Panama Travel 101: Who are the Kuna Indians?

An interesting trip to see the Kuna Indians in San Blas. As you saw in my post from last season I spent a few days enjoying the beautiful San Blas archipelago and the beautiful, peaceful people of San Blas - the Kunas. Enjoy!

Panama Travel 101: Who are the Kuna Indians?

Posted using ShareThis

Check it out - these Lonely Planet guides are the best!

Auto Shipping Helps Canal Recovery Says Panama Canal CEO

By Andrea Jaramillo and Eric Sabo

July 23 (Bloomberg) -- The Panama Canal Authority has begun to see “signs of recovery” in shipping traffic, including from freighters transporting cars, said Alberto Aleman, the authority’s chief executive officer.

Aleman said he expects traffic in the fiscal year ending in September to total about 295 million tons, up from a previous range he had given of about 290 million to 295 million tons. Traffic in the 95-year-old canal totaled 310 million tons in 2008. Revenue this year will be “similar” to last year’s record $2 billion, Aleman said.

“Amid the crisis, amid the recession, this is good,” Aleman, who’s run the canal since 1996, said in a telephone interview from Panama City. Car shipments have “declined as was to be expected given the problems that we’ve seen in the automobile industry worldwide but we’ve seen signs of recovery in this segment.”

U.S. auto sales have run at an annual rate of fewer than 10 million vehicles for each month this year, after averaging 16.8 million from 2000 through 2007. Domestic sales through June slid 33 percent for Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn, Michigan and 40 percent at Detroit-based General Motors Co., which emerged from a U.S.-backed bankruptcy reorganization this year.

The Panama Canal, which connects the Pacific Ocean with the Caribbean Sea, is undergoing a $5.25 billion expansion project through 2014 to handle larger vessels. The authority has secured $2.3 billion in funding from loans from overseas banks and plans to fund the rest with cash it generates from shipping fees, said Aleman.

‘Very Flat’

Shipping traffic through the canal between October and June dropped 3 percent compared with the year-earlier period, according to Aleman. Total transits from April to June fell 6.4 percent compared with a year ago, the authority said in a statement today.

Aleman predicted traffic will “stabilize” in 2010 near this year’s levels.

“I see a very flat year, a year very similar to this year,” Aleman said. “Maybe a little bit higher, but we’re being conservative in our analysis.”

The authority in June temporarily cut reservation fees for larger vessels and eased penalties for ships that arrive late in a bid to lure more shipping companies amid the recession. Aleman said he’ll review the measures at the end of September, the original deadline, before deciding whether to extend them.

Reduced Traffic

A May increase in what the canal charges for tolls helped compensate for lower income this year from reduced traffic and the temporary drop in fees, according to Aleman. He predicts income from tolls, which accounts for about 70 percent of the authority’s total revenue, will rise 9 percent this fiscal year to about $1.44 billion.

The Panama Canal Authority will transfer some $740 million in revenue this year to the Panamanian government, up from $700 million last year, said Aleman.

The U.S. is the largest customer for the waterway, representing about 70 percent of traffic, almost a decade after it handed over the canal authority to Panama. China is the canal’s No. 2 user, the authority has said. The canal, which shortens the route for Asian goods destined for the U.S. East Coast, handles about 5 percent of the world’s seaborne freight.

To contact the reporters on this story: Andrea Jaramillo in Bogota at ajaramillo1@bloomberg.net; Eric Sabo in Panama City at esabo1@bloomberg.net.

U.S. Developers Find Haven from Recession in Panama Project

CHICAGO, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- During a sluggish economy here in America, real estate developers are finding a growing number of intriguing opportunities overseas. With the Wall Street Journal recently reporting a rise in unemployment in all but two states last month -- and with economists predicting it to increase even further -- the sliding economy continues to severely cripple domestic real estate development.
"The reality of what's going on is that there is no private development going on in the U.S.," says Randy Johnson, AIA, Principal of 4240 Architecture Inc., an award-winning national design firm contracted by Amble Resorts for their new Panama resort project, The Resort at Isla Palenque. "At the same time however there are exciting prospects overseas."
Properties in Panama are emerging to present those prospects to American developers. Panama enjoys one of the fastest-growing and best-managed economies in Latin America. The expansion of the Panama Canal, combined with a blossoming free trade agreement with the United States, is expected to continue to boost economic expansion and real estate development.
Founder and President of Amble Resorts, Ben Loomis, has been well-aware of the growing economy in Panama compared to the slowing economy here at home. That's why in 2007 he selected a Panama real estate project for his newest venture: The Resort at Isla Palenque. The resort will be comprised of an ecologically and culturally sensitive hotel and string of environmentally sustainable vacation homes. Amble will break ground on the eco resort project in early 2010. Loomis said of Amble, "Although the economic climate is not the only reason we chose to build our property in Panama, we were definitely attracted to the growth and stability there."
And Amble Resorts is far from alone in this sentiment. American companies are flocking to Panamanian development projects in droves. Several top-tier U.S. firms have joined forces with Amble on this new eco-tourism-focused Panama resort project. In addition to 4240 Architecture, East Bay Group, Design Workshop, and RCLCO are also among the distinguished firms teaming with Amble to take advantage of Panama real estate.
"In the last couple of years, domestic projects have fallen off dramatically," says Rick Reikenis, P.E., Principal for East Bay Group, a renowned engineering firm. "We are very excited about the possibilities in Panama and our current projects there."
About Amble Resorts
Based in Chicago, Amble Resorts develops and owns distinctive upscale hotels and resorts focused on ecologically and culturally sensitive travel experiences. Their new Panama island resort project, The Resort at Isla Palenque, is designed to be a secluded and sustainable resort community with a unique boutique hotel, ingeniously designed residences, and sumptuous amenities. For more information about Amble Resorts or their new property, Isla Palenque, visit http://www.islapalenque.com.
Artist's rendition of The Resort at Isla Palenque provided by 4240 Architecture: http://www.ereleases.com/pr/2009-Isla-Palenque.jpg
Media contact: Frances Limoncelli, Marketing Manager, fml@amble.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

Panama Advances at Gold Cup

Blas Perez scored his third goal of the Concacaf Gold Cup, and Luis Tejada added two in the second half to send Panama through to the quarterfinals with a 4-0 victory over 10-man Nicaragua in a game played in Glendale, Ariz.

Gabriel Gomez also scored for Panama, which finished Group C play with 4 points and ensured it would advance, even if it finishes third in the group.

¶Gerardo Torrado and Miguel Sabah each scored, and Mexico beat Guadeloupe, 2-0, to win Group C in the Gold Cup without the suspended coach Javier Aguirre. Mexico will face Haiti in the quarterfinals on July 19 in Arlington, Tex. Guadeloupe, the second-place Group C finisher, will take on Costa Rica on July 19, also in Arlington. Mexico

¶Sky Blue F.C. moved into a tie for third place in Women’s Professional Soccer by beating the Boston Breakers, 2-0. Natasha Kai and Rosana scored goals. Skyblue (NYT)

U.S.-Panama, Canada-Honduras in Gold Cup Quarterfinals

How cool! My two 'home' countries in the quarter finals.

With Mexico's 2-0 win over Guadeloupe and Panama's 4-0 rout of Nicaragua in yesterday's final Gold Cup first-round doubleheader at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., the quarterfinal doubleheaders are set.

At Lincoln Financial Field on Saturday night, the United States will meet Panama in the second game, following the Canada-Honduras opener.

But the crowd for those games should be significantly smaller than the one expected at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas the next day for the first sports event at that new 80,000-seat facility.

That's because Mexico will be playing a "home" game with Haiti, following the Costa Rica-Guadeloupe game.

Gerrado Torrado and Miguel Sabah scored Mexico's goals against Guadeloupe yesterday. Luis Tejeda had two goals and Blas Perez and Gabriel Gomez one each in Panama's win.

The U.S. had to rally on a goal by Stuart Holden in the third minute of added time to tie Haiti 2-2 Saturday night in Foxborough, Mass., to clinch first place in its first-round group. Holden also assisted on a first-half goal by Davy Arnaud.

CONCACAF Gold Cup 2009: Mexico vs. Panama

The 12-team tournament for the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean continues with a doubleheader tonight in Houston, Texas, with Guadeloupe facing Nicaragua and Mexico vs. Panama in the nightcap.

Despite Mexico’s 2-0 victory against Nicaragua on Sunday, the squad received bitter criticism because of their disappointing performance.

Tonight, El Tri will try to notch their second win of the tournament at the Reliant Stadium. Mexico and Panama have played a total of eight times and El Tri has won six and tied twice. Panama must at least squeeze a draw against the Mexicans to stay alive.

The match kicks-off at 10:00 p.m. EDT.

You can watch Mexico vs. Panama here (free live stream). You can also check out the live online coverage of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup at the tournament’s official website.

Noriega Wants US Supreme Court to Stop Extradition

As reported by Curt Anderson on the AP wire -

Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop his extradition to France to face money-laundering charges.

Attorneys for Noriega filed papers Tuesday seeking a Supreme Court review. Three federal judges in Miami and a federal appeals court have refused to stop the extradition. The Supreme Court will likely decide whether to hear Noriega's case in the fall.

Noriega contends that the Geneva Conventions rules for prisoners of war require that he be returned home to Panama. Noriega was declared a POW by a federal judge after his 1992 conviction on U.S. drug racketeering charges. Noriega finished serving his prison sentence in 2007.

Noriega was ousted from power after the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.