Here’s my list of the 10 things that happened at carnival…
Panama’s legendary carnavales are coming up this weekend and I’ll be heading to Penonomé to celebrate. This is going to be my second carnaval so I thought I should share a checklist of the things you must bring in case it’s anyone’s first time. Carnavales Checklist Cooler Necklace: I put…
I remember when I turned 16 I couldn’t wait to get my first car because of how much freedom it would give me. Just to get from my house to the entrance of my neighborhood in the suburbs of Kentucky was a 20 minute walk, and then once I got…
For everyone that hates keeping up with two different toll cards for Corredor Sur and Corredor Norte your life is about to get much easier starting on March 5th because the two systems are finally uniting into one. The new card will be called Panapass and it will work alongside…
If you’ve read my other blog posts you know that I speak very positively about Panama. It’s a great place to be and I love living here, but it’s definitely not perfect. So for this post I’m going to change it up a bit with some negativity. Here are 7…
I’m part of the Facebook group for expats in Panama called Tropical Cowboys & Cowgirls and today I received a notification about a fellow Canadian expat here: Further down in the comments reveals more information but Maeva is on life support right now and her family is only able to…
My first apartment in Panama was next to a modeling agency and I walked past it everyday for about four months until one day the owner of the agency was outside and stopped me. He said I should come in for a casting sometime because I would be great for…
7,784,328 people passed through Panama’s Tocumen Airport in 2013, which was a record number for Panama. Up until October 2013, the Department of Tocumen International Airport Statistics had calculated 6,389,124 people which represented an increase of 12% compared to the same period in 2012. The Tocumen airport operates with19 commercial…
The current expansion of the Panama Canal is threatened to come to a halt due to unforeseen costs. The Spanish company Sacyr won the bid to build the new locks for the Panama Canal expansion in 2009 when they proposed a cost of US$3.12 billion – which was considerably lower…
In 2013, Panama received more than 2.2 million tourists that generated about $3.3 billion for the country, a 7.8% increase from the year before. According to the official information, March was found to be the month that generated the most income with $323.5 million. 69.4% of the tourists arrived through…
Barlovento opened in Casco Viejo last year and they’ve hosted several great events during their first year being open (I won the costume contest dressed as a Diablo Rojo during their Halloween party). They have an open air rooftop terrace with trendy decor overlooking Casco’s historic streets – it’s definitely…
Starting on Tuesday, Jan 8, the new digital control system will be implemented on the Metro Busses in Panama City. It is hoped that this new tool will better the frequency of the busses by knowing their exact location with GPS. The director of the Autoridad de Transito y Transporte…
Last year I wrote a post about how I started taking Spanish classes in Panama. I went three times a week for about a month and then had to stop because my college classes were resuming. I finished all of my college classes in July and then started working full…
I love living in Panama, but being a Gringo here does come with a few disadvantages. Here’s a Buzzfeed style list of 15 Things That Suck About Being A Gringo In Panama: 1. Being the first to arrive to a party. 2. We just don’t look right dancing to…
After being recently arrested, Justin Bieber has chosen Panama as a retreat away from the madness he is facing in the United States. He was spotted at a luxury resort in the Punta Chame area of Panama today with three other friends. He made quite the scandalous impression on this…
Here is a lineup of the 2014 Holiday Calendar (Dias Feriados) in Panama: Jan 1 (Wednesday): New Year’s Day Jan 9 (Thursday): M¡rtires Day Mar 4 (Tuesday): Carnival Day Apr 18 (Friday): Good Friday May 1 (Thursday): Labor Day Nov 3 (Monday): Independence Day from Colombia Nov 5 (Wednesday): Colon’s Day Nov…
Abdiel Cano, director of the Water and Sewer Institute, announced that this Saturday, January 25th, the water will be shut off in Panama City for a duration of 12 hours. – The affected areas are ones that are supplied by the Chilibre Plant. – The suspension is programmed to start…
So every once in a while I am commercials to earn some extra cash and I thought this one was pretty funny. It was for Cerveza Panama a few month’s ago and it was my first dubbed over speaking role. I’m the one in the middle that points and says…
I went to the Panama Jazz Festival two years ago when it was held in Casco Viejo and really enjoyed the event. The ambience of colonial architecture and crowds of people listening to jazz music and drinking in the main plazas was something I don’t see everyday in Casco. But…
Using the Metro bus in Panama is great once you learn how to use it. And with the Diablo Rojos coming to an end, you can safely and easily try out Panama’s new Metrobus transportation system. I started using the Metrobus last year after they began doing a route near…
One of the lanes in the new underpass on Calle 50 opened this week and traffic has already greatly improved. Normally at 5:30 pm, traffic is at a standstill on Calle 50 and it was faster for me to walk an hour home than to wait for a bus or…
I’m sure my list varies from others but here are the things that I have found to be more affordable in Panama than back home: 1. Cell Phone Service: I have a prepaid plan with Digicel where I pay $15 a month for 3GB of data and then I usually…
Here’s my list of things that have been really expensive for me since moving in Panama: 1. Rent: Renting a two bedroom apt in a central area of the city that’s just a few years old and comes with all appliances and AC comes at a minimum cost of $1,000…
Panama’s Ministry of Health announced on Monday that they would be releasing genetically modified mosquitos in order to help combat the increasing severe problem of dengue virus spread by mosquitos. There’s been almost 2,000 confirmed cases of dengue and 7 deaths since the issue was brought to an alarming level.…
One of my favorite hobbies in Panama City, Panama is pool crashing at luxury hotels. There is nothing like enjoying the view of an infinity pool overlooking the ocean at the Trump, and enjoying that view for free. As a foreigner it is pretty easy to get away with using…
My friends and I had an awesome time at the Day After Festival! We bought the Oferta Simple day pass to see Calvin Harris, Nicky Romero, Nervo and a few others on Sunday. It was a three day festival but I went to it last year so I knew I…
This week plans will be announced for the revitalization of the Amador Causeway, informed Carlos Ho, director of the MOP. The project includes new sidewalks, bike lanes, more parking and sitting areas with great views of Panama City – converting it to a more recreational and touristic area. In less…
