An interesting Panamanian tradition is the burning of "Judas Dolls" at midnight on New Year's Eve. Judas Dolls are life-size effigies that can represent famous people, someone you know, or even a representation of yourself. 

Judas Dolls are displayed for days or even weeks along the side of the road in the interior regions of Panama. On New Year's Eve, they are stuffed with fireworks and are burned at midnight. The Judas Dolls represent everything you would like to forget or leave behind from the past year. Burning them is a sign of starting the new year with a clean slate.  

It's not unusual to see Judas Dolls of celebrities and political figures. The most popular seem to be of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. The funny thing is that the Bush and Obama Judas Dolls are often side by side next to Miss America or Martha Stewart. Is this a representation of bipartisan politics? Or just equal opportunity disdain for everything American? Or maybe just a contest to see who can create the most recognizable Judas Doll? Once I learn Spanish, I'll let you know.

Some places, like Ranchos Los Toros near Coronado, even offer a New Year's Eve event of an open bar coupled with the ability to make your own Judas Doll. Just bring old clothes that can be burned and a willingness to have fun. Drinking and burning... that's a combo you can't do in the States.

If you're going to be celebrating New Year's Eve in Panama, be sure to take a journey outside of Panama City and into the interior regions. If you're feeling naughty, you can create a Judas Doll of your ex-spouse, ex-partner, or current pain-in-the-butt colleague. It may not work to make that person disappear from your life, but it will probably make you feel better. Regardless, the tradition of burning Judas Dolls is one you won't want to miss.

A client wanted to put his farm up for sale, so we put the seller, a potential buyer, David and myself into David's 4-wheel drive Prado. I grew up on a farm in California where my family grew grapes for wine, so I was expecting orderly rows of crops on level fields. More importantly, I was also expecting an actual road that would take us to the farm. When I got dressed to tour the farm, I put on a tennis skirt and a pair of bling flip flops never thinking it wouldn't be appropriate attire.

Lesson #1... If you use your Western brain to make an assumption about Panama, you're going to assume wrong.

The drive to the farm started on the Pan-American Highway, a nicely paved 4-lane highway. We then turned off onto a smaller street, which became bumpier and curvier. With every passing twist, the road narrowed, had more potholes and eventually lost the paving. Long before we reached the farm, we were on a rocky, unpaved dirt road. Several hundred meters up--when I thought we'd left civilization far behind--we came upon a soccer match in the middle of nowhere. The players had on bright new uniforms and it looked like an entire village was there watching. The funniest part is that the soccer field encompassed the road, so we watched a few plays while we waited for an out-of-bounds ball before continuing on our journey. 

The road continued through a stream. Yes, it's a good thing we had 4-wheel drive because there wasn't a bridge... we actually drove through a stream... and then up a rocky incline that make the steep streets of San Francisco look like mild rolling hills. On the passenger side was a cliff with a sheer drop off. I was face-to-face with my mortality, and somehow, I was okay with it.

When we finally got to the "'farm," it wasn't what I expected. Instead of nicely manicured rows of crops, it was raw land with dozens of humpback cattle. I took one look at the uneven ground, the high grass and the prominent cow patties, and I knew that trying to traverse the terrain with bare legs and $100 flip flops would end badly. Sometimes you take the less painless road, which for me meant staying in the car. 

David was wearing a bright red shirt. He and a bull had a testosterone-filled moment that got David's adrenaline in high gear, but other than that the guys were able to tour the farm uneventfully.

We stopped at a little local market on our way back down to the beach town of Coronado, but that market didn't sell beer. They ended up with a local version of Gatorade and some freshly made bread sticks. Fresh bread at a little Panamanian market? Go figure. Since lunch had consisted of an apple and a cheese stick, the bread was delicious.

A few minutes after we finished our bread sticks, we pulled up behind an ice cream truck... the kind that has blaring music and attracts kids of all ages. After the hot and sweaty trek at the farm, ice cream sounded like manna from heaven. We chased down the ice cream truck with our horn and ended up with Styrofoam cups of freshly scooped ice cream. The cherry and chocolate flavors were both incredibly good.

My first trip to a farm in Panama was much more of an adventure than I'd anticipated, especially since the farm was only 2 hours from the chic cosmopolitan playground known as Panama City. To be honest, this farm was what I had originally expected from Panama before I came for the first time, and it was a nice adventure ...and it even had a cherry on top. Well, at least cherry ice cream. 

Celebrating Christmas in Panama is similar to celebrating Christmas in any Western nation...the stores are all closed and you spend the day with your family. 

My family in Panama consists of two little white dogs. My Christmas present to them was a walk on the beach and a dip in the ocean. A regular walk on the beach means a little sand that comes right off. Playing in the water means two hours of puppy bath time. 

The other part of my family consists of hundreds of expats from all over the world. Expats here bond very quickly. The interesting thing is that everyone has a story. Maybe it's because it takes a certain type of person to move to Panama. Maybe it's because moving to a Latin American country takes planning and foresight. Or maybe it's because those of us who make the move view life as one big adventure. 

The good news is that if you'll be celebrating Christmas in Panama anytime soon, don't worry about being alone... there are a lot of others here who will make you feel right at home.

The week before Christmas, malls are crowded with amateur shoppers. That's when professional shoppers like me stay far, far away. That was in my old life. In my new Panamanian life, I found myself mingling wit the amateurs for last minute Christmas shopping in Panama. 

Here's the kicker. I didn't go to just one mall, I went to two. I must be loco.

The adventure started because David's wife had a long list of things he had to bring home from the city. David thought we could hit one mall and get everything we needed. At MultiPlaza Mall in Panama City, it took is over 30 minutes to park. After realizing there wasn't an empty spot in all of Panama, we waited long enough for someone to leave. We got very excited to see there was no one between us and the lady about to leave... until we realized she wasn't in a real parking spot. She'd pulled her 4-wheel drive up onto the sidewalk of the parking garage so only the butt of the car was parked in what should have been a driving area. Well, if she could do it, so could we. Hitting the curb at a slow speed is a bit of a jolt, but before you know it, we were parking on the sidewalk. Welcome to Panama.

Once inside the mall, we could have been anywhere in the U.S. as it was jam-packed with American Christmas music, Santa scenes, and festive holiday displays in the department store windows. We walked by all the stores we're used to--Armani, Sony, Adidas, Guess, Jimmy Choos, Mrs. Fields. They even had a Dairy Queen. 

The push of people and the fluorescent lights were making me dizzy, so we left without buying a thing... not even a Cinnabon. 

The second stop was Westland Mall, Panama's largest shopping center located just outside of Panama City. This mall has fewer stores with Western names, but the concepts are all straight from the world's capitalism capital. There is a Do-It Center instead of a Home Depot, an El Fuerte instead of a Super WalMart, and a SAKS instead of a Macy's. Imagine having all of these different stores in one mall. No wonder it's the biggest. Now imagine frantic holiday shoppers all trying to maneuver their families and carts through ten thousand of their closest friends. Calgon take me away... but send me a helicopter first to whisk me away from the crush of holiday shoppers.

At El Fuerte, I bought a rum cake for Christmas dinner, a Christmas gift for a friend, and a few groceries. David bought a $2.99 dress for his wife (I won't tell if you don't), some $3 champagne from France (I'm not drinking it), and an entire pig rump to make pulled pork sandwiches. I honestly have never thought about what a pig rump looks like. Tomorrow when I'm enjoying the pulled pork sandwiches, that image will be wiped from my brain. Hopefully.

I did learn one important thing today...I won't be holiday shopping on Christmas Eve next year. So when you're in Panama next holiday season, invite me over. I'll bring the wine and we'll toast the fact that we're not the loco gringos out Christmas shopping in Panama with the equally loco Panamanians.

Being a sought-after client in Panama City isn't much different than in a city such as New York... except that I didn't expect it to be the same.

We met with a very dapper young banker yesterday. He was dressed in a elegantly tailored suit complete with designer tie, cuff links and Rolex watch. We met him at his office, and then his driver took us to lunch.

Having a driver to fight the city traffic is a beautiful thing. This is my third time to have a car and driver, and it is something that's easy to love. Is it politically incorrect to say that a car and driver is one of my favorite things about Panama? Oh, that's right... I left political correctness back in States along with my winter clothes. I'm finally allowed to say what I really feel. 

Lunch was at Rausch, a 5-star restaurant worthy of ballads and poetry. One glance at the tuxedoed wait staff, the sparkling crystal, the layers of linens, and I knew I was going to love it.

Each course was a vision of beauty and perfection. The foie gras was buttery and delicate, the tuna tartare was fresh with just the right amount of sesame, the steak tartare melted in my mouth, and the cracker bread had a spicy topping that was actually--well, spicy. Panamanians typically don't like spicy food, so my Texas taste buds have been missing the punch you get when hot Habanero stops your breathing and kick your tear ducts into waterfall mode. The cracker bread wasn't Texas-hot, but the hint of spice calmed my craving.

My main course was a lobster stuffed ravioli in a red curry broth, and it paired perfectly with the bottle of Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio that I ordered. The funny thing is that this bottle of wine cost less in this high-end restaurant than it does in Texas at a grocery store. Another reason to love Panama.

If you need a dining partner at Rausch, call me. I'd be happy to become a regular and have a dish named in my honor. Perhaps a jalapeno-infused foie gras? This is Panama, so anything is possible.

Being a Western girl, I'm used to love being a multi-step process... attraction, courtship, love, marriage. If you're a westerner who is reading this, you're probably nodding your head in agreement.

In my experience with Latin America, it's not unusual to make love a one-step process. In the past two weeks I've had marriage proposals (yes, that's plural!) as well as indecent proposals. The curious cat in me wants to test how far these Latinos are willing to go.

The next time I hear, "Meleesssa... I loooove you. I want to marry you," I'm tempted to say, "Okay, how about next week?" Will they be happy to seal the deal? Or will they run for the hills because I have called their bluff? Hmmm. This may require investigative journalism.

Moving from the marriage proposal to the indecent kind, I'd like to see if their promises are contractually binding. When Rico Suave promises a different kind of love in Panama with his bold proclamation of, "All night long, baby!" I want to ask, "Can I get that in writing?"

If you have interesting stories of love in Panama, email me. I definitely see a book in the making.

Having spent most of my adult life in Dallas, I’m used to Southern chivalry and hospitality.  I use both terms together, because I believe chivalry is a male form of hospitality that shows good manners and good breeding. 

Living in the South, I haven’t opened my own door in over a decade. If my car breaks down on the side of the road, someone will soon stop to help.  If I show up to an acquaintance’s home unannounced, I know I’ll be invited to stay for dinner. In my opinion chivalry has nothing to do with sexism and everything to do with being a decent human being.
 
I'm happy to say chivalry in Panama is alive and well. In fact, Panama takes the Texas version of chivalry and kicks it up a notch.  

Several days ago, David and I toured the GrandTower at Pacific Village in Panama City, which is a new waterfront condo building that should be ready in March of 2013. A young guy literally appeared off the street and asked for a tour. Panamanian hospitality took over, and our guide—the president of the division—invited this young man from New York to join us. It didn’t matter that our guide was a high-level executive. It didn’t matter that the young man didn’t have an appointment. It didn’t matter that the young man was dressed poorly. It didn’t matter that the young man wasn’t even a serious buyer. The young man wanted to see the building, so an invitation to join our tour was extended.

Because the building isn’t finished, we were given hard hats, but no one batted an eye at my 4-inch, open-toe-sandals. (No such thing as OSHA here.) When the service elevator stopped at the desired floor, this young New Yorker pushed past me and got off first. I was shocked. I can’t remember the last time a man had not held the door of the elevator for me and allowed me to get off first. But the fact that we were walking through puddles and over construction debris made it even more flabbergasting.
 
Being used to chivalry, I was more and more offended with each passing non-chivalrous action from our new guest. In fact, David told me “waves of hate” were rolling off of me. Hate is probably too strong of a term, but he's definitely not going to make my Christmas card list. I have been to New York plenty of times, and although chivalry may not be as prevalent as in the South, it still exists. 

The beautiful thing is that the locals I was with noticed the bad behavior, and went above and beyond to overcompensate for his rudeness. In the end, Latin chivalry overcame Western rudeness.

If you’re a woman who loves chivalry, get down to Panama as soon as possible. Will you run into Westerners who don’t have a clue? Sure. But that will pale in comparison to the beautifully chivalrous way you’ll be treated by the locals.

Wine tasting is one of my favorite things in the world. Having worked in the wine industry for four years, I appreciate a good wine tasting event even more than the average person.

I attended a beautiful wine tasting last evening with my good friends, and of course I made some new friends as well. It's impossible to share a bottle of wine with someone and not become friends. In Panama, becoming friends means exchanging phone numbers and cheek kisses. Not air kisses--which we Dallas girls do to avoid messing up our lipstick--but actual lips-meeting-flesh cheek kisses. It takes a while to get used to your face and arms being petted like you're a favorite lapdog, but once you get over the North American prudishness about being caressed by almost-strangers, it's actually quite nice. As they say, when in Panama...

The wine tasting was held at Ranchos Los Toros, a B&B off the beaten path. It's owned by a jovial American expat named Joe Wolmoth. He has an outdoor restaurant area, but the wine tasting was held in a beautiful wine tasting room with next to the walk-in wine cellar. My heart rate accelerated with adrenaline as I walked into Joe's wine cellar. Would I go home or would I spend the night in the wine cellar, dreaming happy dreams about wine? It was a coin toss.

The wine tasting wasn't just a wine tasting, it was a 5-course wine pairing dinner. Jorge, the wine educator, told us about the wines we were drinking from William Cole Winery in Chile. We started with a sauvignon blanc paired with the best ceviche I've ever had. Aside from the corvina, onions, lime and cilantro that are typical to ceviche, this also had grapes and cream cheese. It was a perfect pairing with the limey sauvignon blanc.

The next course was called a salad, but there wasn't a lettuce leaf to be found. It was a mixture of corn, artichoke hearts, marinated hearts of palm (YUM!), feta cheese, olive oil and balsamic. We paired this with a bright, unoaked chardonnay.

We enjoyed 2 more courses, that included a cheese platter with a merlot, and a steak with a cabernet sauvignon. The final course was a decadent chocolate cake paired with port. I haven't had very many sweets since I've moved to Panama, so the cake was extra delicious.

At the end of the evening I said goodbye to all of my new friends, promising to call as I actually pressed my lips to their cheeks. Or at least I would see them at the next wine dinner in January.

You're probably curious about what beachfront condos and beachfront houses cost in Panama. This blog is dedicated to giving you an overview of what beachfront real estate costs in the beach area and in Panama City.

Low Cost Beachfront Real Estate
You can get an ocean view condo within a 5-minute walk to the beach at the Gorgona Ocean Front Condos. Gorgona is located right next door to Coronado, about 90 minutes from Panama City. The condos aren't new or luxurious, but you can get a little over 1000 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms for $135,000. Gorgona has more locals and isn't a gated community, but it has a fish market and is only 10 minutes from the grocery stores and shopping in Coronado.

Mid-Price Beachfront Real Estate in Panama
There are a lot of options for homes and condos in the mid-price range of $235,000 - $400,000. You can buy a 2-bedroom condo at the Coronado Bay Condominiums right on the beach for about $235,000. This basic rule of thumb in the condo world is the higher the condo in the building, the more expensive. Also, the more direct view of the ocean, the more expensive. So $235,000 will get you a lower floor with a partial view. The same size condo on a higher floor with a full ocean view will cost about $365,000. You can also get a furnished 14th floor 1500 square foot condo with 3-bedrooms and 2.5 bath condo with central air conditioning at Rio Mar (about 10 minutes from Coronado in a gated community) for $400,000.

If you want more upscale living, you can buy a condo in Playa Bonita at the brand new ultra-luxe Casa Bonita. Apartments start at $362,000 for a jungle view 1-bedroom condo and will go to over $1 million for a penthouse with a full ocean view. 

High-End Beachfront Real Estate in Panama
If you've got the budget for it, the high-end properties are spectacular. You can get a 6,000 square foot beachfront compound in Gorgona that has a main house, garage, guest house, workroom and maid's quarters for the fire sale price of $899,000. You can also get a brand new 6,000 single family home on a large lot in Vista Mar for $1.4 million (about 5 minutes from Coronado). 

If city living is what you're after, you can get a 4300 square foot condo with an unimpeded view of the water at the brand new Grand Tower in Panama City for $700,000. This project is right next to the highly touted Trump Tour, but at less half the cost per square meter than the Trump Tower, it's a bargain you'll want to see.

When people asked why I wanted to move to Panama, I could sum it up in one phrase... the beach. I grew up in California, where a beach was no more than a day trip away. I went to college in Santa Barbara and was at the beach every day. Living in Dallas for the past 15 years has left me with an aching need for water.

Want to know what the beach is like in Panama? I've attached a picture of a gray overcast day. It's even better on a sparkling blue day. This was taken from the lower pool area of Coronado Bay Condos in Coronado, Panama.

I start every morning in Panama with an hour-long walk along a mostly deserted beach in Coronado. This morning, I passed one other person. Most of the people in Panama are on the Pacific Ocean side of Panama, so it's not as blue and clear as the Caribbean side, but it's also more inhabited. Since I'm one who likes my creature comforts, that works for me.

I'm a morning person, so I like to watch the sun come up over the horizon. Today was an extra special day because I got to begin--and end--my day with a walk on the beach.

The evening beach walk took place with friends on a different beach. A group of friends rent a little beach house for parties. With lychee martini in hand, several of us walked along the beach and watched the sunset.
As much as I enjoy my quiet morning walks, a lychee martini end-of-the-day walk rocks. Of course, you could probably be doing your taxes with a lychee martini and it would be fun. Okay, maybe not but you get my point.

Lychee martinis are hard to find in the U.S. You can get lychee fruit at local Asian markets and at Chinese restaurants, but the average person has no idea what they taste like. If you like Gewurtztraminer wine, it tastes exactly like a lychee. Now imagine that flavor in a martini. Not sweet but not dry. Perfect for a beach walk.

If you miss the beach and think you could never afford to live near enough to hear the lapping water lull you to sleep, it's time you visit Panama. Contact me... I'd love to show you around.