Thanks for your quick reply Synthia. Sorry to hear about your purse, I think that sort of thing happens all the time no matter where you live. I'm more concerned about violent crime, here in Toronto it used to be fairly safe to walk around anywhere at night but not anymore. Gun violence carried out by gangs ( mostly teenagers ) is the " new norm ". The court system is a joke, bail is almost guaranteed even for violent crimes and when criminals are finally " brought to justice " they normally get a slap on the wrist. I'm sorry to hear that prices have jumped so much recently, all the websites I have gone to still indicate that real estate prices are still relatively cheap ( though not as cheap as 4 or 5 years ago ). I've been thinking that in ten years from now I would still be able to buy a modest condo in the city for around $150,000-$200,000 range but if rentals have jumped so much then maybe Panama City will be out of my reach. Has anybody else recently stayed there and found a dramatic jump in prices? Anyway, gotta go, hope to hear from you ( or anyone else ) soon.