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Las Tablas

Moving to Panama: Do As I Say, Not As I Did…

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When my husband and I were moving to Panama, we did nearly everything wrong. Well, not wrong exactly, as we ended up in the right place at the right time. But the way we went about it was driven by desperation rather than proper planning. It all worked out in the end, but if you're thinking about moving to Panama -- or anywhere overseas -- there are better ways to do it. Recently I was invited to record an interview about my expat experiences. Tony Argyle of The Expat Chat reached out, …

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I Miss Panama! Here are 10 Reasons Why

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Last week my husband and I flew out of Panama's Tocumen International Airport for the last time. Well, maybe not the last time forever, but for at least a couple of years. If you're not on my mailing list, Facebook page or Google Plus page, you might have missed the announcement. Long story short, my husband got an unexpected job offer that's bringing us back to the US, for at least a couple years. Temporarily, we're in South Carolina. (And, frankly, the culture shock of living in the Deep …

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Choosing a Housesitter in Las Tablas, Panama

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A few months back, I wrote about our search for someone to stay with our dogs while we traveled back to the US this spring. After uploading our request to the Trusted Housesitters site, I was astonished to see 30 applications slam into my inbox in the same number of hours. It seems like a lot of people wanted the chance to visit Panama and Las Tablas! 48 hours later, I had to turn off the stream. I wasn't sure how I'd pick through the applications I'd already received. It was not an …

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Las Tablas, Panama: To You, it’s only a Hot Dog. To me, it’s a Sign of Growth

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Today my husband came back from Chitre with a huge smile on his face. He was as excited as a little kid with a new toy as he unloaded the car. The new Riba Smith store has opened in Chitre, and that’s cause for celebration at our house. (Chitre is about a half hour drive from our home in Las Tablas, Panama.) “What’s the big deal about a store?” I hear you wondering. . . Well, if you’d been living here for a while, you’d understand. Riba Smith is a grocery store in Panama. But it’s not just …

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After the Lights and Music End: The Dark Side of Carnaval in Las Tablas, Panama [Video]

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Carnaval in Las Tablas, Panama, is a huge event. It brings around 100,000 visitors to the town -- and Las Tablas' normal population is only about 10,000. Merchants make a big chunk of their annual sales before, during and after Carnaval. Families earn some extra income by bunking in together and renting out houses or apartments to Carnaval-goers. Carnaval itself is a huge business, employing makers of costumes, floats and other paraphernalia at a cost well into the six figures. …

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Carnaval in Las Tablas, Panama

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Carnaval in Las Tablas, Panama (and yes, that's the correct Spanish spelling for Carnival) is a big deal here. A very big deal. Every year the town of Las Tablas swells to more than 10 times its normal population. This normally quiet town -- residents describe it as muy tranquilo -- jumps from about 10,000 people to over 100,000 for four days of round-the-clock partying and competitiveness. There are two queens: Arriba and Abajo (think uptown and downtown). You support one or the other. …

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