Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Welcome to the Panama Weekly News Roundup! Here’s the latest.
Panama’s property prices are rising strongly.
Property values are now rising strongly in Panama’s most sought-after areas, according to local property experts. The average dwelling sales price surged by 21% from January 2015 to June 2017 in Panama’s metropolitan area, according to the Panamanian Chamber of Construction (Capac) as reported by La Estrella de Panama.
Demand and supply are rising.
Property sales and construction activity rose strongly in 2018, buoyed by strong economic growth. Most of the property sales have occurred in Panama West, particularly in Arraijan and La Chorrera, thanks to the construction of Line 2 of the Metro.
Source: Global Property Guide
The Weekender: Panama City, Panama.
Panama’s capital city is as full of character as it is history–the coffee, rum, and hospitality don’t hurt either. Of course, no trip to Panama City would be complete without a visit to the modern engineering wonder that is the canal, and making a day out of seeing it is easy.
From the shops, cafés, and artisans of Casco Viejo (old city) and reveling in the comforts of your swanky hotel to exploring the Panama Canal and taking a wildlife tour by boat on the canal itself, Panama City holds the key to the most enjoyable history lesson of your life. Here’s how to spend the perfect weekend seeing, eating, sleeping, and sipping your way through this gem in Central America.
Source: Du Jour
Volunteers conserve vulnerable sea turtles in remote Panama.
Iver Valencia goes out at dusk each evening during nesting season with a group of lantern-wielding villagers to walk a stretch of Panamanian beach. Their mission: to find nests where olive ridley sea turtles lay their eggs and take them to a hatchery safe from predators.
On a recent night, Valencia and the others in the remote province of Darien in southeast Panama found five nests with dozens of eggs.
Valencia, 57, who arrived here as an adolescent from a town bordering Colombia, has been doing this for 18 years in the face of threats from poachers. The task has been further complicated by the drug traffickers who ply this jungle as well.
Jaque, a town of 2,000, is only reached by air or sea. Valencia and his allies built a hatchery here shaded by wood and wire. Inside, they place the eggs in baskets where they’ll hatch in two months’ time. Then the baby turtles will be released to the sea.
Source: The Washington Post
Driving in Panama: The basics!
If you’re planning on relocating or retiring in Panama, chances are, you’ve considered whether or not to drive a car there. Driving in Panama, like anywhere, has its ups and downs, and buying or using a car in Panama depends on many factors.
Before you make the decision to drive in Panama, we highly recommend you do some due diligence first. Panama has one of the largest amounts of cars on the road, per population, of any country in the hemisphere. There are also numerous laws, licenses, and regulations involved in driving in Panama, so weighing out whether is worth it is critical to your plan to relocate here. In order to keep you informed, here are the basics on what you should know.
