The following is a list of upcoming events organized by the Expat Explorers group of Panama City.

The regular Expat Social for April will be held at the Barcelona Restaurant in the Majestic Casino (fourth floor of the Multi-Centro Mall) on April 10. Registration and Happy Hour (2 for 1) begins at 6:00pm. For more information, directions, and to see some photos from past socials, go to www.expatsocials.com

Saturday April 8, 2006 All day Pirate Party on Taboga Island: Ferry leaves 10:30am arriving at 11:30 am.

Sunday April 9, Club Event to Taboga Island walking History Tour 11:30 am: casual Beach Lunch. Also optional morning items: Climb to the Cross – Catholic Spanish language Church Service in the second oldest church in the western hemisphere.

Saturday, Sunday April 8th - 9th – Final Showings of "Sleeping Beauty".
Live professional theatre.... In Spanish! Florida State University Theatre.
It is time to practice and/or learn Spanish and this is a fun and entertaining way to do it! The sets, costumes and acting in this show (and all of this theatre´s shows!) are outstanding. It is a professional show performed by adults (with children´s parts played by children).

Friday, April 14th – Happy Hour at Benningan´s.
Bennigans happy hour is on Fridays, and selected drinks are 3-for-1. Starts at 5:00pm – 2 bars – one smoking and one non-smoking.

Tuesday, April 18 – Explorers Dessert Hour – Siciliano´s Restaurant- Just tell the taxi driver ... "En Frente de Bancafe" and join us for Happy Hour or just coffee and the best tiramasu in town.

In order to reserve the correct space in advance, please RSVP via writing expatexplorers@expatsinpanama.com prior to noon on April 17.

End April beginning of May
Trip to the Atlantic side. Portobelo, Isla Grande Fort Lorenzo.... Space will be limited to 10 people. Contact http://calendar.yahoo.ca/expatsinpanama

Who fill their 820 rooms

The Royal Decameron Beach Resort, Golf Spa and Casino recently hosted a lively Award Ceremony at the Hard Rock Cafe in Multicentro Mall for its travel and excursion agents for sales in 2005.

The Decameron Hotel in Playa Blanca, Farallon, recently inaugurated 240 new rooms. This brings the group´s contribution to the tourist market in Panama to a grand a total of 820 rooms – the highest in the country.

In a Bici Taxi

A bici-taxi cruises at Las Bovedas.

Visitors to Panama's Old Colonial Quarter will soon be wondering into which continent they have strayed. Panama's version of the Chinese "rickshaw" is planned to start transportation soon around the Casco Antiguo. This is an innovation introduced by the Old Quarter Office -- the tourist bici-taxi, a three-wheeled vehicle with a driver that can carry two passengers. The drivers will be young men from the neighborhood with guide-training. This is another project of the "Revive the Old Quarter Plan".

The young men that participate in the project will have their own company administered by the Old Quarter Office. Each month the OCA will take $30 from each driver for the maintenance of the bici-taxi, and the rest will go to the driver.

The passengers will be able to buy the tickets in the parking lot beside the National Theater.

The bici-taxis were gifted by the Cal y Canto Foundation, and will be an attraction for tourists and locals that visit the Old Quarter and want to know its history. This service will be available day and night, and the public can choose to take a tourist tour or just use the service as a taxi to move from one place to another.

The cost of transportation in the bici-taxi will be 0.50 cents when used only as a taxi; and $3.00 for a tourist tour. Guides will have a program of specific places to visit and will wear uniforms and have identification.