Actually, it's greener on OUR side of the fence!

(Click image to enlarge)

It's May. It is beginning to rain more in Panama. I like the rainy season. Often, all it means is that there is a downpour for a while and then the sun comes out and everything smells fresh and is bathed in sunlight again. Sometimes, it is overcast all day but is still warm and pleasant. If you are past the age when you like to splash barefoot in mud puddles, what do you do when it rains? You go shopping. You meet friends in a restaurant or bar. You stretch out in a hammock with a good book. You stare off into the distance and reflect on your past and future and thank your lucky stars for what you have.

I may be 63 years old myself, but I am just a big kid at heart. If you join my partners and me at Roca Milagro one day, you may just see me walking around in the pouring rain with a silly grin on my face. I may even be barefoot, you never know. Life is too short not to enjoy and to experience the simple, everyday things that often go unnoticed during our more stressful career years.

The view in the photo at the top of this post is from one of my personal lots at Roca Milagro and yes, it was taken during a previous rainy season. Isn't it wonderful how green everything is? The view in this photo is towards Volcan Baru but views in all directions are beautiful, from every single building lot in the development.

We're selling building lots now, folks, and prices are still low as we finish off our roads and services. Take advantage of the low prices. Want to live a perfect life, and like me to pretend you're a kid again? Join us. You'll be glad you did.

Please sign up for our email updates below or visit our website.

Roca Milagro Website

My Sales Pitch for Roca Milagro

Retirement in Panama:
Is it for you?

Yes, I think it is for you and I'll tell you why.

World economies are crashing around us, just as many of us are reaching retirement age. With our investments decimated and with the prospect of living on a lower fixed income after retirement, how will we be able to maintain a reasonable lifestyle? Have we been working hard all of our lives in expectation of a comfortable and enjoyable retirement just to discover that it has all been a dream and nothing more?

For some of us, the question is even more critical: How will we be able to pay the bills? Will we be able to retire at all? Will we have to seek some menial employment just to pay the bills? And now, with jobs disappearing everywhere, will we be able to work anywhere at all, even flipping hamburgers or pumping gas?

Maybe. Or maybe not. Even menial jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate.

What if there were a place where we could live economically and not have to worry about making ends meet? What if this place was safe, stable, affordable and beautiful? And what if it was warm year-round and you would never have to worry about paying a heating bill again? What if you could build a beautiful home for a fraction of what it would cost where you live? And what if property taxes were very low, or if you build a new home were forgiven completely by the Panamanian government for 15 - 20 years?

What if there were already many Canadians, Americans and Europeans living there?

Where is this magical place? It's the Republic of Panama.

Panama is a beautiful country. Google 'Panama' and you will find hundreds of pages of information on Panama and everything in it. Google 'pensionado Panama' and read about all the wonderful benefits that come with the pensionado program. No matter where you live in Panama, there will be advantages galore. But we want you to live with us and that is the point of this letter to you.

And who are we? We are a group of Canadian, American and Panamanian investors. We are developing a beautiful community in the mountains of Panama, near Boquete, David and the Costa Rican border. All of our partners own building lots in the development and we would like you to join us as our neighbours. Our development is called Roca Milagro.

You can check out our beautiful development and read all about us at our website and and I will give you its link in a just a moment. First, I just want to add that we are now selling building lots at low introductory prices and they are going fast. When infrastructure is complete, prices will go up dramatically. The time to act is now.

Before you go on to the website, please sign up for our email update list by clicking the graphic at the bottom of this post. No-one will call or annoy you. Your email address will not be sold to anyone else. You will simply be put on our own email list from which you will get periodic updates about Roca Milagro. That's it. If you ever wish to stop getting our updates, send us an email and they will stop. We are not pushy people and respect your right to privacy.

And, one more thing . . . we are real people. We will be living at Roca Milagro with you. We have invested our own money. We don't owe anything to anyone. There are no banks holding mortgages on our land and on our future. Why are we telling you this? Because we feel it is important to stand apart from some unscrupulous developers out there who once they have your money forget all about you.

Come on . . . join us. We look forward to sharing our first drink with you at Roca Milagro. Will that be on your patio or mine?

Thanks for checking us out!

Roca Milagro Website

Sieg Pedde, President
Roca Milagro Residential Community
Rovira Arriba (near Boquete)
Republic of Panama

Home is where the heart is.

(Click photo to enlarge)

"Home is where the heart is." Or is it: "Home is where the hearth is"? I guess either would make sense. So would: "Home is wherever I hang my hat."

Home is whatever you want it to be. We all have fantasies about where we would love to live and what our ideal lifestyle might be. Some of us have simple wishes. Others of us have aspirations that would shame Donald Trump or the late Aaron Spelling, both of whom known for their extravagant lifestyles.

I wonder what the story is about the home in the photograph above, taken a few kilometers outside of Boquete, Panama. The place is abandoned or perhaps had never been completed in the first place. The setting is beautiful, the home looks like it might have been a beautiful place to live. It was once someone's dream, now it is more likely someone's nightmare.

My personal dreams are simpler. I don't need a huge house. I want a comfortable home. I want it to be clean and orderly. I want enough room for a few guitars and other musical paraphernalia, some good books, and a few comfortable places to sit. Besides that, the atmosphere and the company are what really count.

I have a number of building lots at Roca Milagro. I want to build a nice, comfortable home on one of them to stay in whenever I am in Panama. It won't likely be the largest home in the community or the one with the most 'presence.' But it will be mine and I will enjoy it. I hope there will be friends and neighbours around with whom I can discuss philosphy and politics and religion and the general human trend towards self-destruction. Maybe there will be someone with whom I can 'jam,' playing (as my Canadian jam-partner puts it) music that is older than we are.

I am looking forward to getting a horse and to riding in and around our development. Maybe there will be other riders in the community who will join me. Sunshine, fresh air, beautiful scenery -- what more could one possibly want?

One thing for sure: My home will need one of these:

I think home is where the Gitane is.

Let's get stoned.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

I never did get the hippie 'thing.' You know, "Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out," or "Drop acid, not bombs." I always preferred to know what was going on around me and quite often to watch with bemusement while people used horticulture or chemistry to try to help them find meaning in an often baffling world.

So no, getting stoned never appealed to me. I do like stones, though. I even liked the early Rolling Stones. I like rocks too. And rock 'n roll music. And rock walls.

And there, dear reader, is finally the point of it all: rock walls. And rock planters. Along with the several kilometers of rock walls already there when we bought the property on which we are developing Roca Milagro, we are several adding kilometers more. Right now, we are building rock planters around the main gate at Roca Milagro. And then, many of our residents will build rock walls around their individual building lots. Rocks, rocks, everywhere.

And when we are all done building things with rocks at Roca Milagro, there will still be hundreds of thousands of rocks left over. I like them. They add character to the site and are just one of the things that attracted me to this property.

And so, my friends, I say: "Rock on!"

Click, click, click . . .

My artist friend Perry D'elia has come up with the nifty banner shown above. We will be using it and some variants thereof as clickable links to sign up for our Roca Milagro email updates.

Try it: click on the banner and sign up now! Don't worry, no-one is going to harrass you or sell your information or do anything nasty like that. We will just send you occasional emails about our Roca Milagro project. That's it. No pressure. And no salesman will call.

I promise.

Making Friends in Panama

(Click on image to enlarge)

Even the horse in the picture shown above knows that sometimes having a good friend or two is a good idea. We all need friends on occasion. Getting to know new people in a new country might seem difficult, but in Panama it is really quite easy. Walk around for a bit in Panama City or Boquete or David and you will run into individuals who hail from Canada and the United States, and increasingly from Europe. They will be just as happy to see you as you are to see them. And the Panamanian people are friendly, open and hospitable.

Then there are the social networking groups that will help you meet new friends. Sign up at http://boquete.ning.com and check out the profiles of interesting individuals there. One new friend of mine on that network is Lynnie English. She took the photograph displayed at the top of this post and kindly gave me permission to use it here.

I love that photograph. Where but in Panama could see such a sight?

Thanks, Lynnie!

"What will I do?"

Some Roca Milagro partners enjoying a patio breakfast at 'Olga's' in Boquete

One question I hear about moving to Panama and to our Roca Milagro development near Rovira Arriba specifically is: "What will I do?" Some people are apprehensive about being stranded in a foreign country without a lot of stimulating activities available to them.

It is a good question.

I usually begin my response by asking a question of them: "What do you do now?"

Mine is not a silly question. Most of us spend our lives in our homes or yards. We putter, watch TV, read, surf the internet, work in the garden, engage in hobbies. Occasionally, we go shopping or to a movie or out to eat.

That is what you will do in Panama if you move there. Most of the time you will spend at home and in your yard. And, unlike in much of North America or Europe, you will be able to spend time outdoors year-round, even in the rainy season. Many Panamanian homes have covered patios and one pleasure I always enjoy is sipping a coffee on a covered patio while it is pouring rain just a couple of meters away. Some dramatic thunder is a bonus.

If you do want to go shopping, depending on what you need, both Boquete and David are nearby. And, some great restaurants, featuring prices that are dramatically below what you would expect to pay for comparative meals where you live, are available in Boquete and David as well.

What if you would like to hang out with some other Americans or Canadians? You can't avoid them, they are everywhere in the area. I have met many of them and am impressed. Remember, these people, like you, have a spirit of adventure and curiosity about the world around them. Chances are, you will make many new friends, if you are the sociable type. If you want to live like a hermit, you can do that too. It's up to you.

There is a new service, at www.boquetecalendar.com that will help you get an idea of what there is to do in Boquete and surroundings. It's a new service and the calendar isn't exactly brim-full of activities just yet, but check it from time to rime to get an idea of what is happening both in the community at large and among the expats resident in the area.

Above all, remember that in between hiking, horseback riding, white-water rafting, deep-sea fishing, swimming, snorkeling, sight-seeing, bird-watching, eco-tours, and all the other things you might wish to do in Panama, you will need some time to sit down and relax. We would love to have you join us at Roca Milagro. Maybe we'll share a drink and discuss philosophy or religion or politics or just how lucky we are to be sharing time in this beautiful community.

Please sign up here for Roca Milagro Email Updates

Your patio or mine?

At the beginning of February, I will be heading to Panama again for two weeks. I can't wait. Global warming has forgotten to include Ontario, Canada, it its game plan, and as a result we are freezing our buns off here. We have had a ridiculous amount of snow, unusually cold temperatures, and there is, so far at least, no let-up. At least in Panama I'll be warm for a couple of weeks.

I am discovering, in booking flights and hotels and car rentals, that everyone is a little friendlier and a little more flexible with pricing and making deals. Businesses are hurting, folks, and they are beginning to realize that their customer is truly their most valuable asset. They are beginning, at least in a small way, to act accordingly.

In my Canadian office, every time I have a meeting with one or more of my management staff, I sense some level of worry among other staff members. I reassure everyone that we are a solid company, are in good shape financially, and that no-one is going to lose their job, but people are nervous. Jobs are scarce. I am grateful that we don't have to worry too much about the financial mess out there but I sure wouldn't ever want to become complacent.

There appears to be widespread hope (even in Canada) that somehow President Obama will use his superpowers and superior intellect to solve the worlds' problems. Don't count on it. A mess is a mess and will stay a mess until someone cleans it up. Throwing more money at problems will only delay the inevitable and nothing will be solved. Obama is smart, but he isn't necessarily wise. There is a big difference. Part of wisdom is being able to recognize what hasn't worked and to do away with it, or at least not repeat it. Wisdom often means acting not on expedience, but on the knowledge that it takes time and effort to build anything useful and lasting. Obama has no experience, has never done anything even remotely useful, and is surrounding himself with many 'more-of-the-same' type of politicians and advisers. And no, McCain wouldn't have done any better.

What to do? Move to Panama, friends. Live economically, relax, let the world go by and enjoy yourself. And. . . I can even help you with a place to live, at our Roca Milagro project. You can enjoy our community of freedom lovers and watch from afar as much of the world as we have known it collapses around us. One of my partner's wondered once if our project might not be sort of a Galt's Gulch. She might be on to something, especially in light of what is happening around the world.

So, will we share a drink together on your patio or mine?

Who Pulls Our Strings?

My wife produces a monthly newsletter for one of my companies. She included a quote in the January, 2009 edition that in recent years has been credited to Mark Twain but which I personally don't recall ever reading in one of his books. It doesn't matter who actually said it or wrote it, it certainly is pertinent today: "Sometimes I wonder whether the world is run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it."

I can answer the question: Both.

I can also tell you that it doesn't really matter. Either way we are getting what we deserve for putting up with these idiots, for believing their pious proclamations and electing (and reelecting) them to office.

2009 is going to be an interesting year. I have always been an optimistic, glass half-full sort of person. That hasn't changed. Whatever happens, the human race will survive. We're tough. We're resilient. We just don't always have the best judgment when it comes to understanding what is best for us. What is best for us is individual responsibility, limited government, and goodwill towards our fellow man. What we have instead is passing the buck, government run amok, and hatred for anyone who looks, acts or thinks differently from ourselves.

I wish for everyone who drops in at this blog from time to time the very best for 2009 -- good health, a sense of humour about the world around us, and what matters more than anything else: the love and support of family and friends.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas from the Atavist

Dear friends:

I don’t claim to be a religious person but have to admit that the secularization of Christmas and the marginalization of Christians generally is troubling to me. Christians are oft portrayed as intolerant, closed-minded and, dare I say it, stupid. Having grown up in a Christian home and having seen first-hand how my parents and others in our church community deported themselves, compared to many in the larger community, I can say that in my experience I have found Christians to be mostly tolerant, forgiving and inclusive of those shunned by others. Whatever my personal feelings might be, I don’t want the celebration to be styled as ‘Xmas’ or any other aberration. It will always be ‘Christmas’ to me.

So . . . I am not including the tropical Santa photograph above as a sop to secularism. Nor am I excluding a religious graphic as an anti-Christian statement. I just thought the image to be an interesting juxtaposition of Santa, with his North Pole attire, against a backdrop of tropical shrubbery.

I took the photograph above in Panama City during one of my many trips to the Republic of Panama over the last several years. The setting tickled my fancy and I couldn’t resist taking the photograph to show my friends back home in Canada.

We are living in an increasingly troubling world. Our economies are broken, our governments are trampling our rights and voters are delusional about what politicians and bureaucrats can do to provide remedy. We are in for an interesting ride in the next several years. The world will be quite different from what it was when we were all growing up. With the exception of the gadgetry that we all enjoy today, most of the changes that we will experience, even here in North America, will not be positive.

I know that this Christmas missive from me might seem a bit strange with its subtext of doom and gloom, but it is not my intention to frighten anyone or to promote any sense of hopelessness. I believe that the indomitable human spirit that has seen the world and the human race through so many crises in the past will be triumphant once again, and that during troubled times we should just do the best we can and be thankful for what we have, most especially friends and families.

From me and my family, to you and your family, I would like to express my heartfelt wish for a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May good health and good sense be with you always.

Sieg Pedde
Christmas, 2008