There are several websites that will help you both register to vote and vote. In many cases you can do these online. Some states allow voting by email or fax.
For resources on how to vote as an American overseas go here.
The US Consulate in Panama City has special postage paid envelopes available.
You can also create your own with a blank envelope and a printer. You can get the necessary information to print your own envelope from one of the online voter assistance websites for Americans living abroad. For instance, the Federal Overseas Assistance website has all the information you need for your envelope at this link.
Are you in the Chiriqui Province? The US Embassy is visiting David & Boquete on October 12th. You can hand in your absentee ballot during their visit. Don't have your absentee ballot yet? go here.
The US consulate is open only from 8 a.m. until noon. You don't need an appointment.
Take your envelope to Window 14 at the consulate.
The US Consulate is in the American Embassy complex in Clayton. You can visit the US Consulate in Panama's current voting information, by clicking here.
The US Consulate does not offer overnight mail. You should count on it taking 2 weeks for your ballot to reach its destination.
For the US Presidential election on Nov. 8th, the Consulate recommends that you get your ballot to them no later than Wednesday, October 26.
If it is less than 2 weeks from election day, you should overnight mail it using FedEx, DHL, or other service.
You also might want to contact your state election office to discover if you can fax or email it.
One or more of these sources for overseas voting should help you find out more about your options.
Please comment below
The video also includes Google Earth and Map images. This should give you a good context on the lot's location.
There is a link below the video if you want more information about the property. And, of course, we are always happy to answer your questions by phone or email.
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Go here to browse all our Puerto Armuelles real estate
In fact, soon after our announcement our very first student began receiving one-on-one English conversation practice.
He appears to be advancing in his English speaking and listening proficiency at a very rapid rate. This student is highly motivated and also spends several hours each day listening to podcasts in English, as part of his self-created “English Immersion” program.
Obviously, we are still in the formulation phase of our project. We have no fixed structure in place. While we are still uncertain about the details, we are certain that there is a need for such a program. The best way to learn English is by being exposed to native English speakers.
If you are interested in participating in any way, please contact us.
Perhaps you have skills that could be useful to the program, even beyond simply tutoring in English. We are especially interested in talking with someone who is skillful in coordinating communication among the students and volunteers in the program. We are looking for volunteers to:
I am positive that I am not capable of all of the emails, texts, etc…that may be required, as the program gains momentum. However, I am available to participate in developing the process and introduce new tutors and students to the program. As the program grows, as I am sure it will, I may even be able to provide a physical space in Puerto Armuelles for holding classes, or one-on-one tutoring sessions.
Over the next year or so, it would be wonderful if we could offer English conversation opportunities to a 1 - 2 dozen motivated young people in Puerto Armuelles.
Hopefully, this program will help increase the English language proficiency in Puerto Armuelles. Fluency in English will certainly give these young people access to many opportunities in fast-developing Panama.
In recent months, we have talked with more expats who have plans to move to Panama, and Puerto Armuelles. Some of them already have a desire to help the young people of Puerto Armuelles. Many have also said they'd be interested in volunteering in the English tutoring program. Added to the longer-term expats in the area, we should be seeing a growing pool of potential volunteers.
Tutoring a young person from Puerto Armuelles in English is a great way to get involved in the community, in positive way, without making too big a commitment.
Not a Permanent Commitment
If you want want to volunteer, but don't want to commit, that is perfectly fine. You can assess as you go along. You can see if you would like to increase your participation, or back out if you discover you don't enjoy it. No worries or judgements. But for some expats, retiree or otherwise, this could be just the sort of adventure that they have been looking for.
An Exchange Program
We have also gotten requests for Spanish language lessons from local expats, particularly from retirees. For this reason, the idea of a “language exchange” program has emerged.
An exchange, or “intercambio” is a great way for an expat to share their own English language skills with a local youth. In exchange, the youth would help you to learn Spanish. This kind of program has been successful in many places. There is no reason that it couldn’t work for us here in Puerto Armuelles.
Please let us know if you are interested in participating in an intercambio.
Please let us know if you are interested or have any comments or suggestions.
1) There is a lot of it. So there are many opportunities of buying the location you want at a price you can afford.
2) Vacant lots cost less. Somewhat surprisingly, even a lot with a structure that looks like it should be torn down, is priced higher than a similar lot with no structure. Check it out for yourself. There must be some psychological reason for this.
3) Investing in a vacant lot carries very low overhead costs---and there is usually very little maintenance required.
4) You get complete freedom to build & landscape the way you want. You decide where on the lot the house will be built, and what it will look like. You decide the look and feel of your property. If you have never gardened before, this is the place to get started. To cultivate many species, you simply get a cutting, stick it in the ground, and water. If you plant in the rainy season, you can skip the watering part. The term tropical paradise fits gardening perfectly here.
In Panama, you can buy a lot in the jungle with no infrastructure around --- not even a road --- or you might choose a lot in a sub-division, a place that has everything you need in place, ready and waiting for you to build your home.
More Remote = More Hidden Costs
Obviously, a lot that has everything ready to build your house will have no additional development costs. While a remote jungle lot could have very high development costs. Development costs are all the expenses necessary to get a site ready to start construction of a home.
Before you jump to the conclusion that an undeveloped lot is a screaming deal, you must factor in all the hidden costs. That is, how much will it really cost to get the property into “ready to build” condition.
The True Cost = Sales Price + 4 Hidden Cost Factors (described below)
You should calculate the true cost of a lot before you decide to buy. This is true even if you only plan to hold the property and sell it when it goes up in value. Most likely the person you eventually sell the property to will want to build on it. You need to make sure you are buying a lot that will be attractive and affordable to your future buyer.
Cost of the road or driveway will depend upon the lot’s
If you fall in love with a lot that is far from an access road, it will obviously cost a lot more to develop than if your lot is near, or on, an already established access road.
If the property is on a steep slope, that will open up whole new realm of hidden costs. Not only will the road cost a lot more and take more time, but you will have to deal with erosion and drainage issues. In a hilly area, you must take care to consider what to do with the water runoff so your new road won't be come a mud disaster. One key to a successful road is to put it in the dry season, not the wet season. After all the work of creating the road, you want it to stay usable for years to come not be washed out in the next big rain.
If you want to keep your road development costs down, or at zero, you should pick a lot that is
Google Earth - A Real Estate Tool
With Google Earth you can discover topographically challenging lots from the comfort of your computer. And you can use it to get a feel for the property before you visit it. Google Earth is free and can be used with both Apple and PC computers. To use it, you need to download the software and then search for your property by using its address or coordinates.
Now comes the fun part. You can zoom in using your mouse/curser and the command (control for PCs) and shift keys on your keyboard. Using the same controls, you can tilt the earth so you can see precisely where all the hills and valleys are on the lot and in the surrounding area. If you don’t know the lot's coordinates or address, you can usually find them using Google Maps (if you can locate the lot by sight), or by asking the seller for them.
Now that you can access the lot, you need to get it ready for constructing a house.
Ideally, your site is already level. Or it could simply mean removing some trees (just make sure to get a permit to do that) or adding a moderate amount of fill to level out the site.
If you are building on a slope, it will be more complicated. You may need a major earth building project including retaining walls and or drainage system.
Make sure you get a good ideas of the cost of these steps or it may come as an unwelcome surprise.
If you want to keep your site development costs down, or at zero, you should pick a lot that is
We have many affordable and beautiful lots. Almost all of our lots are ready to be built upon. No site or road development is needed. Many already have full utilities, or we offer to do that work at no extra charge. All are in the Puerto Armuelles area.
You can explore our properties by clicking here or using the property search tool at the top of the page.
Now on to getting utilities to your building site.
Generally, there is electricity available along all of the main roadways and neighborhood streets in Panama.
In Remote Areas
If you are buying a farm, or other remote property, you will be responsible for bringing in electrical power from the nearest road, where you will access it via overhead power lines. You will need to install your own power poles, or underground conduit, to access this power. And of course, you will need a licensed electrician to obtain an electrical permit, even if you are going to do your own electrical installation.
Alternatively, you can always decide to be completely off-grid. Just be sure to factor in the full cost of setting up and maintaining your own electrical system. Of course, if your lot is extremely remote you will have to go off-grid.
In Developed Areas (e.g., Puerto Armuelles)
In Puerto Armuelles, we generally have good access to power lines by our electrical utility provider (Union Fenosa). This makes electrical installation simple.
Once you start to build your house, you can connect the meter to the house in 2 ways. You can either hang an overhead line, which enters through the roof of your home, or you can install underground conduit, with the supply wires running inside. These wires connect the breaker panel to the electrical meter at the property line. From the breaker panel, you can do your own rough in wiring, or hire an electrician.
You can live without electricity, but not water. How will you get water to your lot and future house.
In Remote Areas
Before you buy a property in a remote area, make sure you know how you will get water to the site. It is likely that you are going to have to dig a well. If it is a well, check with an engineer to verify that you can actually build a well. Find out how deep a well you will need to dig. Then calculate the cost. If you are told there is a well there already, I suggest you check this out and test the water.
About Digging Wells
The good news about well digging in the rural areas around and as well as in Puerto Armuelles, is that it is very cheap. In most cases, wells are dug by hand, using a shovel. Our soil is silty/sandy, and it has no aggregates. (This is why it is not the most stable building substrate, and building footings should be deep and use plenty of steel reinforcement).
In short, a laborer digs your well, and then you line it with concrete pipe sections which are available in 4 foot lengths, and in many diameters from 10" to 2 or 3 meters.
Please be aware, hand digging is dangerous for the laborer. You should check with the municipal engineer to find out the details for doing this safely and if the person doing the work is covered by insurance. You can make it safer by having the hole supported, or "cribbed" during the excavation.
The pipe sections used to line the well are very heavy. You will need to schedule a back hoe to have them installed. You might just opt to use a back hoe for the entire well digging process, however the result will be quite sloppy. Back hoes cut a very wide hole. All that dirt will need to be stored on site until it is back filled. The dirt excavated for the actual well hole will need to be stored or used permanently either on site, or off site.
And, of course, you can also employ a well drilling company. There are some located in David. Just look them up on the Internet. I have not used a well drilling company yet. Obviously, this is the most expensive well digging option.
In Developed Areas (e.g., Puerto Armuelles)
In Puerto Armuelles (and other developed areas), most locations have access to the municipal water supply.
Hooking Up Water
To gain access to the municipal water supply, you simply cut in a connecting hub, or collar, into the ABS water line that runs alongside the street nearest your lot. In Puerto Armuelles, this ABS pipe is likely to be 3" in diameter.
You can buy a connection collar at most of the local building supply stores in Puerto Armuelles. You will need a permit both for the water supply line hook up and for any necessary street cut for the new pipe. You will only need a street cut permit if the city water line happens to be located on the opposite side of the street from your property. This street cut is performed by MOP (Ministry of Public Works).
I am fairly certain that you can apply for your own permit. However, for the $20 that my plumber charges to do all the legwork of obtaining permits, I never get my own permits. At all costs, I try to avoid waiting in lines at all of the various municipal offices. I don't have the patience.
Service & Expense
Generally our water service is good. The water is abundant and cheap. Our bill is under $5.00/month for unlimited use.
Interruptions in Supply
Many locations in Panama, including Puerto Armuelles, still experience occasional water shortages. In our area, these are not actual shortages, but rather interruptions to service. Water service is temporally shutoff due to a highway building project, or occasionally, storm related damage to a water supply pipe during heavy rains. Such interruptions are becoming less and less frequent. This is certainly not a chronic problem anymore, not the way it was 10 years ago. In addition, the water to our neighborhood is shut off in the afternoon everyday. I have never been clear about exactly why this is done. But it is the reason almost every house in our neighborhood has its own water tank.
Install A Water Tank
It is never convenient to be without fresh water, even for a few hours. The easiest way to overcome this is to have your own water storage tank located on your property. That way, you won't even notice when the municipal water supply is shut down for an hour, or even an entire day. You will have your own backup supply on your property.
At our house in the Las Palmas neighborhood we have a 140 gallon emergency tank. It is raised up on a platform about 12 feet above ground. It fills whenever there is city water pressure. When the municipal water fails due to road work, which has been pretty common with the new highway construction, or due to the new water and sewer system being installed in Puerto, we are covered. We also use it everyday as the source of our water after the city water is mysteriously turned off for the day. We have a gravity feed from this elevated tank directly to the house---we don’t use a pump. It has been years, since we were absolutely “out of water”.
Water Drinkability
Generally, water is drinkable in Panama. Bocas del Toro is the only blanket exception to this rule. In addition, at times, Panama City has issues with its water quality.
But again, overall, Panama's water is perfectly drinkable. Much more so than some areas of the US (not even including Flint, Michigan). My daughter still reminds me of how truly horrible the water is in the elegant neighborhood of Washington D.C. where her grandparents live. My parents happily drink that water. They are used to it. My children considered it to be unfit for human consumption.
Although the water in our town is drinkable, most expats and many Panamanians filter or buy bottled water. Many people (like us) get bottled water delivered to their home. Some people are concerned about water quality, but many people do it for aesthetic reasons. In the rainiest times of the rainy season, the water from the tap can look cloudy. That is what prompted us to start drinking bottled water. We always use tap water for cooking, but for drinking we use bottled water. At least we do at home, when we go out we happily drink the tap water.
You must include the cost of taking care of all the outflow from your home as well. How you take care of this depends upon where your lot is located.
Out of Town & Remote Areas
Sewer service is only available right in town, or along the main roads. If you are not in town, or on a main road, you will need to invest in a septic tank.
You are supposed to get a permit for most plumbing projects, including a septic tank. This application must be submitted by a licensed plumber, even if this plumber is not going to do the work. Talk to your neighbors to learn more about how this septic tank permit & installation process is usually done in your area.
Installation of Septic Tanks
There are a variety of methods for installing a septic system. The very poorest people in Puerto Armuelles simply dig a deep well, line it with old car tires, and run their pvc waste line into it (or put an outhouse on top).
Most locals who can afford it, build 2 separate septic tanks out of concrete block.
The 1st one, in line from the house, captures the solids and lets the liquid flow off the top toward a secondary tank. This 2nd tank is filled with large round drainage rock. (This rock is available from local rivers. It can be delivered to your building site by local truck operators.)
This 2nd tank provides a drainage “field” which leaches out into the surrounding soil, and hopefully, filters out all dangerous bacteria, before flowing to a nearby stream, or the ocean.
You can also purchase black plastic (ABS) molded tanks from local building materials suppliers, or from suppliers in David. Most suppliers in David offer delivery services to Puerto.
In Town - Sewer Connection
If your lot is in town, or off a major road, you can hook up to the municipal sewer system. To connect to the municipal sewer pipe on your street, again, you must apply for a permit. Again, this application must be filed for by a licensed plumber, even if this plumber is not going to do the work.
The connection is a simple matter of cutting in a connecting hub to the municipal sewer line, usually 6” pvc pipe. Generally, homeowners connect their own 4” pvc pipe to this 6” pvc pipe. It is a simple procedure. Pipes are not buried very deeply. Generally not over 3 or 4 feet. Given that our soil is silty/sandy, this kind of work can usually done with a couple of laborers with hand shovels in half a day.
The entire connection process, including plumbing and backfill, shouldn’t take more than a day. That is, after you have the permit in hand.
Before you buy a lot, you should estimate the cost of permits, materials, and labor to get utilities to your building site.
Obviously, if all your utilities are already delivered to your lot, you will be saving both money and headaches. If your lot is in a remote area, your "get your site ready" development costs will be a significant part of the true cost of your lot. Also, don't forget to factor in the amount of time it will take to get all that infrastructure into place.
The bottom line: Is the lot worth the price?
To know that, you first need to know the true cost of the lot. True price = Sales Price + 4 Hidden Cost Factors
Which Is The Better Buy?
Calculating the true price eliminates many unexpected expenses. It also allows you to knowledgeably compare seemingly diverse properties. For example, knowing the true cost of properties allows you to know which of these similarly sized and located lots is a better buy:
Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of what it means to buy an empty lot. As we explained, depending upon the lots location, getting an empty lot ready to build upon can be very easy or very challenging process.
“When I grow up,” Paul proclaimed, “I am going to build myself a house out of trash”.
(FYI - He never did build a house of trash. He teaches painting at Penn State)
I certainly wasn’t interested in living in a house made out of trash. It sounded kind of, well, trashy.
That was in 1979.
Fast forward 30 years, and nobody calls it “trash” any more.
Today we use the terms “recycled material” or “Post Consumer” material. We’re all building out of recycled materials, whether we realize it or not.
The fact is that many parts of our homes are made out of “trash” today. Thank goodness for recycling.
With 7 billion people living on the earth, and with the continued promotion of the “American Dream” (ie, a high consumption, high environmental cost, standard of living) there is going to be an ever greater need to get creative about using recyclables in home construction.
In Seattle, where our family is from, many creative remodelers and builders visit the Boeing Aviation Surplus Store to find such crazy building products as aluminum honeycomb fusilage, or solid aluminum bar stock “I-Beams”, and you name it. It’s pretty high tech stuff, but it appeals to a certain type of designer builder.
For instance, on an loft apartment/art studio project in which I participated, our crew used aluminum honeycomb panel fuselage material as the floor in a sleeping loft. Aside from being super cool to look at, since the hexagonal cells of the honeycomb were visible on the exterior sheet surface, the material was so rigid that it required no structural supports, other than the perimeter walls. Obviously this material calls for a different approach to building (ie, practically no framing support). This results in a very clean, ultra modern look. It wasn’t a look that I particularly liked for a human dwelling. It wasn’t traditional, cozy, or “homey”. Rather, it was “defiant”, “impervious”, “edgy”. It certainly challenged the viewer’s normal sense of what constitutes a home.
Of course, you can also find much more traditional recycled building materials in Seattle. There are many, many recycled building supply centers in Seattle, as there are in most metropolitan areas of North America. You can find old fir warehouse beams, recycled bowling ally floors, stained glass from old churches, antique bar mirrors and surrounds from 120 year old hotels.
When one comes to Panama, one doesn’t think about recycling. Most buildings are pretty new and made of cement.
However, Puerto Armuelles is unique here. What we have is a company town, former home of Chiquita Banana Company. “The Company” as it was known, imported most of the materials used to build the town of Puerto Armuelles, literally from the ground up.
If you have ever get the chance to explore inside an old Chiquita Banana house, up on stilts, you will surely discover lumber stamps from Portland, Oregon where this gorgeous, old-growth red cedar was milled well over half a century ago.
If you know anything about lumber, then you also know that the quality of the 2”x4”, 2”x6, 2”x8” framing material, as well as the 8”x8” and 8”x 10” support posts and beams is of such standard that has not been available as building material in North America for decades.
If one purchased it in the states today, the wood in the old Chiquita Banana Houses would be considered “furniture grade” and probably cost in the $15-$25 range per board foot—prohibitive for home building. I wouldn’t be surprised if our own house in Las Palmas contained over $50k worth of clear, old growth cedar.
If you look at the tightness of the growth rings, you will see that none of these trees could have been younger than 1000 years old. I love this beautiful old wood. Still, I’d much rather see the wood in the forest than in my house.
In addition to clear, old growth cedar, some of the more recent vintage Chiquita Banana Houses are built using the identical plan as the original Chiquita houses.
However, the newer models, dating from 25, 35, even forty years ago, are built from other exquisite woods. That is, these houses are built of dimensional lumber logged directly from the jungles (now, former jungles) of our own Punta Burica.
Just as the original Chiquita houses were built of ancient Cedar trees, so the newer generations of Chiquita houses are built of local, but equally ancient forest trees. Species such as Teak, Sangrio, Espave, Kirra, etc. A couple of these woods, particularly teak have very good resistance to termites. Sangrio and Kirra are gorgeous furniture quality hardwoods that are really too hard to be good framing material. They require pre-drilling, prior to sinking a nail.
As for the logic of cutting down a 10 foot diameter ancient rain forest tree in our local jungle just to make an 8”x8” structural post or beam in a Banana Company house, some of us have different views. I suppose back in the days of Chiquita Banana in Puerto Armuelles, nobody ever thought that the world would ever run out of wood. If you are from Canada, it might seem that there is still an endless supply of old growth trees.
I am not suggesting that one purchase Chiquita Banana houses and begin disassembling them and loading them into containers for export. But, rather, I am saying that there is a huge quantity of amazing building material available for those who are on a tight budget, but who have creative energy to burn.
Many of the original Chiquita Banana houses have fallen into disrepair. Since the local builders have a strong preference for building with concrete, many of these Chiquita houses just get scrapped, or used as concrete form boards.
A thorough search in the various neighborhoods of Puerto Armuelles would surely turn up some excellent salvage. I am guessing that one could purchase adequate salvage material from old Chiquita Banana houses to build an amazing beach house, for a couple to 5 thousand dollars.
This includes studs, joists, cedar siding, and super heavy duty galvanized roofing. There are still even a few old Chiquita hand washing sinks and toilets floating around in town.
I do not want to contradict what I said earlier about wood not being a desirable building material in our coastal/tropical climate. I stand by that opinion, if you are building a conventional house, using conventional methods and utilizing the labor force available in Puerto Armuelles at the present time.
Find out more, by reading why you shouldn't build with wood in Panama and why remodeling a wood home is not the best idea.
However, if you are artistic, high energy, and want to build something super inexpensive, something that is truly unique, and truly yours, building with Chiquita salvage could be ideal.
I think you might be able to come to Puerto Armuelles, buy a bargain priced lot for under $5k, and put up a completed structure, made primarily of recycled Chiquita Banana surplus.
The final product would be limited only by your own skill and imagination. This entire home could be built for well under $5k (total price for house and land under $10k).
Obviously, this sort of a challenge, and this kind of lifestyle, is not for everyone. However, if this sort of thing sounds like a fun adventure to you, you have come to the right place. Puerto Armuelles is a great place to experience this sort of an “alternative” eco- building lifestyle.
I have only mentioned Chiquita wood salvage so far, but Chiquita Banana imported other great materials as well. For instance, you will notice shortly after arriving in Puerto Armuelles, that many of the local fence posts are made from railroad rail, salvaged (stolen?) from the narrow gauge Chiquita Banana railroad tracks.
These tracks ran from the banana fields all the way to the shipping pier in downtown Puerto Armuelles. The train also ran to David. Some folks have reused this rail to build house posts, beams, storage buildings, hoists, racks, etc…
Imagine a practically unlimited supply of railroad rail. If this starts your mind thinking of possible projects, then you are the person I was hoping to communicate with in this article.
In addition to railroad rail, Chiquita imported miles of steel plumbing pipe, as well as some super thick walled steel tube section, both round and square.
Some of this material is still being sold just for its scrap iron weight. However, the salvage market is certainly getting more competitive, as materials prices go up. However, it depends on how good a scavenger you are.
If I could show some of this Chiquita Banana salvage to my friends from architecture school, they would probably have heart attacks. All this salvage, and very few people who have the design skill to take advantage of it.
If you have any questions about recycled Chiquita Banana building products, or about alternative building methods, in general, please contact us. We are always happy to share with you what we know, and we are eager to learn anything that you might be willing to share
(Scroll down for how milk is made to have a long shelf life.)
You can also easily buy refrigerated milk in Panama. But I found the taste was not consistent. Sometimes it would taste fine, and sometimes it was a little off. Not off as in going bad, just different.
I have learned to love the boxed milk. Now I prefer it. I really don't like running out of milk for my coffee. In the States, I keep a few cans of evaporated milk as a back up. In Panama, a case of boxed milk.
Boxed milk means I don't have to run to the store nearly as often.
The Chiriqui Province, where we live, annually produces over half of the Grade A & B milk in Panama. The Azuero region produces the rest, focusing more on Grade C milk.
Panama’s milk brands include Bonlac, Estrella Azul, Nevada and La Chiricana.
Dos Pinos is also sold in Panama, but it is a Costa Rican brand. Although I hear that Dos Pinos bought both the Nevada and La Chiricana milk companies.
La Chiricana
Locals have come up to me in Romeros (supermarket) to let me know the best milk to buy is La Chiricana.
It is the most popular milk in Panama.
I do like the milk. It is what we usually buy. I haven't tried it's newer low-fat milk which is called, Fit.
Dripping Issue
The issue I have with La Chiricana is that it is impossible to pour milk from the carton without dripping. Frustrating. Which means I not only have to clean up the drips off the counter, but the carton always leaves a tiny milk puddle on my refrigerator shelf.
Life's little trials.
Nevada
If dripping cartons are unacceptable, try our 2nd favorite milk, Nevada. Nevada comes with a pour spout. No more drips!
We used to regularly buy Nevada milk, pictured, when we drank low-fat milk. That was before La Chiricana came out with its low-fat option (Fit).
Nevada offers whole, low-fat, non-fat, and lactose-free milk options. They even have a 2 milks with oatmeal (avena) added (in graphic above)
Bonlac
I have tried Bonlac and I don't like it. I did not like the taste.
Bonlac also offers flavored milks in small child-sized boxes. Very sweet milk. It's strawberry (fresa) and vanilla flavored milks are in the graphic above.
Estrella Azul
This is the milk to buy if you are buying refrigerated milk. I think it tastes the best.
However, we have found that the taste of refrigerated milk can vary, and not usually for the better. It doesn't taste like it is going off, just strange. It is the main reason I gave up on refrigerated milk and started buying boxed milk.
You can get some specialty milk in Panama, such as
In some parts of Panama, you can go to the dairy and buy raw milk.
In the past I have bought milk from right from a farmer, still warm from the cow's udder. I don't do that anymore. The kids were not crazy about the taste, which also was inconsistent. Also I felt compelled to pasteurize it myself on the stove. This was a pain in the neck.
When I was growing up we had raw milk delivered to our house. But it was raw certified milk, meaning it had been tested to make sure it was safe.
I found it interesting that the milk I bought from the farm had very little cream. Much less than I had experienced when drinking raw milk in the States. I am not sure if the farmer skimmed it off before giving it to me, or if it came from a low-fat producing breed of cow, or..
In our area, Finca Santa Marta offers organic goat's milk for sale, as well as a wide range of organic produce, chickens, and more. You can even order online at this link.
Dos Pinos does sell a bag of heavy milk that I have successfully used to replace heavy cream in recipes. Particularly a hot fudge sauce recipe my family loves. I wouldn't use this heavy cream in my coffee though. It has a unique after taste. Unfortunately, at least in my town, this heavy cream is not always available.
Caution: Dos Pinos also sells sour cream in an identical looking bag. The bag is small, cream colored and about 5 x 2 inches. Sorry, I don't have a photo of it.
Researching what they do to make milk able to sit on the shelf for 6 months was eye-opening.
But not in the way you think.
I didn't know I had been drinking the milk, even in the States, without realizing it.
Most refrigerated milk, esp. Organic, sold in the States goes through the same Ultra High Temperature (UHT) Pasteurization as non-refrigerated milk.
See the chart for details.
The only difference between UHT pasteurized milk that is refrigerated vs. non-refrigerated is the container. The non-refrigerated milk goes into a sterile box which is made of layers of various materials.
They refrigerated UHT milk in the States because Americans distrusted the warm boxed milk. So they gave us the same milk that is in the boxes, but sold it in the refrigerated section and in familiar-looking cartons. But they didn't tell us. I had no idea.
Popular in Europe & South America
Non-refrigerated milk is very common in Europe and throughout Mexico and South America. I do not know if it is common in Canada or not.
I'd be interested in hearing from someone who does know. Have Canadians embraced boxed milk? (I have heard you can buy milk in bags in Canada. Is that so?). Please comment below.
UPDATE: Sarah and Roger graciously left a comment saying that boxed milk is the norm in Canada. And that buying milk in bags is also very common. See the comment section below for more.
In Panama, a gallon of milk is $4.34 - $5.25.
In Panama, boxed milk ranges from about $1.34 to $1.70 a quart. (It only comes in the quart size.) So in order to buy a gallon of milk, you'd have to buy 4 boxes, costing from $5.36 to $6.80.
For comparison, a gallon of non-Organic milk in Seattle costs from ~$2.69 - $3.49.
I don't know why milk is so expensive here. Maybe it is because Panama does not produce enough milk for its needs so it has to import a significant quantity of milk.
Well, that is about all I can think to say about milk in Panama.
If you have anything to add or any questions, please share them in the comments below.
Thurs, September 8, 2016
A crowd of Portenos had assembled to hear him speak.
Puerto Armuelles will have an all new hospital. The new facility will include:
It will happen in 3 phases.
But while the new hospital project is a positive backdrop for President Varela’s visit, the crowd gathered were more interested in knowing:
“What are you going to do to boost our local economy here in Puerto Armuelles?”
Residents of Puerto Armuelles are somewhat skeptical of the promises of President Varela, as they were of previous presidents. After Chiquita Banana left Puerto Armuelles, now about 15 years ago, presidential administrations have all promised projects to bring economic vitality to Puerto Armuelles.
Today, President Varela explained that he is fulfilling his promises to Puerto Armuelles residents.
First of all, the current negotiations with Del Monte to take over the Chiquita Banana plantations are almost complete. (These negotiations have been in process for over a year.) The President has signed the final executive approval for Del Monte to begin work. All that remains is the final approval by the legislature. (Find out more about the Del Monte banana deal here).
President Varela anticipates that the deal will be passed by the legislature in the near future. He predicts that Del Monte will start operations in early 2017.
The Panama government has negotiated with a few other banana companies (including Chiquita) since Chiquita left Puerto. But none, have gotten as far into the process as Del Monte.
Del Monte will employ up to 3,000 workers in Puerto Armuelles.
I'm sure Del Monte taking over the banana plantations will contribute to the current upswing in prosperity in Puerto Armuelles. The renaissance of the “Green Gold” can only be good for Puerto. (Green Gold was the a name used for bananas during Chiquita's reign of Puerto Armuelles.)
In addition to President Varela’s announcement about the imminent arrival of Del Monte, the president also touched on the continued investment in the new, 4 lane highway into Puerto Armuelles.
Road out to Limones
Varela stated that he had approved the funds to continue this new highway all the way out to the fishing community of Limones. Limones is 12 kilometers past Puerto Armuelles, on the Punta Burica Peninsula.
Over the last decade, the road to Limones has been upgraded several times. But the work has always fallen short of a long lasting and paved road. All past work on the road, has been partial at best and it has always fallen into disrepair very quickly.
This time, President Varela said, the work is going to be done right.
The President stated that, with these and other positive investments, the Puerto Armuelles community will continue to reap the benefits of the higher quality of life so much of Panama is enjoying.
[leadplayer_vid id="57C322E278CDC"]
Sometime I will remember to take a video when the thunder and lightening really gets going.
It can get very loud. And the lightening here flashes and spans the sky in ways I have not seen anywhere else.
Until late in August, it was not raining everyday. And when it rained it was typically raining for 1 to 2 hours in the afternoon.
But as we head into September, the rain is sometimes invading the morning hours.
Sometimes in November we can have days of rain.
If you are interested, I written more extensively about the rainy season and the overall climate in Panama.
For more on living in Panama, check out our blog and our frequently asked questions about Panama.
At the end of this article, I also briefly discuss remodeling a cement house.
I have spent my entire career building with wood: in Seattle, Alaska, even in Japan. So it seems strange for me to take such a strong stance against building with wood. Especially in Puerto Armuelles, which initially was built entirely with wood. The United Fruit Company, later Chiquita Banana, built Puerto Armuelles from the ground up using red cedar 2x4’s they shipped down from Portland Oregon.
I suppose if I were 36, or 46, rather than 56, I might feel differently. Or if I hadn’t already spent half of my life remodeling houses. Or if the weather were cool, as it is in Seattle, or Alaska.
I have met guys from various parts of the south, including Houston Texas who have told me that “Where I’m from it is 20 degrees hotter today”. These guys work in blue jeans in Panama. I have spent the better part of my adult life in the Pacific Northwest. On the hottest days in Panama, I sweat just standing still.
I guess what I am trying to convey is that it depends a great deal on the personality, and talents of the potential remodeler. If you are one of those men, or women, who has a tough time sitting still, or if you have looked forward to retirement so that you would have time for projects like remodeling an old Chiquita Banana house in Panama, then remodeling and old wooden house here might be just your cup of tea.
If you can pick up an historic, wooden Chiquita Banana house cheap and in good condition, it might be worth it. (Don’t forget to read the section on “termites” in my article on building with wood. Termites abound in coastal Panama, and they love to eat wood.)
Ten years ago wooden Chiquita homes in Las Palmas were going for $10,$20, $30,000. However, the current asking prices for the nicest homes in Las Palmas is in the $120k-$350k range. You can still pick up a deal, but the house is unlikely to be in good shape.
I would advise, as with any purchase in Puerto Armuelles, that you take your time, ask around. Eventually, you will find what you are looking for at a price that fits your budget.
In some of the less elite neighborhoods (that paradoxically are closer to the beach) deals are easier to come by. I think that, with patience, you still might be able to buy a wooden house in Carmen for under $14K, possibly even $11k. Carmen is a densely populated, working class neighborhood (noisy on the weekends). But Carmen is very well located on the ocean breakwater, at the south end of the downtown. The quality of the houses is already slowly improving in El Carmen, due to an inflow of new money into town. Many locals, even a couple of expats, are repairing and remodeling in Carmen. Prices can go nowhere but up.
Pressure treated 2x studs are available in David, imported from Canada and Chile, I believe. But they are expensive. At my last investigation, 2x6 pressure treated hem-fir cost over $2.00 per lineal foot. Prices may have come down, due to increasing demand; In the near future this may not be an unusual product anymore.
(Important note: I am not certain that I would want to live in a house made of such toxic wood, particularly if the framing lumber was left exposed. If that happens, the homeowner would end up in direct daily contact with the pesticide- impregnated wood.)
2. Labor cost. Another serious consideration when deciding whether or not to remodel a wooden house is labor cost.
On a per day basis, construction labor here in Puerto Armuelles is a steal. Workers get $20, $25, and $30 per day here. However, they don't have much experience working with wood. This means the efficiency level of these laborers is nowhere near a professional building crew in the States or in Canada.
A small 2 or 3 bedroom house that 2 skillful carpenters might frame in the States or Canada in a few weeks, could well take a crew of 6 men here several months to complete. And complete with a far lower quality of fit and finish. It is just not a woodworking culture.
There are those who would respond immediately “No Way. Don’t remodel a concrete block house. Far better just tear it down and start from scratch.”
I know from conversations with Milton Hutto, owner of Heavenly’s Hotel in San Vicente that he felt that he should have torn down the existing concrete house that became part of the West Wing of his hotel.
Most of his project was built using M-2, steel rebar, and concrete stucco. Obviously, Milton knows what he is talking about. He was there on-site during most of the construction, and he had prior building experience in Puerto Armuelles.
Watch a video of Milton talking about building a house in Panama, as an expat. Just click the link.
However, one should consider the scale of the project, before dismissing remodeling a concrete block house out of hand. In Milton’s case, he was building an 11 room hotel, not a small, single family, or single person dwelling. He employed a crew of at least 10 men. With this work force, costs were high, and quick progress was an absolute necessity.
Find out about building your house of concrete in Panama.
