More recently, there has been a weather station in David.
But now, finally, there is a weather station in Puerto Armuelles!
We can thank Brenda and Don of the Tsunami Inn for it.
Brenda and Don started visiting Puerto Armuelles years ago. They even bought property.
More recently, they moved down full-time and became part-owners of the Tsunami Inn.
The Tsunami Inn is one of 2 beach hotels in the San Vicente neighborhood of Puerto Armuelles.
Brenda and Don, particularly Don, were also bothered that there was no weather station in Puerto Armuelles. They had had a weather station when they were living in Tool, Texas. So they set one up here.
You can see it in the image above. It is attached to their home, which is on the grounds of the Tsunami Inn.
Brenda made 2 observations about the weather station.
So keep that in mind when you look at the results of their weather station.
Okay, so how can you use the weather station to find out the weather in Puerto Armuelles.
I also have the widget for Puerto Armuelles's weather station on this site. Look in the sidebar on this post.
The information also appears in the sidebar of all my 'About Puerto Armuelles' pages.
If you are interested about the climate and weather in Panama, I wrote a detailed article about the weather in Panama here.
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The more formal one, followed by the more casual dog show. I have captured the causal version of the dog show in the video above.
It is only in that less stringent show, that our dog, Ziggy, could win the most obedient dog award. Which he did.
The dog show happened in the parking lot of the Romero Supermarket in Puerto Armuelles.
Romero is a major supermarket chain in Panama. They sponsor dog shows throughout Panama.
We meet a young woman at the show who had had participated at the dog show in Bugaba 2 weeks ago.
She had come down to Puerto Armuelles from David to be in our dog show as well. She has 2 dogs. She belongs to a dog club and takes it very seriously. She didn't even bother to have her dogs out during the 2nd, less formal, dog show. They stayed in the shade and in the car.
In the video, I also discuss start times in Panama. How some events start right on time and some don't.
You have to be here for awhile to figure out which type of events will start promptly and which do not. Although, you can still get it wrong when you are not a native - as you will see in the video.
You can hear me, Betsy, doing a voice over in the video. Here is what I say:
You can check out a bit of the dog show in Puerto Armuelles, Panama.
Well, this dog show was really over when we arrived. They were giving out prizes and taking photos.
But it turns out, that even though we had thought it was over, and we'd come late because we didn't think it was starting right away. There's two parts of the dog show.
And we were pulled into it, happily, for my daughter, there, with our dog Ziggy. Because she had wanted to put her dog in.
And Veronique, who is with the cast, we had told about this dog show, so she is happily there.
But Sheryl, who you see there, she was just coming over to have us help her fix something. We had told her we were going to be there so we could fix it while we were there.
But we're all pulled into the second part.
You can see there's little obedient checks. Whether the dog will come to you, whether it will sit...
They do one run of that.
And then they have the audience give their input. They base the 2nd round of prizes on how much applause each person got.
Pretty much everyone got some dog food.
Here's an interesting cultural item.
You can easily think that everything happens late in Panama. You know, its a relaxed lifestyle.
Things tend to be late, but not everything.
When my husband was at Romero's. They said the dog show was going to be starting in a few minutes.
My husband looked around and said it didn't look like it would start for about an hour. But it started right away.
When we showed up, an hour and 20 minutes later, it was pretty much over. The main part at least.
And so, that is something we should have known - that the dog show would start on time. There's certain things that start on time.
It's just one of those things you kind of have to learn over time. What things start on time and what things are likely to be very very late.
One thing I do like about Panama, is that there is no pre-registration. Maybe for the first part, people pre-registered. But I'm sure if you showed up, you could still participate in that. And here, we were completely not prepared for the second part, and it was fine.
It is not necessary to do a lot of pre-planning in your life. And I love that about Panama.
I made a slideshow type video of the 1st annual dog show. The monthly spay and neuter clinic happened on the same day last year and I included some photos of that as well. You can see that video here.
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The majority of expats who live full-time or part-time in Panama drive their own, personal car.
And why not.
The highway system is being improved every year. There are thousands of miles of brand new, smooth asphalt to drive, and often there are few cars to share the road with.
Cars in Panama are relatively inexpensive and there is a good used car market (Please see our previous articles on purchasing a used car in Panama).
However, not everyone who moves to Panama wants a car. There are some very good reasons for not owning one.
Expense
Probably the number one reason most people choose not to own a car is the expense. As in the US, owning and operating a car requires that you purchase, and maintain your car. You need to buy fuel. You need to register your car. You need insurance. You need to buy new tires, wiper blades, etc…etc… Plus, you need to be financially capable of paying for the occasional major repair. This can be expensive as well as being stressful.
Being Green
The most obvious reason for not driving a car is that cars are very destructive of the environment. Regardless of your beliefs about irreversible global warming due to burning fossil fuels and the emission of huge amounts of carbon dioxide, and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, we can all see the vast impact that our use of the car has on our planet. Can you believe that people have been here for six million years or so, and that cars have only been around for a little over 100 years?
So, if you are on a tight budget, or you just want to do your part to preserve the environment, there is good news. You can simply “grab a cab”.
You will find the typical yellow-painted 4 door Toyota, Hyundai, or Kia cabs circulating throughout Puerto Armuelles all day, and much of the night as well. It shouldn’t take more than a minute of two to hail a cab on the street in Puerto Armuelles, or anywhere in Panama.
Taxis Are Cheap
Another bonus. The ride is cheap.
Puerto Armuelles Example
Most destinations in our town can be reached for less than $1.00. Even to get out to the beach at Corazon de Jesus might set you back $2.00. When you first arrive in town, you might find that cab drivers overcharge you a bit. However, once you learn the fares, you won’t have a problem. Everyone pays the same price, expats and Panamanians. Shared taxi rides (where they pick up other people on the way) are less expensive than your own exclusive ride.
Although Betsy and I drive a car, I still maintain contact information for 3 or 4 cab drivers in my phone. Good to have for emergencies, or just if you want something picked up and delivered.
If you don’t have a car, and you always want to be confident of having reliable transportation, you might want to keep as many as 6 or 7 cab driver contacts. That way, you can have phone numbers of favorite cab drivers who drive during the day, and numbers of favorite drivers who work the graveyard shift.
If you wish to go to David, the current price for one passenger is $30-$35. It’s the same to the international airport in David. Or, you could take the bus to David for $4, and then take cabs in David to do your shopping. Then return to Puerto by bus, or by cab one-way. Alternatively, if you have a lot to accomplish in David, you could take a bus, run errands by cab, and spend the night in a hotel (See article on a good hotel in David). Then return to Puerto, fully rested, the following day.
In Panama City, there are even more alternatives like its many buses, its subway, taxis and more. Uber is particularly popular in Panama City. It is not offered anywhere else in Panama yet.
My curiosity has been piqued by the big boom in the use of electric bikes in Seattle. One might employ some combination of bicycle, electric bike, or scooter, and taxi cab in your daily life. This way you could easily cover all of your transportation needs in Puerto Armuelles. One could enjoy a flexible, economical, and convenient lifestyle this way.
If you like being green, you should check out our Living In Panama house, an affordable non-air conditioning dependent home.
You need a policy that is a good fit for your age, health situation, location, budget, and any pre-existing conditions you may have.
A broker can help you figure out which health insurance policy is the best fit for you. They can also help you through the application process.
If you find a good broker, they can also be an invaluable help with any future issue you may have with the insurance policy you chose together.
Plus in Panama the information you can find online can only take you so far. Website are not updated as often and as thoroughly as westerners are used to. It really helps to have the personal connection.
I mention 3 recommended insurance brokers. However, I would ask your local friends, and on forums and groups for recommendations as well.
Before you apply, I recommend you review 9 important details about health insurance in Panama. You may also want to read my observations of health care in Panama
The process is generally pretty simple, especially if you use a broker.
Medical records and Spanish Translation. The most time consuming part will obtaining your past medical records. Those records will be examined for pre-existing conditions. You may need to get these records translated into Spanish. Your broker can help you with this. If they require a translation, you should find out if you need a Panama certified translator to translate the documents.
It is best if you turn in all the required documents at one time.
Typically the company's review process takes about 2 - 3 weeks. That is, once all the documents are submitted.
Make sure you fully understand your insurance before you start using it. You should feel confident that you know the following facts about your coverage.
Congratulations. If you followed all these steps, you now have health insurance in Panama.
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More and more expats in Panama are choosing international health insurance. One reason is that the local policies have become more limited. More importantly, international health insurance covers you even when you are traveling, offers a wider network of doctors and hospitals, and offers a higher coverage amount.
Typical Limits - International Insurance Policy
Here are some International companies to check out.
Save Money Don't Have USA Coverage
The policies are less expensive if you exclude coverage in the USA. You can include coverage in the USA, but it tends to double or almost double the policy cost.
When traveling to the US, whether you are US citizen or not, you can simply buy travel insurance for the specific time you will be in the States. This works well if you will be in the States for under 3 months. Also, I have heard that the International insurance company, Cigna, allows you to add up to 3 months of coverage in the States for a reasonable price.
For the questions you should ask before you buy insurance, click here.
Hospital-based policies and local HMO-style insurance policies offer coverage only in Panama. If you don't plan on travel much outside of Panama, or are have insurance back "home", it can be a good option. It is generally cheaper. However, most will not accept new applicants after the age of 65.
Typical Limits - Domestic Insurance Policy
If you do decide to go outside the HMO group you are reimbursed for only 60% of what would have been paid to the preferred provider.
If you are over 65, you will have to look into an International insurance company that accepts new applications 66 years old and older.
Here are some International companies to check out.
Don't know if you need health insurance? Ask yourself these 3 health and financial questions to find out.
A Broker's Recommendation.
Cari Collins is an insurance broker I often see recommended on various Facebook groups and forums. I reached out to her and asked for her advice for expats looking for health insurance in Panama. We had a very friendly exchange. And, importantly, she responded to her email and my questions very quickly.
Cari Collins' Advice To Expats
The name of the company I represent is Global Health Insurance. I think the name is a good description of what we provide. Not only is health insurance available but also travel medical, property, auto and life insurance.
For medical, I can represent WEA, Cigna, IMG and VUMI, among others. The policy I feel is the best value is WEA.
The things I like about it that you may not find with other insurance plans here in Panama, are:
So many expats visit the U.S. though. If they exclude the U.S. to save money, they still need coverage for those visits back. In those cases, travel medical coverage is a great solution. You can purchase a policy to cover only the days you are visiting. No medical background is needed because no pre-existing conditions are covered. But it will cover any accident or illness incurred during your visit.
The WEA policy that excludes the U.S. combined with an IMG travel medical policy for visits is a great way to make sure your health care costs are covered and because medical costs are so much less in Panama insurance costs are also significantly less.
Cari Collins' contact information: email: [email protected]. website: www.globalhealthinsurance.com/cari-collins.
Find out how to apply for health insurance in Panama
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The video above was done by elsalvador.com
Tamborito evolved starting in the 17thcentury after the Spanish conquistadors brought slaves to Panama. The slave dance culture blended with the Mestizo (mix of Spanish and Indian) dances to establish a new dance. One that involved percussion instruments, clapping, singing, and lively choreography.
The dance is a romantic courtship between a man and a woman.
The basic choreography of the dance consists of shuffling steps. Every person who wants to dance creates a circle, men on one side and women on the other. Taking turns, one man and one woman will go into the center and dance with subtle movements of their hips and tiny steps. They may dance next to each other or face to face but never touching. Typically there are at least 6 couples dancing.
The male dancer works to impress the woman with fast footwork and by gesturing with his hat. He dances in a circular pattern- almost as if he is chasing her. The female dancer also moves in a circular pattern in accordance to the man. She holds her pollera (skirt) in both hands, letting the long fabric create a bell shape, as she moves gracefully as if gliding across the floor. At times the empolleradas provocatively swish their long flowing dresses. After inviting him closer in this way, she will spur him by turning her back and continuing her circling dance.
Professional Panamanian folk dancer Dimaris Bergeron says that eye contact is key to any Panamanian folk dance between a man and a woman. The woman is not supposed to smile because that would imply that she finds the man charming. It is a playful dance with the man trying to entice the woman while she resists his appeals.
The men are called montunos named after the straw hat that they wear. The women are called empolleradas named after their long skirt.
At the end of the dance, the partners curtsey to each other.
NOTE: The description of the dance above and the customs below are for the more staged and formal performances. Tamborito often occurs much more spontaneously or casually. Much like the video of Tamborito above.
Tamborito music incorporates Panama's African influences. Tamborito means “little drum”. The rhythm is referred to as “Tambor Norte”.
The Tamborito is played with three small drums, one for the high tones, one for the low tones (and a caja), another one for the rhythm. They layer their sounds on top of each other.
Depending on the region, it may also include a Spanish guitar, a violin and an almirez. The almirez is a metal mortar and pestle that is used as a percussion instrument. The instrument is historically Arabic.
There is usually one female lead singer who is supported by rhythmic chorus clapping and singing of the rest of the women. The lead singer, cantalante, may sing about life, work, or love, depending on the type of tamborito.
An important aspect of the dance is the costuming. Women wear La Polleras. A La Pollera is two separate pieces: a shirt and a Pollerón (long skirt). The gowns are detailed with colorful embroidery, lace, and ribbons.
On top of each female dancer’s head rests a large elaborate headdress called a tembleque.
The head decoration is almost as important as the dress itself. The hair is parted into two braids and tightly pulled back behind the ears. The head is decorated with tembleques. They are designed to sparkle. (see photo below).
The tembleques are applied with various types of combs. There can be as many as twenty combs on the head -ten per side. The woman also wears ornate and reflective jewerly (see photos below).
The men’s costume consists of a
There are different patterns of shirt, pants, and shoes, according to the region.
Click on photos to start slideshow.
The Tamborito is especially popular during the Panamanian Carnival, a national celebration that takes place between February and March, just before Lent begins.
Sources:
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
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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.
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