Hi Insiders-
In this month’s Insider newsletter I told you about some of my favorite places to shop in Chiriqui. Read on for more shopping news and information on a new online resource for my favorite province in Panama!
Coming soon…well, in a couple of years…
The shopping scene in David and Chiriquí will be changed forever when the new mall opens. Grupo Los Pueblos, the developers of Albrook and Westland Malls in Panama City and the newly completed mall in Santiago, has begun clearing the land for the Federal Mall on the new Via Boquete just north of David. (In fact it’s about two minutes from my house!) This will be Chiriquí’s largest commercial center by far, occupying almost 50 acres, and it will include a new bus terminal similar to the national terminal in Albrook.
With an investment of $180 million in construction, this is a huge project for Chiriquí. The mall will ultimately house seven major department stores, around 400 total retailers, and employ 4,000 workers. Word is it will take two or three years to build, so we’ll have to wait until 2017 to use our credit cards there! I’ll follow the progress of the construction and let you know how it’s coming along.
A new resource…
We can never have too many sources of information, it seems, and here’s a new entry for you to save. Chiriqui.life is a new web page created by a long-time expat resident of Boquete, Bud Huber. He calls the site an Information Portal, and his intent is to facilitate the sharing of information and resources. You can sign up to create your account and participate in the forum, which is already active with many topics listed. If you’re looking for specific information about Chiriquí, have a request or something to offer, this may be the new go-to site.
Hope you find this insider info useful!
Chao, Linda Card, your IL Chiriquí Correspondent
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