Why Your Next Trip Should Be To Panama

January 27, 2012
Caroline Patek, Contributor
Forbes

Poised at the junction of North and South America, Panama possesses a laundry list of new attractions, hotspots and luxury hotels that are making it an up and coming travel destination—with the catalyst undoubtedly being the $5.25 billion Panama Canal expansion that’s underway and scheduled for completion in 2014. The aim is to allow a greater volume and size of ships to pass through the historic, 50-mile long waterway. The result? Panama City is transforming into an energetic, modern metropolis, with investors preparing for moneyed visitors by upping its luxury quotient.

Donald Trump got in early on Panama’s growing popularity, opening Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower in summer 2011, making it the first international venture for Trump Hotel Collection (and the tallest building in Latin America). The hotel is uniquely shaped like a tall ship’s sail, and rooms have floor-to-ceiling views of Panama City and the Pacific Ocean. Panamanian touches such as wood-carved headboards grace the 369 guest rooms, and luxe services abound, including wardrobe storage assistance (so frequent visitors don’t have to lug baggage back and forth) and a complimentary catamaran to Trump’s private Beach Club (an island with white sand beaches, a pool, cabanas, watersports and beach chair service). But it’s the 1,830-square-foot pool deck that really caught our attention—it has a gorgeous infinity-edge pool, alfresco seating at the poolside bar and restaurant and expansive ocean views.Photo courtesy Trump Ocean Club International Hotel & Tower Panama.

Waldorf Astoria’s The Panamera, the brand’s first in Latin America, is scheduled to open in June in Panama City’s fashionable Calle Uruguay neighborhood. Located less than 15 minutes from Marcos A. Gelabert International Airport and within walking distance of the massive Cinta Costera (the city’s version of Central Park), the luxury hotel will have a 2,500-square-foot spa, 130 guest rooms and an outdoor swimming pool. There will be a variety of restaurants, from the handcrafted sushi at Ginger Sushi Bar and Lounge to contemporary French-American at Brasserie Brillo. The Bungalo Terrace and Pool Bar will be the spot for poolside libations, and The Cristal Bar will serve as an elegant space for cocktails and mingling in the lobby.

There’s much more to do than lounge poolside in Panama. The once dilapidated but charmingly historic neighborhood of Casco Viejo has undergone a sophisticated makeover in recent years. While you can still spot the colonial-era architecture prevalent throughout its streets, the area now houses some of the city’s best restaurants, bars, galleries and hotels. DiVino Enoteca is a swanky wine bar, with hundreds of varietals to choose from (watch for the classic, black-and-white movies playing silently in the background). At tapas restaurant Manolo Caracol, there is no menu—once seated, you’ll be given a variety of small plates with Spanish influences, such as Andalusian gazpacho with cucumber sorbet and spicy tuna sashimi.

The Frank Gehry-designed BioMuseo is set to open in early 2013, and will focus on the country’s fascinating biodiversity and the importance of the isthmus—the narrow strip of land that makes Panama and its revenue-generating canal. And though the museum isn’t officially open yet, you can join the list of VIPs (Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jane Goodall) and stop by the site for a sneak peek.

Boquete Mourns The Loss Of Papa Ricco

Papa Ricco hanging with Panamanian Boxing Champion Roberto Duran - Photo © John Villegas

January 10, 2012

Boquete Panama mourns the loss of it’s most colorful character.

“Papa Ricco” died today in a two vehicle collision near Caldera Road on via Boquete.

A standout icon in this pueblito, Papa Ricco made fast friends with virtually everyone he met. And, if his deep Italian psyche sensed you were a little evil, he would call you out.

Gregarious, vibrant and soulful he whipped up some badass Italian cuisine in the spirit of  authentic New York eateries.

My life is richer for having met you.

We’ll miss you Papa…

The Editor

Award Winning Wildlife Artist And Conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey To Launch “Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation”

JANUARY 9, 2012
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL

New Film Project – Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation

Internationally known wildlife artist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey, who took audiences across the planet in the award-winning Portraits from the Deep documentary series, is launching several new film projects in 2012, starting with Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation due for release this spring.

“A critical part of the mission of the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation is education and film is a superb way to deliver the messages of science and conservation,” said Dr. Harvey. “Only through understanding the issues can we hope to save our seas for future generations.”

In Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation, Dr. Harvey and two-time Emmy Award winning producer George C. Schellenger takes the audience on an expedition where the jungle meets the sea in an explosion of life, an unforgettable vision of Panama and its surrounding waters.  The film will show how scientists are working against the clock to protect a land and sea paradise that attracts visitors from around the world.

To see a preview of Panama Paradise: Edge of Conservation, please go to http://vimeo.com/34422929.

“The film will feature massive storms, majestic marlins and even protective dolphins—all part of an adventure that takes place above and below the water,” said Dr. Harvey, whose latest documentary “The Mystery of the Grouper Moon” played a pivotal role in protecting one of the last know spawning areas of the Nassau grouper. An updated version of the documentary is in production. Also, a film revealing scientific breakthroughs in the study of migration patterns of satellite-tagged Tiger Sharks is underway for a 2012 release.

Dr. Harvey and Schellenger have collaborated on several projects recently, including “This is Your Ocean: Sharks”, a 44-minute documentary depicting sharks in their natural environment. This film captures the adventure and passion of shark diving and evokes a call for conservation and protection for the species that today is threatened by over fishing for a growing demand for shark fin soup.

About the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation
www.guyharveyoceanfoundation.org
The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation funds inspired scientific research and innovative educational programs to encourage conservation and best management practices for sustainable marine environments. The GHOF will help ensure that future generations will enjoy and benefit from a naturally balanced ocean ecosystem where fish and other marine wildlife flourish.

An Interview With Local Legend Ryan Grassley: Around the World at Half Throttle

July 6, 2011
Written by Daniel Evon
All About Bikes Magazine

Click on photo for full size version - Photo Credit © 2011 John Villegas

The world is full of armchair warriors. People who dream big and dream often, but rarely get the chance to live out their fantasies. Ryan Grassley was one of those people, and then he hit the road.

Grassley, who you might know better as “HalfThrottle,” has made a living by fulfilling his motorcycle fantasies. With his camera and his KLR 650, Grassley has been shooting motorcycle videos for the last four years throughout the Americas. It hasn’t brought him fame or fortune yet, but Grassley is one of the few, lucky people, who truly loves going to work every day.

Spontaneity

Grassley grew up in Springville, Utah, and bought his first motorcycle in 2005 with big dreams of the open road. But Grassley wouldn’t be able to seize the moment, as he was shipped off to Iraq with the US Army. But a few years later Grassley would get his window of opportunity, and he jumped at the chance.

“We didn’t do too much planning for the trip,” Grassley said. “We were both very inexperienced motorcycle riders. But we didn’t care. We wanted adventure.”

Grassley and his friend, Mitch Curwen, decided on a whim to head for the Panama Canal. It would mark the first adventure for HalfThrottle, and the first true long distance trip for Grassley.

“The longest trip I’d ever been on was probably a three-hour drive,” Grassley said. “Until we left for Panama.”

So without experience, guidance, or training, Grassley and Curwen headed out onto the open road.

“People will try to plan a trip for years,” Grassley said. “I need this, I need that… we just went.”

Half Throttle

The biggest flaw in most long-distance trips, is that the rider feels like he has to abide by a certain timeline. With only so many days to see so many things, it’s easy to skip sights in order to make up miles. If you fall behind your schedule, you could find yourself hopping on the highway where all you can see are license plates and speed limit signs.

But Grassley doesn’t fall into that trap. He travels at half-throttle.

“The point of our trip, was to see everything. We figured that we were never going to do this again, so we were going to take it slow. We were going to take our time. We stopped at every waterfall, beach, Mayan ruin, everything.”

Grassley spent three months traveling to and from Panama, but for some people, there just is no cure for the travel bug. After the Panama trip, Grassley went to Canada, Thailand, and France. He brought his KLR 650 to Italy, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. Grassley has been to more than 20 countries in the saddle of his motorcycle, and there will be plenty more in the future.

“Traveling by motorcycle leaves you exposed to everything. The environment, smells, people, smelly people. If you are going to visit a country then experience that country. Don’t cut yourself off by staying in an all inclusive resort. Traveling by motorcycle lets you get in touch with the real side of the places you’ll visit.”

Photo & Design Credit © 2011 John Villegas

Experience

The Half-Throttle channel is about a lot more than just bikes, it’s about people. Grassley uses his motorcycle as a tool to dig deeper into unfamiliar cultures. “I never wanted a motorcycle so people would think I was cool,” Grassley said. “I wanted a motorcycle so I could go cool places.”

And Grassley has done just that. The army vet is currently living in Panama with his wife, exploring the jungles, rivers, and beaches of Central America. He’ll be heading back to the US soon, but he won’t let himself get too comfortable.

Grassley has a few more empty boxes on his places to ride list, and he’s inviting everyone to come along for the ride.

“There are so many arm chair warriors out there that wish that they were on the road,” Grassley said. “So many people sitting in an office dreaming about somewhere else. You’ve just got to do it.”

Grassley has turned into a bit of an adventure touring guru, fielding questions from his fans about everything from how to do laundry on the road, to how many spare tires you should bring along. If you’re planning a trip in the near future, check out Grassley’s page. You might learn a thing or two about being on the road.

You can check out HalfThrottle’s Youtube Channel here.

All photos © John Villegas 2011

Check out today’s Lunar Eclipse with NatGeo – Video

Or just step outside!

Martinelli Jumps On YouTube – Launches First Video

March 5, 2011

Yesterday, Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli fired up his Panama Public Relations machine on his new YouTube channel and uploaded his first video – a PSA (Public Service Announcement) entitled “Mensaje de Carnaval 2011“.

Get his Hot Scoops as they roll out – subscribe to his YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/PresidenteMartinelli

You can also follow him on:
Twitter: @Rmartinelli
and
Facebook: Ricardo Martinelli

It will help if you know Spanish.

Felicidades Presidente!

~~ BREAKING NEWS ~~ Mubarak Relinquishes Power

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Rescued from a Chilean mine

Chilean miner Osman Araya (right) is welcomed by his wife Angelica as he comes out of the Fenix capsule after been brought to the surface on October 13, 2010 following a 10-week ordeal in the collapsed San Jose mine, near Copiapo, 800 km north of Santiago, Chile. Araya was the sixth from the 33 trapped miners to be lifted from underground. (HUGO INFANTE/AFP/Getty Images)

See the original article here:
Rescued from a Chilean mine

VIVA CHILE MIERDA! Spanish Version

Poem by Fernando Alegría

Cuando al alba sale el huaso a destapar estrellas
y, mojado de rocío, enciende el fuego en sus espuelas
cuando el caballo colorado salta la barra del mar
y se estremece el lago con una lenta bruma de patos,
cuando cae el recio alerce y en sus ramas cae el cielo:
digo con nostalgia ¡VIVA CHILE MIERDA!
Cuando el buzo ilumina su escafandra
y las ballenas se acercan a mamar en el vientre de las lanchas
cuando cae al fondo del océano la osamenta de la patria
y como vaca muerta la arrastra la ola milenaria
cuando explota el carbón y se enciende la Antártida:
digo, pensativo, ¡VIVA CHILE MIERDA!
Cuando se viene el invierno flotando en el Mapocho
como un muerto atado con alambres, con flores y con tarros
y lo lamen los perros y se aleja embalsamado de gatos
cuando se lleva un niño y otro niño dormidos en su escarcha
y se va revolviendo sus grises ataúdes de saco:
digo enfurecido ¡VIVA CHILE MIERDA!
cuando en noche de luna crece una población callampa
cuando se cae una escuela y se apaga una fábrica
cuando fallece un puerto en el Norte y con arena lo tapan
cuando Santiago se apesta y se oxidan sus blancas plazas
cuando se jubila el vino y las viudas empeñan sus casas:
digo cabeza bajo ¡VIVA CHILE MIERDA!
Me pregunto de repente y asombrado, por qué
diré Viva Chile Mierda y no Mier… mosa Patria?
quizás en mi ignorancia repito el eco de otro eco:
¡Viva! dice el roto con la pepa de oro entre los dedos
¡Chile! dice el viento al verde cielo de los ebrios valles
¡Mierda! responde el sapo a la vieja bruja de Talagante
¿Qué problema tan profundo se esconde en las líneas de mi mano?
¿Es mi país una ilusión que me sigue como la sombra al perro?
¿No hay Viva entre nosotros sin su Mierda, compañeros?
la una para el esclavo, la otra para el encomendero
la una para el que explota salitre, cobre, carbón, ganado
la otra para el que vive su muerte subterránea de minero.
Y como penamos y vivimos en pequeña faja de abismo
frente al vacío alguien gritó la maldición primero.
¿Fue un soldado, herido en la batalla de Rancagua?
¿Fue un marino en Angamos? ¿Un cabo en Cancha Rayada?
¿Fue un huelguista en La Coruña? ¿Un puño cenado en San Gregorio?
¿O un pascuense desangrándose en la noche de sus playas?
¿No cantó el payador su soledad a lo divino
y a lo humano se ahorcó con cuerdas de guitarra?
¿No siguió al Santísimo a caballo y a cuchillás mantuvo al diablo raya?
¡Ah!, qué empresa tan gigante para destino tan menguado.
Entre nieve y mar, con toda el alma, nos damos contra un rumbo ya tapiado,
por consecuencia, en la mañana cuando Dios nos desconoce,
cuando alzado a medianoche nos sacude un terremoto,
cuando el mar saquea nuestras casas y se esconde entre los bosques,
cuando Chile ya no puede estar seguro de sus mapas
y cantamos, como un gallo que ha de picar el sol en pedazos,
digo, con firmeza, ¡VIVA CHILE MIERDA!
Y lo que digo es un grito de combate
oración sin fin, voz de partida, fiero acicate
espuelazo sangriento con las riendas al aire
galopón del potro chileno a través de las edades
es crujido de capas terrestres, anillo de fuego,
vieja ola azul de claros témpanos pujantes.
País – Pájaro, raíz vegetal, rincón donde el mundo se cierra,
quien lo grite no tendrá paz, caerá para seguir adelante.
Y porque de isla en isla, del mar a la cordillera,
de una soledad a otra, como de una estrella a otra estrella,
nos irá aullando en los oídos la sentencia de la tierra:
digo, finalmente, ¡VIVA CHILE MIERDA!

VIVA CHILE MIERDA! English Version

Poem by Fernando Alegría

When the Chilean goes out into the dawn to pull back the stars
And, damp with morning dew, lights the fire in his spurs;
When the red horse leaps the hurdle of the sea
And the lake trembles with a gentle mist of ducks;
When the wizened larch falls and betwixt its branches falls the sky,
I say with nostalgia: “Viva Chile, Mierda!”

When the deep-sea diver lights his suit
And the whales draw close to suckle at the belly of the boats;
When the country’s skeleton sinks to the bottom of the sea
And like a dead cow, is dragged away by an ancient wave;
When they work the mines and set Antarctica on fire,
I say, pensively, “Viva Chile, Mierda!”

When winter comes floating along the Mapocho River
Like a corpse tied with wires, to flowers and jars;
And dogs lick at him, and he shrinks away embalmed with cats
When it carries one child, and another sleeping child in its frost
And it keeps stirring and stirring its soiled bodybags;
I say, enfuriated, “Viva Chile, Mierda!”

When a squatter camp grows by the light of the moon,
When another crumbles and another factory goes dark;
When a Northern port dies and they wrap it in sand;
When Santiago reeks and its white plazas rust;
When the wine is all gone and the widows morgage their houses;
I say, head bowed, “Viva Chile, Mierda!”

I ask myself suddenly and with amazement why
I say, “Viva Chile, Shit!” and not my… er… beautiful country?
Perhaps in my ignorance I repeat the echo of another echo;
“Viva!” says the seeker with the the gold nugget between his fingers;
“Chile!” says the wind to the green sky of the drunken valleys;
“Shit!” replies the frog to the old witch of Talagante.

What is this deep problem hiding in the lines of my hand?
Is my country an illusion that follows me like a dog’s shadow?
My friends: Is there no Life between us without its shit?
The one for the slave, the other for the master
The one for the exploiter of nitrate, copper, coal, and livestock,
The other for the miner whose life is a subterranean death.

And as we grieve through life on our narrow land overlooking the abyss,
Who was the first to shout out the curse?
Was it a soldier wounded in the battle of Rancagua?
Was it a sailor in Angamos? Or a corporal in Cancha Rayada?
Was it a striker in La Coruña? A clenched fist in San Gregorio?
Or an Easter Islander bleeding in the nightfall of his beaches?

Didn’t the troubador croon his solitude unto the divine
While his humanity, hanged himself with the strings of his guitar?
Didn’t he follow the Holy One on horseback, while his knife’s kept the devil away?
Ah! What a giant undertaking for such a measly destiny!
Between snow and sea, with all our heart, we beat ourselves against a pathway that is walled in.

As a result, in the morning, when God ignores us,
When an earthquake’s shudder rouses us at midnight,
When the sea loots our houses and hides in the woods,
When Chile can no longer be sure of its maps,
And we crow, like a rooster that will peck the sun into pieces,
I say, with resolution, “Viva Chile, Mierda!”

And what I say is a battle cry,
A prayer without end, a farewell call, a fierce command,
A bloody digging in of the spurs, with the reins in the air;
The gallop of Chile’s stallion across centuries,
The grinding of tectonic plates, the ring of fire,
The ancient blue wave of impatient icebergs.

My bird-country, green root, corner where the world ends,
Whoever yells it shall have no peace, will move forward only to fall again,
Because from island to island, from the sea to the mountains,
From one solitude to another, as from one star to another star,
The verdict of the earth will go on howling in our ears:
I say finally, “Viva Chile, Mierda!”

(Unauthorized English Translation by Grecia Bate & Marcia Campos)