by J Robertson Miller, 2024 Banco Nacíonal recently reopened their museum to display artifacts and showcase their history. The museum is housed in a lovely house that was built in 1925. They have maintained the architectural beauty of the house. Jairo Pacheco met us on arrival and ushered us into the climate-controlled interior. The…
June 25 2023 Panama has people from many nations who celebrate their national origins. Today it is the Italians’ day to show off their culture and foods. The event was held at the Instituto Italiano Enrico Fermi school, a school uniting two cultures and teacheing three languages (Spanish, Italian and English). There was something for…
Students sometimes ask about places to visit. The Bahai’i Temple combines a unique building with photo-op scenery and, if you wish, the opportunity, only if you are interested, to learn about this faith. Many locals don’t know the temple exists and even some tour guides will have to search their location apps. When you see…
June 17 2023 This was an opportunity to see some of the lesser known works of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). The exhibition was organized by FUNIBER (Fundacion Universitaria iberoamericana) to mark the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso’s death. Because the pictures are owned by Spain the flags of Spain and the European Union are on display,…
August 17-21, 2022 Books galore plus music and dances. So much to see and hear. People of all ages enjoying themselves, buying books, reading to children, and, in the food court, visiting with friends over coffee and pastries. On entry, we were given a schedule of events with times and places. There was something for…
text and photos by J Robertson Miller 2021 November 30 Panama is a cultural cross road where traditions of many peoples are celebrated. The Day of the Dead is a Mexican tradition celebrated on November 1 and 2. It originated as a mixture of the Catholic All Souls Day, All Saints’ Day and various customs…
June 7 2021 Students ask about things to do beyond churches and museums. Consider an island trip. We boarded the catamaran which took us to the island. Birds flew close to the boat hunting for fish in the boat’s wake, seemingly oblivious to the rain. As we arrived, the rain stopped and we got our…
28 July 2023 This was a most imaginative production of Macbeth, a tragedy originally written by William Shakespeare, possibly first produced in 1606. The timeline was updated by some 500 years in this version staged by Arturo Wong Sagel. Quadcopter, anyone? The story shows a lust for power can have physical and mental effects that…
2023 July 30 Stitch, cut, fold and sew. It seems so simple in theory but is difficult in practice. It takes about 60 hours of work to create a mola of average complexity. These are true works of art that takes considerable skill plus an eye for color combinations. To understand the development and use…
Most people who fly into Panama arrive at this airport. It is the primary international airport for the country and a regional hub and the home base for Copa Airlines. Tocumen was listed as the best airport in Central America & the Caribbean for 2023 by Skytrax World Airport Awards. You can find the listings…
