The Panama Adventure

Living in Panama, or any Spanish speaking country is so much easier and so much more fun when you know some Spanish! I thank my teacher every day for my ability to communicate, and for my ability to have Panamanian friends.

Summer vacation is over here. The kids are back in school, and Yaira goes back to university this week. We were talking about her schedule this morning, and she has enough time to fit in a couple more students. So, I figured I’d share this opportunity with you all in case any of you want to take classes. She teaches over Skype so it’s like being there. Private lessons are great because you can go at your own pace and concentrate on your own needs. She is Panamanian so you can also learn about life and customs in Panama. And, she’s just a really nice teacher, patient, kind, understanding, and very experienced.

Here website is here http://www.yairatutoria.com/

Contact Yaira while she still has some time open! It takes time to learn a language, but it’s so worth it and when you know your teacher is expecting you, you are much more likely to do your homework 😀

There have been news articles and a lot of talk about recent happenings at Panama immigration, and how this might affect people here as tourists. One of the news articles is HERE and another is HERE.

From what I understand, the problem has been with people from Venezuela fleeing their troubled country and coming here to work, but without legal status in Panama. There has also been this loophole in the rules. You are allowed to stay in Panama for 180 days as a tourist, but if you leave the country for some unwritten amount of time, usually three days, you can reenter Panama and get another 180 days. Some people from Venezuela tried to do this recently and were not permitted to come back into Panama. So far, as far as I know, no one else has been denied entry back into Panama. But there seems to be a trend towards tightening up border security and enforcing immigration laws, so it is quite possible that anyone who lives here as a tourist doing “border runs” won’t be able to continue this.

I checked Chiriqui Chatter since Mr. Williams in our embassy warden. Click the link to read his post, and I am also sharing here the response from the US Embassy.

We here at the Embassy have reached out to immigration to obtain details about the news pasted below regarding the implementation of immigration regulations. According to the Duty Chief at Migracion-Paso Canoas, the PNM Immigration Director is enforcing these migratory requirements across Panama. This means that if an Immigration Official determines that a foreigner is using tourism status to reside in Panama, the entry will not be allowed. The Duty Chief gave examples of this situation, indicating that persons who exit Panama before the 6th month approaches and re-enter after three days, which is a clear sign that the individual is residing in Panama under a tourist status, will not be allowed re-entry.

In summary, these regulations were already in the books but now it seems the immigration authorities throughout Panama are going to be stricter about enforcement. That said, we have yet to receive a complaint from a U.S. citizen actually denied entry at the border for the reason outlined above.

Someone posted the latest information that the Canadian Embassy received from Panama immigration and it is essentially the same.

Tourists may only remain in Panama for a maximum of 180 days. If you wish to remain in the country after that time, you must change your residency status. If you attempt to renew your stay in Panama by travelling out of the country for a short period of time with the intention of returning to Panama as a tourist, immigration authorities may deny you re-entry, as they are implementing stricter border controls. Consult Immigration Panama for more information.

It seems to me that anyone living here as a tourist would be advised to either get legal or consider moving elsewhere. There is no guarantee that the border hopping and perpetual tourist thing is going to work for much longer.

Just when you think you have seen every new and interesting bug, something else comes along. This one was on the floor the other night.

It wasn’t very big. That’s a quarter nearby for comparison

I put a glass over it so it wouldn’t run off. Is that front part the head? It used its feelers on the front to explore.

I got a clearer glass. It had no problem walking up the inside of the glass

This is one of the strangest bugs I’ve seen yet

When I downloaded the photos, I found a bunch more than I had forgotten about. I was house sitting for a friend who has a great yard full of flowers, so most are from there.

This beauty had wrapped itself up in a leaf on a heliconia plant in my yard

In my friend’s yard – I want to paint this one, interesting play of light

These interesting flowers look like big globes from the side

cool view of the pollen on the stamen

the ti plants were blooming

bamboo orchid

my friend also has cool spiders

another interesting bug that was on our wall one night

I looked up ti plant to be sure I spelled it right. It is Cordyline_fruticosa, has a number of other names, is from Polynesia,  and is in the asparagus family. The rhizomes can be eaten, and the leaves can be used to thatch roofs, store food, or make Hawaiian hula skirts. Who knew! Click on the link. The article is short but interesting. Ghost repellent? Good luck? Lava sledding?

On our last day, we woke up to rain. Our hosts said rain was predicted for the next two days. That was OK. Since we had already seen so much of Havana, we didn’t feel like we were missing out. And, our host was home recovering from his cut hand, so more interesting conversations were in store.

the roads were wet and the bicycles were covered

bit of street art across the street

our apartment building

But, soon there were spots of blue in the sky, and by noon it was bright and clear! We decided to head out for some more exploring. One thing I enjoyed was getting a closer look at the sculpture. Check out the artist’s website http://www.artsanjuan.com/  He’s Cuban, from Havana and does some really interesting stuff. I wish the photo of the sign had come out better. It says – “Faces can show the soul of the people, the diversity of gender. It is impossible for me to avoid beauty, confrontation and transculturation among us. Today our globalized world is this. It is presence here and there. Why women? Because they are the utmost expression of life. My interest, as an artist, is to donate this piece to the heart of the city. May it beat among us, so that passerby may coexist with it and forever treasure it in their memory.”

it cleared up beautifully

a bit more street art

look, way down there on the right, the American Embassy!

I love this art

Visit the artist’s website. It’s worth your time. IMO

We decided to set off for the Malecon, and turn left towards a different part of town.

You see quite a few pay phones around the city

just a street

and another

is there anywhere without tour buses?

very interesting street art

I backed off to get a look at the whole building with the ornate tile while Joel enjoyed the street art. Apparently the building is not in use, judging by the trees growing in the second floor.

we passed this pretty church

the church looks to be in very good condition

what a beautiful building

We ended up in a more commercial part of the city. It looked like this is where the citizens lived and worked, not a tourist area.

a theater for concerts and other events?

a department store

check out the trees in this park!

there must be a WiFi hot spot here, judging by all the people looking at their phones

a bridal shop

I didn’t feel comfortable walking into stores and taking photos, but I did snap a quick one of this crowded shoe store

Interesting 3rd floor. Is it just a facade?

just walking around

It turned out to be a really beautiful day so it was a pleasure to be out exploring again!

another entrance to Chinatown.

The papaya tree up there had a fruit on it

more street art

I don’t know what is up with these dolls stuck up on the wall

After wandering for a few hours, we decide to turn towards home. We felt like we had been in an entirely different part of town but we actually weren’t that far from our home base.

sometimes some of the trash bins get full to overflowing. But in general the streets are kept clean and trash is put where it belongs.

This was very weird! Read below. Chickens…

and goats…

more veggies for sale

more run down but elegant buildings

my exploring partner 😀

and a bit of street art

About the red car and the goats and chickens… something caught my ear, like a child hollering but when I spotted the source, I realized it was a guy putting a couple little goats into that red car. Soon he came back with chickens, and then the bigger goat in the picture, and then more chickens. I mentioned this to our hosts and they explained it was the Santeria religion, that they use the animals for sacrifices. They didn’t know what was done with them later but according to some information I found on line, they are eaten. This BBC article talks about it.

It rained later in the evening and during the night, but we got lucky with the weather all day. We had a great morning talking with our hosts and did a bit more exploring as well. And, when we got back we found out our hosts had enjoyed a much needed nap. His parents aren’t well so he, and often both of them go to their apartment every evening to take care of them, sometimes returning after midnight so along with their daytime activities, our hosts have a lot going on.

I spent some time on the balcony one late afternoon just watching the neighbors. These photos were probably taken in the space of 5-10 minutes, and as you can see a lot of living is done outdoors even if there is only a small balcony available.

I think these guys were raising pigeons. I saw some fly towards and away from this spot, and I think here the guys were looking for the pigeons in the air.

A street vendor makes a sale

and another sale. Sandwiches?

hanging out on balconies. The guy on the upper one was having a conversation with someone across the street.

a conversation between neighbors

another lady on a balcony

some friends come to visit

I’m very curious to know what is going on with the cardboard in the upper parts of the doorways. We were told that most old apartments have very high ceilings, even 18 feet. Is this the case here, and they are trying to block the elements from the upper parts?

a guy exercising on his roof

more conversations

this man and wife seemed to take turns on the balcony

apparently she keeps her water supply on the balcony

laundry time – the ladies came from the small building on the left. We were told that extra living space is often built on roofs

Isn’t that the guy from the balcony a little while ago? Now it looks like he’s sending something up to the neighbor lady.

Someone asked about trash. These blue trash bins are found everywhere.

Now a man came out and starting washing clothes in a bucket

such a pretty sunset

more colors in the sky

About the blue trash bins in one of the photos, they are found on every street and sometimes later in the day they are overflowing. We were told that trash trucks come around every night. And, the lady with the water on her balcony – no one drinks the tap water in Cuba. Our hostess boiled the water and then put it through a filter in a big jug on the counter. Any time we or anyone else needed water we would go there.

I also mentioned the extra living spaces on roofs. Our host pointed a number of places that had been built on roofs by people who needed living space, and it seemed that almost every roof had these places. He also said it’s common to build an extra floor in apartments that have very high ceilings. Living space can be very expensive for people on limited incomes so they have learned to be creative and use every resource they have.

I liked hanging out on the balcony, enjoying the warm breezes and sounds of the city. It reminded me a bit of New York City in my distant past, when spring would finally come and you could open your windows, and then the sounds of the city would flood in and you would feel so much a part of the energy of the city.

Today we walked north to the water, thinking we hadn’t seen that area but it turned out to be where we got off the bus and walked towards old Havana. But, there were still quite a few things we hadn’t seen in this area and more things to photograph.

street art

Parque de los Enamorados (park of lovers)

doing something on her balcony

Young Communists offices

Tunnel under the water

Plaza 13 de Marzo

Young Communists Offices

A sports event at a school

It was being filmed and the media van was parked outside

in Cuban pesos?

are you looking at my meat??

A funky entrance to a building, not unusual

a cool tree

police offices, no you can’t visit in here

This is still the historical area full of tourists so of course there were dozens of fancy old cars, mostly convertibles, and we were approached countless times for taxis, rides, tours, cigars, anything anyone thought they could sell us but this led to a few pleasant conversations as well.

Yep, tourists = cool cars

check out this Cadillac

this one is interesting too

a few boats in the water

a small Neptune

a very large Jesus statue on the other side of the water

that’s quite a yacht!

Gueogui Gueorguiev who started and ended his trip around the world here (1977)

another cool car

on the top of a building

Italian cruise ship (though registered in Panama)

People had apparently climbed up there for a view

I like the pink and purple one

Feeding pigeons outside the Basílica San Francisco de Asis

We stopped into a few art galleries, but for me the street art is the most interesting.

A very pretty courtyard in an art gallery

bust of Mozart

I should have taken notes on who is this artist

more art on the walls

I like this one

these are interesting too

a model on a photo shoot

another art gallery

I like the glass

school kids

in a back corner of Basílica San Francisco de Asis

another model on a photo shoot

the first model, again

We arrive at plaza Vieja

Somehow we missed Plaza Vieja before. This dates from the mid 1500’s, and has gone through a number of name changes and uses.

I like this sculpture

cyclists walk through the square

ride that chicken!

gorgeous old building under renovation

another very contented cat at a beer brewery place

more art galleries

things that make you go ummmm

I saved the signs but they are talking about something else, not the works behond

we would see this car again…

more ornate old architecture

veggie and fruit market

building? renovating?

down another street

more interesting art

We saw many buildings under renovation but for me, the old untouched buildings are almost more interesting with their remnants of paint and trees growing on the top floors. If they could talk, what stories would they have to tell?

check out the trees growing on the top floor

this is one of my favorite photos

laundry everywhere, always

a graphic workshop, some info

the art studio, printing area

ahh, we’ve been here before

today the fortune teller is busy

a herd of tourists, and a car that can’t quite make the turn

back to the museo

it looks like the kids have gym class on the square

more renovation

another interesting building

almost home

Back in front of our place, a car under repair, supplies being delivered somewhere

We had been doing hours of walking and our legs were starting to feel the strain, so we returned to our place in the late afternoon and stayed in for the rest of the evening, napping, sorting photos, and relaxing. The next day, our last, we would visit some of regular Havana instead of the touristy historic areas.