Alert!

As regular readers know, we do not focus on the good or the bad, and try to bring you a realistic mix of the reality of life in Panama. Sorry to say, but this issue is going to focus on what I classify as the "ugly". So, if you only want to read about good things in Panama, you may want to skip this one.

Cost of Everything

I definitely have to revise my advice on how much income you need to live comfortably in Panama. This year has brought some drastic and alarming price increases in everything from basic foodstuffs to luxury goods. (Not that we buy much in that category.)

I don't even need to mention, but will anyway, fuel prices. One of the few good things about fuel prices is that the cost of a 25 pound tank of LPG cooking gas is still $4.37 at the Chino's. LPG for auto fuel is now $2.90 per gallon, as opposed to $4.60 for gasoline. I suppose it's just a matter of time until someone figures out a way to hook up the cooking gas container to his LPG burning car. Might even do it myself if I ever get around to converting one of the cars.

We eat a lot of turkey based lunch meats, and a couple of months ago, saw the price of most of it go from about $3.00 to $6.22 per pound at Riba Smith. Last week I saw an imported cantaloupe for over $7.00. Milk, eggs, rice, bread, meat, poultry, and fish have all seen substantial price increases.

Cell Phone Towers

We've been fighting Cable and Wireless (see Newsletter #72) over their cell phone tower since late 2006, and despite many reassurances from the Ministry of Health and a formal agreement to move the tower from C&W, it's still there. Last month, we discovered workers digging a hole to install a second tower on the next street over from ours. In the course of protesting and visiting the Ministry of Health, we discovered that the people doing the digging are NOT representatives of any cell phone company, but are speculators who acquire permission from lot owners, then construct tower bases in anticipation of selling them to the incoming cell phone companies.

I fully understand that in order to have full coverage, the towers must be placed within certain distances from neighboring towers, and it seems our neighborhood is one of those strategic spot, but I really don't wee why all three or four or however many cell phone companies there are can't share towers, or at least locations, rather than scattering them all over a neighborhood.

A further consideration is, whether true or not, that most Panamanians now believe that cell phone towers are a significant source of harmful radiation and can cause cancer. In my opinion, if cell phone radiation is a cause of cancer, then having a concentrated radiation source stuck to your ear is a much greater danger than living close to a cell tower, but the belief will certainly affect property values close to the towers.

Useless Web Sites

I frequently get "announcements" from folks who are starting a new website, presumably in the hope that I will either link to them or mention them in the newsletter. Almost as frequently, when I check them out, they have it looking good, almost always loaded with useless Flash presentations but no information. The latest two examples are a computer company and a "real estate agent" listing. Both look very professional (with the exception of the Flash, which I hate) but the agents list has not one agent, property, or any other useful information listed. The computer company has no way that I could discover of viewing their products. Basically, both websites are shells, which are far from ready for public use. These websites and companies go on my "why bother" list.

Enough

I guess that's enough carping for now. I'll try some good news next time, assuming I can find some.