March 10, 2013 – By Jay Stafford
Hola future neighbors, and welcome to the latest edition of The Ocean Ridge Report.
We’re nearing the end of the dry season (verano) here in Panama – the hills are brown, the river is down, and the cows are skinny. As usual, great things are happening in the area, so let’s jump right in:
1) More neighbors. Say hello to Richard, his girlfriend Cynthia, and their good friend and business partner Yvette. They hail from St Augustine, Florida, and they liked the project so much that they bought lots 15 and 16. Between the three of them they bring a lot to the table, including experience in building, woodworking, property management, growing plants, as well as starting several businesses, like a healthy “life foods” restaurant. They also enjoy wine, vodka and fine cigars (okay, Richard likes the cigars), so you know they’ll fit right in with this group. Feel free to contact Richard and Cynthia at panamasurfershark@yahoo.com, and Yvette at sailorsexchange@yahoo.com.
2) Pool party anyone? After interviewing at least 10 pool builders, we finally found the right guy for the job. He’s in Panama City, and has built hundreds of pools throughout the country. Check out the photos; he did a great job, and now we have a nice place for those all important sunset cocktails. For those of you who want pools to go with your dream house, we can definitely help.
3) Airport update. I’ve mentioned the new international airport being built in Rio Hato in a previous issue, but I thought you’d appreciate knowing that construction is coming right along; here’s the best link I could find; http://www.panama-guide.com/article.php/20121109150247625. It is scheduled to open later this year, which probably means sometime in 2014. It will be a true international airport, with flights coming in from the U.S. and all over the world. The site is about 2.5 hours from Mariato, which will be a big improvement over the current 4.5 hour journey from Panama City.
On a side note, there are still no commercial flights available into the Ruben Cantu airport in Santiago. Rumor has it that flights will be opened up within a couple of years; you know I’ll keep you posted.
4) Dental care. Inexpensive healthcare has been a recurring theme in these newsletters, and dental care is no exception. Patricia has had problems with her lower wisdom teeth for the last couple of years, so she did some of the local research that she’s so good at and found a highly regarded female dentist in Santiago. The dentist took over two hours to remove both teeth, in a comfortable, modern facility.
Patricia was very impressed with the dentist’s skill, and had no problems afterwards. The bill was $120, probably 10% of what it would have cost in the states. For future reference, filling or redoing a cavity costs $40. You gotta love Panama!
That’s it for now. I know that several of you are planning on starting to build your home within the next year or so, and we’re excited about that. What’s the point in catching so many fish, when you don’t have neighbors to give ‘em to?
Jay and Patricia
Tags: Panama Dental Care, Panama Pool Builder, The Rio Hato Airport Update Panama
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