Tag: Central Park Hotel

We Have Our Licencia de Conducir de Panama

It takes nearly 2 hours to commute to and from Panama City. The traffic causes that time to vary up to 5 hours, depending on the time you leave. We had 8 am appointments at the American Embassy on Wednesday morning so we left home on Tuesday to do a little exploring on our journey. We looked at a couple of houses along the way and made a stop at PriceSmart (Panama version of Costco). We made the decision to join based on math that told us we needed a couple of things that we would save enough money to cover the cost of the $35 membership. We loaded up on the non-perishables and resumed our journey.

We checked into the Central Park Hotel again based on our proximity and need to be near The American Embassy, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and SERTRACEN (Panama DMV). We were treated very differently at the hotel this time. I wonder if they saw my comments on Booking.com or, perhaps, someone there is reading our blog. We got a great room with a large balcony and great views of the city. Jen got 1 picture crossing the Panama Canal which we have put below with 1 view of the city from our balcony at the hotel.

Crossing the Centennial Bridge over the Panama Canal
Panoramic views of Panama City from the hotel
Panoramic views of Panama City from the hotel

Once we got settled into our room we took a walk, grabbed some diner and went to bed early in preparation for our big day on Wednesday.

Our attorneys’ assistant, Marianna, picked us up from the hotel at 7:30 and delivered us to the American Embassy for our 8 am appointments. Our Michigan Drivers License had to be authenticated, apostilled and notarized which went fast and easy. Marianna then took us to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We had to deposit the fee into the Ministry account at the bank downstairs (they do not accept money there)  and take the receipt to the office. There was also a stop at another office in the same building where our documents had to be stamped and another fee collected. This is mostly all crazy tax. The Ministry office was very busy and it took them 3 hours to approve our documents before we could go to SERTRACEN. We made good use of our three hours because we also had to have a blood test before going to SERTRACEN. That took nearly an hour and we relaxed with Marianna for an authentic Panamanian Lunch for the remainder of our wait. After picking up the documents at the Ministry, we were on our way to our final destination. SERTRACEN is very much like our Secretary of State (DMV). Lines and waiting everywhere. We waited in line to get a place in line, then waited to be called. We produced our documents, completed the paperwork, had a vision test, hearing test, and paid the fee. Then we waited again to be called. The prize after 2 hours in that place was our drivers license. Marianna delivered us back to our hotel where we picked up our car and headed back to Coronado. It was nearly 4 pm, and it would be critical to get out of the city before rush hour cranked up. We just want to say that without Marianna we never would have accomplished this in 1 day. She knew what we needed, when we needed it, and translated for us. She was awesome and we owe her a huge debt of gratitude. We highly recommend Marianna for this process. Should you need her contact information, message us and we will pass it along.

Our drive back was uneventful. We made a quick stop at PriceSmart for the perishables and something to eat. We were home in time for fireworks on the roof. They shot them off the beach so we were actually looking down at them. It was a spectacular display. We are trying to get some video from a friend here. If that happens, we will share it. We are continuously amazed at the things happening here. There is never a dull moment.

Thursday morning we walked up the beach about 2Km to a fishing village. We were on a mission for Lobster. We had one of our neighbors along and he and I split the guy’s catch of 12 lobsters. Our neighbor took 6 and we took 6. For Jen and I, 6 lobsters is 2 meals. Thursday night we grilled 3 of them and put the other 3 in the freezer for later.

Catch of the day

The fisherman cleaned them for us

This morning we had a another Spanish lesson. Our Espanol is improving, and we are feeling more comfortable out in the community. Jasmine is teaching us how to order in a restaurant, and many other important things. Her lessons made buying Lobster on the beach much easier.

We continue to take opportunities to look at houses. We have found some places here on the Pacific Coast that really appeal to us. Every day we enjoy the peaceful sound of the surf, and both of us are sleeping amazingly well. This is the windy season and at times the wind blows hard. At night the breeze is cool and pleasant.

We tend to make our plans on the fly lately so keep checking back. There is no telling what we will be doing next.

Nos vemos,

Greg and Jen

 

We are Settling Into Our Condo at Coronado Bay

 

Since arriving in Panama we have been crazy busy. Saturday we were picked up by the car rental driver who took us to our condo in Coronado.  The process was painless. We completed the rental documents and paid for our car then the condo rental agent showed us where to park and took us to our condo. We have spectacular views out every room,  and the balcony is awesome. The housekeeper was finishing up and we chose to get out of her way. We went for a nice lunch and bought a few groceries. We found the grocery store convenient and adequate. Many American brands were available next to the local brands at a premium price. We chose as many local brands as possible. When we returned to the condo we were able to unpack and take care of the groceries. The day passed much too quickly and we didn’t get much time to explore the area. We were able to cook our own dinner and relax for the evening.

Sunday we drove back to Panama City. Driving here is generally a challenge for the most experienced driver. Needless to say, we were a bit nervous to take our first drive. It went off without a hitch. We learned of a great app for navigating Panama called Waze. We downloaded it onto Jen’s phone and it took us right back to the hotel for the night. We had to be at Sevicio Nationale de Imigracion in the city at 7:30 Monday morning to complete the Visa process. We finished up the day Sunday in the hotel with a pizza and enjoyed the Super Bowl on Fox Sports Vivo which broadcast in Spanish (no subtitles). This is another great argument for learning more Spanish.

We were told to expect to spent the entire day at Immigration. I cannot say enough about how awesome our attorney has been. She has been there every step of the way and made the process run smoothly. She had us out of Immigration by 10 AM. The application process is complete, however, they retain our passports for 2 days for the multiple entry visa.  The attorney will courier them to us on Wednesday.  Now it is a waiting game while immigration decides to approve or deny our application.  We have appointments at the American Embassy in 2 weeks to get our Panamanian drivers licenses. As a tourist you can drive on your American drivers license for 90 days. With the Visa process we are no longer considered tourist so it is important to also get our drivers license. The attorney is walking us through that process as well.

 

This was the prize for all the time we spent at Immigration.

With the Visa application process complete we were free to return to Coronado. Although it was stressful getting out of the city, the drive wasn’t bad.  We were back in Coronado in time for lunch and a little exploring around the complex. We walked out to the ocean (the tide was low), then down the beach to the west a ways. We decided to walk east on the beach this morning. Upon our return to the building we relaxed by the pool and met some great people. Our lack of Spanish skills doesn’t seem to matter as much here at the condo. We swam and soaked up some sun for most of the afternoon. The sun is strong here and a little goes a long way. We  are so happy to be able to cook our own meals and we finished up the day by having a great dinner. We went to sleep last night with all the windows open and enjoyed the sound of the crashing waves.

Today we plan to explore the immediate area a little more. This area is pretty expensive. The beach, tourists and expats drive the prices higher. Ultimately, this is not probably going to be where we would live. We still want to immerse ourselves into the culture more. It is an honor that all of you are following with us. Please send e-mail or make comments if you have questions that we can answer. As always, like and share so everyone can find us.

Buenos Dias,

Greg and Jen

 

We are on the ground and making our 1st update from Panama City

We left the United States early yesterday and arrived in Panama City late yesterday evening. It has always been our habit to fly non-stop when it is available. Our flight included a brief stop in Miami which made for a rather long travel day. The saving grace of the long day was that based on the way and time we made our reservation, it cost us barely any more to fly 1st class. Our Love 1st Classexperience in the 1st class cabin will make it hard to fly coach again. It really pays to pay attention to the details, and Jen is a master at that. Traveling 1st class allows each of us to take 2 pieces of  luggage weighing up to 70# each as well as a carry on and personal item. 1st class passengers also have great food and beverages all the way, including access to the Admirals club while waiting for the flight and on layovers. The moral to the story is that a very long travel day passed by quickly. This trip we were flying on American Airlines. American provided a very pleasant travel experience, so far. We will be sure to give an update once we get back home. Our good friends will be coming to Panama for a short visit while we are here. They will be traveling on Copa Airlines, which is based out of Panama. They have a non-stop from Chicago. We will try to also get feedback from their travel experience. We have found that travelling between the US and Panama can be expensive and have limited options. We are hoping to have a few of our new friends on the ground here, weigh in on the subject with tips and tricks they may have picked up to make the frequent travel between Panama and the US easier. Our flight from Miami to Panama last night provided us with some great views of the sunset in the clouds over the Gulf of Mexico.  We are sharing a picture we got through the window of the plane.Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico

The next Issue of note is our hotel. We have committed to give honest and accurate review of our experiences. We chose the Central Park Hotel for it’s proximity to our immigration attorney and The Department of Immigration. We were also paying attention to the hotel reviews and cost. We were told to expect to spend up to 10 days in the city. That being said we made the reservation for 10 days. We got a junior suite. This is a 2 bedroom 2 bath suite with a kitchenette. There is a balcony and each room has air conditioning. The cost was just over $60 per day. The room is dated and not in great repair, but with all due respect, you get what you pay for. We are not disappointed. The pool is across the street and up 5 flights of stairs, so it is less than convenient. The problems we have had, however, have been quickly addressed. We are not sharing pictures, because you will not be impressed. We are looking forward to checking into our condo in Coronado on Saturday. Our condo is more than an hour outside the city so we will return to this hotel room on Sunday night for our meetings at immigration on Monday. We are hoping to  finish our business quickly so that we can check out of this hotel early and start exploring the country next week.

We have been impressed with the responsiveness of our immigration attorney. We have been hesitant to recommend her before our first actual meeting. We spent most of the morning with her and her assistant putting the documentation in order and being prepped for our initial visit to Immigration. We are pleased to tell you all that she is quickly proving her value to this process. Should you be considering establishing a Panamanian Visa we are highly recommending Mayra Lambolgia De Ruzzi, Attorney at law. We are happy to share  her contact information if you will message us or send an e-mail.

Communication continues to be a problem for us. We are going to make learning more Spanish a priority sooner rather than later. We have been to Taco Bell where we had a hard time ordering. We have also had two experiences with taxi drivers. The taxi experience has been good so far. Neither driver had much English, but we had someone else arrange the rides both times and had prearranged fares. This makes moving about the city stress free. The cabs here charge by zone not meter. Our ride to the attorneys office was $6 and the return was $5. We are still not sure that we will get brave enough to drive here in the city. It seems that using cabs is a great alternative. We have also been told that the bus system is cheap and easy.

Expect more frequent posts. We will report on our experience at immigration and perhaps a walking tour of Casco Viejo soon. Please, like and share our post. We also are interested in comments and suggestions.

Adios,

Jen and Greg

The Countdown Continues T -21 days to Departure

As we prepare to depart for our 9 week adventure in Panama our posts have been few and far between. Thanks for continuing to follow along. It seems like a great time to catch up and recap our preparation. Our immigration attorney has all but one document and we will be getting the apostle on Jen’s pension document and submit it on Friday. She officially retired at the end of the year, and since we have been going full blast on preparation for departure. We have confirmed our reservations for accommodations and rental car. We have also confirmed transportation in Panama City to meet with the attorney and complete the immigration process. Our first several days will be spent in Panama City where we will be staying at Central Park Hotel. We are waiting until we are on the ground in Panama to begin officially making recommendations. Central Park was among one of many places we chose from as a landing pad in Panama City. We chose it based on price and it’s reviews on the internet. It got mixed reviews…we will see how it works out. We take possession of the condo in Coronado on February 3, but it is a bit too far to commute into the city for completion of the visa process. We will also pick up our rent car on that day, but have a bit of anxiety driving in the city.

During our down time in Panama City Jen and I are planning a few adventures. We were intrigued on our previous visit to Panama with the Biodiversity Museum, and plan a visit there.

Bio-Diversity Institute Museum
Bio-Diversity Institue Museum

The Panama Museum of Biodiversity Puente de Vida (“Bridge of Life”) is a portal to the richest and most diverse ecosphere on earth. It was designed by internationally renowned architect, Frank Gehry. It is located at the end of the Amador Causeway in Panama City, facing the Pacific Ocean at the entrance of the Panama Canal. The museum inspires as it educates about biodiversity – a complex but essential vision of life that is both a leading-edge scientific theory and a tool to protect our most precious ecological resources.

We are also planning to visit many of the fine restaurants in the city. The World Travel Guide says we won’t go hungry in Panama City. The Central American hub is a rising culinary star, with a varied food scene including some fabulous North-American, Italian and Middle-Eastern options as well as plenty of Latin specialties. The restaurants favoring Panamanian-style cuisine are dominated by wonderfully fresh seafood. A number of elegant, gastronomic ventures can also be found here.

We are also planning to visit Old City Panama, which is also known as Casco Viejo (Spanish for Old Quarter), Casco Antiguo or San Felipe. Casco Viejo is the historic district of the city. It was settled in 1673 and built following the nearly total destruction of the original Panama City. Panama Viejo was destroyed by a pirate attack. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997. We will likely take a walking tour of this vibrant and colorful neighborhood where restoration is fully under way. Restored modern restaurants and hotels lie side by side with incredible crumbling ruins of the old city. This neighborhood of Panama City offers great nightlife, ocean views and city bay views.

We are sure to find many other adventures while in Panama City. Stay dialed in to our blog for our first hand experiences.

Our Spanish lesson for today is Casco Viejo which is Spanish for old quarter. Also, Puente de Vida which is bridge of life. Yes, we are sneaking in the Spanish lessons every time we write.

Jen and I are humbled and honored by the way this blog is being received. Today we reached another milestone of 1500 visits to our site. That does not include all of you who are getting this by Facebook, Tumbler and the other social media outlets. Thank-you, again, for following. We remain excited about our upcoming visit to Panama.