Best Affordable Beach Resorts

I'm always on the look out for a great travel deal and finding the most affordable places to vacation is a never ending project. After all who doesn't shop around for the best possible deal? Just like everyone else I'm wanting to get the most from my hard earned cash. I'm really not into material things so besides making sure 'the kids are alright' I work to play - I work so I can spend what I earn on great trips and travel. Well with that kind of priority in mind you can understand why this article really caught my attention and the cheapest time to go to Vegas post did not.

Today, Yahoo Travel had a great little article titled,

The Best Affordable Beach Resorts

I book marked this one as it has some really cool sounding places to visit. I also noticed that a few of these spots are known to appear regularly as Top Retirement Places. One place on the list that jumped out at me was Las Olas Beach Resort in Panama. A few years ago I lived full time in Boquete Panama. I still have land there and return quite often. Anyhow, Boquete has had a reputation for a number of years now as one of the Best Places to Retire in the world. Now Boquete is in the highlands of the province of Chiriqui, not far from the Costa Rican border. It's lush and green and some call it 'the land of eternal spring'. Meaning it rains and it's cool. That's why it's so green and why everything loves to grow here. Boquete and the Chiriqui highlands are also known as the bread basket of Panama. This is where most of the countries fresh vegetables and fruits come from. Now don't get me wrong. It doesn't rain all the time in Boquete. It can get pretty wet in 'Green Season' which runs from May through December but the vast majority of those days also see a good share of sunshine. In dry season there are these lovely mists that keep all the foliage moist and green. They call these light rains Bajareque. During the years I lived in here and especially in 'Green Season' I would take my family on day trips to the beach. Las Olas (the waves) was the closest to us at about an hour away.

Las Olas Beach Resort Panama

This small resort is located on Playa la Barqueta (beach of the small boats) which is a combination of black (volcanic) and golden sand. When we first started going there it was pretty quiet. The road into the beach was horrible and there was very little there except for this small all-inclusive resort. We would often just go to the beach and grab a bite to eat, Comida del Dia, at one of the local cocinas. But we wouldn't swim or let the kids go in the water. It's called Las Olas - The Waves - for good reason. There is a shear drop off which creates a dangerous undertow. But, it also creates amazing waves so the beach is popular with surfers.

Over the few years we lived in Boquete we watched as the road was repaired and Las Olas expanded. A number of Boquete residents who got tired of 'Eternal Spring' moved down to the beach. It quickly got a reputation as one of the cheapest places for retirees to live on the beach. The resort expanded and built beautiful beach homes as well as low rise condominiums which enjoyed the services of the resort.

Today you can still stay at the all-inclusive resort for just $78 a night. I wouldn't recommended a while wek as there is not a lot to do - unless of course you ae really into surfing and/or deep sea fishing. But the nice part is you don't have to. You can simply stay a few nights and then continue your journey up for a few nights in Boquete!

Source: Travel.Yahoo.com

Deadwood Best Place to Live

A few years ago we were living in Boquete, Panama - one of AARP's recommendations as the Best Place to Retire. Just one of the things about this wonderful community in the mountainous Chirqui Highlands town near the border of Costa Rica was the modern conveniences we enjoyed. Who would have thought this small Panamanian town 'in the middle of nowhere' would offer high speed internet, excellent cell service and Direct TV service? Yes, those things made life quite comfortable however, the Direct TV feed was for Latin America so even though we enjoyed a lot of english speaking prime time programs a number of them were dated and some we enjoyed back in America simply weren't available. As a result we developed a bit of a sharing system whereby friends and family would send us video tapes of the latest and greatest HBO releases and we would pass them around. One new show which arrived from our neighbours son in the U.S. was HBO's 'Deadwood'. Once a month we couldn't wait to get our fix of the four latest episodes.

That's the long introduction to my story about a headline which caught my eye,

Deadwood named Best Place to Live

Yes it seems the editors of American Cowboy Magazine have chosen Deadwood from across the west as one of the 20 Best Places to Live in the West. The top 20 places were chosen based on "their authentic cowboy culture and charm; respect for history and heritage; recreational leisure and outdoor activities and having a strong sense of community coupled with a free spirited rugged independence."

The director of the Deadwood Chamber of Commerce, George Milos says it's something people who live their have known all along. It seems the folk of Deadwood are quite proud of their small town hospitality. The town also boast a 'strong school system'.

Other western U.S. towns which made the list of Best Places to Live included:
Red Lodge, Montana
Chico, California
Flagstaff, Arizona and
Amarillo, Texas

Deadwood is located in South Dakota.

Source: The Daily Republic Mitchell, South Dakota

Coffee Growing Around Boquete Region In Panama

Guest Post By Tyler Ramos

Boquete, Panama is nestled into the slopes of the Baru Volcano and it is famous for producing some of the most delicious and rich coffees throughout the country and indeed throughout Central America. The coffee that is grown and harvested here has begun to garner attention from the international coffee loving community for its rich blends and luxurious aroma.

In the past the coffee grown in the country was over shadowed by coffee growing neighbors Colombia and Coast Rica. But in the past few years the Boquete region has shone brightly and won many international awards that has propelled it to the forefront of coffee production in the world. If you are a coffee lover, then you should make time in your Panamanian holiday to visit the region and see how the coffee is grown, harvested and processed.

The climate in the region is excellent for growing coffee, with just the right measure of sun, shade and humidity. The soil is volcanic and highly fertile, which helps to produce a particularly rich flavored coffee bean.

For visitors who are interested in experiencing some of the world's best coffee as fresh as possible, there are coffee tours that you can do to sample the local brews at the site where they are grown, harvested and roasted. The tours also teach you about the history of coffee growing in the region and you can see coffee mills that are more than a century old.

On the tours of the plantations you will learn all about different aspects of growing and harvesting the coffee as well as historical information specific to the region, organic growing practices, fair trade and secrets to brewing the best possible cup of coffee at home.

There are two different processing methods that are utilized in Boquete. The first is wet processing, which is done immediately after the coffee cherries have been picked by local workers from the trees. The cherries are washed in a machine, then pulped and then finally dried. When the cherry has been dried out, the bean is extracted - interestingly, only 20 per cent of what is pulled from the trees is coffee bean.

There is also dry processing, which is a more labor intensive process and tends to be more expensive as well to produce the coffee. In Boquete, this process is done by placing the beans on platforms in the sun to be dried out and the beans have to be turned every six hours so that they dry out evenly and retain the full flavor of the beans.

When the processing is done, then the beans are chosen according to their size and quality. They are grouped together and then undergo a process known as cupping, where they are stored for up to six months and continually judged for readiness. When they are ready, the coffee beans are packaged and 90 per cent is now exported out of Panama to the waiting lips of coffee lovers worldwide.

About the Author:

Locate wonderful deals for Boquete real estate by going online. There are many choices of Boquete locations that you can buy. Head online now and learn more.

Retirees Find Altos Del Maria Panama Desirable And Budget Friendly

By Tyler Ramos

Scattered in the hills and valleys of Altos del Maria in Panama are home sites and homes for sale offering dream views of rushing waterfalls, lakes and oceans, and volcanic mountains in the distance. Much like Boquete Panama, you can hike along trails and take photos of sloths and monkeys and wonderful birds in the trees. You might even see a yellow frog.

Spread out on more than seven-thousand acres, the developers at Altos del Maria have thought of everything. The gated community offers security and urban services such as Internet and phone services, including cell phones, television via satellite, plus a heliport, golf courses, swimming pools. The developers have paved miles of road and made sure there is plenty of electricity and water. The roads facilitate the hour and half drive to and from Panama City. Closer by are tropical beaches when you want a change from the mountains, and the townships of Sora and Bejuco.

Most people think of the canal or a hat when they hear Panama. Panamanian locals have several versions of where the word Panama originated. Some say indigenous peoples named the land after a common tree. Others say the word means either many butterflies or many fish. All versions seem appropriate. The fact that the country holds vast expanses of unspoiled nature feels like a secret someone has been keeping.




A long and profitable relationship building the Panama Canal with the US has resulted in many Panamanians speaking English in addition to Spanish, their national language. Panamanians have a reputation of being friendly. US dollars exchange at a rate of one-to-one, and are acceptable, legal tinder in Panama. Reports indicate that the dollar goes further for retirees in Panama. A monthly income of twelve-hundred US dollars buys one a very nice lifestyle there.

Panama City has all the perks expected from a big city: good medical services, good restaurants, lots of things to see and do. The Panamanian economy remains stable in large part because of the Panama Canal. The US and Panama continue work together on a canal project referred to as the Third Set of Locks, to allow more ships through and maintain economic stability.

Worth mentioning is the pensionado program Panama offers retirees, which provides discounts on travel, entertainment, housing costs, and prescription medications. A pensionado application and visa are required for this program for non-citizens. However, it is possible to buy, build, and live in Panama without signing up for the pensionado program.

A map of Panama shows it to be a long, thin stretch of land. Panama City and Altos del Maria are found on the east and west sides, respectively, of the same narrow neck of land. Altos del Maria is at a much higher elevation, starting at 1,476 feet above sea level. The highest sites are at 3,608 feet. The high altitude keeps the temperatures at 75 degrees F year-round. Its possible to see the Pacific and Caribbean from some of the sites.

Whether you dream of building your own home or prefer to find a bungalow ready to move into, the developers at Altos del Maria can accommodate you. Big lot, small lot, high elevation or low, it is your choice.

About the Author:

Find fabulous prices on altos del maria real estate by looking online. There you can find many choices for altos del maria. Head online today and learn more.

Boquete Needs To Be Your Next Vacation Destination

By Tyler Ramos

In the Chiriqui Province in Panama, South America, the small town of Boquete Panama has been capturing the hearts of a great many tourists. Many parts of this town are causing a stir among people from all over the world. If you are ready to have an experience in a land that is beautiful and enchanting, you need to start making your travel plans.

One of the things that this town is famous for is the coffee growing. People travel to here from all over the world to enjoy the coffee harvesting festivals each year. The native Indians dress colorfully and the excitement begins as they start picking the coffee cherries. It is truly something amazing to experience, especially if you are a regular coffee drinker.

Some of the flowers you will see in this town are going to have you snapping photos every time you turn around. This has been called by many the land of flowers. The number of well maintained flower beds will have you in awe of their beauty and fragrances. A lot of species of birds are present as well due to the flowers and the seclusion of the natural settings. Hummingbirds in particular are attracted to some of the flowers.

The Vulcan Baru area is a large part of Boquete. It is right at the Baru Volcano. You can hike these areas and tale your time in enjoying the environment. Make sure to take the tour that will allow you to reach the very top of the volcano as well. You can imagine the views you will have while on this hike. Many people have begun to travel to this little town for these very reasons.

Are you ready to start making your travel plans for Boquete? You can do so by visiting online to some of the fine accommodations available for you to reserve. Located nearly right in town, the Valle Primavera is one of the loveliest places you could stay to be able to enjoy the festivities going on. You might also want to check into the rustic accommodations of the Finca Larida as well.

Think about kayaking on some of the rivers flowing through the lush green woodlands. Maybe you would like to go horseback riding to be able to enjoy this kind of natural setting. You are going to have plenty of things to do while you are visiting Boquete. Check online trip advisors for more than you might believe going on in this little town.

Meal times are great times while on vacation as well, especially when you are visiting another country that serves different cuisine than you normally eat. This is a time for diversity and intense flavors. The restaurants in Boquete that can offer you some of the finest panama dishes ever. Be sure to try Casado with a cup of brewed coffee.

Make your vacation destination traveling plans for Boquete online. It is fast and easy plus you will save money in doing so. Be ready to go straight to your lodgings when you arrive to prepare for the greatest adventure you have ever been on.

About the Author:

Locate great deals on Boquete real estate by looking online. There you will find several deals in Boquete to consider buying. Head online now and learn more about this and other of Latin America's cheapest destinations.

High Quality Coffee Production Around Boquete, Panama

Guest Post By Tyler Ramos

Boquete, is located on the slopes of Baru Volcano, and it is one of the most recognized coffee growing areas in all of Panama. For more than a century, the area has been dedicated to producing some of Panama's best coffee and it is now becoming known on an international level for the high quality brews grown here.

In the past Panamanian coffee was overshadowed by neighbors such as Costa Rica and Colombia, but thanks to several international awards that were won by Panamanian coffee plantations, it is now getting the respect that it truly deserves. There are now several specialty coffees that are produced by the local plantations that have propelled the beans from Boquete to international esteem.

The climate in the region is excellent for growing coffee, with just the right measure of sun, shade and humidity. The soil is volcanic and highly fertile, which helps to produce a particularly rich flavored coffee bean.

For visitors who are interested in experiencing some of the world's best coffee as fresh as possible, there are coffee tours that you can do to sample the local brews at the site where they are grown, harvested and roasted. The tours also teach you about the history of coffee growing in the region and you can see coffee mills that are more than a century old.

Panamanian Rainforest Coffee Medium Roast, Universal Grind - 8 oz.

During the coffee tours that you can take at Boquete, you will learn about all different aspects of growing, harvesting, processing and selling the coffee. You will get to know more about how fair trade and organic production of the coffee works as well as getting hints on how to make the perfect cup of coffee yourself.

When the coffee is to be harvest, there are two different kinds of processing that can be done and both are performed in Boquete. The first is wet processing, where the beans are first washed and pulped. When this has happened, then they are dried out and the bean is extracted from the cherry. Only 20 per cent of the cherries is actual bean, so the cherry pickers work hard to pick between 100 and 200 pounds of coffee each day.

Alternatively you can find dry processing, which is done by laying the beans out on open air platforms to dry out. The beans have to be raked and rotated every few hours to ensure that they are evenly dried and that there is no build up of mildew. This process gives the beans a gorgeous earthy flavor, but it is more labor intensive and therefore more expensive.

When the processing is done, then the beans are chosen according to their size and quality. They are grouped together and then undergo a process known as cupping, where they are stored for up to six months and continually judged for readiness. When they are ready, the coffee beans are packaged and 90 per cent is now exported out of Panama to the waiting lips of coffee lovers worldwide.

About the Author:

Discover great deals for Boquete panama real estate by going online. There are many choices of Boquete panama locations that you can buy. Head online today and learn more.

How To Buy Real Estate In Panama

This Guest post By Lucia Haines gives us a brief Panama Guide on how to buy real estate in this wonderful Latin American country.

Requesting a title search is the first step in buying panama real estate. It's is not mandatory but it is highly recommended to ensure that the property you want has clear title, and is free of any liens or liabilities. The cost for the title search is usually comprised in the legal fees between 1 and 3 percent of the total price of the property. It's worth to mention that these fees may vary depending on the attorney.

The Promise to Buy/Sell Agreement which translates to Promesa de Compra y Venta in Spanish is the next formal step to close on a property as well as a down payment required to be paid to the seller, which most of the times will be 10% of the property price but may vary from sale to sale.

There are different stipulations that can be agreed by the Buyer and Seller as part of the Buy Sell Agreement. For example, the amount of time it will take the seller or buyer to close on the property.

This agreement creates a legal document between both parties stating that the Seller promises to sell the property and the Buyer promises to buy the property. In case one of the parties back out of the transaction, they could face certain consequences.

The agreement usually stipulates that if the seller decided to cancel the transaction they would need to return the down payment in addition to an equal amount. For example, if you made a down payment of 10% the seller would be required by law to return 10% plus another 10% as penalty.

It is very important to point out that the down payment is a very important step in the process of buying panama real estate. If a down payment isn't made, the seller has no legal obligation to hold a property before the actual close is made and may take a better deal if it comes along or not sell the property at all. Although the word escrow is not a used term in Panama, you can find various attorneys that will provide you with this service. This is the equivalent of holding money in escrow to allow you to secure the property before paying the seller.

In other words, if the seller received 0 down on a property and a better deal came along before the close takes place, by law they would be required to return the down payment of 0 plus an equal amount of 0, which totals 0.

Once the Promise to Buy and Sell Agreement is signed, and initial down payment made, the Seller must comply with a few obligations necessary to complete the transfer of the property from the seller to the buyer. These obligations include:

1. 2% payment of the transfer tax, assessed according to the negotiated sales price.

2. Paying the capital gains which is 3% of the negotiated sales price.

3. Obtain certificates and paz y salvos of good standing including:

* Paz y Salvo for Property Taxes

* Paz y Salvo from IDAAN (water bill) Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados Nacionales

* If the property to be sold is part of a building or community that requires a maintenance fee, a letter of good standing needs to be provided confirming that all these fees are up to date

Depending on the stipulations outlined in the Promise to Buy Sell Contract and the complexity of the real estate transaction, transferring the property usually takes around 30 days in Panama.

Once all the requirements for transfer are met, the Promise to Buy Sell agreement is elevated to a Buy Sell Contract, signed and then inscribed in the Panama public registry. The new deed is generally approved and released from the public registry within a period of 10 business days.

About the Author:

Learn more about panama. Stop by Lucia Haines's site where you can find out general information and popular locations such as boquete panama to retire.

Editors Note - There's a lot more to discover about Panama and one thing I know for certain is that their system for titling land makes it very, very safe for foreigners to hold property there. That's why I believe Panama is the Best Place to Invest in Real Estate today.

Does Cheap Rent make it one of the Cheapest Places to Live?

Bob McPhail writes in the San Diego Reader about Cheap Rent in Tijuana.

“The loss of employment in the United States and the impossibility of paying rents over a thousand dollars a month has prompted many families to change their residence to Tijuana, where they can pay rents between 400 and 600 dollars,” reports the Tijuana daily El Mexicano.

Sounds a lot like many other Latin American destinations like Panama where Americans can find some of the Cheapest Places to Live.

Bob says that, "According to real estate agents, there has been an increase in emigrados (Mexican residents with legal permission to work in the U.S.) who have moved to Tijuana in search of a house.

By paying cheaper rent, the hope is that they can improve their financial situation. Even though Tijuana rents are high compared to the rest of Mexico, those who have lost their jobs can still afford to rent here with their unemployment insurance, said the report.

Meanwhile, the influx of emigrados is having a negative effect on Tijuana residents, who are also looking for less-expensive places to live during the economic crisis.

“They are trying to change to more economic housing whose rents are fixed between 250 and 300 dollars a month, but emigrados are renting many of these available homes,” according to El Mexicano. Real estate agents told the newspaper that when they show an emigrado a home that rents for 500 or 600 dollars a month, “for an emigrado, that’s cheap because over there on the other side you’re talking about thousands of dollars.”

Because of the effect of emigrados' on the housing market, real estate agents have adopted a new policy to protect themselves from the fluctuating value of the peso (currently about 13 pesos to the dollar): they are fixing prices in dollars instead of pesos in new rental contracts.

Source: San Diego Reader | Home Is Where Cheap Rent Is

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

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.

Anselmo Moreno retains Bantamweight Title

Anselmo Moreno of Panama has retained his World Boxing Assn. bantamweight title in Poitiers, France, with a split decision over Mahyar Monshipour of France.

Moreno (26-1-1) kept his composure Saturday as Monshipour pressured strongly between the eighth and 10th rounds. Two of the judges scored the bout 116-113 and 116-112 in favor of Moreno, while the third gave the fight to Monshipour, 115-113.

Moreno, whose only loss was in 2002, started strongly, catching Monshipour with a left hook in the first round and several sharp jabs in the second.

Earthquake shakes Panama

WASHINGTON — An earthquake measuring magnitude six shocked Panama early Saturday. There were no reports of casualties or damage, said the US Geological Survey report.

The epicenter of the tremor, which occurred at 1:49 am (0649 GMT), was located 97 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of the capital Panama City.

The reading was based on the open-ended Moment Magnitude scale, now used by US seismologists, which measures the area of the fault that ruptured and the total energy released.

Panama's ruling party picks woman for President

Panama's ruling party has chosen a female former Cabinet minister as its presidential candidate for elections in May, party officials said Monday.

If Balbina Herrera wins, she would be the country's second female president, following Mireya Moscoso, widow of former President Arnulfo Arias, who was elected in 1999.

Herrera, a 53-year-old former housing minister under current President Martin Torrijos, defeated Panama City Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro in the Democratic Revolutionary Party primary held Sunday.

While full results won't be ready for several days, party official Carlos Gonzalez said Monday that Herrera won with a 10 percent lead over Navarro. She will officially be named the candidate later this week at a party event in the capital.

Herrera promises to continue Panama's strong economic growth, with more professional and working-class jobs.

Early polls show Herrera running a close race with Ricardo Martinelli, who owns a chain of supermarkets. Martinelli, who founded the Democratic Change Party, is making his second run for the presidency.

Since a U.S. invasion ended Manuel Noriega's military dictatorship in 1989, only Herrrera's party and the Panamanian Party have won the presidency.

But the Panamanian Party candidate, Juan Carlos Varela, is running a distant third in recent polls. The 45-year-old comes from a family that produces Panama's most popular rums.

Torrijos, who earned an economics degree at Texas A&M University, was elected in 2004. He is the son of former strongman Omar Torrijos, who died in a 1981 plane crash.

Under Panama's law, presidents can only serve one term.

More Good Reasons to Escape to Panama

The Daily Reckoning PRESENTS: The feeble American response to Russia’s assertion of power in the Caucasus of Central Asia was appropriate, since, according to James Howard Kunstler, the United States’ claims of influence in that part of the world are laughable. Read on...

REALITY BITES AGAIN by James Howard Kunstler
The U.S. had taken advantage of temporary confusion in Russia, during the ten-year-long post-Soviet-collapse interval, and set up a client government in Georgia, complete with military advisors, sales of weapons, and even the promise of club membership in the Western alliance known as NATO. These blandishments were all in the service of the Baku-to-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which was designed specifically to drain the oil region around the Caspian Basin with an outlet on the Mediterranean, avoiding unfriendly nations all along the way.
At the time this gambit was first set up, in the early 1990s, there was some notion (or wish, really) among the so-called western powers that the Caspian would provide an end-run around OPEC and the Arabs, as well as the Persians, and deliver all the oil that the US and Europe would ever need – a foolish wish and a dumb gambit, as things have turned out.

For one thing, the latterly explorations of this very old oil region – first opened to drilling in the 19th century – proved somewhat disappointing. U.S. officials had been touting it as like unto “another Saudi Arabia” but the oil actually produced from the new drilling areas of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and the other Stans turned out to be preponderantly heavy-and-sour crudes, in smaller quantities than previously dreamed-of, and harder to transport across the extremely challenging terrain to even get to the pipeline head in Baku.
Meanwhile, Russia got its house in order under the non-senile, non-alcoholic Vladimir Putin, and woke up along about 2007 to find itself the leading oil and natural gas producer in the world. Among the various consequences of this was Russia’s reemergence as a new kind of world power – an energy resource power, with the energy destiny of Europe pretty much in its hands. Also, meanwhile, the USA had set up other client states in the ring of former Soviet republics along Russia’s southern underbelly, complete with U.S. military bases, while fighting active engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, if this wasn’t the dumbest, vainest move in modern geopolitical history!

It’s one thing that U.S. foreign policy wonks imagined that Russia would remain in a coma forever, but the idea that we could encircle Russia strategically with defensible bases in landlocked mountainous countries halfway around the world...? You have to ask what were they smoking over at the Pentagon and the CIA and the NSC?
So, this asinine policy has now come to grief. Not only does Russia stand to gain control over the Baku-to-Ceyhan pipeline, but we now have every indication that they will bring the states on its southern flank back into an active sphere of influence, and there is really not a damn thing that the U.S. can pretend to do about it.

We could have spent the past ten years getting our own house in order – waking up to the obsolescence of our suburban life-style, scaling back on the Happy Motoring, reconnecting our cities with world-class passenger rail, creating wealth by producing things of value (instead of resorting to financial racketeering), protecting our borders, and taking the necessary measures to defend and update our own industries. Instead, we pissed our time and resources away. Nations do make tragic errors of the collective will. The cluelessness of George Bush is nothing less than a perfect metaphor for the failure of a whole generation. The Boomers will be identified as the generation that wrecked America.

So, as the vacation season winds down, this country greets a new reality. We miscalculated in Western and Central Asia. Russia still “owns” that part of the world. Are we going to extend our current land wars there into the even more distant and landlocked Stan-nations? At some point, as we face financial and military exhaustion, we have to ask ourselves if we can even successfully evacuate our personnel from the far-flung bases in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

This must be an equally sobering moment for Europe, and an additional reason for the recent plunge in the relative value of the Euro, for Europe is now at the mercy of Russia in terms of staying warm in the winter, running their kitchen stoves, and keeping the lights on. Russia also exerts substantial financial leverage over the U.S. in all the dollars and securitized U.S. debt paper it holds. In effect, Russia can shake the U.S. banking system at will now by threatening to dump its dollar holdings.

The American banking system may not need a shove from Russia to fall on its face. It’s effectively dead now, just lurching around zombie-like from one loan “window” to the next pretending to “borrow” capital – while handing over shreds of its moldy clothing as “collateral” to the Federal Reserve. The entire US, beyond the banks, is becoming a land of the walking dead. Business is dying, home-ownership has become a death dance, whole regions are turning into wastelands of “for sale” signs, empty parking lots, vacant buildings, and dashed hopes. And all this beats a path directly to a failure of collective national imagination. We really don’t know what’s going on.

The fantasy that we can sustain our influence nine thousand miles away, when we can’t even get our act together in Ohio is just a dark joke. One might state categorically that it would be a salubrious thing for America to knock off all its vaunted “dreaming” and just wake up.

Until next time,
James Howard Kunstler
for The Daily Reckoning

Discover Panama on DVD

Thinking of Retiring to Panama? Here's an affordable way to discover what Living in Panama is all about before you buy the plane ticket!

Shot in gorgeous high definition (HD) video, Director Sasha Owen shows you how you can buy the home of your dreams in one of the world's most sophisticated and affordable countries: Panama. In this 60 minute video, they take you from the gleaming luxury high rises of Panama City to the laid back tropical island paradise of Bocas del Toro and introduce you to expats who are living the life they've always dreamed of, for far less than they would have paid in their home countries. They also take you to the beautiful mountain oasis of Boquete Panama, which has long been regarded as one of the world's best places to retire. Watch interviews with many expats, the people who've made Panama their new home and we follow one couple, Kay Owen and Larry Mattison, as they search for, and ultimately find, the luxury apartment of their dreams in Panama City. Also learn from interviews with attorneys, real estate agents, developers and other experts who give you the inside scoop about how to get the best property deals in the country. They explain the process and reveal the secrets for making a profitable and wise investment in a country that is truly a nexus of the world. Whether you're looking for a quiet country retreat or a cosmopolitan luxury penthouse in the sky, Home:World Panama shows you how you can retire or buy the affordable second home of your dreams in this spectacular country in Central America.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful presentation with very well balanced information, definitely neither hype or negative., September 12, 2007 By R Marrero (Tampa, Florida USA) - "Anyone interested in Panama, especially to relocate or to invest in property, should definitely consider get this DVD. It's non-bias approach, colorful scenery & up to the point information will help you get a better picture of what this country has to offer. It also provides with suggestions/do's & dont's on how to succeed there. Although not touristy oriented, it provides with some sightseeing of the main areas. At roughly one hour, it makes you "crave" for more. However it's well put together. Also it's in wide screen format, for awesome viewing on our flat screen TV. It's worth the money."

Panama Video

Here are a couple of videos I came across from our friends at Prima Panama. Unfortunately, Prima is no longer offering their Premium Passport service, which I must say was excellent. I believe the airport VIP greeting is still available through a different group. I will let everyone know on the Learn About Panama Blog as soon as I have additional information. For now enjoy these scenes and interviews by our friends at Prima.

Part 1



Part 2

We're Back! from Panama

Hey! We're back from our latest Panama adventure.

Check out this beach!















I took a ton of pictures and plenty of video too. Rather than post them all here I find it easier if I just put it them in one spot where you can find everything.

For photos I use flickr.

Go to - Flickr.com/LearnAboutPanama

And Here's a little sample of video -

For more videos, I upload those to my YouTube page here - YouTube.com/PanamaMark

Enjoy and let me know what you think! I'd really like to read your comments.

Mark

San Blas is Calling!

After getting the book '1,000 Places to See Before you Die' for Christmas I realized I have been so close to one of those places but have never gotten around to visiting. I'm talking about the San Blas Islands in Panama.

That's all about to change. On February 4 I'm off to San Blas! (Watch the blog for updates of my journey. I even plan on getting some video on here.)

This opportunity is just another one of the reasons I believe Panama is the Best Place to Live. It also makes Panama one of the Cheapest Places to Live - you might be thinking... what? Well, here I have the chance to visit one of the '1,000 Places to See Before You Die' and it's really going to cost me very little. For $60 I get picked up at Playon Chico and taken by canoe to the small island lodge; I am fed 3 meals a day; taken by a guide to deserted islands and other locations each day and stay in a fantastic cabana - check out the pics!


If you want to read about San Blas and why I'm so excited you can check out this recent article which appeared on the New York Times -

New York Times Explorer | San Blas Islands, Panama

Oh, and Watch the Blog for photo and video updates. I may even get around to figuring out how to do a PodCast!

LA Times Hot for Boquete Panama

The LATimes.com Business News recently posted an article praising the benefits of retiring to Boquete Panama. Although there are some inaccuracies overall the post creates a positive and clear picture of this beautiful Panama town which was bestowed the honour of being ranked the Best place to retire in the western hemisphere by AARP's Modern Maturity magazine.

A friendly town among the hills

By Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 21, 2007

Excerpt -
For expatriate retirees, Panama offers big discounts on plane fares and hotels, good healthcare and shopping. All foreign income -- such as U.S. pension benefits or Social Security -- is exempt from tax. And for Americans, financial matters are simplified because Panama uses the U.S. dollar as its currency. The atmosphere is friendly and more pro-American than many other Central American countries.

"The cost of living is much lower and the roads much better than places like Costa Rica," said Shirley Bynum, a former Huntington Beach resident who moved here two years ago from Gracia, Costa Rica, after she was robbed. "And the tax system is more favorable."

Follow this link for the full article - Boquete Panama - A Friendly Town Among the Hills