The Panama Adventure

A friend sent me this article recently. This Is What Life Without Retirement Savings Looks Like. It talks about the financial issues facing many seniors.

As a home health nurse, I worked with many seniors. I saw many who struggled.  There were people who skipped medicine because they didn’t have the money, or didn’t eat well, had clothes and furniture well past their wearing out point, and houses in need of many repairs. They also had medical problems, and far too many were socially isolated which is not healthy. Social workers were called in, resources were scrounged, but there is only so much you can do when there isn’t much out there. And, according to the article, the situation is likely to get worse as more people reach retirement age without adequate resources.

This is exactly why we are in Panama. Even if we worked until 70 it would be very difficult to live on our social security in the US. We don’t have pensions and our savings aren’t enough to generate interest of any significance.

I know we are hardly alone in moving elsewhere for a lower cost of living. It has worked really well for us, but it’s not for everyone for a variety of reasons. I worry about our brothers and sisters struggling to survive on very limited resources. Our government, rather than helping, seems to want to take away the limited help that is available. Nearly half of all single homeless adults are over 50? That is so sad but I think true. I encountered many homeless on my bike trip and very few, only two that I can think of, were younger.

I don’t have any answers. I am so thankful that this life in Panama is working for us. It is life and attitude changing to have the need to make money removed, to have the worry about having enough money removed. I wish it could be so for more seniors. I hope changes are coming in the future that will offer more help.

This morning, the installation of our water tank was completed, and it’s wonderful. You can keep water on hand to see you through outages and do laundry at midnight if you have to. Washing dishes without running water is more challenging, needless to say, and I prefer keeping toilets flushed.  This summer has been worse than usual and we are without water for part of the day almost every day. I finally decided to get a tank.

I enlisted the help of our neighbor Lucho who can do pretty much anything, and if he doesn’t he knows someone who does. I gave him money and he showed up that afternoon with a 1100 liter tank on the roof of his car. I gave him more money and he showed up with a pump. He gave me a list of necessities for the concrete pad which I bought.

Wednesday, Lucho’s nephew/helper came with another guy to pour a pad for the tank, closely supervised by Lucho. Thursday, I awoke to rocks being thrown on the roof, and there was Lucho with Rey, the plumber/electrician. I wrote about that yesterday.

Rey worked hard all day yesterday, assisted by another nephew of Lucho who came after work at his day job. There was electrical work.

A line was wired into the fuse box, then fished up into the wall and run across the ceiling and down to the pump.

There was a lot of pipe to be laid out, cut, connected, and glued. The electric cable had to be wired into the pump. Some of the time Jerry worked while everyone else’s stood around and watched. Lucho was over frequently because he was in charge but he also has a big project in process at his house, which will include a tank for his family too.

This morning the crew returned to put in one final component, and then it was done.

Joel feliz! We now have better water pressure than we’ve ever had, and having water all the time is going to take some getting used to. We can shower anytime we want, or leave the breakfast dishes in the sink because I can wash them along with the lunch dishes. We can flush without first turning the faucet to assess the water situation.

If you look closely, you’ll see two shut off valves. One shuts off water from the tank, and the other shuts off the pipe that goes nowhere, but apparently is available if you ever want to attach something. Inside the tank is a float that senses when the tank is full, and another that senses when it is empty so the pump won’t turn on under that condition and burn itself out. There is also a check valve that prevents water from back flowing into the tank.

At the other end of the system is another shut off valve. It can shut off the line to the tank and send water from the city supply directly into the house. There is also a check valve to prevent water from flowing backwards to the street and a master shut off valve since, according to Rey, the one in the meter is hard to find and hard to shut off. I was concerned at first about the pipes just lying on the ground but that is very common here. It’s not like they are going to freeze. We will probably bury them at some point just for looks. We also need something to protect the pump from the elements, and something to protect the tank from the sun so the water will stay cool.

Nothing makes you appreciate something like doing without it. I never thought I’d be so happy and thankful to have water 24/7!  The whole thing, materials and labor ran us around $700-750, if memory serves. I have a feeling though that Lucho didn’t charge us for his part, so I’ll talk with him about that tomorrow.

There are many people without access to any clean water, and many more who have to haul all their water home from somewhere else. There are so many people who would be thrilled to have water in the house, even if it’s was only at night. We are pretty darn lucky to have clean, drinkable water from the tap any time we want it.

A lot of things are very much like the US, and other things are not. It keeps life interesting. We are getting a water tank installed here (more on that later)

I awoke to our neighbor calling from outside the fence, and then throwing rocks on the roof. A rock makes enough noise hitting a metal roof that you will definitely hear it. Lucho was there with his friend Rey who is doing part of the work.

Workmen don’t come with materials. Sometimes they don’t even come with tools, but this wasn’t the case today. But, materials had to be bought so off we went to Novey for PVC pipe, connectors, and many various things. Rey had been very organized, drawing plans for the job and making lists of everything needed.

We left the neighborhood and passed a couple dozen cows, calves, and a bull being driven up the road by a guy on foot and another on a horse. Yes, we live within the city limits.

At the store, Rey tore off the list for electrical items and handed it to the guy in that department, and set off for plumbing items with the other list. Items bought, we head for home and he starts digging in the side yard. He figured the water comes from the meter, down beside the house where it makes a turn at some point to enter the house. But no.

We went downtown to do a couple errands and when we returned he was still hunting for the pipe. Finally he started digging up near the meter and discovered the pipe curved towards the driveway and then went under it. Plans are revised, and now the plan is to connect the pipes below the meter, above the curve, and run them straight back to the tank. This will need more pipe.

Lucho and Rey survey the scene.

There was one item they didn’t have at Novey (a check valve so water won’t run back towards the street), so we went to DoIt Center. He got a few more connectors but they didn’t have PVC pipe or a check valve, so back to Novey we went. He will go elsewhere for the check valve in the morning.

I make tuna salad, crackers, fruit, and ice tea for lunch. It isn’t required,  but it is customary and appreciated if you make lunch for people working at your house, and be sure they always have something cold to drink.

Work continues. We start music practice which is interrupted a bit by Rey removing a panel in the drop ceiling so he can run an electric line to the pump. Then, he is busy running pipes, glueing connections, and the project starts to take shape. He comes in to tell us he’s going to get his helper.

His helper, I’m not sure how it is spelled but sounds like Jerry, works at Novey and is Lucho’s nephew. He works full time, and is also constantly busy with side jobs like this. Most Panamanians are hard working people!

By now the sun is lower and it’s cooler, so I go out to do some yard work. We learned that it is much better to clean up dry leaves and other flammable material in your yard in the dry summer.

I was interrupted by a guy going door to door, on foot, selling paintings, fairly large paintings to hang on the wall.

After a very long day of work, it’s all done except a check valve which will be installed in the morning. Tomorrow they start on Lucho’s water tank. There are four working adults and two kids in that house, and numerous other family and friends who visit frequently. I told him his tank definitely takes priority over ours and our two person household but he wouldn’t hear of it.

I’ve been riding my bike in the late afternoon lately. It’s cooler, I feel better later in the day, and I’ve seen some gorgeous skies. It’s also fun because there are lots of other people out walking, running, biking, and kids playing.

There have brush fires in the area. I’m not sure if the last photo has some smoke along with the clouds. Fires are common as summer wears on with hotter days and no rain. Thankfully houses are cement block with metal roofs and not flammable, and fires happen often enough that there isn’t years and years of growth to fuel a fire. Still though, it can be scary and smoke is very unpleasant.

I have neglected to bother you all with bugs for a long time. This cute weevil visited me the other night. He looks like he is wearing a bottle brush on his snout.

His GoFundMe page says COPD Can’t Beat Me! That’s Richard, grabbing life with both hands, no matter what.

We met Richard when he was living here in Panama and had a motorcycle for sale. We decided a motorcycle wasn’t the wisest thing for us, but we have been friends with Richard ever since.

He’s had an interesting life. Read a bit about it on his GoFundMe page. He’s never let what a person should do get in the way of living the life of his dreams, and I really admire that. He’s been a writer, a deck hand, and a licenced boat captain which allowed him a lot interesting travel. He lived in France for a while, on a boat in New Orleans, and who knows what all else over the decades. Eventually he ended up in a smaller town down the road from us in Panama where he learned Spanish, immersed himself in the culture, and hung out with his Panamanian neighbors.

But, COPD, a history of heart trouble, and arthritis made him think he’d be better in the US. He had been dreaming of living on a boat again for some time, so maybe it would work out – live on a boat within his limited budget, with medicare funded health care? Last April he went for it, bought a boat, went to the US, and starting traveling up the west coast of Florida. He survived hurricanes, illnesses, cold weather, and mechanical problems but never quit. When winter came, he decided to ride it out in Bradenton FL where he is currently anchored.

A beautiful picture of a fogging morning in Bradenton, FL.

His latest dream is to write another book so others can also follow their dreams of living on a boat. Who better to write it than an experienced writer and boat captain who has actually traveled the waters he plans to write about? Who better to inspire people than someone, in spite of his health and financial challenges, still insists on living life to the fullest?

I am excited to support my friend in his efforts. If you are too, send him a few dollars. Or, if you aren’t, send him a bit anyway because I’m asking you to help my friend. If all of you, all my readers even sent him $2 he would exceed his goal by a good margin.

Sunrise in Florida

It would be so easy to retreat to a rocking chair, but not Richard! He grabs life with both hands, and it is so inspiring. The pictures in this post have been blatantly stolen from his Facebook page. What’s the saying? Rather than ask for permission before, ask for forgiveness afterward. Forgive me Richard, and best of luck in your campaign!

I ran across this article HERE. It’s about a town in England who filled the gaps in services between agencies and community groups, and employed “community connectors” to find ways to connect lonely people with others and get them the support they needed. In the three years after this started, emergency hospital admissions fell by 17%!

People are social animals. We don’t do well in isolation. Babies literally die without human contact, and we are adversely affected at all ages not only mentally and emotionally, but physically as well. Google “social isolation and health” and you will find many articles and studies to back this up.

I worked in home health for many years and saw many seniors living alone, and I worried about them. Yes, there was a senior center and other activities in town, but how do you get there if you are unable or unfit to drive? Public transportation had a low cost option to get you to the doctor, but not the supermarket or senior center and taxis are unaffordable for many. Families are often too far away, and some don’t get along. People don’t want to bother anyone by asking for help, and neighbors can be totally unaware that there is someone who needs help. People want to be able to live in their own homes and resist going to independent living or other facilities, and often couldn’t afford them even if they liked the idea. I know many people I saw went for days without seeing or talking with another person and that is not good, not good at all.

It’s also the culture in the US. We lived in the same Sarasota FL house for 17 years, and we didn’t even know everyone in our block. There were a few houses where the garage door would go up, the owner would drive in, the door would go down, and that’s all we ever saw. We walked the dog regularly but unless neighbors are outside and willing to chat for a moment, you didn’t get to know them. I also did some traveling on my bicycle which I blogged about here. I cut it short not from fatigue or danger or anything else, but because of loneliness. I was connected by phone and internet with my family every day, but to be out on the road feeling invisible day after day, it became too much.

One of the many reasons I love Panama and the culture here, is this isolation is much less likely to happen. I don’t think I’ve ever greeted anyone without a return greeting. There are buses everywhere, and I’ve seen them drive right up to the door of someone who couldn’t walk well. Neighbors are very aware of anyone living alone, especially a senior, and stop by to say hello and offer help if needed. Families are usually close knit and nearby, if not living under the same roof. I heard a story about a widowed Russian lady who didn’t speak Spanish, but the neighborhood worked together to visit her every day, bring her food, and take care of her. This is very much a culture of relationships, where friends and family are more important than anything else. I’ve had flat tires and other issues with my bicycle, and every single time multiple people, people I didn’t know, came to me to offer help. It’s a really nice feeling to know you aren’t alone. And, another plus is the great deal of respect for older people, especially now that I am becoming one.

If you have a neighbor living alone, go make friends. Take your kids if you have them. Kids are wonderful medicine for older people! In these divisive times though, any connection and human touch is a nice thing.

We renewed our passports by mail, and picked up our new ones today. Yay!

I wrote about the application process here. It was a bunch of various steps but we eventually got it all done. The next thing was to go to DHL to get it all shipped to the embassy. They were super professional and knew what exactly what was needed, like they do this every day. I appreciated the on line tracking so I knew the application arrived at the embassy as planned.

We got an email a few days later. What is your address in Panama? The application has blanks for address, city, state, and zip code so I put in our California address. The next day I got another email saying they got the address information and would add it to our application.

On Feb 20th, we got emails saying our passports were ready. (We sent applications on Jan 30) There we’re instructions for picking them up at the embassy, and also said if we were renewing by mail we needed to reply to the email telling them this, which I did. The next day DHL tracking said the package had left the embassy and was expected to arrive Fri, 23rd.

On Friday evening , tracking showed the package still in Panama City, but this morning, Sat 24th it arrived in David. I also got a WhatsApp message from the DHL office telling me the package has arrived, in both Spanish and English.

The package contained our new passports, our old passports with holes punched through the cover and first page, reciepts for the application fees, and a couple informational flyers about passport services and travel with your passport.

It feels odd to be our of your native country without a passport, so I’m glad to have this all done. Now I need to be sure my information is updated all over town. When you arrive your passport number is your ID. Once you get a cédula, a Panamanian ID card, that is your permanent ID. I’m sure I’ve forgotten to make the change here and there, but it will all get sorted out eventually.

I would say allow at least a month to renew a passport before any travel plans. It was a process getting the application, photos, bank check, etc but once the application was sent, I felt like both DHL and the embassy took very good care of us.

You usually don’t think of those two words together. But, I recently came across this video of Mirna Valerio. She runs marathons and ultra marathons, and weighs 250 pounds. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5002502/Mirna-Valerio-runs-ultramarathons-weighs-250-pounds.html)

I’ve heard about her before and follow her blog. http://fatgirlrunning-fatrunner.blogspot.com/  What an inspiration!

Fat people are often blamed for their fatness by thinner people who don’t understand how it is. It isn’t as simple as eat less, move more. If it was, there wouldn’t be so many overweight people, so many unsuccessful diets, and so many frustrated people. The weight loss industry wouldn’t be worth billions of dollars.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2015/03/
diets_do_not_work_the_thin_evidence_that_losing_weight_makes_you_healthier.html

Studies of participants in the TV show, The Biggest Loser were found to have damaged their metabolisms. http://people.com/bodies/the-biggest-loser-contestants-permanently-harm-their-metabolism-says-study/

I know a  number of people who had the lap band procedure, others who had gastric bypass and only two I know have managed to keep the weight off, and that is by constant struggle and vigilance. I especially like this woman   https://fatontheinsideblog.wordpress.com/

Goodness knows, I can relate. I’m super careful about what I eat, and I’ve ridden my bike hundreds and hundreds of miles and still struggle daily to control my weight. I did the HCG thing 6-7 years ago, the only diet that worked for me without major suffering, and lost 90 pounds. It’s been so frustrating to watch the weight creep back up no matter what I do. But, when I see people like Mirna, it makes me beat myself up a bit less. I feel good, I am able to do what I want, and if my only complaint in life is my weight I’m pretty darn lucky, or so I keep telling myself.

We definitely don’t know how the whole weight thing works. Of course there are bad food choices and plenty of food available that isn’t good for you. But there is more too it than that. Why are some people so thin and can’t gain weight no matter what they do, others are so fat and can’t lose weight, or more important, keep it off no matter what they do? Maybe someday someone will figure this out.

</rant>  (code for end of rant)

There is nothing like doing without to make you appreciate something.

People in Panama don’t always have water. The government is addressing the problem and has allocated money to build and upgrade systems. But right now, it is summer when it doesn’t rain. There is building going on everywhere in the David area, but I don’t think they have thought about the increasing demands on the infrastructure.

No water has been a common problem even before I moved here, especially in the dry summer. My first day in the house, I went to refill my water bottle and nothing came out of the tap. The neighbors were totally unconcerned. I quickly learned to have water supplies on hand.

It hasn’t been too bad, really. I think only once, maybe twice in our 5+ years here has the water been off for more than 24 hours, and then they sent water trucks around to refill any container you gave them. Yesterday it slowed to a trickle and then went off. It was on last night but really late, past midnight and I didn’t feel like washing dishes, hoping there would be water in the morning. There wasn’t.

We have plenty of water on hand for these times but it’s inconvient to wash dishes and bathe with gallon jugs. It can be done though, and it makes me think of all the people in the world who never have running water, who have to carry it in from somewhere, and who may not have access to any clean water at all.

Tonight we were out playing music and didn’t get home until almost midnight and there was water! Yay! Not much, but enough to shower. It must have just come on and was refilling the lines and neighborhood water tanks because the pressure has improved since then.  I showered, washed my hair, cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, refilled all containers, and now there is a load of laundry in progress.  Yes, I know it’s 1:15 AM, but I’m not going to count on having water tomorrow.

If anything goes out, I would rather it be water. We rarely have trouble with electricity and internet for which I’m thankful. And, I’m glad to be in David. I hear talk from Boquete people about water being out for days, electricity also going out, and a lot of frustration.

Panama is a lesson in not taking things for granted. Thank you for the water. Thank you for the clean water right in the house… most of the time. And if we have no water, there are three big supermarkets just minutes away and a river behind the house.

It’s Carnavales time in Panama now, a four day holiday involving loud music and water hoses in various towns, families hanging out together, maybe swimming in the nearest river, and people generally enjoying time off. The idea is to let off steam before the beginning of lent when you are supposed to be thoughtful and subdued.

The band played at the Boquete Brewing Company last night and it was a blast. The roads were fine in spite of festivities in Dolega and extra check points on Via Boquete. We started early, 5 pm, and the crowd kept growing every hour. Management asked us to play and extra hour, and it was close to 10 when we stopped and the place was still full and overflowing. It’s so fun to play to a crowd who is so enthusiastic!

But, a word about the weather. We left David – hot, dry, sunny, breezy, probably in the low 90’s. We spent the evening in Boquete – wet, rain, barareque (wet mist), cloudy, windy, and very chilly. I wore my sweater and sweatshirt for most of the evening. How can a place just a short drive away feel like a different world?

Today it’s the David world again for us – hot, clear, sunny, and lots of wind. We headed out to Pricesmart (a membership store like Costco) and it was very quiet around town, and also in Pricesmart which made shopping fast and easy.

Apparently they were very ready for Carnavales festivities and the necessary beer. That’s at least twice the amount of beer we usually see there.

Sushi?! I don’t think I’ve seen sushi in Panamanian before. It’s probably here somewhere, but not common. I couldn’t resist. It’s as good as any other grocery store sushi, if my distant memory serves. They also have a new spot for soft ice cream and frozen yogurt.

There always seems to be something new going on and it makes David feel very alive and thriving. Along the way an older building was gone, I imagine to make room for something new. There is a huge new supermarket that we haven’t checked out yet. There is obvious activity at the site of the new metropolitan park. In just the short drive across town it seems like half the businesses have been built in the 5 years since we arrived.

Speaking of the new metropolitan park, check out this 12 1/2 minute video showing what it’s going to be. It’s incredible! A lake, a model of the canal locks, planetarium, botanical garden, amphitheater, dog park, place for old people, a therapy area for people with disabilities, children’s playground, bike path, restaurant, more things than I can remember.

Yeah, we’ve got it going on around here!

Change subject – I found another picture in my collection. I love to putter around in the yard and grow things, and why not grow things that also produce food? I had yucca by the front door that was getting scraggly and tall, so I dug it up. And, the bunch of bananas out back were looking quite plump so Joel cut it down.

I gave away half the yucca but we still have three big bags in the freezer. In the yard I also have fruit trees (limón, oranges, guanábana, thanks to the neighbor who planted them for the owner when she lived here). I have planted plantains, pineapples, cashew trees, passion fruit, a tree that grows those huge yellow lemons, avacadoes, moringa, ginger, not sure what all else along with flowering plants. I’ve dug a million weeds to allow the grass to grow back in the front, and planted perennial peanut in back, an excellent and attractive ground cover.

Life in Panama. How are we so fortunate?