Record Foreign Investment
Foreign investments in Panama reached US$2,560-million in 2006, 149% or US$533-million more than in 2005, according to the Comptroller’s Office. That total passes comfortably the historic maximum reached in 1997, of US$299-million, which was caused by the privatization of State companies.

Free Trade with Europe
Negotiations for a free trade agreement between Panama, Central America and the European Union will begin this year, says the Minister of Commerce and Industries Alejandro Ferrer. "Up until now we have held conversations with Guatemala, Costa Rica and Nicaragua," he said.

Panama First World?
According to the indices that measure the levels of development of a country, we are in the middle (position 56), The vice-president of the International Foundation for Liberty, Carlos Alberto Montaner, speaking at the inauguration of the trade fair, Expocomer, said Panama has all the advantages to aspire in the short term to enter the first world.

Spanish Investment
The Vice-minister of Tourism, Karl Nordstrom, told the Spanish news agency, Efe, that Spain’s investments in the real estate agency sector in Panama have reached US$1,000-million. Nordstrom, who was attending, the tourism fair of Berlin, explained that in most cases the Spanish businesses have already bought land and that some have begun construction, mainly on hotels and time-shared apartments.

Money Laundering Meet
Delegates of 30 countries of the region will participate in the 25th Plenary Meeting of the Group of Financial Action of the Caribbean, to analyze measures against money laundering and financing of terrorism, in an event that will be held in Panama in May. Participating will be the supporting and cooperative nations of GAFIC, international agencies, observer countries and national authorities.

Cayman Trade
Panama’s Maritime newspaper, "The Bulletin", reports that Seaboard Marine was one of the key patrons of a trade mission from the Cayman Islands to Panama’s twenty-fifth edition of the annual Expocomer trade fair. It is the second successive year that Seaboard Marine has supported the growing trade between Panama and the Caribbean Cayman Islands. A delegation of some 70 businesspeople under the auspices of the Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce visited Expocomer. Coinciding with the visit, Seaboard Marine announced a new alternate 14-days service to the Cayman Islands via Kingston, Jamaica. Up until now Cayman Islands cargo from Panama has been routed through Miami, Florida, but island importers will now have the choice of the two routes which both take 14-days.

High Interest in Canal Expansion
More than 600 businessmen from 34 countries have shown interest in the Panama Canal enlargement project. The international attraction generated by the enlargement of the Panama Canal has become a strong subject in commercial and diplomatic conversations carried out by the government. The Italian vice-chancellor, Donato Di Santo, was the latest to visit Panama to investigate his country’s participation.

Toll Hike "Excessive" say Canal Users A strong rejection of the rise of tolls proposed by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) was made by the main clients and users of the waterway during the public audience carried out in the Ascanio Arosemena Auditorium. Of the 14 speakers, 12 agreed the percentage increase proposed is excessive. "The proposal was of 3.5% and it has been raised to 26% and 34%, said Tony Mason, president of the International Chamber of Shipping. Chile will be one of the countries most affected by toll increases. Panama’s Maritime newspaper, "The Bulletin", reported that Chilean foreign commerce is 90% maritime and a third of it uses the Panama Canal. The Chilean exporters were said to be on the alert over the 46% increase in the Panama Canal tolls from May 2009. According to "Maritime Harbor", strong concern and anxiety exists in the Chilean exporting sector. In an editorial, "The Bulletin" commented "We Panamanians should not forget how Pacific Steam Navigation Company pulled out of Panama for the round Cape Horn route to and from Europe when the trans-isthmian Panama Railway hiked its freight rates and denied the shipping company participation in its activities some 150 years ago".

Bush Twin’s book
Jenna Bush, one of the twin daughters of US president, George W. Bush, will publish her first book next autumn, it was reported by the American newspaper "USA Today". The book deals with a single mother aged 17 years who lives in Panama and has HIV-AIDS.

Taiwanese to build houses here
With an initial investment of US$50-million, a Taiwanese consortium will build 4, 500 dwellings in Panama city, for families of "average class", said Gregorio Huang, economic counselor of the embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Panama.

Figali seeks more sea space
Despite fights with the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP) over the construction of a marina in Amador, Group F. International requested the entity-- now with Carlos Raúl Moreno as acting administrator --40,000 additional square meters of sea area to extend the work.

Panama Colon Freeway starts
President Martin Torrijos inaugurated the work of construction of the Madden-Colon freeway which is estimated to cost US$215,859, 446.04 and warned that with or without opposition, the project will be a reality in March 2009. The highway of 42.7 kilometers will be built by the Brazilian company Odebrecht, Earlier, Osmán Gómez, an opposition Panameñista Party deputy, attacked Odebrecht in a full sitting of the National Assembly. He said its executives are not only involved in "scandals within scandals", but that they also walk through various countries giving gifts to the leaders and many officials of the moment.

Migrant Birds "a danger"
Migrant birds that fly in this season returning to North America represent a danger to aviation, warned professor Victor Tejera, an investigator of the Department of Zoology of the University Panama and an observer of the migrant birds. "Every year, between March and April, thousands of hawks pass through the Panamanian airspace, returning to their habitual lands in the north", he said.

Refugees Get Citizenship
The Commission on Human Rights of the National Assembly began the first debate on a project that will offer Panamanian nationality to at least 400 refugees in the country. The president of the Commission, Rogelio Paredes, explained that nationality would be given to immigrants with more than 15 years in the country.

Manual for Sea Conservation
The Foundation Mar Viva and the National Environmental Authority (ANAM) yesterday presented the manual of Environmental Legislation for the countries of the Pacific Marine Corridor which aims to support the long-term conservation areas considered patrimonies in the Pacific Ocean. These tropical areas include the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador), Cocos Island (Costa Rica), Coiba (Panamá) and Malpelo (Colombia).

Government "Manipulating" Press
Manipulation of the judicial system and political pressures on the mass news media in Panama, are cause for concern, maintains a report of the US State Department on human rights in Central America, released yesterday in Washington. According to the AP correspondent in the American capital, Nester Ikeda, journalists and activists of the press have reported that the government was involved in " a substantial manipulation of the free flow of information".

Barú farmers show diverse crops
Small farmers of the district of Barú, Chiriquí, have a special exhibit at the stand of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) at the International Fair of San José de David which finishes this weekend. On show is the diversification of crops such as spicy chili for export.

Watermelon Fair
The first Watermelon Fair was carried out, in the distric of Calobre. Francisco Guevara, one of the 33 watermelon producers in this part of the province of Veraguas, indicated that the idea of the fair came from the priest of the parish of Calobre, Narcissus Rodriguez.

Coffee Harvest
The coffee harvest in Chiriquí is 80% complete in the zones of Boquete, Volcan and Piedra de Candela in Renacimiento, where some 200,000 quintals are expected from 10,000 hectares cultivated by some 2,000 producers. Meanwhile the Comptroller’s Office, will carry out from April 1 to 30 this year an agricultural survey of coffee on 35 businesses and 71 communal organizations in the provinces of Coclé, Colón, Chiriquí and Veraguas. The six sugar refineries of the country will also be surveyed.

Israeli Agricultural Help
The Panama-Israel Chamber of Commerce, is taking the first steps to bring Israeli technology to Panamanian agriculture. Teófilo Hanono, president of the chamber said that Panama could benefit from the technological advances achieved by Israel, whose experts already have assessed irrigation projects in Panama. Israel produces nearly 95% of its food needs, despite being largely desert with a shortage of water.

U.S. Ambassador meets politicians
The meetings with the presidents of Panama’s political parties are to learn what they think, said the American ambassador in Panama, William Eaton. The American diplomat, whose most recent meeting was with the president of the Panameñista Party, Juan Carlos Varela, indicated that he maintains contact with all the politicians both opposition and government.

Danger to Press Freedom
The president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, formally inaugurating the half-year meeting of the Inter-American Press Society (SIP), said he prefers "to suffer the inconvenience of freedom of the press rather than censure it". The society sent a letter to Panama’s president Martin Torrijos warning of the danger to freedom of speech after the approval by the National Assembly of the new Penal Code.

San Carlos Marine Park
With a unanimous vote in favor, by the representatives of the opposition and government, the town council of San Carlos approved an agreement to support the establishment and development in the municipality of San Carlos of a park dedicated to the exhibition, care and investigation of marine life.

Letter to the Editor

An American DJ in David

Dear Mr. Editor:
Thank you for your great paper, which we enjoy very much, I am writing this email to inform you that a new American dj has hit town here in David and that we are broadcasting the only English music and talk all over N. Panama and up into S. Costa Rica. The show is called Friends of Cassidy and can be heard on Tropi Hits, 97.1 from noon until two in the afternoon from Monday through Saturday.

We would like to write a column or provide some local info for your paper, please let us know if you have any space or could use us in any way...

Thank you, Craig Ferrante,
Program Manager...

English theater at Boquete

English-language theater has arrived in the Chiriquí highlands, thanks to the Boquete Community Players, the producers of "Boeing, Boeing", a comedy playing this weekend (March 22-24) at the new Boquete Community Theater.

Directed by Cora Kent, the play is the story of two bachelors dating three flight attendants at the same time. It stars Jeff Simon, Jerry Hendrick, Mary Lloyd, Mary Feldbruegge, Carmencita and Stephanie Brockman, with the cameo appearances of Nixia Guerra, Dave Ross and Judy King.

Shows are at 7:30 p.m., with a Sunday matinee at 1:30 p.m. The Boquete Community Theater is located across from the main church and Farmacias Revilla. Tickets: $6.00 at the door.

More information on boquetecommunityplayers.com

The adventures of an Italian in Panama

I still don’t understand why this beautiful country is still relatively unknown in Europe, but I’m glad I was able to enjoy my second time to the Isthmus better than my first encounter with Panama back in 2001.

Gianpaolo Sollazzo, attempting to cook a Panamanian-style dish at Omar Torrijos National Park.

I am a retired citizen of Naples, Italy. I was planning to spend only a week here, but It has been over a month now and I’m still here.

The highlight of my visit this time was a trip to the Omar Torrijos National Park, in the province of Coclé. I learned about it in a famous tourist guide, which actually only described it in a few lines, so I sought more information in the inns and lodges of the province.

Packing my backpack, I finally decided to go all by myself. The park is simply beautiful. The staff is very friendly and professional. I personally would like to thank José, the park ranger who served as my guide through deep, verdant forests, from one attraction to the other.The park’s cabins are in good condition and both the weather and landscape are wonderful.

Those who still don’t know Panama don’t know what they are missing. The crime rate is low, not only in places like the Omar Torrijos Park, but also in the country’s towns and cities. The only real "problem" I faced was with the banking system, as the country sets too many requirements for tourists wanting to open an account.

I’ve also developed an interest in Panama’s native cuisine. I would like to learn to cook it and to discover the essence of its flavors, since we don’t have anything like that in Europe. I find it a little too greasy, I would say, but nevertheless tasteful. Back home we are very conscious about nutrition, but breaking the diet with food like this would not be too bad once in a while.

Local vegetables are pretty good, and Panamanian coffee is excellent –and it is all cheap.

It’s a shame that the only thing the average European knows about Panama is the Canal, but I’m glad I was able to discover this beautiful, little tropical secret.

Café Durán opens store in Europe

Café Durán, Panama´s largest coffee-making company, recently opened its first two stores in Europe. The stores, located in Barcelona, Spain, have capacity for 210 people each. A third store is expected to open in late March.

Since the name Durán is already commercially registered in Barcelona, the new stores are called "Di Lorenzo Origin Coffee". The expansion of the Durán trademark is part of an international strategy covering the European Union and Asia, with an investment of US$1.5 million.-

Café Durán presently manages 20 stores in the Panama City area and will soon open branches in the interior provinces. The company, which is celebrating its centennial this year, is preparing the world's largest coffee cup, which will hopefully make a Guinness record. Café Durán reported earnings amounting to US$25 million in exports and local sales during 2006.

Legend of the mountain-man of Chiriqui

By David Dell

Alois Hartmann in Chiriquí, circa 1912.

Panama, is a country that has been forged by tough adventurers. People that haven’t been afraid to hack their way through endless miles of steaming humid jungle, or climb over enumerable rocky-mountain peaks. This is the story of one such Panama pioneer, Alois Stasil Hartmann: The legendary mountain man of Chiriqui, who was born on June 20, 1891, in Moravia, Czechoslovakia.

Records show that he and his mother, Cresenz arrived on New York’s Ellis Island, on October 23, 1907. His first job in the US was as a bellboy in a hotel in Philadelphia.

Arrested as a German spy
In 1912 he arrived in Chiriqui, Panama, where he worked first at the Hotel Panamonte in Boquete, and then Hartmann’s first foray into the coffee business started when he was employed by Frenchman, Fred Lambert on his coffee farm at Tizingal, North of Volcan.

With the start of the First World War, the American soldiers stationed in Panama made a search for possible enemy aliens. The name, "Hartmann" sounded German, and Alois’s thick European accent were all the evidence the soldiers needed to brand him as a spy, and he was promptly arrested. He languished in various prison camps, first on the Panamanian island of Taboga, and finally he was shipped to a prison camp in the US. In 1918, with the end of hostilities, Alois was released and returned to Panama.

His first attempts to grow coffee ended when coffee blight destroyed his entire crop. Not to be outdone Hartmann moved several miles away and tried again. Little did he then realize but the coffee blight traveled with him in the coffee seeds, and once again, his entire crop was destroyed. Successive disasters such as these would have finished any other man, but not the inimitable, Alois Hartmann. Eventually, despite all the hardships that life could throw at him, he did start a successful coffee business. During this time his first wife bore him eleven children, children that he personally delivered.

The Hartmann family and nine of their 11 children.

National Geographic comes to Chiriqui
In conversation with Rattibor Hartmann, Alois eldest son, I learned that Hartmann senior was an inveterate hunter and explorer. For many years he tried, unsuccessfully, to find the site of the legendary Estrella gold mine in the mountains of Chiriqui. What he did discover however, was hundreds of precious pre-Colombian artifacts. Although not a trained archaeologist, his knowledge and deductions on the early people of Panama amazed the professionals of the National Geographic Society. In the late 1940’s, when they explored Chiriqui, they described Hartmann as the "Daniel Boone" of Panama.

Rattibor Hartman told me that his father was a man of extraordinary kindness and generosity. He recalled times when spare food would be taken off their table and given to some unfortunates that had none. If he saw someone without shoes, he would scratch around and search until a pair was found for that person.

Hartmann coffee started
In 1940, Finca Hartman was founded. True to the ideals laid down by the founder, to this day the farm produces internationally renowned, award winning coffee. Hartmann coffee is enjoyed today, all across the United States and around the world from Europe to Japan and even Iceland.

Hartmann was a man who loved, respected and cared for the natural things in life, in a time when such things weren’t fashionable. He died on May, 25, 1970 and is buried on a hill within sight of his farm.

A different kind of treasure
Alois Stasil Hartmann never did discover the yellow treasure that glistens in the sunlight, but ironically, he will be remembered for another kind of treasure; the green coloured kind that blossoms in the shade of a Chiriqui mountainside. And true to the generous nature of this Panama pioneer, people all over the world, share and enjoy this Hartmann treasure, every single day.

Deco Accesorios opens in San Francisco

Deco Accesorios, a store specializing in deluxe bathroom fixtures and accesories, has opened in San Francisco, Panama City, offering a wide selecction of European and North American name brands. For more information, call 270-1065.

Says Julie Ray:

"Snakes are my passion"

Julie is a PhD student at Old Dominion University (Virginia).

Visitors are attracted to Panama for many reasons, which sometimes are rather unconventional. Such is the case of Julie Ray, a 28-year-old PhD candidate who recently arrived to study the country’s snakes.

Her main laboratory is the Omar Torrijos National Park, located in the highlands of the province of Coclé. Assisted by Aurelio González, a young park ranger, Julie is also studying the park’s endangered species of frogs and toads, such as Panama’s famous Golden Frog, which in recent years has been threatened by chyfrid fongus.

In regard to snakes, her main passion, Julie believes they are not as dangerous as one would think, since they normally don’t interact with humans. She said: "Snakes help to maintain nature’s delicate balance, as they feed on annoying animals, such as rats and mice. Therefore, we need not to kill serpents if there is no imminent danger to humans."

Julie Ray can be contacted at jray@odu.edu

Says U.S. Scientist:

"Panama needs to save its natural sounds"

Dr. Jay Needham and Nestor Correa, director of Associación Panamericana para la Conservación (APPC), listen to nature in the Panama Canal area.

U.S. Artist and educator Jay Needham recently visited Panama to conduct the first "Acoustic Ecology" experiments on the Isthmus. With the use of custom-made recording equipment, Dr. Needham captured the sounds of nature (animals, insects and wind-blown trees and shrubs) of the Panama Canal watershed and reproduced his findings during a conference at the City of Knowledge, in Clayton. Dr. Needham's dissertation was sponsored by the City of Knowledge's "Ecology Cluster" and Asociación Panamericana para la Conservación (APPC), a non-profit, environmental organization.

Acoustic Ecology is a new field of study which compares the sounds of nature and their relationship with human-made sounds. Dr. Needham, a professor at Southern Illinois University, underlined the importance of this new science, which in the case of Panama, can help save many endangered species or perhaps discover new ones.

"We are losing our natural sounds. As civilization progresses, humans lose their ability to listen to many fascinating sounds of animals, insects, and even plants," said Dr. Needham.

Despite the rich ecology of the rainforests of the Panama Canal area, Dr. Needham stated that there is a great level of "mediation" (the combination of natural and artificial sounds) in that part of the country, which robs local residents of their ability to fully enjoy the sounds of nature. In other words, the noise levels coming from Panama City are quite high.

At the end of the dissertation, Dr. Needham and Dr. Andrew Carver, of the Institute for Neotropical Conservation donated a state-of-the-art audio device to the APPC, to be used in the development of the field in Panama.

Your Last True Offshore Solution Is Panama?

By: Dennis Smith
Partner of Offshore Business Resources

Anyone that has earned any real wealth in the past 20 years knows that it is getting harder and harder to protect and/ or keep it. At one time "offshore" was just a buzzword – now it is a necessity!

In the not-so-distant past, the British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos the Isle of Man, Grenada and Swiss Bank Accounts were all acceptable offshore options. In truth, they are not anymore.

Government agencies such as the IRS and the OECD have forced international asset reporting for taxation purposes. Local despots have made national banks and asset ownership tenuous and sometimes dangerous. Divorce and litigation lawyers are making a great deal of settlement money. Then there are inheritance and estate issues…

Nevertheless, you should not go offshore:

1. If you do not live in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Australia, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, or nearly every major country in the world today.
2. If you want all of your business and financial affairs made public.
3. If you want to pay tax rates of 20%, 30% or more.
4. If your business is not generating a profit and is not expected to do so.
5. If you want to be the subject of ugly, expensive lawsuits that you do not deserve.
6. If you want to work all of your life to generate security for your children and loved ones, only to have them receive pennies on the dollar, if anything at all.
7. If you trust federal officials and organizations to protect your interests first.

If we are depressing you, accept our apologies but reality is reality. Fortunately, even in today’s complicated financial world, you have a relatively simple option: Panama.

Every day Panama is becoming more famous as a preferred offshore domicile. Why? Allow us to introduce you to Panama’s offshore system.

Asset Protection: Since 1920, financially savvy persons and entities have chosen Panama as the domicile for protecting their wealth and earnings. Your combination of a Panama corporation asset protection or company (International Business Corporation or IBC), a Panama Private Interest Foundation and a Panama offshore bank account are a proven strategy for enjoying your anonymous asset protection. The "Panama solution" ensures you privacy and security, no or low taxation, no capital restrictions, estate planning and protection, and more.

Ciudad de Panamá. Por años, la capital del país ha sido considerado un sólido centro bancario internacional.

In practice, anonymous asset protection does not involve hiding assets, nor is it based upon secret agreements or fraudulent transfers. It is based upon proven combinations of business and financial planning techniques.

Incorporation: Panama Corporations feature Bearer Shares, so shareholders have anonymity and privacy. Panama's corporate secrecy laws are the most comprehensive in the world today. A Panama offshore corporation or company is not a "letter box" entity such those that are commonly formed in the British Virgin Islands and elsewhere.

Foundations: Panama Private Interest Foundations incorporate Private Protectorate Documents and Private Letters of Wishes. This allows the foundation "Guardians" and beneficiaries to remain anonymous and private. The Panama Foundation assets and bank accounts cannot be sequestered or frozen during litigation or other legal actions.

Banking: Panama uses the actual U.S. Dollar as national currency. Panama has no currency-exchange controls or restrictions so capital can flow freely in and out of the country. Panama is famous as an international banking center, with nearly all of the major players having a local presence here. Panama has no Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties for sharing banking information with other countries. Panama does not recognize outside court rulings. Within the country, revealing banking information to third parties is a crime which is punishable by imprisonment.

Taxation: Panamanian IBC's and Private Interest Foundations are liable for no – or very low – income, capital gains, share or shareholder, inheritance or sales tax (to name a few). Panama does not have tax treaties with any other countries and has enacted comprehensive legislation designed to keep your assets and information anonymous and secure. Income does not have to be reported to the Panamanian government.

Domicile: Panama is a sovereign, democratic, nation. It has had a stable economy with low inflation for nearly 20 years.

Attorney-Client Privilege: Forming Panama IBC’s and Foundations requires that a Panamanian lawyer or legal firm acts as your Resident Agent. All of your affairs are covered by Attorney-Client Privilege, which means that we cannot reveal anything about you or your affairs without your specific permission.

Is this sounding good to you? Maybe you should schedule time during your visit to Panama for exploring the full range of offshore benefits this country offers you?

Ocean-to-Ocean Event

Cayucos cross Canal in unique race

By Craig J. Weincek

The Ocean-to-Ocean Cayuco Race is a tradition started by the Boy Scouts of America in 1952.

Panama boasts a truly unique international sporting event that is growing in popularity. The annual ocean to ocean cayuco race combines the tradition of indigenous canoes with a vigorous athletic competition through Panama’s most famous landmark. As sponsored by Club de Remos de Balboa, (the Balboa Paddle Club), the race gives competitors, Panamanians, ex-pats and visitors, an opportunity like none other in the world to not only test their strength, skill, and endurance, but at the same time to gain an appreciation for the natural beauty of Panama as well as the engineering wonder of the Panama Canal.

This year’s Nissan Ocean to Ocean race will be held March 30, 31 and April 1.

La Regata de Cayucos de Oceano a Oceano is a three-day adventure through the canal that begins at the Cristobal Yacht Club near Colon on the Atlantic coast and, after a first leg of seven miles, finishes at the north end of the Gatun Locks. The second day gets under way bright and early on the south end of the Gatun Locks and after 21 grueling miles ends up in Gamboa. The final day covers 13 lucky miles as the paddlers pass through the Culebra Cut on to the Pedro Miquel Locks. Then the teams of paddlers steer their spiffed-up dug-out canoes through the locks and onto Miraflores Lake before the highlight of the trip, the Miraflores Locks, finally rowing ashore at the Diablo public ramp under the shadow of the Bridge of the Americas.

The trophy class, 14 to 21, is the most serious, with many of the teams, made up of four paddlers, male, female or co-ed young, fit, Panamanian athletes, competing for Master Paddler status, which is awarded to the team that wins all five stages during the three-day event. The winners of each stage receive an important bead, gold, green, red, white and blue; and if all five beads are collected on a ring that hangs from the championship trophy then that signifies the coveted Master Paddler award.

The open class, 22 and over, usually is a more diverse group, with both keen competitors and people who simply want the once-in-a-lifetime experience of paddling a traditional canoe from the Atlantic to the Pacific. (No casual paddlers should attempt this very strenuous endeavor.) The adult category also has the most international participants with teams coming all the way from the States, (Florida and California, last year) as well as Spain, Britain, France, Brazil and other nations, all seeking an opportunity to paddle coast to coast across the isthmus.

The race has become an international event, with teams from South America, Europe and the United States.

While there is one ten-person boat and one with eight paddlers, made up mostly of veterans of past events, the rest of the cayucos consist of four competitors. The sight of these well conditioned athletes paddling in unison across one of the most scenic waterways in the world never fails to impress the many spectators along the way.

Of course, none of this is possible without the support of the Panama Canal Authority, ACP, and its director Aleman Zubieta, who works closely with race organizers Pablo Prieto, the founder of the club and race coordinator, and Marissa DeArco, the president of CREBA and over a hundred dedicated volunteers, with Nissan as the primary sponsor.

The Ocean-to-Ocean Cayuco race is a continuation of a 55-year tradition first started by the Boy Scouts of America, when the United States still controlled the Canal Zone. Then in 2000, The Balboa Paddle Club was organized to continue and expand on that grand tradition. The club is non-profit organization and dedicated to the promotion of the sport of paddling and the conservation of the watershed of the Canal and is registered with the National Institute of Sports.

For more information about the Nissan Ocean-to-Ocean Cayuco Race or about the Balboa Paddle Club, go to www.cayucorace.org.

Holy Week in Panama: mixture of faith, color and tradition

The passion, death and resurrection of Christ is will be remembered throughout Panama April 5-8 with the fervor of the various ethnic and religious communities from literally all parts of the world. In the Panama City/Colón metro area, where a large percentage of the population descends from immigrants, Protestant churches, depending on the denomination, will offer Easter services in Greek, Chinese, Korean, English and Spanish, whereas Roman Catholics (85% of the population) mark the occasion with special services and evening processions in each neighborhood.

In the interior provinces, where Spanish tradition and Roman Catholicism is strong, passion plays are common and are a picturesque opportunity to discover the country’s most deeply-rooted Christian traditions. The passion plays of the town of Pesé, in the province of Herrera, are famous for the quality of their performances. To get there, visitors need to get on the Pan-American Highway by crossing the Bridge of the Americas and drive west some 213 km to the town of Divisa, and turn off south to the Azuero peninsula. Road signs will indicate how to finish the rest of the trip, which should take four hours. A good service of buses to Pesé departs from Gran Terminal de Transporte, located in Albrook.