Panama is considered a dollarized country and was the second economy in the continent to become a dollarized economy.
Why does Panama use the US dollar for its currency?
It’s so that Panama can benefit from the stability of the US dollar, as the backbone of the global financial system. For instance, this means that Panama doesn’t have to worry about out-of-control inflation, as a result of changing exchange rates. This hence makes Panama a more attractive investment and tourism destination. As far as so called ‘Canadians’ or Europeans, it does not make traveling/tourism attractive at all, for Canadians traveling to dollarized countries such as; Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and so, personally I find and experience to be expensive and too costly. I needed $1000. USD sent to me recently; mid October 2022, it cost me $1600. CAD, EXPENSIVE, just to get money sent to me via Western Union to Boquete, just like that, kissed $600. goodbye, for what…..so that I can sit with an American traveler enjoying a cup of coffee with him and a small bite to eat, while the American pays $10. and for the very same coffee & meal, it costs me $16.
I had arrived at the Hostel that I booked online with Booking.com called ‘Casa de Don Pablo Hostel’ I personally stayed one night as I found it to be very crowded. I then moved by walking to another nearby Hostel called ‘Paulina Youth Hostel’ I liked this Hostel as it looked like a posh Hotel and the dorm room was very spacious, clean, with big lockers and the included breakfasts came with eggs, scrambled one day, omelette the next day or pancakes or Mexican style omelette, with toast, fruit and coffee or tea, so each day it changed up. What was missing was a kitchen for the guests to use to cook their afternoon meals. I paid for a week and the deal was pay for 6 days and the 7th day was free, being a discount, $1500. mxn pesos a week, which worked out to about $215 per day. One thing I really like is the so called ‘free’ breakfasts, always eggs in the morning with toast, fruit, coffee, tea, cereal and milk. https://paulinayouthhostel.mxhotel.site This hostel is located within a 3 block distance of the markets and historic square, called ‘Zocalo Square’.
Also was a nearby hill which was about a 15 minute walk to the stairs and climbing the stairs to the top of the hill was another 15 minutes, but for me being a photographer I wanted to take photos from above looking down at the overall city. After staying at ‘Paulina Youth Hostel’ for a week, I decided I wanted a change and to move to a different hostel that had a kitchen available for the guests to use, for me cooking my own meals saves on money I spend at restaurants.
So again walking with the luggage about 8 books in the opposite direction, as in being on the left side of the square, I was now moving to the right side of the square. The hostel seems to be very popular indeed, it included breakfast, had a kitchen to use, but with so many guests there was absolutely no room in the refrigerator, this hostel certainly could use a second or third refrigerator for the guests, the roof top was great for sun tanning and that is where the bar was also, for cold drinks, beer and long island ice tea. The name of this hostel is ‘Iguana Hostel’, about $215. or $220. mxn pesos per night. I was not crazy about the free breakfast as it was a plate full of soggy nacho chips with a sauce, onions and green onions, with a bowl of fruit, I enjoyed the bowl of fruit but not the Mexican style nacho chip breakfast, I now missed the eggs, fruit and toast that was served at ‘Paulina Youth Hostel’, so there you go give and take or pick and choose.
This area is also within 3-4 blocks from the historic square, but right across the street and within a block or two many more restaurants to choose from which makes it very convenient and also a Oxxo store just across the street. This location there are many coffee shops and surprisingly Buffet style restaurants, priced at $60. mxn pesos ($3.70 CAD) for a filling nutritional meal. The fresh cups of brewed coffee’s usually go from $35. – $45. pesos which equals ($2.20 – $2.75 CAD) seems to me same price in Canada. I was looking at some t-shirts I liked, but the prices were 250. pesos ($15.CAD) not much of a bargain.
In general Oaxaca is indeed historic, traditional, peaceful and many, many tourists. Specialty shops like chocolates, cowboy wear, t-shirts, fresh fruits and vegetable markets, coffee shops, liquor shops with Mezcal. Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of maguey. The word mezcal comes from Nahuatl mexcalli, which means “oven-cooked agave”, from metl and ixcalli. I do not drink much alcohol, so I was delighted finding Corona Zero alcohol beer, only 15 pesos for a cold can of great tasting suds.
I found a Wrangler clothing cowboy shop here in Oaxaca, learn a lot. Wrangler jeans and shirt $1000. pesos or $60. in Canadian dollars. Wrangler jeans and shirts same price here in Oaxaca, Mexico as in Canada, in fact even lower in Canada, therefor I am led to believe that the wages should be equal and/or higher here in Mexico than in Canada comparing the price of Wrangler clothing in both countries. Since I know better and do believe the wages are lower in Mexico compared to Canada, thus the Mexicans certainly cannot afford these prices for Wrangler jeans or shirts, so who buys these very expensive clothing wear that are made here in Mexico. Tourists….? I highly doubt it, why would I buy here when I can get for the same price back in Canada or lower. I am guessing Oaxaca attracts a high volume of tourists and there are probably many rich tourists that don’t give a damn about money and are stupid enough to overpay for this clothing.
Here at Paulina Youth Hostel I have been watering the rooftop plants and the grass below beside where everyone eats breakfast, and the plants have made a come back and the grass quickly turned green from yellow, I don’t mind at all.
I have found a very popular and busy bakery called Boulenc Bakery selling sourdough breads and much more, like big English muffins. A couple of doors up a restaurant with the same name also being very popular and busy,
For those that have a vegetarian or vegan taste on the menu are some such dishes which I have ate the “vegetarian burger’ very delicious made with a portobello mushroom and the Vietnamese vegan sandwich was very tasty also. Very central located, right next to Zocalo Square and called, ‘Cerro Humo’ restaurant, located Calle de Manuel Garcia Vigil #106,
Also I went to a little coffee shop at a corner of Colon Esquina and Manuel Doblado, ‘Cafe Rodriguez’ owned by Eduardo Rodriguez, he serves a great cup of coffee for 10 pesos and if you want more he will give you more at no extra cost, drink as much coffee as you like for those 10 pesos, the cheapest great tasting coffee I have ever come by, and he likes to chat with customers as his English is very little. I do recommend having a coffee with him, tell him ‘Pacifico’ recommended his place for coffee. I found this little coffee shop because just a15 second walk across the street was a computer shop that I was getting some work done, swapping parts from one laptop to another, and he charged me just $200. pesos what a bargain I highly recommend this computer shop also.
Here in Oaxaca and or Mexico in general it has always been dry and sunny daily with blue skies and/or sometimes white puffy clouds, but for the most part hardly any rain. I arrived here in Mexico October 27th 2021, and now it is March 13th, 2022, so for nearly 5 months it may have rained 5 days and most of these wet day happened overnight or for a short period of time, so as far as I am concerned for the past months always a sunny blue sky day filled with the earth of the sun ray’s, somedays even being on the hot side. Apparently the rainy season is from May – September, and the best time to visit Oaxaca is now, between February to mid May.
I have been staying here in Oaxaca for a long period 6 weeks or so now, as I am getting therapy work for the pain in these feet and legs, the therapy work is getting bee stings, I don’t particularly like getting stung by bees, but if it helps relive the pain I am feeling in the feet and legs I suppose it’s worth the attempt. Once this therapy is finished, I may go to nearby San Jose, del Pacifico, Oaxaca, https://www.livingoutlau.com/guide-to-magic-mushrooms-at-san-jose-del-pacifico-oaxaca/ to experience a ‘magic mushroom’ ceremony or head south to Chiapas a state bordering Guatemala. I have been told many ‘healers’ within Chiapas. Apparently, Chiapas is a Free and Sovereign State, if there can be such a thing, and It is also home to one of the largest indigenous populations in the country, with twelve federally recognized ethnicities. So perhaps this is a place worth visiting for me.
Sunday January 16th 2022, I leave Acapulco to go to Mexico City. I stay at a hostel that is located at the central historic square, just behind the historic massive Cathedral. The name of the hostel is Mexiqui Hostel, because of it’s location it is a very noisy area with music being repeated over and over and over for about 16 hrs a day, and it is loud enough to become bothersome and annoying. The music starts sometimes at 7:30 am to about 11:30 pm.
I bought a new iPhone here from the online Mercado Libre Mexico, https://www-mercadolibre-com-mx.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=es&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc it was easy and fast, I ordered on the website, paid at the nearest 7/11 and delivered in a few days, wow, easy and simple.
I did go to see the nearby Pyramids, by bus it was about 1 hour away, but very cheap transportation. First time for me seeing ancient Pyramids. I also went to a nearby huge market the sells just about everything and I do mean everything, from fruits, vegetables, meat to clothing and industrial appliances, you name it you will probably find it there, the market is called, ‘La Merced’.
Around this historic square, there are signs of American restaurants such as, McDonald’s, KFC, Subway, Starbucks, Domino’s Pizza and many 7/11’s, with all of these 7/11’s a very similar and/or a copy, are these OXXO convenient stores also, competing with 7/11’s. I bought a bus ticket to head south to Oaxaca, pronounced, (Wha Hacka). I have heard from others, Oaxaca is a very inexpensive place to live and a very traditional historic place to be, so the ticket was just under $1000. mxn pesos ($60.00 Cad) and it was about a 7 1/2 hr bus ride I believe.
As I arrived to the Acapulco bus station I got a taxi right away, I opened my little book to the Hotel I had to go to with the address, for the driver as he agreed as if he knew where to go, but we eventually ended up driving around in circles asking many others where is this road was for at least 1 hour if not 90 minutes, then the bastard had the balls to charge me for all his time, even though I trusted him that he knew where the place was.
This place called ‘HN Yoga Lounge’ has an outdoor pool that is in the shade most of the time. The way this place is setup for guests there is no privacy, especially if one has the bed situated in the living room which is a common area for all, no privacy at all, there is a potential that all the guests will be in your room, because its all open, very bad set up and the kitchen area has water damaged to countertops and shelving, it looks bad, I guess the owner is too cheap to make repairs to make the place look better. There is no hot water for showers and if one wants the use of AC, then one needs to pay for it, a cheap owner, charging too much for very little of $371. mxn pesos per night, or $23.00 CAD. I paid cash for the stay here but found out after I left the owner also charged the cc # that I made reservations with through Booking dot com, not good as this owner got paid twice the amount for the room and booking got it’s cut, I complained to both this owner by damian and to Booking dot com and was totally ignored, so I do not recommend this hostel at all and I do not trust Booking dot com either.
The beach area is crowed with beach goers, the sand is course, lots of tall hotels all along the beach, boats moored in the water.
I wanted to come and visit Zihuatanejo simply because it was mentioned on the hit Hollywood prison movie called ’Shawshank Redemption’ which is one of my favorite movies to watch. Zihuatanejo is a small city for the tourist population. As the restaurants are serving the tourists and souvenirs and gifts for the tourists, as the prices reflects this. I stayed at two different places while visiting Zihuatanejo, the first place was ok but not the greatest, called ‘Hotel Mariposa’ every time I entered the room from outdoors I noticed the room smelled.
I stayed for two nights then I moved to a different place called ‘Hotel Cuamatzi’ which had an outdoor pool which I used, and stayed here for 3 nights, I went to the beach which was nearby a few times.
I accidentally stumbled into a 5 star restaurant because I saw on the menu outside that they had Caesar salad which I was wanting, then when I entered and saw the ambience of the restaurant and the menu I knew it was a 5 star place, so instead of leaving I ordered the Caesar salad, when I got it, it was not a salad for the main meals it was very small and just for an appetizer I suppose. One thing I really like was the complimentary bread, it was so very soft, bread that melted in the mouth, it was surprisingly delicious with the butter mixed with herbs. Not too much exciting to write about here in Zihuatanejo it is a small city, with typical tourist items to buy and the same restaurants catering to Americans with hamburgers, steaks, ribs and son on with the American prices.
The last place I stayed in at Guadalajara ‘The RoofBackpackers Hostel’ was a cheap place to stay at only 155 men pesos per night, probably why I stayed there for so long, to save money. Now that I am back at the beach again the accommodations have gone up. I am at a place that is not near the centre of Manzanillo at all, it is called ‘El Rincón de los Sueños’ or on Booking it is called Hotel Termoeléctrica. There is not much around here. If I want to see and explore Manzanillo I need to take a taxi back and forth, I have been told by the owners of this Hotel one way by taxi should be between $40.-50. mxn pesos only, but I paid $85. one way one time, not good to be taken advantage of. I paid by cash for the stay here and this owner charged the cc# that I used with Booking dot com to reserve in advance, thus the owner getting paid twice as much for the room, I complained to him by email and to Booking and both ignored me, so I would not trust either and I do not recommend this place to stay, as it is a very bad/poor location, nothing around always to get a taxi ride back and forth to central town, which adds to expense.
When I arrived in Manzanillo Central, there was no beach, no sand, it was a rock wall, so no place to get to the water. Lots of boats moored in the water. Manzanillo was a small city, I had a look around wasn’t to impressed so I moved on.
I always wanted to go to Guadalajara because on the comedy show called ’Two A Half Men’ it has been mentioned a few times as Alan had gone to Guadalajara to learn his profession of being a chiropractor. I arrived here by paying someone to drive me in their nice car, it cost me about 500 pesos, but I arrived in Guadalajara November 11th and stayed 1 night at HostelHospedarte Centro, because they already had reed rooms, eventually come back to this Hostel when rooms are available, as they had free breakfast included, shared kitchen and 200 pesos per night if one pays a week in advance. I went to Hostel Lit again I recommend it, a shared kitchen and free breakfast included.
I stayed here in Guadalajara for a long time, why, I have no reason as wanted to move along at a faster pace. I had my expensive camera stolen the first day at HA Hostel: Hostel Americana so I do not recommend this hostel,I asked for my money back for the other two nights I already paid for. It was a Cannon 6D camera that I loved and treasured. I valued it at $3000., I sometimes think it was a inside job as I left the hostel for only 30 minutes, when I got back the camera was in a locked locker, but I noticed the corner of the locker had been pulled out, I guess pulled out enough for someone to put their hand in to get the camera, so someone knew their was a camera in there and knew I had left the hostel, it pissed me off greatly, as 5-6 months ago I had a MacBookPro laptop stolen, while in Ecuador, I knew who stoled it and still there was not much I could do about it. Again that pissed me off because of years of personal information as in writings and photos gone. I stayed at Olga Querida B&B Hostel which was very clean and for breakfast she had eggs available in the shared kitchen, which was bonus as not too many places have eggs for free breakfast included, I do recommend this place. Again I had to leave because of reservations already made in advance.
But just around the corner being a two minute walk, was the cheapest Hostel I found at only 155 pesos a night. It was called The RoofBackpackers Hostel. I recommend this hostel, here no free breakfast included as the price staying here was low, but a shared kitchen and on the roof top one can suntan as I did. I noticed they had a tour binder, I looked at some of the tours and one interested me with a tour going to Lago de Chapala or Lake Chapala and to Ajijic, it cost $600. pesos which I thought was reasonable as I got picked up at the Hostel about 9:30am and dropped off at the Hostel about 6:30pm. On this day of the tour, we drove by a ranch of a famous singer in Mexico that had news reporters everywhere, we stopped and took a look, this is what happened….Vicente Fernández, an iconic and beloved singer of regional Mexican music who was awarded three Grammys and nine Latin Grammys and inspired a new generation of performers, including his son Alejandro Fernández, died Dec. 12. He was 81. The Mexican people would say Vicente Fernández was like Elvis or comparable to Micheal Jackson in the USA, so in Mexico he was indeed very famous.
This was a very big lake; Lake Chapala, one of the biggest lakes in Mexico and as I have been told in all of the Latin countries. Many vendors all over were selling their goods and treasures, from ice-cream cones to cowboy hats and jewelry. Our tour guide and driver took us to a very decent restaurant to eat, we also went to a Tequila tasting place tasting the tequila from 9 different bottles with their own unique flavors, tequila with mango or cafe, aged for a long time and others not so.
As far as me taking photos of Guadalajara I have to use the back up camera which only has a telephoto lens and makes photography very difficult, all the photos that I had already taken with the Cannon 6D was on the card inside of the camera I lost those images, when it was stolen.
Guadalajara is the longest time spent in one place during this stay in Mexico, I suppose because the nightly rate is the cheapest rate that I have come by. Lots of people around squares where the Churches are buying the last minute Christmas gifts, hard for me to think it is Christmas without the snow and freezing temperatures in Canada. I am up on the roof sun tanning daily as the skin gets darker and and darker in colour. For those that have diabetes as I do, spending 20 minutes in the sun lowers the blood sugar levels.
All of this tanning has changed the colour of the mustache from golden brown to white, was not expecting that, I suppose its probably better as the goatee is white, my as well have it all white.
After the 10hr bus trip overnight from Mazatlán, I end up in Puerto Vallarta which was for me 100% better, but again I did not explore the central part of Mazatlan. I went online with Booking.com to reserve a room, when I got there it was not what I expected at all, kinda of run down a bit, so I refused to stay there. I did find a better place called Hostel Enjoy Vallarta19. I walked down this boardwalk, it was clean, many restaurants, souvenir shops, pharmacies, all beside each other all the way down the boardwalk. On the opposite side was the ocean another beautiful view of boats, hotels in the curve, tour ships…. I found another place to stay called Ten to Ten Puerto Vallarta Hostel, I like it because the dormitory had cubicles which has somewhat privacy, there was a shared kitchen and downstairs was a vegan restaurant which was a bonus for me, but one could only stay there for 15 days and then you had to move on.
When my 15 days was up and I had to move on I was not quite prepared because I was a little bit ill for some reason. So I went back to Hostel Enjoy Vallarta 19, and stayed there until I made the move to Guadalajara.
Now the boardwalk is a very exciting place to be, music, restaurants for everyone’s taste, bars, souvenirs, and many, many Americans with their dogs, I could not believe how many dogs there was and they were with owners that were white looking as if they were tourists. I had arrived at the perfect time because the day after I arrived to Puerto Vallarta it was Halloween for the children to dress up and collect candy. And on November the 2nd it would be celebration of the Day of The Dead that would last for a few days, so I got there just in time for a week of celebration and partying.
I arrived in Mexico from the two and a half month stay in the city I was born in. As I stayed with the daughter and her new born baby boy, it was a delight for me being there at the right time, seeing him at his first two and a half months of his life.
Again I arrived in Mexico October 27th, to a place called Mazatlán, why I picked this place to start exploring Mexico, I guess its just a place that I have heard of. I stayed at Hotel called Hotel Juan Pablo 11 at a cost of 400 pesos per night for only three nights, because when I was about to pay for more nights I was told she had it reserved already. So it was an indication for me to move on, so I really did not explore this area very well in 3 days. Where I was it just was not exciting for me, the beach was alright, but the area, just seemed to be run down, I suppose the more exciting central part was down the road about 20 minutes and I just never ventured that way. Instead I just wanted to leave this area, I got on a bus and took a 10 hr bus trip to Puerto Vallarta.
I arrive back home after being gone for just about five years (short just three months), only to be greeted with a $6500. fine at the Toronto airport. I was not being able to take the last flight to Vancouver airport, because I did not book a three day stay at a hotel in Toronto. I had filled out a form online stating I would be staying/quarantined with family, as it was an option, therefore I should not have been fined. I also had a valid PCR test (polymerase chain reaction) for the COVID, which was still valid until the next day. These fictional characters thinking they have power or some kind of authority are so stupid as they live in their own fictional world acting like big bullies telling people what they can or cannot do and passengers must listen to them or they will be punished.
I was asked “Why didn’t you reserve a 3 day hotel prior to arriving here?” I told him that I filled out an online reservation and it allowed for me to stay with family, and besides I could not afford a 3 day hotel stay in this city. He responded, “no” and did not approve of such. So he gave me a $6500. fine as I told him, if I cannot afford a three day stay here I certainly cannot afford to pay a $6500. fine. I asked to speak to his supervisor, his response was “I am the supervisor”, I said “ok your boss then”, he said his boss was the Federal Government, I said well get the Federal Government here I want to speak to him face to face about this fine. You see how it works, these authority type people believe that governments, Federal Governments, the State and so forth where all of these rules, fines, tickets all originate from, thus remain in fiction, it comes down to what is the difference between the government and Santa Claus….nothing, because they both remain in fiction.
Again these people demanded that I take another PCR test before I fly again, it did not matter what questions I was asking them. They ignored all questions and just threatened me that I will not fly. Landing here was just a nightmare, it was a Sunday afternoon when I arrived at the airport, suppose to be in Vancouver around dinner time, and I did not arrive in Vancouver until Tuesday morning and that was because I bought another ticket with another airline so instead of being stuck at Toronto airport with lack of sleep over two nights trying to sleep, no proper foods to eat and very expensive at Subway, 7/11 and some donut shop, this international airport in Canada was pathetic for places to eat and no restaurants, El Salvador which was the last airport I left from before arriving at Toronto, had many sit down actual restaurant/dinning choices, and I had no more medication. So I refused Canada Airlines with the already paid for flight ticket and got the hell out of there, with WestJet, now this ticket to go from Toronto to Vancouver was more than the flight from Ecuador to Vancouver. What a piss off, I paid twice as much to fly from Ecuador to Vancouver, but my health was more important to me. As I was very tired not having a comfortable sleep, eating bad foods for the diabetes and not having insulin to take. This journey was a nightmare, the way brothers and sisters had treated me here, no compassion for helping out a brother and looking out for others, instead these brothers and sisters operating from Toronto Airport act like we are different, we the so called ‘passengers’ and them having the so called fictional authority to force the passengers to rent a 3 day hotel room, take another PCR test, before flying out again. And if one states “I do not want to take another PCR test” one keeps getting the answer of “then you cannot fly”. I ask to speak to their supervisor/boss and they ignore that question, or they say “I am the supervisor”, I will ask to speak to their boss, and then they will say, “My boss is the Federal Government” I will then ask, “Well then bring the Federal Government here so I can have a talk about this matter.” Now they do not want to speak anymore and go back to “You cannot fly if you do not comply.”
The date today is September 2nd 2021 and yesterday here in Vancouver and apparently around the world, protests were happening with very large crowds who are against forced vaccination jabs. I watched a protesting crowd and heard one protester yelling out loud to the well guarded Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, “Take my jab and shove it up your ass”. I am happy that finally protests are starting to happen, because this is so wrong with these fictional characters enforcing the public to be vaccinated or they will not be able to work, fly, travel, attend school, go to restaurants, and so forth. Why does the governments need to put fear into the public like this to make sure that everyone is vaccinated? This is very scary. A vaccine that has not been tested, for safety, pregnant women, years down the road, and much more, its a new vaccine with mRNA that will change one’s DNA. This vaccine is new and dangerous, with having the public being the Guinea pig and being tested on how and what this vaccine will do today and into the future, and the makers are not liable or responsible for its product at all. This is BS, but because of all the fear the governments have been using so many have lined up to get the vaccine not even knowing what the ingredients are.
Well I have come back to Vancouver from Ecuador and just in time as the new grandchild was born. Only three days
I believe, which means I get a good two months of seeing him as a newborn. Not sure when I will see him again, as I am traveling to Mexico, as I want to go to India, but India is not accepting tourist visa’s at this time and I have not been to Mexico and Mexico is welcoming everyone with arms open as they are not insisting on vaccines or PCR test needed to enter the country.
