May 15 2013
As I’ve mentioned before, one of the things I enjoy most about traveling and living overseas is all the little (and not so little) surprises that I experience along the way. It keeps things interesting. Not to mention, I like being thrown out of my comfort zone occasionally. Last week we returned from our trip …
May 13 2013
“Please take me to Boquete,” our daughter begged when she came to visit. “I’ve heard how nice it is.” We, her indulgent parents, promptly made reservations at Finca Lerida, a boutique hotel-cum-coffee plantation with beautifully landscaped grounds. They have made the most of Boquete’s unique climate and grow everything from English garden flowers to lush, …
May 06 2013
Patacones are like French fries in Panama: Everyone eats them. Called tostones in many other parts of Latin America, patacones look like fried banana discs, but they’re starchy, not sweet, and they’re made from a banana-looking fruit known as the plantain. They’re cheap and easy to make. Here’s a simple patacones recipe. You can do …
May 01 2013
Few things smell and taste as delicious as a succulent steak grilled to perfection over an open fire. Beef lovers that we are, we quickly found out that people looking for the best steak in Panama should avoid anywhere that serves the local beef. Panamanian steak has an accurate reputation of being tough, mostly because …
Apr 29 2013
Anyone living in Panama City can’t help but notice a lot of changes. In the last few years the city has had a building boom, partly due to the influx of money from businesses and expats – not all from the US – who are moving to Panama. Now, modern highrises jut into the sky …
Feb 28 2013
One of the highlights of our Darien trip was a ride up a winding river to an Embera indian village called Mogue (MOE-gay). The village is a curious mixture of modern conveniences vs. chickens running wild, a concrete schoolhouse vs. open, thatched huts on stilts, and schoolchildren in logoed t-shirts and jeans vs. bilingual adults …
Feb 21 2013
Although we have been in Panama City for a while, this was our first opportunity to celebrate carnival in Panama City. The only thing in America that’s even slightly similar is in New Orleans, where it’s called Mardi Gras. Carnival – or carnaval, as the Latinos spell it – is a mega-day holiday throughout Latin America. Many …
Aug 29 2012
It takes six hours of travel by bus and boat to get to the Darien, Panama’s easternmost frontier. Once there you will enter some of the most pristine tropical rainforest on the planet. Here is a short look into a rich world of adventure. [nivo source="nextgen" gallery=15 effect="boxRain"]
Jul 23 2012
Question: How can you drive from Alaska to Argentina? Answer: You can’t. “Are you serious? You really can’t drive to Colombia? But it’s right next door!” Yes, we’re serious. Sure, it’s true that the Pan-American Highway stretches from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to the tip of Argentina, but there’s one 90-km break in the road: Panama’s …
Jul 09 2012
Every time we have a visitor they ask to see the Panama Canal. We always take them to the Visitor Center at Miraflores locks, which is only a few minutes from Panama City. There, visitors can see a film, visit a museum, and stand outside on a viewing platform and watch the ships pass through …
