In Panama, whales get close to their visitors

Congrats to Whale Watching Panama for this international coverage of whale watching in Panama. Our family just went whale watching with Anne Gorden- amazing…we saw lots of whale activity, heard them singing enjoyed the Pearl Islands tropical scenery sailing a beautiful catamaran.

Nancy Hanna

Posted: Sunday, Sep. 04, 2011

COLUMNISTS »

John Bordsen is the Travel Editor for The Charlotte Observer.

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  Panama is one of the few places where humpback whales arrive from Alaska as well as Antarctica. Anne Gordon de Barrigon

Anne Gordon de Barrigon, 53, has lived in Panama for 7 1/2 years; she operates Whale Watching Panama ( www.whale watching panama.com ), which offers whale- and dolphin-watching trips. The Seattle-area native trained animals for movies and TV. She fell in love with Panama while on a shoot in the jungle, and decided to stay there.

Q: When is whale-watching season there?

Panama is one of the few places where you get humpback whales from Alaska as well as Antarctica. July-October is the best season; we get several thousand from Antarctica; December-February, there are several hundred from Alaska. In season, you can see whales as close as where all the ships line up to enter the Panama Canal. The ideal place is the Pearl Islands, in the Pacific. They’re a 90-minute ferry ride from Panama City, or a 15-minute flight.
Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/04/2574180/in-panama-whales-get-close-to.html#ixzz1WzmGkCTn

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YEP- Young Expats in Panama

Under 40 expats are a growing demographic in Panama.  Now they have their own expat club: YEP or Young Expats in Panama,

Founded by Skyler Raiston, the group organizes a fun variety of social activities for the growing demographic of younger expats. Activities include beach trips, poker games and parties at local night spots.
Email: YoungExpatsinPanama@gmail.com
Website: www.facebook.com/YoungExpatsinPanama

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Panama has the most fantastic pirate history of any country in Latin America. It’s  a tourism attraction yet to developed but will hopefully be done in the future given how little boys and big boys love pirate history. Panama City, and nearby Taboga Island,the Pearl Islands and the Atlantic side city of Portobello are some of  the pirate history venues.

The ship of England’s most favorite pirate was just found. From 1oo HGF below, more on this discovery:

“The pirate ship of Captain Morgan – yes, the pirate whose name is used for a popular brand of rum – has finally been found, more than 300 years after it sank off the coast of Panama.

In 1671, Henry Morgan lost five ships – including the Satisfaction, his main ship – near the Lajas Reef. But the precise location of the wrecks has long been a mystery. It’s believed that a team of US explorers might be able to locate and remove some unopened chests on the wreck. However, the odds of there being some particularly rare rum onboard might be low.

Henry Morgan made his name in the Caribbean, where he mainly spent his time raiding Spanish settlements, unofficially acting on behalf of the British. The Satisfaction was lost when Morgan attacked Panama City, hoping to strike a crucial blow against Spanish influence in the region. His plan was successful, although the loss of five ships was a severe blow to Morgan’s career.

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Aereoperlas now offers flights to David, the entry point for Chiriqui Province and to the popular island destination Bocas del Toro directly from Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport. Until now anyone going to these destinations had to stay the night in Panama City and fly out the next day.

The flights leave Tocumen International in the afternoon. You can book these flights when booking on all the major airlines- American, Delta, Continental and Copa, airline websites and your travel agent.

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 Check out this excellent article about Panama by Europe’s top English business publication- The Economist.

In a nutshell- Panama has great potential but also possible pitfalls ahead.

“Latin America’s fastest-growing country has set its sights high. First it needs a government as impressive as its economy”‘

http://www.economist.com/node/18959000?story_id=18959000&fsrc=rss

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The Marriot Hotels will build a beach resort hotel in Panama’s Riviera-  an easy distance from Panama City- just 1.5 hours on a 4 lane highway. The resort will be built within a new resort community called Casamar, by the Corzione group developers. There are already 3 major beach resorts nearby which are doing well as Panama continues to grow as the business hub of the Americas.

At the same time, news leaked that Panama’s first and most successful all-inclusive beach resort, Decameron- also in Panama’s Riviera, will build another beach resort on Panama’s Atlantic/Caribbean coast near Nombre de Dios.

President Martinelli promised to fund the 22 mile access road needed. The Colon area has a high rate of unemployment so this investment is good news for the locals.

Panama’s coast near Colon featuring white sand and aqua Caribbean waters, is one of the most beautiful beach areas in Panama.  The Decameron will be the first major beach hotel in the on Panama’s Caribbean.  The Melia chain has a large hotel just outside the city of Colon.

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Donald Trump came to Panama  to open his Trump Ocean Club, a 70 story building , the tallest building in Panama and one of the tallest in Latin America. It is also Trump’s first project in Latin America.

Trump Ocean Club reflects ‘the modern sensibility of the new generation of luxury travel’, according to the promoters. It included condos as well as a hotel with rooms at $300.00 a night.

Hotel guests and condo owners will also have access to an island beach club in the Pearl Islands  opening later this year.

Trump became a believer in Panama’s future when his Miss Universe pageant came to Panama in 1986.

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Panama Tourism Ministry and Copa Airlines  Launch”Free Stop-Over in Panama”

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The Hard Rock Hotel Panama Megapolis is set to open in December 2011 in Panama City.

The 66-story hotel will have 1,449 rooms, including a whopping 796 suites, some of which will be the brand’s signature Rock Star Suites. Located on Panama Bay, rooms will feature spectacular views of Panama Bay and Panama City. One special feature of the rooms is that guests will be able to create a music playlist all their own through the hotel’s “Sound of Your Stay” music collection.

The hotel will host eight restaurants and bars, a club on the 62nd floor, a Rock Spa and a Rock Shop where you can buy Hard Rock-branded gear.

The hotel will be the brand’s first hotel in Latin America with the unique “Hard Rock Experience”. The hotel will be connected by a pedestrian sky bridge to Multicentro Mall and the Megapolis Convention Center. It will feature several acres of lush tropical landscaping, a large infinity pool and a luxury Hard Rock Spa.

Designed with meetings and conventions in mind, the hotel has 7200 square feet of flexible space for both small and large meetings.

The hotel decor will feature authentic memorabilia from the age of rock and more contemporary music. A special service “The Sounds of Your Stay” will enable guests to download a wide choice of music free.

At a May press conference announcing the December opening  Michael Shinder, Hard Rock VP said:

“We are proud to launch the first Hard Rock Hotel in a region with a prodigious music culture”.

Hard Rock is partnering with  Megapolis and Decameron Hotels & Resorts, a major hotelier in the region which owns Panama’s most popular beach resort- the Royal Decameron on the Pacific Coast just outside Panama City. Jacop Torres representing Megapolis said “The mixture of luxury and Hard Rock life style will give clients one of Latin America’s most unique hotel experiences.”

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According to the Yachting article:

“Bocas Del Toro, Panama - A nature lover’s paradise and one of Panama’s most popular tourist spots, Bocas’ 5,000 residents are still way outnumbered by the surrounding wildlife. Enjoy the town’s laid-back vibe and easy access to the region’s nine major islands, 52 keys and roughly 200 tiny islands. There are two marinas for those who want to explore this archipelago’s treasures. And reader Dan Cranney reminded us that “this island archipelago off the Caribbean coast of Panama is one of the few hurricane-free places in the Caribbean.

The newest Marina is at Red Frog and it’s a beautiful setting with plenty of nearby amenities.

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