You can really feel the African influences in the music. El Tamborito is often performed at formal events, but I think it is best when it happens more causally.
In Puerto Armuelles.
It will start at the San Antonio Church. The parade route is from Super Yen to the downtown municipal park (by the waterfront)
The Tourist Development Association of Baru is hosting this "First Parade of Tipica Costumes in Baru". (Note: Baru is a district in the Chiriqui Province.)
You can enjoy people from all over Baru dancing and singing and showing off their best tipica costumes
Saturday, April 29, 2017
The festivities & parade start outside of Super Yen. The parade ends at the Municipal Park (by the waterfront).
El Tamborito is just one of many folk dances in Panama. But this lively dance is unique to the country. As I said above, it is Panama's national dance. The dance symbolizes a romantic courtship between a man and a woman.
Tamborito music incorporates the African influences in Panama. Tamborito means “little drum”. The music consists of three drums that layer upon one another.
An important aspect of the dance is the costuming. Women wear la polleras. Polleras are are long white gowns with colorful embroidery, lace, and ribbons. On top of each female dancer’s head rests a large elaborate headdress. The men’s costume consists of a white loosely fitted shirt, trousers, and a straw hat.
At a casual event, people don't necessarily wear tipica customs. They also don't necessarily do the more formal dance style or dance much at all.
Click for more information on Tamborito dance, music, and costumes.
And the easiest and fastest way to make money online is by teaching English. Well, at least it is for native English speakers.
You may also want to read a previous post I did. How to make money in Panama
For native speakers, teaching English is a fast easy option to:
You aren't going to get rich teaching English, but you can get a comfortable income. Obviously, online offers the most flexibility and portability. Of course, you can teach in person or online. Also, if you want to teach in person you either need to get a work permit or fly under the radar.
Pay
In reviewing the options, the pay scale is anywhere from $8 to $45/hour.
The pay largely depends on the company and the markets they serve. Well-developed Asian countries like Japan and South Korea are the best paying markets. Companies in China and South America pay significantly less.
How to Make More
Mike Wilbur from Toshuo.com states there are other teachers such as Gabby Wallace who have built huge personal brands and teach large numbers of students directly. Next in line are people with niche brands who teach groups on their own sites. Even tutoring one on one on a large company platform can turn out well. Chad Hansen has earned over $100k tutoring individual students on Verbling. But remember, if you can’t differentiate yourself, the wage floor is very low in an online market.
According to RealWaysToEarnMoneyOnline.com, the only way to make more than $20 an hour is to give group lessons. But there are caveats. 1) Finding and managing a large group of students is challenging 2) Requires web conferencing software 3) Need great marketing and time management skills. I have a friend who makes $100 per hour in a weekly class he runs on the WizIQ Platform, and he’s not the only one. If you have an infectious personality and good marketing skills, this may be the best (and by far the most lucrative) option for you.
If you establish your own website, the suggested rate for an hourly one-on-one lesson is $20. You will find that some teachers charge less than that, but it easy to find students at this price. This is also the price that many of the established companies charge the students. If you have your own site, you keep all of that $20. If you work for a company, they take a cut of it.
You don't necessarily need a degree or certificate. However, you will have more and better paid opportunities if you do.
Little Age Discrimination
For older people, one of the great benefits is there is very little age discrimination when hiring people to teach English online. This is a welcome change. In fact, if you've been a teacher, being older and more experienced is an advantage.
Requirements
It varies, but generally you can find a job teaching English online if you fit the following criteria.
You can get better teaching gigs if you meet any of the criteria below:
Most people who are reading this article can teach online.
Obviously, the first bullet above is the easiest and fastest to use when you are first starting out. But as you gain experience, and perhaps even a following, you may decide to graduate to the other teaching options.
There is an enormous number of companies you can work for teaching English. I have a link to a large list of them toward the end of this page. Before you apply to work for a company, make sure you do some research. While many companies are legit, there are some scams and some just plain bad places to work.
Mike Wilbur from Toshuo.com gives this advice to job seekers when considering the 4 largest online teaching companies.
Advice
He says start with:
Timezones
Keep in mind in which the country most of your students will reside. Most companies have a particular country or region they cater their lessons to. Timezones matter. For instance, China is 13 hours ahead of Panama. As you'd imagine the peak teaching times will be evenings and weekends, China time. 6 pm in China is 5am in Panama. It is hard to get students, if you are in bed when they want to learn.
Online Companies
Keep in mind, the information on their sites are not always up-to-date. If you feel a company is perfect for you, but it looks like you don't qualify, don't hesitate to email them and ask. Sometimes things are more flexible than it appears when reading the website.
Watch this video of an expat's experience getting a job with Open English.
English Teaching Apps
Newest to the game are app based online teaching. Here are 3 of them.
Read about Beverly's experience teaching English online with Boxfish
The above is only a handful of your options of where to teach English online. Mike Veenstra of GoodAirLanguage.com keeps an updated list most of the vast array of companies you can work for.
It includes short descriptions, including pay range, of the companies. He also categories the list by which country the company is based in, as well as the companies for which you create your own teacher profile and market to students.
The Big List Of Companies
Find out more about our charming beach town of Puerto Armuelles
Already in love with Puerto Armuelles? Check out our properties for sale.
So, when I arrived in Panama I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with myself.
I was searching the internet for ideas when I came across an ad for Boxfish. They were looking for people to teach conversational English to students in Beijing. It would all be done through a program developed by Boxfish for the internet.
Long Application
I decided to apply and it was an arduous journey. They were just getting underway and there were quite a few clichés. I had to fill in an application telling them about myself and attach my CV. I also had to add a video talking about my favourite artist. This video needed to be about 3 minutes long and had to show my enthusiasm about the artist I had chosen. I chose Rod Stewart because I am such a big fan. You also had to have access to an Apple device, which I had to purchase.
Interview
After all that was submitted I waited to see if I would be notified to have an interview over Skype. If I passed the interview I would then be contacted to take the training. All this took about four months. I started teaching mid January 2017.
This application and interview process has now changed, as I describe below.
Fun Teaching Experience
I have enjoyed almost every minute of teaching. My youngest student is 6 years old. I now have a few adults in their 20’s and 30’s. There have been some complications. For instance, when the internet connection is not very good between where I am in Panama and China.
Pay
So, you probably want to know what Boxfish pays and how often I teach. This is how it works. You get paid $10.00 for 25 minutes of teaching. They will tell you it is $20.00 an hour but you very rarely get classes back to back, which would add up to the hour.
Schedule
You have access to a calendar and you mark off the days you are available to teach. When students book a class, the computer will look for a matching time slot and give you a class.
You have no control over how many classes you are assigned or the student. I usually do about 20-25 classes a month. Because of the time difference it is difficult for me to get more classes. I am 13 hours behind Beijing. You also have the opportunity to go on standby for 2 hours everyday. Sometimes classes will be assigned to you from students who have not booked scheduled classes but want one right then.
Get More Info
So, if you are interested in teaching English you can find Boxfish on Youtube. There are plenty of videos about the company, including information on how to apply.
Recent Changes
It has all changed since I applied last September. Now you just send them your name and contact information. You do not have to fill in the time-consuming application, or do a video and your device can be an android.
Conclusion
There are still wrinkles to be ironed out, and that does frustrate me sometimes, but I love tutoring the students and that makes up for all the unpredictability associated with Boxfish.
You may want to read Betsy's article on teaching English online. It covers requirements, advice, and a list of possible companies to work for.
Find out more about our charming beach town of Puerto Armuelles
Already in love with Puerto Armuelles? Check out our properties for sale.
In particular, it has been awhile since I reviewed the accommodations available on Punta Burica.
Turns out 2 of the hotels are no longer in business, but 2 others have taken their place.
(FYI: The Punta Burica Peninsula starts after about a 20 minute drive from Puerto Armuelles.)
I also updated our places to stay in Puerto Armuelles page to include a link to Air BnB options and other revisions.
I hope this updated information is useful to you.
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You can find more photos and details about this property by clicking here.
In the video, I mention a few links you may want to click. Here they are:
Hi, this is Betsy of Living in Panama.
About the Property
We have a wonderful beachfront lot for sale in the charming beach town of Puerto Armuelles
This property has everything going for it:
Also For Sale
The 2 adjacent properties you see are also for sale, -- which includes the yellow beachfront house we are currently remodelling. To find out more, click the link below
As I said, this property is in Puerto Armuelles, in the Chiriqui province.
Here we are getting closer; to get a Google Earth view of the property.
Price
It is only $54,500 dollars.
Near Services
This beachfront property is in a great location. Just a block and a half from the Tsunami Inn which hosts a horseshoe game and expat hang out event every Sunday afternoon.
Even closer, in the other direction, are 2 restaurants. Las Juanas which is a seafood restaurant with outdoor seating right on the beach. It is really a great place to hang out.
Next to it is Big Daddy's Hotel, which has a restaurant inside, with air-conditioning.
There are a couple of small grocery stores within a block or two of the property. Puerto also has a great Romero grocery store as well as others about 5 minutes away.
Nearby Things To Do
This property and Puerto Armuelles, in general, can take advantage of all that Chiriqui Province offers.
It is only an hour day trip down to visit Mono Feliz and maybe feed the monkeys.
You can take a swim in front of your property in the morning and then go take a hike in Volcan or Boquete or Cerro Punta and be back at your beachfront home after a leisurely day.
David is about an hour and 15 minutes away. Its the biggest town in Chiriqui, Puerto Armuelles is the 2nd biggest, but David is definitely the shopping mecca. You can get pretty much you’d ever want there. And it keeps growing in that way. (e.g., a huge expansion of the Chiriqui Mall in David is currently underway)
And even outside of the Chiriqui province you can go along up this way to Almirante and take the ferry to Bocas del Toro for maybe a long weekend.
Or you can go right over here and visit Costa Rica.
About Puerto Armuelles
Or you could simply hang out in Puerto Armuelles.
Chiquita banana built Puerto Armuelles from scratch starting in the late 1920s. They put a unique stamp on this charming beach town. Including building whole neighborhoods of wooden houses on stilts.
Today Puerto is a charming beach town.
In fact, it is the only true beach town in Panama.
It has pretty much everything you need to live comfortably, including a great beach life, whether for you that is walking on the beach, boogie boarding, stand up paddleboarding, or surfing, or going there to buy fish from the fishermen.
More Info
For more information on this property, please contact us at our site, LivinginPanama.com or click the link below.
Please give us a thumbs up if you enjoyed this video and don’t forget to subscribe (YouTube).
You can explore more properties in Puerto Armuelles here.
And you can learn more about our charming beach town starting here.
On February 15, 2017, the Ministry of Labor issued a new work permit requirement for foreigners with either a Friendly Nations or Professional Foreigner visa.
To apply for a work permit, those visa holders must now have an approved and stamped employment contract with a Panamanian company and be enrolled in the local payroll system.
This is a big change. Before you did not have to have a job in order to get a work permit, at least not for holders of a Friendly Nation visa.
This is a big set back for people who simply wanted to work in their own business. For instance, a foreigner can open a restaurant in Panama. But if you also want to wait tables at your restaurant, you need a work permit. (Please consult a good lawyer to get a full picture on how this new regulation may impact you.)
Of course, there are other ways to get a work permit.
The Friendly Nations visa was originally created in 2012 to attract more skilled workers to Panama. There simply were not enough skilled Panamanian workers to meet the need of local companies. To remedy this, government created the Friendly Nations visa and explicitly linked it to an expedited work permit process.
But the recent uproar over rising number of illegal workers in Panama has put a halt to that. Recent and significant changes to Panama Tourist visas have also been made to help stop the influx of foreigners working here illegally.
The Friendly Nations Visa itself doesn't give you the right to work, so it may not get caught up in this drive to curtail foreign workers. However, given the public sentiment, it may go away. If you were thinking of applying for one, it is better to apply sooner rather than later - or too late.
The official government site explains what you need for a work permit with the Friendly Nations Visa. However, what that site says or the exact wording of the law may not determine how your work permit application is treated. There is an interpretation that the law, and that interpretation is still in flux. But for now it seems that unless you had your work permit application in before March, you won't be getting one. That is, unless you have a job offer from a qualifying Panamanian company.
Find out more about the Friendly Nations Visa here
The good news is that Friendly Nations and Professional Foreigner visa holders will still not be considered in calculating a company’s foreign-to-local worker ratio. This is still true even though these visa holders must now have a local employment contract and be paid through a local payroll.
This means that those visa holders will still have an edge on getting a job with a local company since they won't impact the company's ratio numbers.
(FYI, Panamanian laws establish that only 10% of a company’s work force can be foreign (non-Panamanian); exceptions include if a worker is married to a Panamanian, or if the worker has lived in Panama for 10 or more years).
This easy link between the Friendly Nations visa and a work permit is an innocent victim of public outrage.
Panama has experienced an alarming rise in foreigners, on a tourist visa, who are working in Panama. It is illegal to work in Panama if you are on a tourist visa. Until very recently, these foreigners, mostly from other Latin American countries, only needed to hop over the border to renew their tourist visa. And then go back to their jobs.
Panama has now made changes to tourist visa regulations to eliminate this easy visa renewal border hop. It was a good move.
However, this work permit change seems like a knee jerk reaction to the public outrage over the illegal workers. Making it harder for holders of these 2 residency visas to get a work permit does not help eliminate illegal workers. Foreigners who apply for a work permit, obviously want to work legally. By further restricting the ability of foreigners to get a work permit, they only make it more tempting for them to work illegally in Panama.
The easiest way to make money while living in Panama is to earn it outside-of-Panama. You can work online in various capacities, work your job remotely from Panama, and other ways.
In a previous post, I wrote up some ideas on how to make money in Panama .
Check out these beautiful & affordable properties
These properties have some of the lowest per meter prices you will find in Puerto Armuelles – or in Panama.
Updated: March 24, 2017
As of March 6th, you cannot renew your Panama Tourist Visa, unless you leave Panama for at least 30 days.
That's right you must leave for 30 days.
Don't worry, you are exempt if your residency visa application is being processed.
However, for those applying for residency, make sure you are given an ID showing that your residency is in process. Without that ID you need to comply with the new Tourist Visa regulations.
It is the steadily increasing number of people working on a perpetually renewed tourist visa that sparked the uproar.
I don't think the changes are prompted by North Americans doing this. In my opinion, it is the perpetual "tourists" from other latin american countries that caused this massive rule changes. (The government has also changed some work permit rules.)
When I was in Panama City last month, most of the waiters I talked to were from Nicaragua or Colombia. I was told that the authorities have been increasingly making surprise visits to businesses and asking to see all the workers work permit documents. The large number of illegal workers has been a growing government concern.
Given that Venezuelans were the primary subject of most of the initial border crossing stories there may even be more Venezuelans than other nationalities working illegally in Panama. But whether that is true or not, the new rules are apply to all tourists, regardless of their country of origin.
In general, Panama is very protective of jobs for Panamanians. For instance, there are 25 categories of jobs that foreigners are forbidden to hold by Panamanian law. It is also why they have also recently changed how easy it is to get a work permit for friendly nation visa holders.
So it is not surprising they are coming down hard.
There are increasing numbers of people working in Panama, illegally, on a tourist visa.
Need a residency visa? Here are 4 Panama visas you may qualify for.
Even before this rule change there was a number of reasons to get residency in Panama.
90 vs 180 Day Tourist Visa
For citizens of some countries, Panama will now only issue a 90 day tourist visa. It was President Varella's predecessor, President Martinelli, who lengthened it to 180 days.
In Varella's Executive Decree No. 590 he shortened it back to the 90 day tourist visa.
However, in Decree No. 591, of the same day, Varella made an exception to the 90 day tourist visa for citizens of countries which are not required to get a tourist visa BEFORE they arrive in Panama.
Therefore, citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and many other countries will be issued an 180 day tourist visa. This page of wikipedia has a list of all the countries which are not required to have a visa to visit Panama. If you hold a passport from any of those countries, you will be issued a 180 day tourist visa in Panama.
(Note: you can only legally drive a vehicle for first 90 days on a tourist visa, even if you have a 180 day visa.)
30 Day Exit
The biggest change to the tourist visa is its renewal policy.
Now, to renew a tourist visa (both 90 and 180 day visas) tourists are required to leave Panama for a minimum of 30 days before reentering Panama.
Legal Residents & Applicants
If you are a foreigner (e.g., American, Canadian...) with legal Panamanian residency this does not impact you. A foreigner with legal residency in Panama is not required to stay outside the country x number of days before being allowed to re-enter.
Again, if you have applied for your residency visa, but don't have it yet, you should receive an ID showing that your residency is in process. If you have that ID, you are also not required to stay outside the country x number of days before being allowed to re-enter. (Note, if you don’t have this ID, then you should leave Panama before your tourist visa ends.)
Keep in mind, that the officials at the border crossing don't always understand the rule changes themselves. Always be polite and gracious. If you need to, simply ask to see their manager.
Here is the email that the American Citizen Services department of the US Embassy in Panama sent out about these changes.
The U.S. Embassy in Panama would like to inform all U.S. Citizens in Panama that on March 6th 2017, the Panamanian Immigration Authority (Servicio Nacional de Migracion-SNM) announced new guidance for Panamanian immigration officials on the enforcement of pre-existing regulations.
According to the SNM, immigration officials have been instructed to be stricter about the enforcement of the regulation that foreigners entering Panama with tourist status prove that they are in fact entering Panama as tourists and not residing in Panama.
Since the announcement, the Consular Section has received many questions from U.S. citizens about this new guidance.
Below are the most frequently asked questions along with the responses the Consular Section received from the SNM.
Should you have further questions, please reach out to the SNM directly via phone at507-1800 or visit their website at: http://www.migracion.gob.pa
In order to re-enter Panama on tourist status, does a U.S. Citizen need to return to their country of origin (the country from which they came into Panama) or can they return from a third-country (example: Costa Rica)?
Answer: In the new guidance SNM does not specify if the tourist needs to return his/her country of origin. What is being implemented is that, in most cases, the person needs to leave Panama for a minimum of 30 days before reentering as a tourist.
In order for a person to re-enter Panama on tourist status, what is the minimum amount of time the person needs to spend outside of Panama?
Answer: The new requirement that is being implemented by SNM in reference to time spent out of Panama is a minimum of 30 days before applying for admission, in most cases.
In order for a person to re-enter Panama on mariner visa status, what is the minimum amount of time the person needs to spend outside of Panama.
Answer: According to SNM, mariner visas are valid for 90 days and must be renewed on the 90th day, or the day before, from the date of the previous mariner visa stamp. Mariner visas can only be renewed once before the visa- holder needs to exit Panama. The amount of time the person with the mariner visa needs to stay outside of Panama is not specified by SNM.
If entering Panama on tourist status, does the method of entry need to match the method of exit (i.e. can a U.S. Citizen enter Panama on a plane and use as proof of exit evidence that they own a boat in Panama and plan to exit via boat)?
Answer: The method of entry and exit into and out of Panama does not have to be the same so long as the entries and departures are met legally by using established Ports of Entry – land, maritime or air and admitted by a Panamanian immigration officer.
Do U.S. Citizens with legal Panamanian residency status also require a roundtrip ticket when entering Panama?
Answer: No. A foreigner with legal residence in Panama does not need to show proof of exit from Panama.
Is a person applying for Panamanian residency required to stay in Panama for the entire duration of time required to complete the residency process? If so, what happens if the process takes more than the allotted six months for tourist status.
Answer: If the person has an ID that shows that his/her residency is in process, the person is fine to leave and return to Panama. If there is no ID, then the person should exit as a tourist (i.e., before the sixth month approaches).
How long does the FBI Identification Record process, required for purposes of obtaining residency in Panama, take? Can this process be expedited?
Answer: For information on the FBI identification record process, individuals may visit https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/identity-history-summary-checks. According to the FBI website, the current turnaround estimate for these records is 12 to 14 weeks plus the amount of time the results may take to arrive in the mail. Currently there is no option to receive the response electronically. For questions on this topic, individuals may call (304) 625-5590 or write an email to [email protected]
Tourists are only allowed to drive in Panama for 90 days. Is there an exception for this given that tourists are allowed to stay in Panama for 180 days?
Answer: According to the Transit authority (http://www.transito.gob.pa/sites/default/files/reglamento_decreto_640..pdf) foreigners that enter Panama as tourists are not permitted to obtain Panamanian drivers’ licenses and are only allowed to drive with a foreign license for 90 days. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Can SNM waive the FBI Identification Record process if a person does not exit Panama for two years? If so, would there be an exception to the 180 day stay limit for tourists for a person trying to obtain this waiver?
Answer: If a person stays in Panama for more than two years then the FBI requirement does not apply. The waiver of the FBI requirement applies to those people that stay in Panama two years, without exiting. In these cases, a fine is paid by the person for overstaying their tourist visa and the person is only required to present a PNM police record rather than the FBI check.
You can find all the decrees and laws that affect immigration at Panama's department of immigration (Servicio Nacional de Migración de Panamá or SNM). You can visit their website or call them at 507 1807 or 507-1822.
Do you want to live long term in Panama?
Explore out our affordable Puerto Armuelles real estate.
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The weekends will be especially crowded. More than 300K visitors are expected this year. The David Fair has all sorts of things: horses, cows, car and tractor dealerships, plants, traditional dancing, and much more.
Handicrafts, Art, Furniture
If you are looking to buy some handicrafts, paintings, furniture, or hammocks is it worth your time to check out the stalls. There are both outdoor and indoor stands of a wide variety of merchandise.
Gardening
If you are a gardener, make sure you check out the area of the fair where they sell plants. There is an enormous variety of plants for sale. You may want to go during the day, when it is less crowded.
I believe admission still only costs $2 , $1 if you are retired. Admission is free if you are under 8 years old. If you want to see the "zoo", it is an extra 50 cents, which you pay at the zoo entrance.
I have written about the David Fair a few times in the past. If you are interested, here the links to those posts.
2012 visit including 2 hotel mentions
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We had fun, and bought a couple of different kinds of fish. Although, we were hoping to find a tuna that day, but no luck.
We love tuna, but it isn't popular here. Which is great for us. It is not popular so they sell it for only 60 cents a pound. Lightly seared and served with wasabi it is delectable.
Maybe next time they will have some tuna.
Where do you buy your fish in Panama?
We like to buy it off the boats. But people will walk or bike around with fish for sale.
We are alittle leary of buying non-iced seafood.
But if you go that route, here is a video that explains how to tell if a fish is fresh.
It is done by one of the YouTubers my daughter Blaise likes, Bart's Fish Tales. He also has alot of receipes for seafood of all sorts.
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