The Panama Adventure

I’ve finally gotten around the downloading and sorting the photos I took of the Washington part of my time in the US. It’s summer there and though it was hot and there hadn’t been rain for some time, it was still green and there were many beautiful flowers around the neighborhood.

The neighbor had a beautiful yard with many flowers

These roses started out yellow, then turned pink and eventually almost white.

These looked more like wax candles than pine cones

Of course the fun at the house was seeing my daughter, son in law, and my other granddaughter. A frequent outing is the neighborhood playground, and a favorite toy at home was a box. My Panamanian neighbors did some eBay shopping and one item was Mexican boots, and the box they arrived in was a big hit.

Swings are fun

Yay! The slide

NOOOOO! No one else is allowed on MY slide, not even Mom!

The box in the kitchen

The box in the living room

The cat is only able to enjoy the box when the baby doesn’t notice.

We took a couple days away to go into the mountains where the kids had rented a cabin (really a very comfortable and well stocked house) on a beautiful river.

These interesting miss covered woods were across from the cabin

Looking at fish and interesting rocks

Elizabeth spotted these awesome snails munching on dead pine needles

One unexpected and exciting thing was the Pacific Crest Trail. I saw the movie “The Way” which is about the Camino De Santiago in Europe, and later read the book and then saw the movie “Wild” about a woman’s experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and found both hugely inspirational, and motivation to get out there and travel on my bicycle. I never thought about encountering the PCT though, and even having a brief chat with a hiker!

What a surprise to see this sign!

This hiker had a box from the post office under his arm, supplies that he had mailed himself earlier. He said he was looking for a ride into town and he must have found one, since he wasn’t there when we returned.

Another sign as seen from the pedestrian bridge over th highway

You could see the ski slopes

The chair lifts were going. We were told that one could ride them up and down all you want if you buy a pass. There were people walking down, and many mountain bikers who went up and then rode their rented bikes down.

Of course all good things end at some point, and it was time for my trip back home to Panama. It’s quite a trip too, an evening flying to San Francisco, then waiting for an early flight from SFO to Panama, a hotel overnight, and a day on the bus to David.

Some of my companions at SFO in the wee hours of the morning, a scared woman who didn’t want to be alone, and was afraid no one would show up to check us in (they don’t open until 4:30am). A guy from NYC (love the accent from “home”), a guy trying to sleep in the corner, and this guy with his therapy Jack Russel who loved it when we threw her tennis ball.

Heading home, San Fransicso below

My granddaughter had a toy helicopter with pontoons and we were saying we had never seen such a thing for real, and here landing at Albrook as the bus drove by, a yellow helicopter with white pontoons!

All very tedious things also come to an end though, and I’m happy to say I’ve been back home for a week now. My stomach flu resolved and I feel like myself again, and Joel and I have spent many hours practicing the songs I have learned to play on the bass. That has gone really, really well and I’m super excited about it. All those hours of practice while I was gone really paid off. We plan to get together with the drummer soon and put it all together, and then I should be ready to step in when I’m needed.

Again, it’s been quite a while since I posted anything. I went back to the US to visit my daughters and grandchildren. My time there was spent with family, helping out, and any free time was spent practicing the bass. I bought a cheap bass and had it sent to California. It was a surprisingly good instrument for the price and allowed me to make a lot of progress. The bass I bought on eBay   Check it out!

The grandchildren are growing fast, as kids do. My grandson is four now so he’s way past being a baby, and the granddaughters are 21 months so they are doing and learning more every day. I’ll post some pictures at some point here, and I also have photos of the Seattle area and a weekend trip we made into the mountains.

It’s really beautiful in California and Washington state, and they were having a big summer heat wave. Some days were even above 100F, even in the mountains. I got by in sandals and no sweatshirt on many days! But as soon as the sun went down it cooled off again and with no rain for quite some time, there was little humidity.

I sat next to a French guy on the plane back and it was funny to watch his face as we stepped out of the airport and that warm, moist air hit him. Yeah, this is the Panama climate. After spending two days in air conditioned airports and planes it was heaven! I came down with stomach flu during my trip back and couldn’t get warm, so that night in the hotel in Panama City with the window open and that tropical air wafting in was just heaven.

I’ve been home for a couple days now.  My flu has finally left and I woke up today feeling like myself again. The bass practice has really paid off. Practice with Joel is going really well and I’m much more confident that by next month, I’ll be able to hold my own with the band.

And, most important to me, I am home. I don’t think it’s something that can be explained. You have to feel it, experience it yourself. It’s like there is a happiness and calmness energy in the very air you breathe here. I don’t always think abut it and appreciate it as much as I should, but when I leave I definitely feel the change and I’m reminded of why I wake up every morning filled with gratitude for this life.

It has been quite a while since I’ve posted anything.  I’ve been enjoying time in California with my daughter and her family, and practicing bass when they are off to work/school/daycare. But, I pull out the camera now and then so I have collected a few things to share. It’s taken me a long time though to find time and inclination to write anything though. (I’m working hard to learn bass so I can sub in my husband’s band. It’s going well but it’s a lot to learn.)

It was hot! (For me, fantastic)

Breakfast, and trying to get eyes open

She wore mom’s jewelry for two days

If you want to get a really bad expression, just ask him to smile for the camera. 😀

Who needs a high chair when you can climb up to the big table

One evening we went to Paradise Ridge winery. They are open on Wednesday evenings so people can bring or buy food, drink wine, and enjoying a beautiful evening watching the sun get low in the sky. This is where my daughter got married so it was interesting to be back, now with her two children.

On another day we went to the beach. It was hot in town but cooler at the beach, and it felt even colder in the strong winds that tried to blow sand in your face anytime you faced them. Marian was reported to be afraid of the waves but she apparently got over that. She would run straight into the waves at every opportunity and Amy had her hands full chasing her and keeping her from harm.

On another day the in-laws and I visited  Quarry Hills botanical gardens    It is the middle of summer and not many things were blooming but the grounds were beautiful and we really enjoyed walking around and exploring. The nearby vineyards were also beautiful and there are lots of grapes on the vines.

Things seem crazy expensive to me, as usual.

From the farmers market – the strawberries were wonderful, but still, this all cost $20.

$97.. the wine was about $8/bottle, and the brown package has four serving size pieces of salmon.

A few other random photos

The dress I bought from a street vendor is perfect on a hot summer day.

A broken sprinkler head that makes a fountain is great fun on a warm summer day

A worker sprinkler head is also a whole lot of fun

A friend came over and gave us a Zen Tangle class. Google it for more info.

All good things, however, must come to an end. The time came for me to head back to San Francisco for a flight to Seattle to visit my other daughter, where I just arrived last night.

The flight to Seattle was one of the most beautiful flights I can remember. We had a good view of San Francisco in the evening light with fog softening the edges of the city and making the distant hills purple and gray, and just beautiful. As we flew north the sunset colors only intensified until everything in Washington state had a rosy glow, including a spectacular snow covered Mount Rainier.

Speaking of all good things coming to an end, I just got word of a death. My biological mother has been married for 60+ years and just lost her husband. This has to be a very difficult time for her so please, if you can, send some love.

We have been driving up to Boquete a couple times a week for Joel’s band gigs. It’s almost always a very beautiful drive, and yesterday was especially gorgeous. It had rained in the morning which is unusual, but the sun came out in the afternoon and it was a travel magazine worthy scene.

I think I fell in love with Panama when I first saw the lush, green mountains from the airplane window. I still appreciate the beauty that is around us every day from the woods behind our house, to the view of Volcan Baru as we leave our neighborhood, to the many other scenes that we enjoy on a daily basis.

We stopped at the visitors center just above the downhill that takes you into the town of Boquete. This is the most well known view of Boquete from up there.

There was a large family of coati on and just behind the wall. They were very cute and totally unafraid of people. I’m sure visitors had fed them and tamed them, but I felt better keeping a little bit of distance.

Some days the beauty around you overwhelms everything and anything that might be bothering you.

Mi vida dificil!

My life, however, may not allow as much time for blogging. I have a trip back to the US planned in a few days, but maybe when I’m there we’ll have beautiful summer days and of course there will be the grandchildren. And, I have another huge project going on that is taking up all of my time. The bass player in Joel’s band likes to travel, but when he’s gone the band can’t play unless they can find a substitute which isn’t possible most of the time. So, I decided to step up and learn to play the bass. I have a lot of classical piano background in my very distant past but this is something new. My goal is to be ready to go by September which requires a lot of practice. But, so far it’s going well and this could be a huge amount of fun!

You just never know where life might take you! 😀

On June 6th, I went to the local post office and mailed a small package to my daughter in Seattle. There are details in the post here.

On June 29th my daughter got a notice from the post office that a package had arrived. Apparently the postman tried to deliver it while they were at work and didn’t leave it at the door, not sure why because I didn’t request that on my end.

But, 23 days later, the package was at my daughter’s post office! So, it worked, and in just slightly over the 3 weeks that we expected. I wouldn’t mail anything critical or time sensitive in the Panamanian mail service but if time isn’t a consideration, Panamanian mail is a good option. It cost me $2 to mail a manila envelope with a little Cuban dress for my granddaughter, and now she has it just in time for their warm summer weather.

Yes, it’s green. Do you remember the recipe I shared for chocolate pudding made with avocado? I figured if you could make chocolate pudding or mousse, you could make it with other flavors so I tried vanilla. It’s pretty much the same recipe but with tablespoons of vanilla instead of teaspoons, and no cocoa. (1 avocado, 1/4 cup milk, tbsp vanilla, 1/4 cup sugar or sweetener, put in blender)

It’s good, sort of, but you can definitely taste the avocado which is not the case with the chocolate. But, if you “borrow” some cinnamon and sugar mixture that your husband has stashed in the kitchen for cinnamon toast, it’s quite good. I used stevia for a sweetener and I think this, as well as the chocolate pudding, are better with some real sugar.

My neighbor hasn’t been over for three days, but she’ll probably bring me more avocados this weekend.

Mi vida dificil en Panama, overloaded with avocados 😀

When discussing the cost of living in Panama, it is often said that it’s expensive unless you want to “live like a Panamanian”. I got to thinking… what exactly does this mean? So, I posed the question to the busy “Expats in Panama” group on Facebook and got many interesting responses.

First, a couple thoughts. There is Panama City and then there is the rest of the country, and they are very different in many ways. Panama City is a large busy city and it’s expensive. Rent can easily be $1000/month and more for anything most expats would find acceptable. It has all the traffic and hassles that go with a large city. But, they also have the best in shopping, restaurants, health care, entertainment, and the other big city advantages. For us, at our age, it wasn’t appealing, but I can see how for many others it would be wonderful.

The rest of the country has many options. Do you want to be around a lot of other expats? If so, you will likely pay more. Do you want to be in the mountains or on the beach, in a city or in the country? How is your Spanish? How much do you want to assimilate into the Panamanian community and culture? All these are factors to consider when looking for a suitable place for you. I know someone who paid $125/mo for a small but comfortable house in a small town down the road, and spent $.35 to ride the bus to David. But, nobody out there spoke English. The dogs ran free, the roosters crowed, and the neighbors had community events and parties with loud music. He loved it. Someone else might hate it.

Back to the question of living like a Panamanian – here are some of the main points made in the responses.

• In the US we have everything available to buy, and at the click of a mouse most of it can appear at your door PDQ. This is not so in Panama. It might be hard to find something of the type or quality you want, if its available at all.  Most expats learn that there is something they can’t find here, but how critical is this for your happiness? A Panamanian will make do with what is available and what they can afford.
•  Housing – Air conditioning and hot water are not standard. A typical Panamanian house is smaller than what most of us are used to. Construction is typically cement floor, block walls, tin roof, and minimal to no wood. Of course if you want to spend more you can have whatever you want, but the typical construction makes a lot of sense in this climate. Dishwashers and clothes dryers are also available, but you won’t find them in most houses. Many Panamanians live in smaller houses with more people and less frills.
• Many Panamanians rely on buses and taxis for transportation. In Panama City this makes sense. In other areas it’s convenient to have a car because waiting for the bus takes more time. But, the community is set up to make it work. Many take the bus to the supermarket and then a taxi home with their bags. There are always taxis outside the supermarkets for just this purpose. If you are shopping at multiple stores, there are places to check your bags so you don’t have to carry them around. There are inexpensive buses that go everywhere, including residential areas and small neighborhoods.
• One person brought up the lack of holistic health care services, midwifery services, and sustainably grown chemical free food. As more expats request things though, I have seen many options become available but if a particular service or product is very important, be sure to research this ahead of time. Panamanians use doctors and mainstream medical care, but most also have knowledge of plants and traditional remedies passed down through generations.
• If there is some food from home that you crave, it might not be available here. It’s fun to learn local dishes, but others may want what is familiar at least some of the time. If you eat like a Panamanian and shop where they shop, it’s cheaper than buying imported goods in the supermarket.
• One of my favorite answers – “It means stretching $4 for three days worth of food right before your paycheck but then when the paycheck comes it’s time to go to bar and buy drinks for everyone.😂😂😂”

The main point – what do you need to be happy? Will you see “living like a Panamanian” as a downgrade? I see Panamanians who don’t have much, live in tiny homes with dirt floors, outhouse in the back, outdoor kitchen, conditions that most of us would probably consider very primitive but they are laughing with their neighbors, hanging out with their families, and generally enjoying life to the fullest.

Those of us from the US, on the other hand, have been taught that we need to work hard, get the good job, the good looking partner, the big house, fancy car, and the big TV with 500 channels. Are we happy though? Or, are we stressed by running on that hamster wheel to just keep up? Or worse, did we not run fast enough or bad luck came along and we fell down, and are now living on the street?

And, how does a Panamanian really live? It depends on who you look at. Yes there are poor people, but there are also people with lots of money. There is a thriving middle class. I see my neighbors upgrading their homes, getting better cars, and doing very well. There are jobs for everyone, maybe not easy high paying jobs, but if someone wants to work they can find something. There is education and opportunity. My friend was worrying about paying for the next semester of university – $25. She got it together though, and will graduate soon with credentials to be a teacher. I see cohesive, loving families and strong community ties. I see a lot of happy, optimistic people enjoying life and looking forward to the future.

Live like a Panamanian? Oh yes, sign me up for that! Oh my yes, and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I have never been so happy.

One day there are cows wandering down the road.

Another day it’s a horse in the road

You reach for a cooking utensil and find a baby lizard sleeping on one.

A tiny but very cool bug visits you on your outside table one night.

Another night, you find this interesting spider on your table fan.

You are at a restaurant and there is a dog wandering around. The owner said he’s been hanging out for a few days but nobody knows where he came from.

He spent part of the evening sleeping in various places

He also loved visiting any diner who would pet him.

You are on your terrace at night and the cocelecas start singing in the neighbor’s yard (nothing to see, but turn up your sound)

You come out for breakfast and the parrots are going nuts in the tree overhead. You can only see a couple of them but it sounds like there are many! (look closely in the middle of the frame and you can see the silhouette of a couple of them walking along the branches)

Just a few things from the last few days here. We’ve been busy with the usual activities, and I have a new project underway. It’s taking up all my free time lately but hopefully will bear fruit in a few months. Meanwhile I always enjoy the little things that keep life interesting.

Also, the dog is doing really well. She even jumped up on the couch yesterday so she is feeling much more comfortable. (She’s been here three weeks now.) She continues to be very loving with us and very confrontational with anyone outside the fence. Good dog, well done.

Oferta Simple has another deal out today. Click HERE if you feel like spending some time at the beach. $45

I try to only share things I know, that I have seen or experienced myself which is why I haven’t shared any of the other many deals that come through Oferta Simple. If you want though, you can sign up with them and you’ll get a daily email with the latest deals on all sorts of things.

Las Olas resort is at La Barqueta, the closest beach to David. Unless it’s a holiday or weekend you may have the whole beach to yourself. It’s really beautiful and pretty much untouched. But, warning!!! There are dangerous waves and rip currents and people have drowned out there, so go into the water with extreme caution.

The resort itself is nice, maybe a bit on the older side but spacious and comfortable.  It’s also usually very quiet. We have wondered how they manage to stay in business because every time we have been there, there were very few guests. We think they should bus people down from the mountains for a weekend party with a buffet, music, dancing, etc since there is plenty of space, a swim up bar in the swimming pool, and a beautiful location.

The waves were pretty big

But, if you want some quiet time, you might love this. As I remember, they have some books and games for entertainment, and there is a restaurant on site that has good food. Bring a book and chill out, or in the cooler parts of the day go walking. I’ve seen some news from a bird watching group who have seen a lot of cool birds and wildlife in the area including scarlet macaws. There is also a tennis court. Bring sunscreen though! The Panamanian sun is intense.

The pictures are some I’ve taken out there in the past, and a search of La Barqueta on the blog will bring up more posts with photos. Beach, clouds, water, mountains in the distance… irresistible to a photographer!