Ah, the glamour, the glitz, the satisfaction of supporting your overseas lifestyle from anywhere you happen to be. All you need is your educated eye and your trusty camera. Travel photography. . . stock photography. . . fine art photography. . . all great portable careers. But what do you do if you have an interest and a desire, but you lack the knowledge you need to turn your photography hobby into a money-making proposition? Join an Expedition One way is to spend four days in Rome, Italy. …
Losing a Dog in Las Tablas, Panama
Less than two weeks. That's how long we had our dogs with us in Panama before potential disaster struck. Recently I wrote about our ordeals in moving our three small dogs with us to Panama. As I explained, it wasn't so much the paperwork, although you have to carefully dot all your I's and cross all your T's. It was the logistics that caused us to ultimately hire a professional pet mover to help. The dogs arrived, they started settling into their new home, and all was well. Until the …
Getting Around in Panama Without a Car
Two buses, four cabs, $12. Yesterday my husband and I went to Chitre, about 30 miles north of where we're living, to shop for things we can't find here in Las Tablas. We took two buses and four cabs, and the total bill came to about $12. When we decided to relocate to Panama, we also decided to do it without our own set of wheels. (My husband's bicycle doesn't count!) So we're gaining great experience with Panama's system of public transportation, and it's surprisingly good. There are buses …
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Transporting the Dogs: Bringing our Pets to Panama
Our three dogs have finally joined me to live the expat life in Panama, but there were lots of twists and turns in the process since I last wrote about it in December. Back then, we had followed airline guidelines and purchased proper travel kennels for them. We were putting two of the dogs in the larger kennel together, and one in the smaller kennel. Well, after training them so they'd be relaxed and groovy with this arrangement during the stress of the actual flight, the airlines went …
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More Expat Info from the Interwebs
It's time for another list of helpful web sites, blogs and resources for expats and travelers. Here are 11 for your edification and enjoyment. Expat Sites AngloInfo Panama. AngloInfo has been providing English-language information for expats in a variety of locations. The Panama site has just launched. It's a good all-around resource, very focused on Panama City. La Vita e Bella, two American expats living la dolce vita in Florence, Italy. Joburg Expat is the site of Sine, a German serial …
Traveling with Smart Phones
Recently I was in Panama City for a day, before flying back to the US for a family wedding. In my hotel room, I went through the ritual that's becoming familiar to all of us internet-connected travelers: I checked into my flight online and then tried to download my boarding pass. I don't know what happened, but between a very slow internet connection and who-knows-what, I was unable to get the boarding pass. My check-in was fine, but no printed proof. So I took a different tack. I picked up my …