{"id":1419,"date":"2010-09-30T14:43:50","date_gmt":"2010-09-30T19:43:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/?p=1419"},"modified":"2010-10-02T08:48:29","modified_gmt":"2010-10-02T13:48:29","slug":"panamas-hidden-treasures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/panamas-hidden-treasures\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama&#8217;s Hidden Treasures"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">This week has been busy having just returned from Pedasi only to have to fly off to Panama City to meet with a client coming in to look at a large renovation project.\u00a0 I opted to stay close to the property and this was the second time I have stayed in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cascoviejo.org\/content\/cnPanels.php?cid=10\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Casco Viejo<\/strong> <\/a>or Casco Antiguo as it is known.\u00a0 I now see no reason to stay anywhere else when I visit the City.\u00a0 While the high rise hotels and casinos are fun once or twice, Casco is what Panama is all about.\u00a0 I spent the evening in Plaza Bolivar where there are a number of restaurants and bars but the special time was sitting outside with a clear sky, cool breeze and\u00a0a guitarist playing and singing classic ballads.\u00a0\u00a0 The WOW factor kicked in and I was in heaven dreaming back to the days when I visited Spain and other cities that have real character and history, not to mention incredible local flavor.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In the beginning of 1998. Casco Viejo was recognized by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldheadquarters.com\/panama\/destinations\/casco_viejo\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>UNESCO<\/strong> <\/a>and the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture as a site of world interest, due to the physical and universal aspects of this historical location.\u00a0 The buildings that line the wide, brick street streets of Casco Viejo, many of which have expansive balconies, reflect Panama&#8217;s rich architectural styles and diverse cultures. Casco Viejo is the focal point of Panamanian architectural history, with it&#8217;s picturesque buildings, wide streets comprised of red bricks, churches, ruins and museums. It is here, together, where the identity of Panama City and it&#8217;s people is best illustrated.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mw2.google.com\/mw-panoramio\/photos\/medium\/36638049.jpg\" alt=\"PANAMA Hotel Colombia-Casco Antiguo, Panama City\" width=\"368\" height=\"310\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mw2.google.com\/mw-panoramio\/photos\/medium\/7638115.jpg\" alt=\"Parque Bolivar Iglesia San Francisco de Asis, Panama Antiguo Feb,08\" width=\"372\" height=\"310\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mw2.google.com\/mw-panoramio\/photos\/medium\/31628638.jpg\" alt=\"Palau Bol\u00edvar-Seu del Ministeri d'Afers Exteriors-Ciutat de Panam\u00e0-Panam\u00e0. \" width=\"371\" height=\"277\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mw2.google.com\/mw-panoramio\/photos\/medium\/26145920.jpg\" alt=\"The Sun Sets on Iglesia\" width=\"371\" height=\"277\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">I found a place to stay\u00a0that was within a\u00a0block of\u00a0Plaza Bolivar that is operated by some friends of mine, Evan Forbes and Matt Landau.\u00a0<strong> <\/strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.loscuatrotulipanes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Los Cuatro Tulipanes<\/span><\/strong> <\/a>consists of several renovated\u00a0buildings including Las Monjas where I stayed.\u00a0 Evan told me that it was once a nunnery and the old brickwork was incorporated into the final design like\u00a0a lot of buildings in Casco.\u00a0 Matt and Evan live in Casco and are experts in the area.\u00a0 They are generating a good return for the investors who have bought the units that are rented out.\u00a0 I saw several opportunities that are still attractively priced despite the run up in prices.\u00a0 It takes a lot of \u00a0work and\u00a0many newbie\u2019s \u00a0come and go after giving up working through the process of renovating in a historic district such as this.\u00a0\u00a0 In the end though, a property in Casco is a &#8220;must have&#8221; in any investment portfolio here in Panama.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/casa-las-monjas2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"casa las monjas\" src=\"http:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/casa-las-monjas2-300x266.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"254\" height=\"202\" \/><\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Los-Monjas-lving.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Los Monjas lving\" src=\"http:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Los-Monjas-lving.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"272\" height=\"203\" \/><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Los-Monjasbedroomjpg1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Los Monjasbedroomjpg\" src=\"http:\/\/panamaadvisoryinternationalgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Los-Monjasbedroomjpg1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"254\" height=\"203\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Before I leave this I wanted to publish an article I read in <a href=\"http:\/\/clientes.morinoko.com\/elcascoantiguo_com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>El Casqueno<\/strong> <\/a>that speaks of how special this place really is.\u00a0 Patrizia Pinzon speaks from the heart and owns one of the most dynamic companies in Casco besides working in numerous other social activities.\u00a0 I caught her this morning teaching balet to 2 and 3 year olds and enjoyed chatting with her about life in Casco.<\/p>\n<h2>A New Way from the Old Quarter?<\/h2>\n<div>August 20th, 2010<\/div>\n<div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Below is a reprint of an article written by\u00a0<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.arcoproperties.com\/home.aspx');\" href=\"http:\/\/www.arcoproperties.com\/home.aspx\">Patrizia Pinz\u00f3n<\/a>\u00a0for The Visitor in July 2010, it\u2019s too well written to only have been in circulation for one week so here it is to live on in the internet forever\u2026<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Like many developing countries, Panama is working to apply the fashionable terms \u201csustainable\u201d and \u201csocially conscious\u201d to its growing tourism industry. \u00a0Whether we are successful or not will only be clear many years from now, but in at least one nook of the country things are looking promising.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Strolling along 300-year-old Avenida A between Fourth and Fifth Streets of Casco Antiguo a sharp eyed traveler may notice the humble\u00a0hand-cut metal sign that reads \u201cVIP\u201d next to an oversized, fruit-filled open window. \u00a0While the attention of a mere tourist would be immediately drawn to the jewelry store across the street, the seasoned traveler will instinctively know that a window like this in a neighborhood like Casco Antiguo holds the promise of the traveler\u2019s holy grail: the authentic and unexpected.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"VIP and Do\u00f1a Mary\" src=\"http:\/\/casconews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/MMFC0457-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The traveler would be rewarded to find that leaning on the counter facing this narrow cobbled street is Mary, a local entrepreneur, who, for a dollar, will make what most residents in this neighborhood\u2013rich and poor alike\u2013claim are the best fruit smoothies in Panama. Next door to Mary, a small chalkboard announces Bohemios, a startlingly tasty restaurant co-owned by Niko, the ex-leader of a now defunct street gang that until two years ago called Fourth Street its home. \u00a0Next to Niko, Do\u00f1a Daisy, an aging seamstress, sells her hand-made children\u2019s clothing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">All of these businesses operate out of shops made available at deeply subsidized rents by a local landlord who believes that the long term gain to the neighborhood of allowing local residents to build their own businesses is worth foregoing some short term revenues it might generate from higher paying tenants; like a jewelry shop.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.canalhousepanama.com\/');\" href=\"http:\/\/www.canalhousepanama.com\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Canal House\" src=\"http:\/\/casconews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/Canal-House_Panama-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the corner of Avenue A and Fifth Street, the high-end traveler would find Julia, Yasmina, Augustina and Dayanara attending to guests at the\u00a0<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.canalhousepanama.com\/');\" href=\"http:\/\/www.canalhousepanama.com\/\">Canal House<\/a>, an up-scale boutique hotel that prides itself on exclusively hiring staff from the neighborhood trained by a\u00a0<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.fundacioncalicanto.org\/');\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fundacioncalicanto.org\/\">local foundation<\/a>\u00a0that helps unemployed women.\u00a0When the hotel was named \u201cEditors\u2019 Pick\u201d by the New York Times, Manager Thelma Bodden credited the staff\u2019s \u201cwarmth and dedication\u201d as what \u201cmakes our hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Calle 4ta\" src=\"http:\/\/casconews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/PP28993-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">All along these streets, ubiquitous balconies combine for an operatic setting in which one could imagine the Three Tenors stepping out to render\u00a0an aria.\u00a0 But it is an article of faith among even the most hardened businessmen who live here that without kids in the streets, old-timers lounging in the parks, affordable housing for the working class, and, yes, laundry hanging over some of those balconies, Casco Antiguo would be Disney-fied like so many other historic districts that have kept their shells but lost their souls.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Aprojusan\" src=\"http:\/\/casconews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/08\/PAD_0421-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">A little more digging around Fourth Street would reveal to an especially curious traveler an old girls school, now converted into a privately run community center where an afterschool program helps kids learn computers and a handful of community organizations provide training and counseling to residents. Further down Avenue A, legendary jazz pianist Danilo Perez runs a\u00a0<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.fundaciondaniloperez.com\/');\" href=\"http:\/\/www.fundaciondaniloperez.com\/\">music school<\/a>\u00a0that has a provided local kids with scholarships to Berkelee School of Music and local establishments with top-flight live acts.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The kaleidoscope of causes and organizations has one common denominator: they are funded almost entirely by a growing community of businesses and new residents of the Casco with a deep social commitment.\u00a0 Collectively, they are the result of an inclusive vision that recognizes the value of the historic district not just for its architectural heritage, but also in its human heritage.\u00a0 A special feature of this collective social responsibility is its emphasis on teaching, on providing opportunities for personal and\u00a0professional growth rather than doling out charity.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">An ecosystem involving all the community\u2019s elements, it strives to break with prejudices about social and economic mix.\u00a0 It is particularly determined to break the image of an architectural museum; to re-invent the Casco as a living city in which all can have a productive role.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Seemingly almost as a side effect but certainly not insignificantly, this movement is coming to define a tourism destination more interesting to the press and foreign visitors who value and seek authentic experience.\u00a0 History seems to be repeating itself:\u00a0 More than three hundred years Casco Antiguo was a seed that germinated two centuries later into the Republic of Panama. Today, the Old Town seems once again a seed for change.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Panama&#8217;s tropical paradise a &#8216;hub of biodiversity&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">When\u00a0I first came to Panama, I woke up after a full day of \u00a0traveling with a cup of Boquete coffee and was greeted by a spectacular looking hummingbird that flew up to look me eye to eye no more than a foot from my face.\u00a0 Later that morning a blue morpho butterfly did the same thing and I began to think I had found paradise indeed here in Boquete.\u00a0 After 4 years here now, I have come to realize that I am only beginning to appreciate the beauty and the biodiversity of this wonderful country.\u00a0 Here is a CNN article that just came out.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mod-article-byline\">September 17, 2010|By Susannah Palk and Denisa Morariu for CNN<\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/articles.cnn.com\/images\/pixel.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" \/><\/div>\n<div id=\"area-article-side-image\">\n<div id=\"mod-article-image\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/i.cdn.turner.com\/cnn\/2010\/WORLD\/americas\/09\/17\/tropical.forests.panama\/story.panama.rainforest.full.set.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/>\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/t3.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:DLAXw5lD3tVd5M:http:\/\/www.mo.gov\/mo\/mophotos\/winged\/WN_BlueMorphoButterfly_Lossman_082207.jpg&amp;t=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"260\" height=\"169\" \/>\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ptybirds.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/hummingbird-panama.jpg\" alt=\"White-necked Jacobin\" width=\"235\" height=\"169\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"area-article-block-1\">\n<div id=\"mod-article-text-1\">\n<p>A hotbed of biodiversity, Panama&#8217;s tropical habitats are home to some of the most diverse and exotic species of plants and animals on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Covering almost half the country&#8217;s land surface are immense tracks of rainforests, mangrove wetlands and mountain cloud forests.<\/p>\n<p>Even the country&#8217;s cosmopolitan capital of Panama City boasts a forest within its city boundaries &#8212; one of the last tropical dry forests in Central America.<\/p>\n<p>In all, the country houses over 10,444 different types of plant species including 1,200 orchid varieties, 678 fern species and 1,500 varieties of trees. As well as 255 species of mammals and 972 indigenous bird species, according to the National Society for the Protection of Nature, Panama.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/articles.cnn.com\/2010-09-17\/world\/tropical.forests.panama_1_panamanian-government-biodiversity-exotic-species?_s=PM:WORLD\" target=\"_blank\">Read more here&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;..<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>OK, on to some good press on Panama for this week<\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #888888;\">\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Panama&#8217;s President Ricardo Martinelli on Fox News<\/h2>\n<p>I saw this on Don Winner&#8217;s Panama Guide and find his comments on point.<\/p>\n<p>By DON WINNER for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.panama-guide.com\/\">Panama-Guide.com<\/a>\u00a0&#8211; Panama&#8217;s economy continues to grow at an impressive pace, to the point where Neil Cavuto asked Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli if he would be willing to give some advice on fundamental economic principals to Barack Obama. I had not realized that Martinelli has seven CEO&#8217;s on his cabinet (and Obama has none.) Boy, does that explain a bunch of stuff&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p><object classid=\"clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" codebase=\"http:\/\/download.macromedia.com\/pub\/shockwave\/cabs\/flash\/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0\"><param name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\" \/><param name=\"allowScriptAccess\" value=\"always\" \/><param name=\"src\" value=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/GqNe6bEpmss&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;version=3\" \/><param name=\"allowfullscreen\" value=\"true\" \/><embed type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/GqNe6bEpmss&amp;hl=en_US&amp;feature=player_embedded&amp;version=3\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/embed><\/object><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"article-title-title\">\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2>Panama&#8217;s economy grows 6.3 pct in 2nd quarter<\/h2>\n<p>It is no secret that Panama is continuing to grow even in these trying times and another article came out in Reuters acknowledging the facts.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.knightsbridgeinvest.com\/realestateblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/panama-canal.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" \/>\u00a0 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dexx.org\/09_2005\/panama-canal.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"298\" height=\"219\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">PANAMA CITY (Reuters) &#8211; Panama&#8217;s economy grew 6.3percent in the second quarter versus the same period a yearago, the\u00a0<a id=\"KonaLink0\" href=\"http:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/markets\/2010\/09\/15\/panamas-economy-grows-pct-nd-quarter\/#\" target=\"undefined\"><span style=\"color: blue;\">government<\/span><\/a>\u00a0said Wednesday.\u00a0 Panama posted strong gains across many sectors in thesecond quarter, including banking, tourism and constructionboosted by the $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal.\u00a0 The Central American country&#8217;s economy has been one of thestrongest performers in\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/topics\/politics\/latin-america.htm\">Latin America<\/a>\u00a0in recent years,withstanding the global economic downturn with a 2.4 percentexpansion in 2009.\u00a0 The government and analysts expect Panama&#8217;s economy toexpand at least 5 percent this year\u00a0 In spite of slight declines in traffic through the canal,the country&#8217;s gross domestic product could grow 6.3 percentthis year and 6.9 percent in 2011, according to a projection byBarclays Capital.\u00a0\u00a0 &#8220;The Panamanian economy continues to perform stronglybecause of an increase in private and public consumption andinvestment, making the country less vulnerable to a slowerrecovery in the global economy,&#8221; Barclays said in a reportWednesday. (Reporting by Sean Mattson; editing by Carol Bishopric)<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">Latin America Avoiding US Double Dip\u00a0<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Whether the US falls into a double dip recession or not is a continuing debate but it appears that Latin America will again avoid the brunt of it should it happen as reported in the Latin American Advisor<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Latin America &#8212; led by Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Chile &#8212; should avoid the brunt of any potential US double dip recession.<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>BY LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR<br \/>\n<\/strong>Inter-American Dialogue\u00a0<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Investors were rattled in the past month by disappointing economic news in the United States, including a record low for new-home buying and weaker-than-expected demand for durable goods. Meantime, Brazil&#8217;s pace of job creation has been slowing, and while Mexico&#8217;s foreign direct investment increased in this year&#8217;s first half, retail sales there slid in June from May. Where does Latin America&#8217;s economic recovery stand? Is there a chance for a double-dip recession? Which countries are seeing the most sustainable growth and where is the recovery on shakier ground?<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Here are some summary comments from the experts<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.eluniversal.com.mx\/disenio\/editorialistas\/ramirezdelao.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"183\" height=\"177\" \/>\u00a0\u00a0 <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.sipa.columbia.edu\/india_initiative\/joydeep_mukherji7.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Rogelio Ram\u00edrez de la O, president of Ecanal in Mexico City:<\/strong>\u00a0Latin America suffered little from the Great Recession in 2009, with the region&#8217;s GDP contracting 1.8 percent last year and growing again this year. The outlook for 2011 is still promising, though it would most likely be slower growth than at the 2010 peak, owing to a less favorable external environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Gabriel Torres, sovereign risk analyst at Moody&#8217;s Investors Service in New York:<\/strong>\u00a0Generally speaking, Latin America&#8217;s growth this year looks solid, but with clear regional differences. South America&#8217;s commodity exporters look set to be the fastest growing of all, as demand and prices for their main products remain high.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Joydeep Mukherji, senior director of Latin American Sovereign Ratings at Standard &amp; Poor&#8217;s in New York:<\/strong>\u00a0S&amp;P does not expect a double-dip recession in the United States. We forecast U.S. economic growth of 2.5 percent to 3 percent in 2011. Hence, Latin America should continue to enjoy good economic performance. The GDP-weighted growth rate for the region may exceed 6 percent in 2010, and be around 4.5 percent next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\">That&#8217;s it for this week and I hope you are considering a visit in the near future to see this wonderful country.<\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Time to chill and hang out at the pool, wait what do you mean that I have changed since coming to Panama!!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.focuspublicationsint.com\/New_Site\/Visitor16-32\/second.html\" target=\"_blank\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.focuspublicationsint.com\/New_Site\/Visitor16-32\/Img16-32\/img_Page_09_Image_0002.jpg\" alt=\"'Harry' the sloth\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week has been busy having just returned from Pedasi only to have to fly off to Panama<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[8,10,12,34,33,16,18,22,19,23,14,11,6,20,7,15,17],"class_list":["post-1419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news-articles-panama-perpsective","tag-azuero-penninsula","tag-bocas-del-toro","tag-boquete","tag-casco-antiguo","tag-casco-viejo","tag-estate-planning","tag-foundations","tag-hydro-electric","tag-investments-in-panama","tag-jazz","tag-legal-issues","tag-offshore-real-estate","tag-panama","tag-panama-economics","tag-panama-real-estate","tag-tax-issues","tag-trusts"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - 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