Weekly Newsletter
August 1, 2005

So you want to retire to Panama.
Newsletter #19

Patacones and Altos de Cerro Azul

Patacones

Patacones are made from green plantains and are a great substitute for french fries. Select dark green plantains with no hint of yellow for making patacones. The lighter the green is, the closer the plantain is to ripening, and if it's turning yellow, the quality of the patacones will suffer. Peel the green plantains over the sink, with the water running and don't let the juice get on your clothes. After peeling cut the plantains into slices about ½ inch thick. Deep fat fry the slices until they are just slightly golden colored. Take them from the oil and place them on a paper towel for a couple of minutes. Now take your flat sided river rock.... Oh, did I forget to mention you need a flat sided river rock? Well, you don't HAVE to have one, but if you want to make authentic, traditional Panamanian Patacones, you really should have a flat sided river rock. Nora's is about 2 ½ X 3 inches, roughly ovoid with one flat side and is a perfect fit for her hand. It was a gift from a friend and it's been in continous use for about 30 years. OK, for now mash each slice with something flat until it is about half its original thickness. You can go to the Pacora River to find your own rock later. Return the flattened slices to the hot fat and fry until they are a light golden brown. Salt to taste. One plantain makes enough patacones for one person, though you may find yourself eating more.

Community Events

The Theatre Guild of Ancon has been producing English language plays for 55 years. Their latest production is a comedy called "BLACK COMEDY" which will run August 4, 5, 6 and 11, 12, 13, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. The Theater is located behind the PTJ station. You can see a map at the Theater Guild website. (www.theaterguildpanama.com/). For RESERVATIONS call 212-0060.

Altos de Cerro Azul

You may remember that I wrote about Las Nubes in Newsletter #11. Las Nubes is a once-thriving weekend retreat on Cerro Azul that has fallen on hard times. Nora and I are looking for a cooler place to live, and decided to take a second look at the Cerro Azul area. Right up front, I'll tell you that my opinion of Las Nubes hasn't changed. It's still a 45 minute drive from the city, there is still only one road in and out and it still is run down and seedy looking. The drive and the road are not real objections for us, but the condition of the area is an important consideration.

This isn't about Las Nubes, though. This is about Altos de Cerro Azul, Melo's earlier gated community and the one on which Altos del Maria is modeled. Altos de Cerro Azul is over 20 years old and therefore more developed than Altos del Maria. At a maximum altitude of 900 meters, it is a bit lower, but in most other ways the terrain and climate are very similar. Cerro Azul is a lot closer to the city, but farther from the beaches, and since the access roads to both are pretty bad, I consider both to be equally desirable areas, with the nod, in my opinion, going to Cerro Azul because of the lower lot prices.

We drove past Las Nubes to the Comasa Building Supply store. Just past Comasa and just across from the police station there is a road to the left with an unguarded arched entrance gate and a large sign. About 75 meters down this road we came to a guarded gate. which is the entrance to Altos de Cerro Azul. The guard asked for identification, logged us in and gave us a visitor's card to place on the dash, then gave directions to the sales office which is a bit over 3 kilometers past the entrance.

When we arrived at the sales office it was raining, and after answering our questions about the area, lot sizes, prices, and infrastructure, Sr. Eric Cedeño took us on a nice unhurried tour. We told him we were interested in a smaller near-level lot at higher elevation. The higher elevation and near-level requirements put the lots we were shown near the top of the scale for per-square-meter price, but even so we saw several that we really liked and the one we liked best had a nice view, a level front large enough to build on and a not-too-steep slope for a backyard. This lot, like most we looked at had trees, and at 1459 square meters for $27,300 comes in at $18.71 per meter. Prices of the lots we looked at varied from a low of $16.50 per meter to a high of $36.00 per meter. They have lots priced as low as $10.00 per meter and sizes vary from about 1000 square meters to over 4000 square meters.

Finance terms are the same as Altos del Maria, but we did note that a $100.00 deposit only holds the lot for 15 days instead of the 30 days we were told at Altos del Maria. Pay down 10% plus document fees and you get up to 15 years to pay it off. Maintenance fees are $7.50 per month for undeveloped lots and $15.00 per month for lots with homes. Pay cash and get a 5% discount off the price.

Most of the amenities planned for Altos del Maria are in place at Altos de Cerro Azul. There is a clubhouse, a swimming pool, a restaurant, and tennis courts. Electricity, water, telephone dialup and wireless broadband internet are available. The roads we drove were older and patched, so not as smooth as the new ones on Altos del Maria, but that is very typical of rural country roads in Panama.

In another comparison with Altos del Maria, there is no viable second escape route, as there is in Altos del Maria, if the road down the mountain should become unusable, but to the best of my knowledge, that hasn't happened in Cerro Azul in the 30 years I've lived in Panama. On the plus side, while I recommend a good off-road 4X4 for Altos del Maria, you won't find that a necessity in Altos de Cerro Azul.

If you want to live in the cool highlands, near the city, but find Altos del Maria a bit too expensive, you owe it to yourself to take a look at Altos de Cerro Azul.

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