Symbolic bridge affords a quarter's worth of history

By Craig Weincek

Every tourist should take home a little souvenir of Panama Viejo; and it only costs a quarter. Actually, it is a quarter—the newer, shinier version of the Panamanian quarter, one fourth of a Balboa, and the one with a picture of Puente del Rey on the back. To be honest, the older 25 cent pieces are nice too, with the crest of the city of Panama on the back, but the new quarters, which were first minted in 2007, feature an image of one of the oldest bridges, still standing, in the new world.

Constructed in 1619, the bridge still arches over the Abajo River just along Via Cincuentenario a few blocks north of the main park that protects the ruins of Panama Viejo.

“It is still structurally sound,” reports Silvia Arroyo, the architect in charge of renovation and maintenance. This is a tribute to the artisans who constructed the unique rubblework arc over what was then called the Gallinero River. Currently there is scaffolding around the bridge but that’s there as part of an ongoing maintenance project rather than any need for reconstruction.

The Puente del Rey - "Bridge of the King" is on some
Panamanian quarters.

The bridge runs south to north and was the gateway to the Camino Real, the original road to Portobello on the Atlantic side.

“The bridge is an important monument that deserves to be preserved because it symbolizes all the treasure that passed through the old city on its way to Spain,” According to Julieta Arrango, the Executive Director of the Patronato de Panama Viejo, the foundation that administers the World Heritage site.

Puente del Rey, which was originally dedicated to King Philip III of Spain, benefits directly from the minting and distribution of the coin, which was first issued in November 2007. As Director Arrango explains it, the coins, which are worth 25 cents, only cost the government 13 cents to produce. So the remaining 12 cents from the initial minting were contributed to the Patronato and used for the expensive work of maintaining and preserving the ruins of the first Hispanic city that was founded on the Pacific coast of the Americas back in 1519.

El Puente del Rey.

In fact, Puente del Rey could not be a more apt symbol. Not only does it remind visitors and Panamanians alike of the commerce between the coasts, but it also represents the ongoing effort required to maintain the heritage of Panama. The bridge, like the stately tower of the cathedral, has not only survived the sacking of the old seaport by the Pirate Sir Henry Morgan back in 1671, but it has endured the ravages of time and development as well.

The main threat to the vaulted arc is not just the river, which it spans, but the pollution that the ever increasing fiow of the Abajo brings with it. Arroyo, the architect, speculates that the bridge could possibly stand forever, except that“it needs to be protected from the massive amounts of debris,” that include auto parts, dead animals, boxes, trash bags and even large items like discarded refrigerators and television sets. That is why large concrete bulkheads have been positioned to reinforce the bridge and buffer it from the onslaught of modern times.

Not that easy to find, Puente del Rey is worth the extra effort of venturing a few blocks past the more prominent ruins, because of its historic and symbolic signi- ficance. Not only does the bridge remind us of the fundamental historical importance of the shortest distance between two points; but also the picture on the coin represents a unique constructive partnership between the National Bank of Panama and Patronato de Panama Viejo. Puente del Rey, a small sturdy bridge stands steady as an enduring reminder, for citizens, ex-pats and tourists alike, of not only how but also why the city of Panama got its start. Now that’s worth much more than a quarter.

She's always on the prowl...even at the park

My day begins in the dark, ?lled with unadulterated joy! (Oh, elevate your mind!) I step out of my condo on Parque Omar and hit the three and a half kilometer paved and lighted hiking/jogging trail, joined by a myriad of other serious fitness advocates of all shapes, ages, and genders. The birds are singing, the sun is rising, and the breezy morning air fans my skin. There exists a respectful camaraderie among early morning exercisers with zero regard for trendy attire. The track is very safe and police on motorized bikes do patrol. What does this have to do with shopping? Hang in here with me, okay?

At the Via Porras main entrance to Recreativo Parque Omar is a produce stand selling various fruits and vegetables for just $1.00. At least everything I choose seems to amount to that consistent total. There are two snack stands, each concocting healthy refrescos made with fresh fruit from their convenient adjacent supplier. These also cost the rounded sum of $1.00, and whatever is left in the blender is yours to keep after your cup has been brimmed. Stand there and slurp until it all fits!

High fashion at Promises.

In past history this park was a regulation sized golf course. It was endowed to The City by Omar Torrijos Herrera, the father of our current president, who opted for the magnanimous gift of nature to city dwellers instead of selling the precious land to developers. Filled with every conceivable type of recreational facility from tennis courts to a swimming pool, the huge trees and well maintained lawns transform it into a metropolitan oasis. The only vehicular road bisects the park and leads to the BIBLIOTECA NATIONAL ERNESTO J. CASTILLERO R. This modern and impressive four story National Library contains stacks of books in English and a library card is easily obtained. With a jubilado I.D. this is free, and you need two passport photos when you apply. On the 3rd floor there are Internet computer stations for use at $.50 per hour. A drinking fountain, couches, restrooms, and a grand piano are found there also! The beautiful setting and internal ambiance are well worth a visit.

Fruit and produce displayed in the park.

For those who find themselves confronted with dead batteries of any kind, replace them at LA CASA DE LOS BATERIAS in front of the park entrance on Via Porras. My friend had his car battery replaced and was on his way in 15 minutes flat. We were greeted as we parked and watched in wonderment as the rapid, ef?cient, friendly service progressed from start to finish in record time.

A quick new battery change.

Golf Plaza is two blocks up the side street from the battery store. It houses the aptly named PROMISES, one of my very favorite shops. This is the Cadillac of consignment stores where gently worn (or sometimes not ever!) designer clothing can be scooped up at a fraction of the original cost. Everything is clean, pressed, and well displayed. There’s a small men’s section, but the inventory is weighted toward female attire and accessories. Here I can feed my clothes addiction and not be reduced to dumpster diving in order to get my “fix”. I found a blouse made in Paris for the princely sum of $6.00. Roz, the owner, is friendly, loquacious, and goes out of her way to please her clientèle. This belongs on your “Must Do” list! Tell Roz I sent you, and . . . HAPPY SHOPPING!

Panama City Social Scene

Part Two of the railroad epic

Mark Twain's aventures on the Panama Railroad

By Ted James

A reporter who visited a railroad hospital in 1855, the year the railroad was finished, wrote of seeing “the melancholy rows” of sick and dying men, and of being escorted by the head physician to an adjoining plaza, “where, in conscious pride, he displayed to me his collection of well-picked skeletons and bones, bleaching and drying in the hot sun.” It was the physician’s intention, for the purposes of science, to assemble a complete “museum” representing all the racial types to be found among the railroad dead.

Forty-seven and a half miles of railroad had required 170 bridges and culverts of 15 feet or more, 134 bridges and culverts of less than 15 feet, a statistic that gives some idea of making headway in such a tropical country.

In 1855, just five years from the date of the beginning of its construction. Total cost: US $7,407,535.00. On January 27,1855, at midnight, in the pitch dark and in torrential rain, the last rail was laid by Totten himself, who drove the last spike with a nine-pound maul. The following day, on January 28, 1855 the world’s ?rst transcontinental train ran from ocean to ocean.

A train pulls in to the station at Plaza 5 de Mayo.

Some 13 years later, Mark Twain rode the Panama Railway and reported his adventure in a letter to a New York newspaper on August 17, 1868. His tongue-incheek style gives a good insight into the railway and Panama in those days.

“A Railroad Mint -- What the Legend Says. It was a hard road to build. The tropical fevers slaughtered the laborers wholesale. It is a popular saying that every railroad tie from Panama to Aspinwall rests upon a corpse. It ought to be a substantial road, being so well provided with sleepers -- eternal ones and otherwise. It is claimed that this small railroad enterprise cost the lives of 10,000 men.

I have been told some things which I will jot down here, not vouching for their truth. The Panama railroad was an American project, in the first place.

Then the English got a commanding interest in it, and it became an English enterprise. They grew somewhat sick of it, and it began to swap back until it became American again. The Americans finished it. It proved a good investment. But the right of way granted by the Colombian States was limited to only a few years. The Americans tried to get the term extended. But they were not particularly popular with the Governments of the Isthmus, and could not succeed. Delegations of heavy guns were sent down, but they could not prevail. They offered a few millions of dollars and Government transportation free. President Mosquiera declined.

The English saw an opportunity, now. They made an effort to secure to themselves the right of way whose term was so soon to expire. They were popular with the isthmian chiefs. They made the Central Governments some valuable presents -- gunboats and such things. They were progressing handsomely. Things looked gloomy for Americans.

Then two American gentlemen, who were well acquainted with the Isthmus people and their ways, were commissioned by the Panama Railroad Company, about the time of the opposition English effort, to go down to the Isthmus and make a final trial for an extension of the right of way franchise. Did they take treasure boxes along? Did they take gun boats? Did they take other royal persuaders of like description? Quite the contrary. They took down twelve hundred baskets of champagne and a ship-load of whisky. In three days they had the entire population as drunk as lords, the President in jail, the National Congress crazy with delirium tremens, and a gorgeous revolution in full blast! In three more days they were at sea again with the document of an extension of the railroad franchise to ninety-nine years in their pockets, procured for and in consideration of the sum of three million dollars in coin and transportation of Isthmian stores and soldiers over the road free of charge.

That is the legend. That is as one hears it in idle gossip with steamer employees, about the ship’s decks on lazy moonlight nights at sea. I don’t know whether it is true or not. I don’t care, either. I only know that the American company have got the franchise extended to ninety-nine years, and that all parties concerned are satis?ed and agreeable.”

Since those colorful times, the Panama Railway has had almost as many ups and downs in its history as the hills and valleys that it traverses.

Holy week blessings

Panamanian painter and devout Catholic Sheila Lichacz poses next to a marble slate that is very close to her heart. She says that the profile of San Francisco displayed in the marble is a strong part of her faith and just one more affirmation that only God could have brought her through 44 years of brain surgery to remove some 30 tumors. She wishes all a safe and happy Holy Week."When you don't look for Him, He looks for you!" she cheerfully reminds us. Her works are on display locally in Panama and as far as Israel. Visit www.www.sheilaelichacz.com.

Contracts, deposits and evictions

Know the rules of renting

By: Steven Rich, Marketing Manager for Panama Offshore Legal Services
www.pos-inc.com; (507) 227 – 6645

Panama’s laws regulating real property leases are old, put in place in 1917 and 1973. There are a few basic laws.

The Civil Code of 1917 adopted the Spanish Civil Code regulating leases in urban and rural real properties. Privately owned real properties used for residences, commercial, professional services, industrial and educational activities come under this law.

Then in 1973 the government enacted Law 93, which regulates urban residential leases, subleases and the leasing of rooms and furnished apartments up to $150 month. Thirty years ago, $150 a month was a large payment and this law only covers that maximum amount. Vacation apartments with leases more than six months come under this law as well. This law affords greater protection to tenants from rental increases and evictions.

Hybrids of both laws appy to most leases in Panama. Leases of furnished homes in private properties that are permanent or occasional rentals fall under both laws. Leases of properties for more than $150 month use the hybrid.

Tenants rights
Concerning rents, the parties are free to negotiate whatever lease amounts and rent increases as they wish. Rents for less than $150 fall under Law 93 of 1973 prohibiting rental increases without the express approval of the Ministry of Housing. The Ministry is supposed to weigh the fairness of the price increase to the tenant and the reasonableness of the landlord’s return on investment.

Then there is the issue of security deposits. A security deposit equal to one month rent is submitted to the Ministry of Housing and returned to the tenant when the lease expires unless the landlord files a claim for past due rent or property damage by the tenant.

There are no restrictions in regards to the term of a lease agreement, or extensions. The tenant can terminate the contract any time, with a thirty-calendar day notice to the landlord. The only exceptions are for monthly rents less than $150 where the Ministry of Housing must approve any changes. While landlords cannot evict a paying tenant prior to the lease expiring, the tenant is free to break the lease with 30-calendar day’s prior notice. Leases regulated by Law 93 of 1973 must be for a minimum of three years with automatic three-year renewals at the option of the tenant as long as the tenant is up to date on rental payments.

Triplicates are another issue worth taking note of. Prepare the Rental Agreement in triplicate. The landlord or lawful agent gets one copy, the tenant gets another copy, and the Panama Housing Ministry gets the third copy. The Panama Housing Ministry also holds the security deposit. There is a $10.20 fee for the Ministry of Housing stamps.

Foreigners usually provide damage and first month’s security deposits. A personal reference letter from a Panamanian is often requested. Upon signing the lease, submit a copy of your passport information page. Cash or local bank checks are preferred. The Ministry of Housing records the lease for around $10.

Evictions for properties subject to Law 93 of 1973 must be filed with the Housing Commission of the Ministry of Housing. All other evictions must be filed before the municipal or circuit courts of the Panama Judicial Branch. Court orders are enforced by the Corregidor, the highest authority of the borough (district) where the tenant resides. Due to large caseloads, it takes several months for a hearing on evictions.

The eviction process usually takes 120 days including 30 days after Service of Process; Duration of Proceeding 60 days; Duration of Enforcement 30 days. Collection of past rents owed come under the jurisdiction of the municipal or civil circuit courts.

Collecting unpaid rent takes even longer. Process of Service 30 days; Duration of Proceedings takes 180 days; Enforcement duration another 30 days; Total duration of the collection process takes 270 days.

In conclusion, these are very old laws and function slowly with lots of discretion for the Ministry of Housing and the courts. Tenants have greater rights under Law 93 of 1973. Yet, all tenants have the right to break the lease with at least 30 days prior notice. Landlords need to learn patience when trying to evict and collect back rents from tenants. New landlord/tenant laws are needed in Panama.

A limo bus for the high rollers

Rolling like a rock star

“Monkey Jam VIP” is Panama’s luxury party bus.

When Reggaeton star Daddy Yankee was in Panama and wanted a bus with all the amenities of a limousine but couldn’t find one, it got Edwin Portillo thinking.

A few months later, Portillo was on his way back from New York City driving his very own limo-bus through Central America en route to Panama City.

"I would do it twenty times. It was just a good time on the road," said Portillo, the Venezuelanborn, Las Vegas-raised owner of Monkey Jam VIP.

Monkey Jam VIP caters to the high rollers who want to travel to their nightspots in luxury. The party bus is just one of the vehicles that the company will offer its clients, Portillo said.

"We are bringing down from Las Vegas a stretch Hummer limo and soon we will have a private plane to rent out," he added.

However the company’s flagship is still the limo-bus, which it labels "the ultimate experience". The limo-bus offers four different tour packages all requiring a minimum of twenty-five people.

The company’s platinum package runs $45 a person and includes an open bar as well as food and a tour around the city The bus rental lasts for five hours and the platinum package is the most expensive.

For more information or to make reservations visit www.monkeyjamvip.com or call 507-226-4926.