Newsletter #46

The Web's Only Peer-Reviewed Panama Newsletter
Driver's License, Lakeview Restaurant

Getting a Driver's License

Tuesday, I took a friend to get his driver's license. I had previously visited the ATTT offices near Pedregal and got a list of requirements for a foreigner with a 'pensionado jubilado' visa to get a Panama driver's license. You can find the requirements listed on the website under 'Living in Panama'. To get there take Tumba Muerto toward the airport and exit just before the Pedregal overpass at MacDonalds. ATTT will be in the mall directly in front of the stop light. They open at 7:30 AM Monday thru Friday.

Despite some trepidation, it turned out to be a fairly straight forward and easy process. He had previously got his blood test (glucose and type), but there is a laboratory directly across from the ATTT offices. He had all the required documents, so we entered the offices and took a place in line in the room marked 'Licencias'. When his turn came after about 10 minutes, the clerk told him he had to get copies of his carnet and foreign driver's license, so I went across the street to the farmacia and got the copies. That was the only hitch, aside from the fact that we only found one clerk in the office who spoke English, so it might be a help to those of you who are getting your license for the first time to take along a translator. We then waited while the first clerk took the papers into another office and after a time, someone came out and called his name, and handed him a form to take to the cashier outside, where he paid $20.25. Like most places in Panama, there are special lines for jubilados, so take advantage of them. It will save you some time and aggravation.

After paying the fee, we went back into the waiting room, handed the receipt to the clerk and after a few minutes he was called to the review clerk desk where a mistake in his last name was corrected. The pretty young lady told him to tell the photographer he was 'jubilado' and he was called immediately for his picture. A few minutes later, he was called to put his thumb print on the back of the license and after running it through the laminator, we were done. The whole process took about an hour. Don't, however, expect that you will be able to do it in one hour. Some days the crowds are a lot bigger. Don't go on a Monday morning, and try not to go for a few days after payday.

Out of Town

Nora and I are leaving early Sunday morning for Azuero to look at a large piece of beach front property in Pedasi and some other property near Chitre. That's why this issue is early. We hope to have a lot of nice pictures and some new listings when we return. Among them will be a beautiful home located on about 4 hectares with lots of beach frontage, near the San Carlos area.

This will be the maiden voyage for our new/old Jeep, which now has new tires, brakes, ignition system, cooling hoses, headlights, and front axle u-joints. I've been driving it around town for the last week or so, and so far, it's performed flawlessly.

Lakeview Restaurant

Before I retired, I worked for the US Army's 56th Signal Batallion in Corozal. Once or twice a week I'd go with friends to Lakeview Country Club for lunch. The specialty there was fried sharkfish and very cold beer. If I remember correctly a couple of thick slices of battered and fried shark with rice and beans, candied plantains or bananas and a salad cost $2.75 and an ice-cold Panama longneck was $.60.

I've been wanting to visit Lakeview for a long time, and last week I found myself in Balboa at 11:30 AM with some time to kill, so I drove to Lakeview. There used to be a 3 hole golf course there, which would sometimes be under water in the rainy season, but that is just a memory and the third green now is adorned with tables and chairs for those who want to catch a bit of sun with their meal.

To get there, take the Gaillard Highway toward Summit and Gamboa, past Fort Clayton and the Miraflores Locks to just beyond Miraflores Lake and before Paraiso, where, on the left, you'll see the sign and the building. When I got there, it looked deserted, but the neat appearance of the outside furniture and the building itself told me it was still in operation. I went into what used to be the downstairs restaurant, but is now the main restaurant, and was greeted by a pretty young waitress. I asked what time the bar upstairs opened and she told me the bar was no longer in business. I sat down and ordered Cazon (shark) with fried Yuca and a Panama beer. There are also full meals listed and corvina, snapper, shrimp, and even chicken for those who don't want to brave the shark, but in the old days, shark was the house specialty and I wanted to know if it was still good. To make a long story short, it was, and the medium strength yellow hot sauce which was found on every table, made it even better. A word of caution here. If you are not familiar with Panama's yellow hot sauce, proceed with caution. Most of it that you find in restaurants will be mild, but you cannot depend on it. Try a little bit first.

I'm happy to report that Lakeview Restaurant is still a good place to have lunch and the sharkfish is still top-notch. You won't need to take a wallet full of cash, either. Most meals are $3.00 to $4.00 and my bill came to $3.30. As a bonus, after eating you can drive down the road a bit to Pedro Miguel and watch a ship lock through. About a half-mile further you'll find the old French Cemetery and a bit further on, the entrance to the new road to Arraijan. You can take the entrance labeled Bethania for a quick trip back to the city.

The Website

The new Files section has been delayed because some of the information is out of date. The Forum is suffering from lack of participation. Apparently most folks got scared off by the hack. I'll give it a few more weeks, but if it doesn't pick up, I'll probably take it down. Let me know what you think.