Food in Panama – 2RetireInPanama?

Incredible Adventures Boca Chica and Boquete

There are no words to describe how amazing our recent adventures were. We have experienced whale watching on one other occasion without disappointment, but it was nothing compared to our recent trip to the Gulf of Chiriquí in Boca Chica.

We traveled with two other couples to Boca Chica, where we checked into our favorite resort, Regalo. Jen and I stayed at Regalo Resort on one other occasion, and we found it just as beautiful and charming as we remembered. The resort is wonderfully remote while convenient to the public pier at Boca Chica. The proprietors, Carol and Jenni, have recently put in a pickleball court and converted the helipad into a bahio, where they host yoga retreats. They tell us that the resort is booked at capacity for most of the year, and they’re planning a minor expansion.

They employ a full-time chef, a bartender, and maid staff to serve the guests. The entire staff met us upon our arrival. They collected our bags and whisked them away to our suites while we checked in and were treated to a welcome cocktail at the bar. Dinner is typically offered in two choices, with other options for those with special diets or needs. We were given our options for dinner and asked what time we wanted to eat.

A table was set up on the pool deck for our party of six and another for the other guests in the resort. The other guests were a family of four from Florida who had spent the day deep sea fishing. They told us of the magnificent time they had and were asking Carol how they could transport their catch back to Florida. This seemed to me a near impossibility, but Carol was preparing their fish for the trip, packing it in a cooler with ice.

The resort can arrange any adventure from the public pier at Boca Chica. On our prior trip, we did an island-hopping boat tour with an excellent captain, Victor. Our tour started on Isla Bolanos, where we could swim and soak in the wondrous sights and sounds of the Gulf of Chiriquí. The second stop was Isla Paridas, where we enjoyed a great lunch. It was the only island with commerce. We saw just one small house serving drinks and fresh seafood, so we took the opportunity to restock our cooler and have Red Snapper served with salad, rice, and patacones. Following lunch, we swam on the beautiful beach before heading to our third island, Isla Gomez. It was a tiny, uninhabited island with a perfect beach. We did not have to share this island with anyone else. Captain Victor gave us an hour to swim and enjoy the beach before returning us to the pier at Boca Chica.

That day, we shared the boat with a Panamanian family. The couple and their well-behaved children were bi-lingual and spoke English to us. They ended up joining us for dinner at Regalo. It’s no surprise that they have become lifelong friends. It always amazes us how welcoming and friendly the Panamanian people are.

After returning to the pier, we walked around a bit in the village. There was truly little to see and do there. Boca Chica is a basic little town of fishermen and tourist boat excursions. This is a popular destination for whale watching. The whales migrate to the Gulf of Chiriquí from August to October. This is where whales give birth because of its safe, warm waters. Otherwise, everyone there had an agenda of fishing, sightseeing, or scuba diving. This was not whale season, so we saw no whales on our excursion. There were no cute little shops or restaurants, so we returned to Regalo for a relaxed evening meal with our new friends.

Our priority on this trip to Boca Chica was to see whales. From July to October, the humpback whales arrive in the Gulf of Chiriquí after their long journey from Antarctica to have their young and teach them to survive. The waters here are perfect for breeding as they must be warm and safe. This offers well-being and protection to their babies, who must be born with fat to resist the cold temperatures.

Adult males measure between 12 and 14 meters, somewhat smaller than females. An adult humpback whale can measure between 15 and 18 meters and live up to 50 years. Its weight ranges between 25 and 40 tons.

On Tuesday, we went to the pier, where we met our guide for the day, Jay. He proved to be an expert at finding whales. Although the location of the whales is sometimes tricky, Jay knew where to go and gave us the show of a lifetime.

Our day included a stop at Isla Paridas, where we had stopped on our previous adventure, to have a delightful lunch of fresh langostinos (shrimp).

Our day ended at the resort, where we swam in the beautiful infinity pool, enjoying drinks prepared and served by the bartender while the chef prepared another delightful meal.

My Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes and salad.

After extreme adventuring, we visited with our gracious hosts, and all turned in early. Carol and Jenni posed for a fan photo. We don’t often endorse or recommend places unless we would return. This is a place we will return again and again. See my September 11, 2023, issue 154 Newsletter for a link to this magnificent place.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say here that the breakfast at Regalo is delightful and included in the price for a night. They served fruit and a breakfast selection with juice and fresh coffee from the Chiriquí highlands of Boquete both mornings. One of the couples we traveled with arranged an extra day in Boquete to tour a local coffee finca (farm).

Following our delightful breakfast on Wednesday morning, we drove to Boquete. The drive was beautiful and relatively short. If you’ve ever driven in Panama, you know the roads in parts of the country are not so great. The Inter-Americana Highway from Santiago to David is relatively new and in excellent shape.

On our initial trip to Boquete, we journeyed in one day. The entire trip is about 400km, taking approximately five hours without stops. We’ve been there three times with no shortage of adventure stories.

Boquete is a small mountain town in Panama. It’s located in the westernmost Province of Chiriquí, about 60 kilometers (37 mi) from the border with Costa Rica, and lies on the Caldera River in Panama’s green mountain highlands. Because of its elevation of 1,200 meters (3,900 ft) above sea level, its climate is cooler than the lowlands. Its scenic location, temperature, and natural environment make it popular with Panamanians and attracts tourists and retirees from all over the world.

Archaeological studies support the idea that Boquete’s history started between 300 AD to 600 BC. In this region, you can find petroglyphs (prehistoric rock carvings) that are evidence of the ancient settlements in the area. During the Spanish colonization, the highland area was an isolated refuge for the indigenous tribes like the Ngöbe and the Misquito due to the topographic terrain. The colonization of Boquete began in the second half of the nineteenth century by locals from Bugaba, Gualaca, and David and foreigners from Yugoslavia, France, Germany, and other European countries. Colonizers also arrived from the United States, starting the first coffee plantations and agricultural farms. In Spanish, the word Boquete means ‘gap or opening.’ It was through this gap that curious gold seekers trekked, looking for a cheaper and quicker way to the Pacific. By the early twentieth century, several villages had been populated: Lino, Quiel, Bajo Mono, Los Naranjos, and Bajo Boquete, which now is the town center of the district.

The town of Boquete has a population of around 25,000, including around 2500 expats from all over the world. It also has some of the most beautiful waterfalls, flowers, hundreds of bird species, butterflies, and hiking.

It should be no surprise that Boquete hosts a couple of Panama’s biggest festival celebrations. It is the perfect setting to stimulate artistic ability and creative talent, making it ideal for hosting the annual Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival.

Boquete boasts a vibrant music and arts scene. The annual Boquete Jazz Festival was founded in 2007, the second-largest jazz festival in the country after the Panama City Jazz Festival. Having been renamed Boquete Jazz & Blues Festival, it’s held annually in February. Since 2012, the event has showcased first-class international Blues acts and notable Panamanian and Latin American artists featuring Jazz and Latin American music styles. It was the first festival in Panama to do so. These entertainers are a great success! According to friends who have attended the festival, it features outstanding talent. As people walk about, they say there are smiles on every face, dancing, and great fun. This has been described as a great community event for all. My information tells me the festival is moving from Boquete in 2024 to the Buenaventura Resort on the Pacific Riviera.

The Boquete Flower Festival has been held annually from around January 11^th through the 21^stsince 1984. Our good friends attended the festival, and this is how they described what they found. The festival is held in the Feria grounds on the east bank of the Boquete River near an old cable suspension bridge. The bridge is indeed an engineering wonder as, despite its dilapidated condition, it still stands and carries traffic. They found a festival atmosphere with at least 200 stalls. Local artisans displayed everything from local native costumes to coffee, handicrafts, food, beer stands, and magnificent flowers. The army of gardeners had done a masterful job keeping the 30,000-plus blooms bright and well-watered despite the drying winds and tropical sun. Given the altitude and climate, it was apparent that the organizers had gone to great lengths to pick the most attractive and durable plants. Our friends saw everything from petunias and pansies to beautiful bright chrysanthemums. In the center, they found a display by the local orchid society. These blooms were indeed the jewel in the Feria’s crown and as exotic and exquisite as the orchid name implies.

On their drive from David north to Boquete, they noticed, with the change in climate from hot and humid to cool and refreshing, multicolored flowers were abundant along the roadside and in the ditches. It was easy for them to understand why Boquete is Panama’s flower capital. They also told me that missing the vegetable display would have been tragic. The abundant vegetables in the area are responsible for the fantastic food found in the restaurants locally. Based on my experience, Boquete always has something great to enjoy.

Visitors to Boquete are frequently invited to visit the Tuesday Market because it is such an integral part of the community. The Tuesday Market activities have been a big success, both commercially speaking and in integrating the locals and the expatriates working side by side. Any Tuesday visit to Boquete must include a visit to the Market. We have visited there on two previous occasions.

The last time we were there, we took a hike on the Pipeline Trail, explored the countryside, and hiked the hanging bridges of Tree Trek. We were traveling with my writing group, and Detective Larry was conceived at the same hotel where we stayed on this trip. I am anxious to share the first of the Detective Larry Saunders Mysteries, Murder in Eagle Cove. It is scheduled for release on November 1st, 2023. Newsletter subscribers are getting advance notice of special events and some surprises. Subscribing to the Newsletter is simple and free. You likely received an invitation to subscribe when you opened this blog post. If you didn’t get the invitation or skipped over it, send me a private message. Include your name and email address so I can add you to the distribution list.

Our agenda for this visit was to enjoy some outstanding local restaurants and take an excursion to the top of Volcan Baru. The Volcan excursion was one I never thought we would be able to do. The journey to the top is at least a four-hour hike in each direction. For an old, out-of-shape senior citizen, this is unattainable. Fortunately, we found a tour company offering transportation to the summit by four-wheel drive ATV.

We arrived in town with time to explore before stopping at a local favorite, Big Daddy’s, for lunch. After a relaxing lunch, we went to Boquete Garden Inn for the next two nights. The inn has a happy hour at six every evening and a complimentary breakfast each morning. We settled into our rooms and met our fellow travelers for a glass of wine in the hotel’s delightful bar. Our dinner reservations were at The Rock. It’s considered one of the finest restaurants in town. I may get hate mail for this, but let’s say it’s not likely to be a place where I would return. Our dinner bill was the highest of our adventure, and it was just average food. The highlight of the experience was a marshmallow roast at the firepit in the outside dining area after our meal.

We met our tour operator on Thursday morning in front of the inn at 3:30 a.m. The early departure meant we would drive to the summit of Volcán Barú in the dark to see the sunrise over the Caribbean if the weather cooperated.

Volcán Barú, also called Volcán de Chiriquí, is an active stratovolcano and the tallest mountain in Panama, at 3,474 meters (11,398 ft) high. It is about 35 km (22 mi) from the border of Costa Rica. It’s also the twelfth-highest peak in Central America.

Due to its height and the narrowness of the isthmus of Panama, it is possible (though relatively rare) to see both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea from Volcán Barú’s peak on a clear day.

The small town of Volcán is at the base of Volcán Barú. The erosion of a small river there exposed an ancient forest below, dated to about 1000 years old. Volcán Barú is surrounded by a fertile area of cool highlands drained by the Chiriquí Viejo and Caldera Rivers. The towns of Volcán and Cerro Punta can be found on its western side, while Boquete is on the eastern flank.

The occasional fall of hail or ice pellets has been reported on the summit, where the minimum temperature can be below 0 °C (32 °F), and frost formation is frequent during the dry season. The peak is host to a large installation of broadcast towers.

It has been determined that El Barú volcano is active and part of the extension of the Central American Volcanic Arc in Panama. In 2006, an earthquake swarm was registered in the Volcán Barú area. This was not the first; researchers cite at least three other seismic events recorded recently (1930, 1965, 1985).

In 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with Panama’s Science, Technology, and Innovation Secretariat (SENACYT) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), published a study on different aspects of Volcán Barú. The report outlined potential hazard areas, rock composition, and areas affected by previous eruptions; there is evidence that during the last eruption, which occurred in the 16th century, the debris avalanche deposits covered an area reaching as far as the Pacific Ocean (the largest documented in Central America and nearly ten times the area covered by the Mt. St. Helens debris avalanche in 1980).

Data collected at several locations from four previous eruptions during the last 1600 years indicate that a new eruption would last several years, putting population and costly infrastructure at risk in the areas surrounding the volcano. Typical events during such volcanic episodes include pyroclastic flows, super-heated gas clouds rapidly descending the volcano’s east flank, conceivably reaching as far as Boquete, Alto Boquete, and the Caldera River, and fallout of ash and other particles ranging in size from dust to one-meter blocks, known as tephra, causing fires, roof collapses, water contamination, crop damage and eye and lung irritation, especially among elders and infants. A third type of event, mud and debris flows, known as lahars, create landslides, obstruct river courses, and could have long-term effects in the zone. The severity of these events is directly related to the lava flows and their interaction with underground water deposits.

The volcano was declared Volcán Barú National Park in 1976, with an area of 14,325 ha (35,400 acres). It’s a part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Fauna includes the black guan, black-and-white hawk-eagle, Underwood’s water mouse, volcano junco, wren thrush, and yellow-thighed brush finch. Over 250 species of birds have been identified within the park, and all five species of big cats live here as well. The national park protects various habitats, including humid montane forests, low humid montane forests, and montane rainforests.

The park’s most popular hiking trail is the Sendero Los Quetzales (Los Quetzales Trail), which connects Boquete with Cerro Punta and wraps around the side of the volcano. The trail takes around 6 hours to hike. There is another trail to the top of the volcano, but this is long, steep, and strenuous.

On our visit, we could see the Pacific coast clearly while clouds shrouded the Caribbean side of the volcano. The summit is the only destination in Panama where there has ever been snow. It was about 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) when we reached the top. There was no snow, but the 25-mph wind was unforgiving. The volcano has seven craters, which are all visible from the top. The Volcan Baru National Park allows only fifteen vehicles to make the ascent to the summit daily, and there were two others there on Thursday morning. The road to the top is roughly thirteen km of extreme rocks and ruts. Our driver, Melissa, was very skilled and delivered us safely to the top and back. The park only allows qualified, experienced drivers to make the journey. We followed another driver from her company in both directions. The two groups included our group of six, another guy who paid for a private tour, two drivers, and a guide. There was one stop along the way to clear rocks from the road for passage. I understand that hikers can no longer hike up in the dark of night. Camping at the summit is also no longer allowed. I believe the other tour company delivered some individuals to the top who would make the hike down. In any case, it is a challenging hike for even the most experienced hikers.

While at the top, our tour operator made us breakfast while we stood in awe of the magnificent sunrise views and the surrounding vistas. The trek was about two hours in each direction. Each time a vehicle makes the trip to the top, it is taken immediately for a complete inspection. She says replacing the tires, shocks, and brakes is commonly a short cycle. The ride down was a bit more daunting than the ride to the top. One of our fellow travelers arrived at the bottom with bruised ribs from the descent.

It’s always worse to see the road ahead.

I cultivated some of the history and geography from Wikipedia, while some came from our guide.

Our dinner plans on Thursday night took us to RetroGusto. This was one of the best meals of the week, in my opinion. I rarely share pictures of food, but the image below is of my entree. I enjoyed the smoked pork chop. I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Boquete. The restaurants in Boquete are a treat, and we all wished we could experience more of them. We have been to RetroGusto on one other trip to Boquete, and the experience both times was delightful.

On a previous trip there, we enjoyed Mesa Azul, which we recommend. We enjoyed a great meal at George’s Grill on our first trip. I related a great story in the first edition of 2 Retire In Panama? from George’s, but some readers had terrible experiences there, so I will refrain from recommending it.

Friday morning, we enjoyed a delightful breakfast at the Boquete Garden Inn before checking out and heading home. This hotel has been renovated and remains a favorite place in Boquete. We always find great new friends while visiting. On our drive back to Coronado, we found Dona Gladys. This was a stop Jen and I made on our first trip to Boquete, and I stated in the first edition of 2 Retire in Panama? that I didn’t think we would ever find it again.

I always recommend spending several months on the ground here in Panama before deciding where to retire. The consensus of our group was that Boquete is a beautiful place to visit for many reasons, but a little damp and cool. We’re pretty happy living in the beach community of Coronado. Go and explore the country and draw your own conclusion.

Our next great adventure is less than two weeks away. We are traveling to the Mayan Riviera of Mexico, near Cancun. We plan to visit Tulum and enjoy other sites near our resort. Watch for posts on social media in the weekly newsletter, and be sure to return to read our next blog post. If you’ve yet to subscribe to this blog or the newsletter, please do it. I have kept the content free and have never spammed my readers. We love you all and love sharing our adventures.

Blessings from paradise,

Greg and Jen

#welovepanama

Adventures With the Family December 2022

Jen’s family made a visit to Panama for an early Christmas celebration, and we were able to take them on a few adventures. The group included her two brothers, one sister-in-law, and two nephews. We were sad that nephew, Connor, and his wife, Olivia, were unable to be with us.

Jen’s older brother, Bill, and his wife, Deb, arrived two days prior to the others. They came through immigration and customs in under half an hour and we were on our way to Coronado in record time. Our guests always enjoy Gold Coast Brewery, so we made a dinner stop for half price wings before getting them settled into their condo accommodations just four floors down from ours in El Alcazar. Our amazing friend, Joan, offered her place for the family while she traveled, and it proved to be perfect with everyone getting their own bed and bathroom. While the family was here, we were able to have meals together and play some family card games in Joan’s condo, which offered a much bigger space than our own.

Thursday gave us some time with Bill and Deb, which was perfect for a trip to the Coronado Thursday Market and some last-minute shopping to prepare for the rest of the family’s arrival. We also took the opportunity to enjoy the pool and a nice dinner at Nazca 21. Bill ordered the whole corvina and was surprised when the small fish hung over the plate on both ends.

He did a pretty good job of cleaning it off the bones.

Friday morning, I prepared to make the journey to the airport to pick up the remaining guests. While the morning progressed, we watched their flights. Jon was traveling from Minneapolis, while Donovan and Cullan traveled from Detroit. They were to all connect to the same flight in Atlanta. Jon’s flight was delayed as it took over an hour to “de-ice” his plane, and he missed the connection. Ultimately, he got a stand-by flight which put him more than five hours behind the nephews. Bill went along with me to the airport to pick up Cullan and Donovan.

The trip to the airport was without incident, but the return was a traffic jam typical of Friday afternoons in Panama. I always say to prepare for travel from Panama City to take anywhere from two to four hours and our trip home was on the long side. Both boys were exhausted by the time we got them settled. We had a nice dinner and off to bed they went while we waited to see what would happen with Jon. We learned he was able to make it onto the later flight, so I contacted Marc Vargas who arranged for his transportation to Coronado. It was nearly 1:00 a.m. before he got here. It was a long day for all of us, suffice it to say it was really long for Jon.

We kept our schedule loose for Saturday, but everyone was awake in plenty of time to take our first real adventure to El Valle. It’s always a favorite of guests, and we could have spent much more than a day there. Our first stop was El Macho Falls. Everyone except Jen and I zip-lined the falls.

Following our zip-line and hike around the falls we went to Zapote’ for lunch. From Zapote’, we took them to the rim of the volcano for a hike to the ridge.

Our last stop was at the market. The market in El Valle is always a special favorite of guests. Everyone found a few treasures to take back to the states. Jon and Deb bought Panama hats while the others found some last-minute Christmas gifts and we all grabbed a little fresh fruit and produce.

Our dinner plans on Saturday took us to Segundo Piso. The fine dining restaurant at our club never disappoints and our dinner was no exception. Everyone had a great meal, and we went home early to prepare for our early (6:45 a.m.) Sunday departure to the Embera Village.

Sunday morning, we caravanned to Panama City with four friends. There we met our tour guide, Marc Vargas. Marc was able to bring his wife Keren, daughter Mabel, and mother-in-law, Esther. They had never been on a tour of an Embera Village, and we had room in our group. It was great having them along. Marc’s family is special to us, and we often consider them part of our own family. At the rendezvous point, we loaded onto a coaster bus for the remainder of the journey to the river where we boarded a piragua. Embera piraguas are carved from the trunk of a large tree. They take about six months to carve, and each one can take twenty passengers and a small load of cargo. We brought fruit, rice, and beans for the villagers. We also brought candy and toys for the children. Our piragua had a motor on it, but that was about all the modern conveniences one can expect to find on an Embera adventure.

Cullan Jon and Donovan ready for adventure

We made a brief stop at the village to drop off the cargo before heading to a waterfall hike about twenty minutes further up the river. The lighter load allowed us to travel to within a short walk to the falls. The place was beautiful and secluded inside the national park. This village of Embera people are living within the Chagres National Park where they are trusted with the care and conservation of the land. They are allowed to only hunt and fish for their own personal survival.

Following our visit to the falls, we were transported back to the village where we were met by the tribe. Several men from the village welcomed us with music from handmade instruments. The children met our piragua and took us to the village meeting place where we got an exhibition of native dance. The women in our group were presented with fresh flowers for their hair and Marc, along with the guide from another group, translated to tell us about the culture of the Embera people.

The children took our hands and led us to the village

From there, we were taken to an area where food was prepared. Our group was given a light lunch of fish and patacones served in a banana leaf. While we ate, we were told about their crafts and the technique for dying and carving the pieces. Everything at the village is made from wood and plants found in the jungle. The dyes are from fruits and nuts growing near the village and the carved wood pieces are from wood growing in the jungle. The crafts are priced according to the amount of time which goes into their creation.

Tilapia and Patacones served in a banana leaf

Rae, Stephanie, Donna and Patrick enjoying the delightful lunch cooked over an open fire

Cullan shows the fibers used to dye wood carvings

Deb shows us some of the fibers used in the weavings

Marc translates as the dying and carving process is explained

We were then free to explore the village and shop the crafts in the large meeting place. Each family had a table of their work, which was all magnificent. Jen and I were able to purchase three pieces which we will treasure for a lifetime. Jon and I both got Embera art in the form of a temporary tattoo made from the dyes which they use to decorate their own bodies. The “tattoo” lasted over ten days.

When it came time to depart, we were sad to leave. The people were so kind and welcoming, following us to our piragua to bid us farewell. We were able to get some great pictures and share some special moments with people who didn’t speak a word of English but communicated beautifully by sharing their jungle home.

Jon and the boys pose with an Embera family

Our coaster bus met us at the place where we had begun the adventure and transported us back to our rendezvous point. Jen and I took the family to Pedro Miguel Locks from there, in hope of seeing a boat passing through. We hung out at the viewing place for a while and were able to see several boats but really saw nothing of the locks. Late on a Sunday afternoon, we were unable to get into the gallery for tourists, and the Miraflores Locks were closed due to an incident earlier in the week. It was late when we started our journey back to Coronado. If we consider being stuck in stop and go traffic for several hours an adventure, we had our third adventure of the day. Sunday evening traffic between Coronado and the city can be brutal. We were thankful to the vendors selling water and churros to those stuck in traffic. Our final stop of the day was dinner at The Bench. It was the perfect place to unwind and talk about our amazing adventure.

The family at the viewing place of the Pedro Miguel Locks

An Iguana sunning himself on the edge of the canal

Monday was dedicated to a day of beach and pool fun. It was also Jon’s birthday. He and I took a dune buggy tour of the community and went to the beach. The tide was high and the surf strong, but we managed to have a great time. Later, I took the boys in the buggy. The tide had receded, so we were able to get out in the sand for a little fun.

Jen and Deb take a selfie with the mighty Pacific in the background

We were able to enjoy a birthday dinner together; ham, au gratin potatoes, tossed salad, and red velvet birthday cake. On the holidays, our family always enjoys playing Up the River Down the River. Monday night was capped off with a healthy card game competition.

Tuesday, we took them all to Santa Clara for a beach day and lobster lunch. The weather and food were amazing, and everyone had a great time. The beach was packed like I’ve never seen before. The anniversary of the U.S. invasion to take down Noriega (Operation Just Cause) was celebrated here as a day of mourning for the first time, and all the government offices were closed giving many the day off. This new holiday is dry, so no alcohol could be sold or served.

With a full belly Donovan relaxed on a hammock with a Pipa Fria or two.

Bill says I need to let lunch digest before a swim

On the way home we stopped for a family portrait in front of the Panama Oeste sign

Our time together was coming to a rapid end. Their departure on Thursday morning meant we had only one day of adventure left. A poll of the visitors gave us a great idea. We gathered everyone for a short hike to Filipina Falls high on the mountain near Sora. The drive to the trailhead was long, but the road was good for most of the way. Once we reached the trailhead, we paid the landowner $2.00 each, and the dogs led the way to the falls. I brought a bag of dog biscuits, and the friendly dogs did a great job of showing us the way. Jen and I had purchased Panama T-shirts for our visitors, and we all took the opportunity to sport them on the hike. This made for some great photo opportunities.

Jon swims the pool at the bottom of the falls

Great family portrait in our Panama shirts

Our farewell dinner was later in the evening at Cafe’ Med. Franco and team did a great job of making that last meal together special. It would have been great to have the family here through the holidays, but the entire time they were here was special. Their journeys home were mostly uneventful given the weather in the north. Jon landed in Minneapolis over two hours late to temperatures at negative 11 degrees F. The crew that went to Detroit landed an hour late to snowstorms, but all their cars started, and they were all able to get home safely.

Jon’s Jeep started despite the extreme temperature

As the end of 2022 rapidly approaches, we are missing our time with family. We continue to love our life in Panama. Since moving to this beautiful country, we have made some of the best friends of our lives. The relationships with these new friends keep us busy and adventuring, but the visits from old friends and family are special. We hope that all of you have a safe, healthy and blessed New Year. With adventures planned in 2023 taking us to more than 6 other countries, I look forward to filling my passport with stamps from places I never imagined. I hope we have encouraged all of you to step outside your comfort zone and take an adventure. If that adventure brings you to our neighborhood, please don’t hesitate to look us up. We love having visitors and meeting new people.

Blessings From Paradise,

Greg and Jen

#welovepanama

A Full Month of Adventures

Jen and I started our month of adventures on January 23 when we went to Panama City to prepare for a short visit to Florida. We are fully vaccinated and not required to test for covid when we travel TO Panama, but when we travel to the United States, even though we are citizens, a negative covid test is required. I am going to climb on my soap box for one brief moment, and then I will continue the story. The United States hardly requires masks, and the infection rate is under control enough for the President to repeal mask mandates at the White House. However, citizens traveling from a foreign country to the US must get a negative covid test to go home after a vacation or to visit friends and family there. We got our negative covid test and, as resident Jubilado’s, paid $30 USD each with our discount. Travelers without this benefit must pay $50 USD each, adding to the cost of travel. I believe that this is governmental overreach. Immigrants crossing the southern border are not tested and are allowed to board buses and flights all over the country, but as a tax-paying US Citizen, I must provide a negative test to go home. It is time to stand up to the tyranny of the government on this matter. These useless requirements should be removed.

We got our negative test at the airport which is required to be taken the day before travel. This cleared us to travel to our 2nd home in Florida on a flight the next day. Our winter guests in our condo were to arrive on February 1st, and we wanted to make sure everything was perfect for their arrival.

On Monday we boarded our flight to Florida. While in Florida we visited Jen’s brother, Bill, and his wife, Deb. They were snow-birding in Fort Myers, and it provided an excellent time to catch up with them. They treated us to a great meal at one of their favorite restaurants. In the morning, we all went over to a great outlet mall near their place, and I managed to buy a jacket and a couple of new shirts. Note to self…even in Florida a jacket will be necessary during the winter months. We had a delightful visit at their vacation condo, before continuing on to our place in Port Charlotte.

Mom and Rich had been staying in our condo since the end of November. It was a great time to be sure all the kinks were worked out. There were a few small mechanical issues that they were able to take care of for us before we arrived. One other issue required that we replace the washer and dryer before our guest’s arrival. With the nationwide logistics crisis, this was easier said than done. But we persevered and on Saturday, the new laundry pair was delivered. This gave mom time to do their laundry before traveling to Panama. We also had time to get all the sheets and towels washed before leaving, getting the condo in tip top shape for our winter visitors.

In addition to dealing with a few small problems, we were able to do some other visiting before turning our condo over on February 1st.

Lime Tequila in Port Charlotte is our favorite when we are there

The main reason we wanted to be in Florida at the end of January was to bring Mom and Rich back to Panama. They had been reluctant to travel to Panama because of the language barrier, and they had rarely been outside of the United States. On Tuesday February 1st the four of us boarded our flight in Miami for our non-stop flight to Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama.

Our arrival in Panama was late evening, and I choose not to drive after dark when possible. We had reservations at the Riande Hotel near the airport. This is where Jen and I had stayed prior to our departure for Florida, and they allowed us to park in their secure lot for about $5 USD per day. This detail is for those of you who may be looking for similar options in your travel to and from Panama. We stayed the night, had a nice breakfast, and found the car just as I left it. We loaded up the next day, and began our journey to Coronado.

Our journey took us past Casa de Jamon and Price Smart. We made brief stops at both. Casa de Jamon is a great restaurant supply-type food store in Costa Del Este. We picked up a few groceries there and went on to Price Smart for a few other things. Then it was on to our home in Coronado.

We arrived in Coronado mid-afternoon, and our special guests were able to settle in and relax in preparation for their full month of adventure. Our dinner plan took us to Gold Coast Brewery for half price wing night. There they met a few of our friends, and we enjoyed the wings.

I do not know where to begin other than to take the whole month in chronological order. That first partial week, we relaxed by the pool, took the buggy to the beach for some sand play, Rich got a haircut, and Mom and Jen got pedicures. Thursday is our weekly domino game. Mom and Rich joined us each week during their visit. Throughout Covid, Jen and I got together with the same small group of friends for this weekly event, and it has continued. Everyone agrees that it was one of the things that helped us all maintain our sanity during the lockdowns and other measures imposed by MINSA to keep everyone safe from the virus.

Low tide. We explored a great stretch of beach

The other constant during their visit was Sunday worship at Coronado Bible Church. Each week we had brunch after church with many of our awesome friends. Our special guests enjoyed the church, brunches, and meeting a few of our friends each week. They were slowly beginning to understand why we love our life here in Panama. Mom loved that I was an active participant in the praise team at church.

Our first adventure outside our little community was to El Valle de Anton. We included good friends Diane and Mike for a full day of exploring up there. El Valle has been a favorite of all of our visitors, with those who have had repeated visits always wanting to return. There are so many places there that we had a difficult time choosing which to explore. That day we took them to the Orchid Sanctuary, The Butterfly House, El Macho Falls, and the Sunday Market. We were disappointed that our favorite restaurant was closed. This gave us a chance to try another place that just did not meet our high standards. The market gave me a chance to grab some fresh vegetables while everyone else shopped the vendors. El Valle is a short 45-minute drive from Coronado straight up the mountain. The entire village lies in the crater of a volcano. The climate is a bit cooler than the beach communities, and many expats live there. Check out my book or the archives of this blog to learn more about this magnificent place.

El Macho Falls. We couldn’t get them to zip-line it.

The bookstore, El Hombre de La Mancha, had requested more books which I was able to bring back from the States. The second Thursday our guests were here we went back into the city to make the delivery. This was a big highlight for me as, when we arrived, they asked me for an interview and photo session. They are promoting my book on their social media, and it appears that it is selling well in their stores. The delivery allowed them to stock it in every store nationwide. We were surprised to find it among the Panama Travel and History books despite the fact that it is only offered in English. People who have looked for it in the English section have been unable to find it in the stores. The price for it here in their stores is higher, but the bookstore is a huge advocate for literacy in Panama. That makes my day to feel like I am doing some small part for literacy here.

Mom found it in the main store in San Francisco

Karen Ceballos, Director of Marketing at El Hombre de La Mancha

After leaving the bookstore we were able to take Mom and Rich for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants in the city, Michael’s. Mike Nikolich is the owner, and his place is a very successful for breakfast and lunch. He is a native of Michigan and has spent years in the restaurant business in Panama. Following lunch, we went down to Panama Viejo. This is the original ruins of the first Panama City. It was the first port where goods entered the country and were transported over land to the Caribbean for shipment to the America’s, Europe, and Spain. This gave our guests a perspective of what Panama was like before the canal was constructed. This location was repeatedly attacked by pirates who were after the precious gold and silver from South America. The city was later relocated to what is now called Casco Viejo (old town), where they could more easily protect it.

Mike Nikolich grabbed a copy of my book.

Mom and Rich in front of the tower at Panama Viejo

The following week we caught up with our good friend, and the master of tour guides, Marc Vargas, to take an adventure to the Caribbean side of the country. Marc picked us up and took us for a look at the Agua Clara Lock on the Caribbean end of the canal. Agua Clara is the new lock designed to accommodate the huge Pana Max ships. This gave Rich a firsthand look at how the canal works. Marc took us from there to the Gatun Locks just adjacent to the Agua Clara lock. The visitor center there is closed, but we were able to see a cruise ship passing through over the hill. He continued on down to the Gatun Dam where the Chagres River is dammed to provide water to Lake Gatun which is a huge part of the canal passage. We went from there across the new Atlantic Bridge. I call this the bridge to nowhere because, when it was completed, the road leading away from it on the west side of the canal was dirt. It is now paved and leads to Fort Sherman, Shelter Bay and Fort San Lorenzo Castle. We visited all three. The road is now nicely paved right through the jungle to the ruins at San Lorenzo. It is also paved all the way north to Shelter Bay. Fort Sherman has been mostly deserted since the United States turned the canal over to the Panamanian people. Shelter Bay remains a prosperous marina which is protected from hurricanes. After lunch at the marina, we went through the jungle to Fort San Lorenzo Castle. This was a wonderful experience. The Fort is under full restoration to maintain its UNESCO World Heritage designation. I cannot wait to visit again after the restoration is completed. Despite the construction going on, this is a beautiful tour. The Fort sits at the mouth of the Chagres River high on a bluff where it was easily protected from the pirates. Thank you, Marc, for showing us a great time.

Marc gives us a little detail on the new Agua Clara Lock

A cruise ship passing through the Gatun Locks

This Coate’ came to see where we were going

There was a major restoration in progress at San Lorenzo Castle

Fort San Lorenzo Castle sits at the mouth of the Chagres River

Fort Sherman is in ruins…no need to stop here

Every week during their visit we went to the club at Coronado Luxury Club & Suites. Jen and I are members, and we enjoy the entertainment on Saturday nights. That first week we enjoyed a comedian in the Sports Bar followed by Pascal Turner at the pool bar. We especially enjoy Pascal, and, fortunately, he played every Saturday night during their visit with us. Pascal often invites me to sing with him and it has become something for which I look forward. The third Saturday we took our special guests to the fine dining restaurant at the club, Secundo Piso. We invited friends John and Barbie to join us. This was a special treat, and it is one of the places which we highly recommend. Reservations are required and they are only open on weekends. In the past, non-members have been welcomed at the resort on Saturday night.

Mom and Rich take the opportunity to dance

Also, that last week in Coronado Mom and Rich spent three nights at the resort hotel to give us all a break from each other. Jen and I get free nights every year with our paid membership, and we wanted them to have a special treat. They hung out by the resort pool and got waited on. Rich wanted to order foo foo drinks with fruit and little umbrellas. I wish we had pictures of that. During one of those days at the resort, we got together for a special late lunch at the Beach Club. The Beach Club is reserved for members and resort guests. We had a nice lunch and missed the last shuttle back. I wish they had let us know that it would be the last, but we were hardly done eating when it came. The staff sent us back on the employee bus. Someone suggested that we just stay and sleep on the beach. That was not an option…LOL.

A bird’s eye view of the beach at the club

Almost every Tuesday we ventured to the movie. The local theater, Cine Moderno, plays movies in English every Tuesday, and it is a favorite way to spend Tuesday evening in the community. We always meet up with many friends there and enjoy the show. For Jubilado’s (retired people), the movie plays for $2.50 USD each. They have great refreshments also at a reasonable price. I put the movie schedule in my newsletter every week, but recently they have added more shows in English on other days. I cannot always put all the shows and times, so check with the theater for additional showtimes. Rich said he had not been to the movies in years, and both he and mom thoroughly enjoyed this activity…even if the movie was not always something we would normally go out of our way to see.

We ventured to Santa Clara to another of our favorite places on the beach, Deliciosa Del Mar. We invited friends, Lorin and Judy, along for what we hoped would be a lobster feast. Judy gets the credit for the magnificent sunset photo in the featured position above. Unfortunately, we missed the beginning of Lobster season by a few weeks. We all still had some great fresh seafood before venturing onto the beach. Everyone had a great time people watching and swimming in the ocean. This little restaurant has palapas on the beach where you can eat or have drinks. They rent them to people who do not order from them, but they are free to patrons. We all had a great time.

That last Friday night in Coronado we caught up with Mike and Diane for a great dinner at Café Med. We always seem to get a great meal there and this visit was no exception.

To cap off our month of adventures with Mom and Rich, we went from Coronado to Panama City at the beginning of Carnival traffic. Travel into the city can be a challenge during Carnival. We soon encountered the lane inversion and we were sharing our side of the highway with traffic heading to the beaches. This was not horrible, but it slowed down our journey. We anticipated travel challenge, so we wanted to have plenty of time to get them near the airport for their journey home on March 1st. This gave us a couple of days to adventure in the city.

When we crossed the Bridge of the Americas, the decision was made to check out the Amador Causeway and go to the Biodiversity Museum. This is something that all of our past visitors have enjoyed, and we knew that Mom and Rich would love the experience as well. We were not wrong. The Biodiversity Museum is something that no visitor to Panama should miss. We went down the causeway for lunch and some souvenir shopping, followed by our visit to the museum. After the museum, we checked into our hotel at the Radisson Panama Canal.

Panama City skyline from Amador Causeway Love the new Sombreros!

See the Biodiversity Museum over Rich’s shoulder?

Even after almost four years living in Panama, I look for new adventures when we have company. Sometimes the new adventures are a giant failure, but this one was a definite high and one of the best experiences for myself. On Saturday evening we ventured to the JW Marriott (former Trump Tower) for a ringside seat on the 66th floor for sunset. The pool bar is owned by the casino and only accessible through the casino. The elevator will only stop at the parking garage or the 66th floor unless someone has a key to stop elsewhere. When we exited the elevator, we were welcomed into an amazing outside venue with an infinity pool, and our reserved table was waiting for us next to the pool. The views of the city and sunset were unbelievable. We enjoyed a light dinner (pub food) and drinks while we watched the sunset. This will be another of those experiences that we share with others. If you get the chance, do not miss this one.

The following morning, we were whisked away by shuttle to a boat dock in the middle of the Gamboa Rain Forest where we caught our boat. It is definitely a small world when every one else on the tour bus is from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area, really close to where mom and Rich live! The Pacific Queen took us on a partial transit of the Panama Canal. Rich was so intrigued by the canal that we could not deny him this experience. When we departed the dock, we had a few drops of rain which quickly subsided. Our boat went south on the Panama Canal as the guide told us interesting facts about what we were seeing. We traveled past a Pana Max ship, the largest of container ships. We would see this ship later passing through the big new lock at Miraflora while we were passing through the smaller locks. We passed the prison where Noriega spent the last years of his life, and several big dredging cranes. The Gaillard Cut, which was formally known as the Culebra Cut, is where most of the lives were lost in the construction of the canal. It is the narrow mountain pass taking the canal through the Continental Divide. This stretch of the canal requires constant maintenance due to the mud slides and silt accumulating in its bottom. This is where the canal authority spends the majority of its maintenance budget.

The prison where Noriega was incarcerated

This is a large Pana Max ship. We passed it after entering the canal from the dock in Gamboa

We continued through the cut and past the Centennial Bridge before reaching the Pedro Miguel Lock. We moved into the lock which we shared on this journey with another tour boat, a small cargo vessel, and a larger ship. We were lowered in the lock to the level of Mira Flores Lake. Mira Flores Lake is a manmade lake connecting the Pedro Miguel lock with the Mira Flores Locks. Once across the small lake, we entered the Mira Flores locks once again sharing with the other three vessels. Mira Flores has two locks taking us down to sea level. After passing through all three locks, we moved on toward the Pacific and our destination port. We passed under the Bridge of the Americas, then past our hotel and the Amador Causeway before rounding the point and making dock at the Port of Panama. The total time of our excursion was right around 5 hours. Previously, Jen and I did a full passage which took around 12 hours. The partial passage was much better, as the full passage took several hours crossing Lake Gatun.

A small cargo vessel entering the lock at Pedro Miguel ahead of us

The Welcome Center at the Mira Flores Locks.

The Centennial Bridge. See the Gaillard Cut (part of it) as we approach.

This is the 1st lock at Mira Flores. You can see the last lock ahead of us.

While going through the locks we were next to this other tour boat.

Moving out from the locks toward the Pacific

Every vessel has a pilot from the canal authority during transit. This is our pilot departing the vessel.

Our day was not over. We went back to the hotel for a minute, and Marc Vargas picked us up for a little tour of Casco Viejo. We wanted to have another sunset experience from a rooftop in Casco. Marc selected Tantalo, where we had a bite to eat and watched the sunset from a different perspective. Marc graciously showed us around a little, and we took in the amazing sites of Casco Viejo. This is one of those places that really requires an entire day. If you are fortunate enough to get to this neighborhood, check out the many plazas, the churches, The Panama Canal Museum (among others), the artisan vendors, architecture, restaurants, coffee shops, chocolatiers, souvenir shops, and do not miss the rooftop bars.

Another cool picture. This is a panorama before the sun began setting.

On their last day in Panama, we mostly just rested from exhaustion. We relocated to a hotel near the airport, got covid tests, and shopped in a mall nearby. Jen and I are still recovering here, and I imagine that mom and Rich are doing the same in Florida.

Our visitors waiting to be tested with their capable translator

El Hombre de La Mancha at the Metro Mall

For more information about adventuring in Panama, grab a copy of my book 2 Retire In Panama?. It is available at Amazon, on Kindle (Kindle Unlimited Readers get it free), and at El Hombre de La Mancha bookstores in Panama. I am sharing some links below for some of the adventures and sites that contributed to this great month of adventures with my folks.

Blessings From Paradise,

Greg and Jen

#welovepanama

Casa del Jamon

Coronado Bible Church

Coronado Luxury Club & Suites

2 Retire In Panama?

Tantalo

Panama Canal Tour

El Hombre de La Mancha bookstores

Cine Moderno Coronado

Casco Viejo

Café Med

Our Writers Group Invades Boquete

Jen and I explored Boquete’ on our original exploratory trip to Panama. The trip was beautiful, and it inspired future visits. It did not inspire us to want to live there, although it is a place where many expats choose to live. When the Coronodo Writers group decided to do a remote writing workshop, Boquete’ was the perfect destination.

We departed from Coronodo on Saturday morning and caravanned the 404km to the Boquete’ highlands. To put the geographic location of Boquete’ in perspective I wanted to share a portion of my book from Chapter 6 “Our Due Diligence Exploration”.

Boquete’ is halfway between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, high in the mountains, about 60 km from the border of Costa Rica. At 11,397 feet, the highest elevation in Panama is Volcán Barú, which is located near Boquete’.

We made a stop in David for lunch and arrived in Boquete’ around 2 pm. The timing was perfect. Our check-in time at the Boquete’ Garden Inn was 2 pm and we were able to get settled into our rooms. The spouses were tasked with a grocery store run, while the writers gathered nearby in a delightful little space on the grounds of the Inn. The writers had previously written and submitted a piece of work to be critiqued by the others in the group. The exercise was both educational and informative. This was the first of 2 workshops we had while in Boquete’.

After the workshop we all returned to our rooms to get ready for dinner. It became a daily tradition to gather for a drink at the Allison’s patio before dinner. There was a wedding going on down the road, so many wedding guests were housed at the inn. It was fun watching them walk by in their wedding best attire. This was the beginning of our getting to know a few of the other guests.

As the sun was setting, we headed into town for dinner. The staff at the inn recommended Restaurante’ Retrogusto. I still do not know if we enjoyed the environment of the mountain community or the food more. Retrogusto had a wonderful selection. We ordered drinks and food shortly after arrival. The kitchen was within site distance and every time dishes came out someone at our table wanted to change their order. Everything served was a work of art.

Needless to say, nobody left the place hungry. The picture above is of my plate. It was the pork chop with roasted vegetables. It held me over just fine until breakfast.

We were so impressed by the Boquete’ Garden Inn that I feel compelled to recommend it. Our room was well decorated, comfortable, and clean. We had full accommodations including a living room, full kitchen, bedroom, and bath (with hot water), internet, and cable. We have paid more for much less while in Panama. Often, nice bed and breakfast places do not even offer hot water in their rooms.

Each morning we were served a nice breakfast. We were provided with a menu to order in advance for the following day. My breakfast on day one was fresh fruit, coffee, juice, banana pancakes with syrup, and fresh locally sourced sausage.

The breakfast was served on a delightful patio surrounded by gardens. The inn keeper would put out fruit on small stone statues to feed the beautiful birds. We were able to see some great birds right there while we ate. This is such a daily event that it is listed on the activity list that the inn provides.

While we ate breakfast on our first, we discussed the day’s adventures. We decided to take the waterfall hike. It is also known as the pipeline trail. This was the same hike that Jen and I had attempted on our first visit to Boquete’. We had showed up to the trailhead only to find it deserted and no other hikers around. We were a bit apprehensive at the time to enter the jungle across private property without anyone knowing where we were. We thought it best to wait for another opportunity.

It seems that the day was perfect for that trail. When we got there, we were met by the owner of the property who accepted $5 each to enter the trail. As we passed through the gate we were met by friendly dogs. It was clear to me that they were hungry, but none of us had anything to give them. If you head out for this hike, take the dogs a little something.

As we walked along, the waterfall was directly next to the trail on our left. There was a couple of homes on the right. I am sure that this is where the dogs lived. There were also chickens, geese, and other farm animals. I have become a bit embarrassed by our privilege. I am often hesitant to take out my phone and take pictures of the rustic, impoverished homes of the local people. As we continued up the trail, I did take a few which I am sharing. We came across a family walking out to the road on their way to church. We also spotted a couple of boys swimming in the river, before walking past another farm. The farmer was working a patch of ground where he was growing cabbage.

Soon the trail started a gradual incline and became rocky. It appeared to me that it was a watershed which wound up next to the river. I believe that they call this the waterfall trail because it is almost all soft rapids. I wish that I could photograph the wonderful sound of the rushing water. As we went higher in elevation the rocks became wet and slippery from the mist in the air. The mist was part cloud forest and part light rain. The temperatures of the higher elevation were very comfortable hiking weather.

We continued to hike up while enjoying the beauty of this magnificent place. Soon we came across a bridge where we stopped to grab some great pictures. Ty and Lyn posed on the bridge for a selfie, then we got the writers to the center of the bridge for another shot.

We continued up the trail until the mist from the cloud forest made the rocky trail a bit slippery. We soon arrived at a place where the pipeline crossed the river. Continuing on meant crossing on the pipe or walking through the river to the trail on the other side. Some of the group continued up the trail while others settled in on the edge of the river to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds. I was a bit disappointed that we did not see much nature. We probably were not quiet enough, disrupting the birds and wildlife which caused them to hide. Those who continued on found a tree which was over 1000 years old before arriving at the pinnacle of the hike…a beautiful little waterfall.

Lynda near a tree that is believed to be 1000 years old.

The return was just as delightful as the hike up. We stopped frequently to photograph many of the flora and fauna on the trail. Soon we were back to where we left our cars.

We began the drive down the mountain on the narrow mountain road, and soon came upon the San Ramon waterfall where we had someone take the picture which I used for the feature image on this post. After a short mile or so we came upon the rock formation pictured below. It was packed with people. Some were marveling at the site while others were preparing to climb it. We took a few pictures before continuing on. The drive through the area was beautiful. We passed coffee farms and people walking about. It amazed me that there could be such a disparity in the homes and living conditions co-existing there. I am certain that most of the people we saw were workers for the massive amount of farming on the mountain.

It was time for lunch. This group never missed a meal, and many of us had recommendations for great places to eat. We decided on a quaint little Chinese Restaurant called Restaurante’ Panda on the main road into Boquete’. The food was excellent despite the 1-1/2-star rating on Google.

Ty and Jan toasting a successful hike with the restaurants fabulous iced tea

We departed the restaurant with plenty of afternoon left to have another writing workshop. Our group normally meets on the last Thursday of the month to write together. We write from prompts provided by Lynda Allison. Lynda and her husband, Lowell, operate Tranquilo Retreat in Coronodo. The bed and breakfast was established to give writers a peaceful and inspirational place to write. While their place is awesome, nothing is more inspiring than getting out in the beauty of a place like Boquete’. I have been writing non-fiction for the majority of the time. Often, I write from Lynda’s prompt, while at other times I am free to write newsletter articles or just fun little pieces that will never be seen or read by anyone outside of the group. We write for 10 minutes before sharing our work with the others. We then all comment and give constructive encouragement to one another. Lately I have been encouraged to write a fiction piece. I had been resisting the encouragement until Lynda provided us with a prompt that struck me in a positive way. My first piece of the session came out well and left the group hanging. I continued the story through both of the other prompts and at the end of the day the group was asking for the next chapter. There may just be the beginning of a murder mystery in my journaling book. Stay tuned…

We gathered for drinks again before heading off to dinner. We did not decide on destination, other than we would park downtown and walk around until we found just the right place. the group decided on Tre Scalini. Our meals were nice, and the conversation was special. It seems that getting to know the people we write with a little better is inspiring…or perhaps it is the breathtaking nature all around this place. We did discuss our possible adventures for the following day. The decision was made to split for the day with some of us driving off to the volcano Volcán, while the rest of us were going to hike the hanging bridges of Boquete’ Tree Trek.

Our morning breakfast was again perfect. I had fruit, juice, coffee, french toast with syrup, and the wonderful local sausage. Following breakfast, Lynda, Jen, and I were going to Tree Trek, while the others were off to Volcán. Jen is fearful of heights, so the hanging bridges were quite a challenge for her. We drove up the mountain to the trailhead where we would meet our guide at 10:30 am. The others left for Volcán.

The Boquete’ Tree Trek has the second largest zipline in Central America and the Hanging Bridges Tour. Jen and I are not candidates for ziplining again. Our last zipline adventure was enough for a lifetime. This would likely be a great adventure for many, but we wanted time to pause and take in the sites along the way. We opted for the Hanging Bridges Tour which was fully guided, and it did not disappoint. We found the trail to be fairly well maintained and there were even a few places along the way to stop and rest. This is important for people like us, who are not in the best physical condition, with many parts that do not often recover from serious abuse like mountain climbing.

Our guide, Ingrid, was awesome. She met us promptly at 10:30 and spoke perfect English. She filled us with great information about all the nature we were seeing along the way. This experience left us speechless.

Ingrid started right away pointing out interesting insects and plants unique to the area. We should have recorded her so that we could remember all the names and origins of these magnificent things being pointed out. After quite a strenuous hike we arrived at the first bridge. Ingrid explained that it was the longest bridge of the tour. Once we got to the other side, she said we passed the test to continue on. Jen was surprised that she made it without the fear to continue. The bridges were safe and solid construction, usually anchored to trees on either end. Maybe Jen was thinking that these bridges would be constructed of rope and planks like the ones you see in the movies.

Jen cautiously walks out onto the first bridge

These elephant ears can reach 14′ in diameter.

Continuing on, we came to the second bridge. The higher we went the more incredible the views were becoming. These bridges were actually taking us above the jungle canopy. Ingrid continued to point out amazing plants and insects. We were fortunate to see a rare glass butterfly. It posed for me and patiently waited until I got the perfect picture. It was completely transparent, almost as if it was made from cellophane wrap. We also passed an Armadillo den. Ingrid explained that they were nocturnal and only came out at night.

As we continued on, Ingrid showed us the smallest known Orchid and a tarantula hole. I was surprised at the size of both. I loved seeing and photographing the orchid and hoped that I would not see Mr. Tarantula. His hole was huge for a spider.

Bridge number three and we were still going up. When would we start our decent? There were steps but they were often difficult for my old knees and back. Thank goodness there were a few handrails at the most opportune times.

These elephant ears were way below a bridge. They measured over 14′ in diameter.

As we closed in on the fourth bridge I was still wondering when we would begin our decent. I have to admit that the higher we got the more magnificent the views. I took over 2oo pictures during our stay in Boquete’ and I cannot seem to find the best to share. I concluded that the pictures just do not do justice to this wonderful adventure. Ingrid began pointing out the huge oak trees along the trail. There was a couple in particular that were 700-800 years old. These trees were here and alive during the last eruption of Volcán Barú. If these trees could talk, they would have such a story to tell.

Oak Tree predating the last Eruption of Volcán.

With only two bridges left in our journey, we did begin our descent. We reached a split in the trail where we were forced to take the trail less traveled. Ingrid explained that the trail to the left had been washed out in a recent rain. I soon noticed that there were not handrails on this part of our journey. The trail down was not any easier than the hike up. When we had steps on the trail, they were often uneven, and some were very long steps down. Along the way we were able to see some of the stations of the zip line. I imagined what a rush it would be to zip line through this magnificent jungle paradise. Realistically though, I still would not do it.

Ingrid explained that the Tarzan Vines, like those pictured above, really are parts of the tree rooted back into the ground. No person could actually swing on such a vine.

I am truly embarrassed by the pictures. Of the more than 200 I took, along with others shared by group, I cannot seem to find the pictures that intimately speak to the beauty of the place.

I cannot deny that I was relived to finally reach the sixth and last bridge. This bridge did not have a sign. This old body was wearing down from the trek. I realized at that moment that adventures like this were not long for us. I told Jen that we need to prioritize our Panama bucket list to get these type of adventures done soon. The first picture here is of Boquete’ as we emerged from the last bridge.

Boquete' From Above — Boquete’ from above.

I believe that the other was taken earlier but it reminds us of our friends who took the 1-1/2 hour drive to Volcán. Our phones were dinging from time to time as they were sharing their pictures. We had only the smallest of cell signals in the jungle, so we could not see the pictures until we got back to a place with a wi-fi signal. If you notice in the Volcán picture the foreground is really the top of the jungle canopy. I suspect that was our view from somewhere shortly after crossing the fourth bridge. While crossing the fifth bridge we had some great views that I could not capture in photographs. On the rocks near the river below we spotted an Iguana couple. They were huge but only a speck on the camera. Ingrid told us that the iguana mate for life, and that one was the male and the other female. At the middle of the bridge, she pointed out a fern straight below that had the distinct appearance of a spider web. It was one of the most amazing things. As we exited the bridge, she pointed out the elephant ear plants that I pictured above. We had seen these plants all along the way, but none were as huge as those below. While we were so high on the bridge that they did not appear big, these were, in fact, as big as they usually get. That should put into perspective how high on that bridge we were.

With the hanging bridges in the rearview mirror, we headed off to grab lunch. A place with wi-fi would be great so we can look at the pictures from our friends in Volcán. We opted for Big Daddy’s, a nice relaxing place with a back patio facing out into the jungle. We grabbed a table and signed into their wi-fi to look at the pictures our friends were sending.

The Volcán group stop for a picture at Cerra Punta

The other group had a great road trip. It seemed that they had a great time driving and cutting up. They stopped for fresh local strawberries and cream. And later they stopped at a farm where Lowell posed as a scarecrow. They also found a place along the road to pick up 2 huge bags of local vegetables for $5 each.

Lyn and Ty pose in front of one of those cool signs.

I wish that they taken a picture of the vegetables. The bags were massive. Since we have been home Lynda has been posting Facebook pictures of her culinary genius. She posted this one yesterday.

Lynda, Jen, and I had a little time before the others returned so we explored the local artisan market just outside Boquete’. We found it at the end of the bridge which crosses between the Tuesday Market Buildings. It was friendly, with local Panamanian vendors selling their wares. Jen found a new hat and Lynda found a few treasures.

Late afternoon found us all back at the inn. We had our regular visit on the patio of Lynda and Lowell. We relaxed and enjoyed the time. Our dinner plans were already in place as we were meeting Melinda Miles-Lindberg, a local Boquete’, author at Mesa Azul. She invited a couple of other local authors, but none were able to make it. Our dinner, and the conversation was wonderful. Mesa Azul was another highly recommended restaurant that did not disappoint. I highly suggest checking it out if you find yourself in Boquete’. It is in the Hotel Oasis just down from the market. After dinner we retired back to the Garden Inn for the night. Our adventure was winding down, and we would be checking our after breakfast to explore the Tuesday Market.

On Tuesday morning, we got up and had another great breakfast. I repeated the first day menu. I found those banana pancakes to be well worth another try. After we ate, we all loaded up and made the short journey to the market. The market occupies two spaces. If you go, make sure you check out both buildings. We found Melinda and her significant other in the building adjacent to the flower market. Melinda’s significant other is a magnificent artist, and in her booth, she displays her work which is mostly paintings of pets that are commissioned work. Melinda maintains a booth next to hers where she displays books from authors who live in Panama. In Melinda’s booth you will find her book, my book, Diane Maxwell’s book, Lynda’s books, and the work of other local authors. She sells the books of local authors for $15 which covers shipping to Panama. After we had all explored the market, we made the journey home to Coronodo.

I have shared a lot without talking about anything more than our 4 days in Boquete’. Click the highlighted links in this paragraph if you are interested in anything mentioned. The links will take you to information related to each. I have mentioned our writers group, including Lynda Allison’s Write Along. If you haven’t yet, please subscribe to my free weekly newsletter. In it I spend a little time each week giving informative updates about the goings on in Panama. It puts my butt in the seat to write, and that is important to me. Every week I get a new writing prompt from my daughters. That also gets my butt in the seat to write. Those prompts go to Story Worth which will compile the whole years’ work into a volume to be treasured by my family for years. You can subscribe to Story Worth for yourself or a gift by clicking the link. Clicking through this link will give you $10 off. My book, “2 Retire In Panama” is available at Amazon and on Kindle. It was born from the early blog posts here. Diane Maxwell’s book “An Expats Struggle” is a memoir detailing her retirement in Panama. Lynda Allison is a retired English teacher. When she isn’t hosting authors in her marvelous B&B Tranquilo Retreat, she writes Science Fiction for teens and young adults. Her final book of the summer trilogy is out for publishing and the first 2 books are available at Amazon and on Kindle. Melinda Miles-Lindberg wrote and published “Mommy No. 13“. It is also a memoir of her adoption and raising of a child born to a murderer. This is just a few of the people with whom I write on a regular basis. There is a growing list of great work from many of my other author friends on the author board of my Pinterest feed. You will also find a newsletter board on my Pinterest feed that will have an archive of all of the past newsletters.

It has been a pleasure sharing our Boquete’ adventure. If you have enjoyed this post, please like and share it. I am also thrilled to get messages and comments.

Blessings From Paradise,

Greg and Jen

They Are Called Effigy’s

About two weeks ago effigy’s started showing up all along the Pan-American Highway. The effigy’s are also referred to as Munecos, Dummies, Old Year Dolls, and Judas Dolls. They are life sized “stuffed people” and they make up one of Panama’s many New Year traditions. Folklore has it that the effigy should be stuffed with fire crackers, beaten, and set on fire. The sins and evil spirits of the old year are destroyed to make way for good fortune in the new year. It is believed that ghosts are afraid of light and noise. The fire crackers, therefore, help drive the evil forces away. We went for a short drive and returned with a bunch of pictures to share. They usually try to make the effigy look like well known politicians, movie stars, or other popular people from the past year. We saw candidates for the upcoming Presidential election here in Panama and of course there were a few attempts at President Trump.

As you can see the imagination is off the charts. We find the whole thing a bit sacrilegious, so it was difficult to create a blog post using this tradition. As we thought about it, we decided that it would be unfair not to share fun and interesting cultural traditions regardless of our beliefs.

Other popular traditions for Ano Nuevo in Panama include eating 12 grapes at midnight making a wish with each. After eating the grapes you spit out the seeds and count them. The number of seeds is your lucky number for the new year. Use this number when playing the lottery (lottery is popular in Panama). Make sure you have a little money in your hands while eating your grapes. Having money in your hand at midnight ensures that you will have money throughout the new year. You should wear yellow underwear to have good luck throughout the new year. Wearing red will attract love in the new year. To get rid of bad energy from the old year you should burn incense. Hanging a bunch of oranges, rice, and wheat behind the front door will give you prosperity, work and health. Putting rice in a pot will attract wealth in the new year. Last but not least, it is believed that a swim in the ocean on New Year’s day will clean out the bad from the previous year and bring good things in the New Year. In all fairness, we found most of this information on livinginpanama.com. That is where we turned when the effigy’s started showing up along the road.

The people in Panama like to have a good time. We actually spent our evening with friends at the restaurant right here on the property. It was much safer than driving. Our evening was capped by great fireworks and we didn’t see anyone burn an effigy..

Life is indeed good here. Over the past few weeks the snowbirds have started to filter in. January to March is high season here and we expect to catch up with some old friends from last year and make new friends this new year. We bought our own condo at the end of December. We put in a lot of time researching and looking for the place that was just right for us. We are doing a small bit of remodeling prior to our move. Stay dialed in to this blog, to see our new place and we will share the details for transacting real estate business in Panama. It really was like our own episode of “Beach Front Bargain Hunt”.

We consider it a privilege to share our life in Panama with you all. Please, like and share so we reach everyone. If you have not subscribed to receive our posts by email now is a great time to subscribe. We will never spam you and our security is outstanding. It is also a great complement to have your input and comments.

Feliz Ano Nuevo,

Greg and Jen

Gamboa Canopy Tour and Ron Abuelo Rum Distillery…

were but two of the highlights during our recent visit from my Dad, Doug, and his friend Renee.

We knew that we wanted to have some special adventures while they were here and the entire week was loaded with fun and adventure for all. Many of you will recall our past adventures to El Valle de Anton . A click on the link here will take you to our post from the first adventure there. El Valle is only about 45 minutes away and we never fail to take our guests there. We journeyed up the mountain last Monday with Dad and Renee in tow. It was a beautiful sunny day and we started out at the Orchid Conservatory. The blooms are different each time we visit. We all thoroughly enjoyed this tour and the only way for you all to share the experience is by our sharing of some pictures.

After checking out the orchids we went over to the El Nispero Zoo and garden. We have heard that the zoo is more of an aquarium than a zoo, but we found the contrary. There were also many species of local animals, including rescues, in addition to the aquarium. We found the aquarium to be the most interesting with endangered species of toads and frogs from the rain forest. The golden toad is thought to only exist in this habitat. Some say that there may be more in unexplored areas of the jungle nearby. We found the small zoo easy to explore and very enjoyable.

After we left the zoo, we went over to the market for some fresh produce and a little shopping. By mid afternoon we were headed back down the mountain home.

Jen and I continue to search for our new forever home here in Panama. We are nearing a big announcement on our decision to purchase here. We will continue to advise new expats to rent for a year. That gives people a sufficient time to figure out if they like the climate and environment. It is also important to become educated on the housing market. There are many other factors which we will explore in detail later. On Tuesday we were able to show our special guests the property where we hope to one day permanently settle. We also had a nice lunch at their beach club.

Wednesday was one of our pinnacle adventures. We left home early and drove to the Gamboa Rain Forest Resort. We enjoyed a wonderful canopy tour of the rain forest which ended at the top of an observation tower. From the tower we could see the Panama Canal, Chagres River, and many other interesting things. We could even see the thatched roofs of an Embera Indian Village up the river. We also, had the opportunity to see a sloth eating and basking in the sun on a tree branch near the tower. Following our tour we had lunch on the veranda of the hotel.

The second of our pinnacle adventures was a trip to the Ron Abuelo Distillery. Since arriving in Panama we have used , and swear by Wayz for navigation. There are no street names and a great deal of trust must be had in the navigation system. When we reached the turn for the distillery, everyone said this cannot be right. With faith we went on down a two track that lead us through a few kilometers of sugar cane before emerging on the back side of the distillery.

We passed through several kilometers of Sugar Cane

We made our way through the plant grounds to the welcome center. We found this tour to be one of the most amazing yet. We started in the plant where our tour guide explained the process from processing the sugar cane to bottling. they do not bottle the product at this location. It is shipped to Panama City to a bottling plant. You may notice that there are no pictures inside the manufacturing facility. We were not allowed to take pictures inside. Following the plant tour we were returned to the welcome center for a cocktail. The distillery was founded by the family of the current President of Panama. Preparations were being made for The Presidents visit over the weekend (Saturday, December 8, was Mothers Day here).

They gave each of us a hat on arrival and a cocktail following the plant tour.

Following our cocktail we toured the warehouses where all the rum is aged. The Ron Abuelo is aged in retired Jack Daniels barrels. That is what gives the rum its caramel color. The longer the aging process the darker the color and the smoother the rum becomes. The family reserve is in its own warehouse and the barrels are racked on their side. This is where we found the 30 year old rum aging. The 30 year old Ron Abuelo sells for over $120 US dollars. We didn’t buy any.

Once we finished the tour of the warehouses we returned to the welcome center where we were given a tasting of each of the different levels of Ron Abuelo Rum. The tasting included education and certification for determining the reason for the increase in the aging process and the value of aging in the manufacturing.

The tour ended with a traditional Panamanian lunch. Three courses of fantastic.

Pork with Rice, Plantain and Yucca Salad

On the drive home we continued to explore with stops at a Panamanian Cemetery and a cigar factory.

Before our special guests left we had to take them to Playa de Panama and our special lunch shack experience. Usually the proprietor has lobster for $10 and Corvina for $8. He also sells beer for $1 and if you’re lucky you can add coco arroz for a $1. We found that lobster was in short supply Saturday. Instead he was offering giant langostinos (prawns). We brought our own beers and our total lunch bill for 4 people was $36. Following our lunch we all went for a refreshing swim in the Pacific. By the time we left the place was packed. The people in Panama love to celebrate Mothers Day on the beach.

As we prepare to close this post it has occurred to us that you, our readers, deserve to know that we have no paid endorsements. That being said, we are enjoying many tours without breaking the bank. We have found a great resource for taking tours on a budget https://ofertasimple.com . It is a great pleasure to share our adventures with you. Please feel free to share and keep the momentum of our blog going. As we anticipate the blessings of the Christmas season, please know that we will be celebrating the birth of our Savior here in the tropics.

Feliz Navidad,

Greg and Jen

Casco Viejo, Contadora, and The Amador Causeway

Yes, you are about to hear of our awesome adventure over this past weekend. Things at our house have been extremely busy over the past several weeks, so we have to apologize, with explanation, for the lack of recent posts. Shortly after our last post we had a wonderful visit from friends who live in Michigan. We shared some adventures with them that would be a repeat to our blog, but were great never the less. One adventure of note that we have yet to talk about is the Playa de Panama which is just a few short minutes from our condo. The beach is generally quiet and secluded. The best part is that there is a shack at the entrance where you can get a great meal of Lobster or Corvina with Patacones.

The price for Lobster is $10 and the Corvina is $8. The purveyor usually has ice cold beer for $1, but it is not a problem to bring your own drinks. Once our friends departed, we found ourselves busy dealing with the sale of our house in Michigan. As of now it is scheduled to close by the end of the week. With the sale of our house looming near we have resumed actively looking at homes here in Panama. Last week was the Thanksgiving Holiday in the States. It is just another day here in Panama, however we opted to create our own grand celebration. We shared our meal with new friends from five countries, including Canada, Germany, South Africa, Panama, and The United States. There were traditional and non-traditional Thanksgiving food with Turkey and everyone bringing a dish to pass. We also made sure that the staff here at our condo was fed. A great time was had by all.

This is where we catch up to the present. We left early on Friday morning with our good friends and neighbors to share a weekend adventure. Our adventure started with a stop on the Amador Causeway to explore the Biodiversity Museum.

The experience was, without question, one of the most interesting experiences. Readers may recall our previous post T- 21 Days To Departure . In that post we presented research where we found some great adventure destinations. We were able to cross a couple of these destinations off our list, and more, this past weekend. The Bio Diversity Museum was self guided. Each of us had a device that we could listen to, which guided us through the museum in our native language at our own pace. There were also real human guides all along the way who were all multi-lingual. They helped fill in the blank spots and answered any questions. The museum explained how Panama was formed by volcanoes, rising from the ocean which created a land bridge from South America to North America. The result was the convergence of two populations of plants and animals on one single land mass. The museum also helps teach how to live in harmony with the other plants and animals with which we share this space.

Following our visit to the museum we explored the Amador Causeway. The Causeway runs out to the Pacific along the Panama Canal. It is lined with marinas, bars, restaurants, and shops. We located a great fonda where we had lunch.

The Flamenco Marina is just down the way. This is our destination Saturday morning. Our ferry to Las Perlas (The Pearl Islands) will depart from there. We have round trip tickets for the ferry ride to the island of Contadora where we will spend the day. Following our lunch we found our way to the Raddisson on the Panama canal. We got checked in and took Uber to Casco Viejo. We enjoyed Casco well into the late evening. This was our second trip to Casco. There is so much to do and see that we will entertain friends there for years without ever tiring of it. The Cathedral on the square is being renovated and it is nearly completed. When we were there the freshly refurbished bells were waiting on the sidewalk to be returned to the bell towers. We also toured another Cathedral where there was a scale model of Jerusalem. It was just incredible. Our night ended with dinner then a half block walk to the Presidential Palace. It is Independence month here in Panama and we enjoyed fireworks over the bay near the palace. Panamanian people love fireworks.

The two of us being photo bombed by Panama City

Saturday we were up early for our 7 a.m. ferry departure. The Pearl Islands are a string of islands about 1 1/2 hours away by boat. Survivor fans will remember a season of that show was filmed there. We visited Contadora. It was a beautiful beach destination, but not the same island where the popular television program had been filmed. We rented a golf cart on the beach and took off to explore. The island has several restaurants, beaches, a few bed and breakfasts and an airstrip. We enjoyed two different beaches, one of which we did not share with any other people. We all agreed that this was someplace where we could spend a few days. The surrounding islands made for spectacular views.

There is so much more to share, and we are feeling a bit guilty that we have allowed so much time to pass between posts. We hope that you all have enjoyed our pictures from this weekends adventure. We are preparing for special guests this next week from the States, and there are a couple of great new adventures planned for their visit. We are committed to sharing those in a little over a week. We are hopeful that we may, also be able to share more about our pending home search here in Panama. We wake every morning feeling thankful and blessed to be retired in such a beautiful place. Please like and share our blog to keep us out there. The new rules at FaceBook are continuing to drive us crazy. We will post a link, but they seem to block our ability to share as we used to.

Blessings,

Greg and Jen

La Laguna

When a friend suggested that we take an excursion to La Laguna we were chomping at the bit to take a ride. From our condo it was a 45 minute ride to a very secluded mountain lake. The place was described as Jurassic Park in Panama. We agreed that the place was really cool but not a place to entertain our visitors. It was a great place for a hike and quiet solitude. There were very few others there, possibly because of the need for four wheel drive to reach our destination. At the end of the day we agreed that the best part of it was the ride up there. On our return to civilization we stopped at a housing project nested on the mountainside which was too cool not to explore. Sante’ Fe was in the possibility of places we could want to live so we took a look. We could build a new home for slightly more than buying a condo on the beach. This turns out to be a no brainer for us. We have decided that we are beach, rather than mountain people. Enjoy the pictures of this adventure. We had magnificent views of the ocean from the mountain housing project where we looked at lots. It seems that everything about Panama leaves us awestruck and amazed. Every day is a new adventure even if we never leave the condo. The weather here is always interesting and never a disappointment, even when it rains. It is rainy season here now but we rarely have more than a few minutes of rain. Most days we have plenty of quality beach or pool time.

Do we continue through the water or turn back

Our view from Sante’ Fe. This is the road leading to the lots.

We have discovered many great places to enjoy a meal. Unfortunately we rarely take pictures of our experience. We are dedicated to doing better at this. One of the best meals is right here at our condo. The chef at La Terrazas Del Mar is truly amazing. We have been there several times without a bad experience. We do, however, find the fondas the most fun and always cheap. On Sunday we enjoyed the fonda outside our gate. We will return often as we can eat there cheaper than cooking at home.

Traditionnes De La Terra. The fonda outside our gate

Chulita, arroz, frioles, ensalada, and plaintain $5

We also have found a great place where the half pound burgers are less than $5. They have birds and a great patio dining area.

Our best find was one afternoon we took off for a beach lunch. The lobster was pricey, but well worth the trip. It rained while we enjoyed a special lunch under a bohio.

Jen had a lobster split and steamed in garlic butter.

When we are not eating we enjoy our church and have volunteered to teach English to the local community. We have 4 students each and have just completed the 4th week of this awesome outreach. We both feel like we are not quite qualified for this, however it provides us a degree of satisfaction as we see the progression of these wonderful students. They are so anxious to learn and they are all learning to communicate with the many North Americans who live in this community. We are becoming active in the church and look forward to church on Sunday morning as well as Bible study. Our pastor is a great communicator and our knowledge of the Bible is growing. We both feel that Gods purpose for moving us here is buried in the details.

We are looking forward to a visit from friends in less than 2 weeks. We love to share our adventures, and hope that we can show them a great time.

For now we will say adios and leave you with a great picture of a recent sunrise (the feature picture). We cannot express enough how awesome the weather is here. As we wrap up this post we are sitting on our balcony watching a storm come across the horizon.

Safety in Panama

Recent world events spark conversations daily about how safe it is to live in a developing country. Yesterday a gunman walked into a gaming event in the United States and killed participants before turning the gun on himself. Our dinner conversation last night was interesting. Does this happen here in Panama and we just don’t know it? Are these events isolated to the United States? The short answer is that this is a problem worldwide. We have done research on the safety of life in Panama and have concluded that we have to be diligent in protecting ourselves. We do not live in a vacuum ignoring local news, however it is much less “in our face” than media in the States. We live in a gated community with armed security. Our choice to live here is not as much about security as it is to reside in a place we love and enjoy. The majority of crime in Panama isn’t murder. It is crime of opportunity like petty theft (people helping themselves to something that is easy to take). The prevalent crime victim tends to be people who let their guard down or enter into transactions without due diligence. We do neither of these things and have had no problems. That being said, we don’t want to make this political at all, but believe that the news media often dramatizes stories to keep people watching the news. Our blog is another example of security in a developing country. Some of our viewers will notice that we changed our physical address to Panama today. Some may also have noticed over the past few days that when signing into our site there is a pop-up stating that we are not secure. This is false information. We compose on a secure network and pay for layers of security. We get weekly updates that show no security concerns. We pay big bucks to make sure that all of you can read our blog without concern for security. We have WordPress, VaultPress, and Jetpack investigating the source of our problem and will keep it safe or shut it down. Please let us know if you experience problems with our site.

That is about enough of things that keep people awake at night. It has been several weeks since our last post. We spent a couple of weeks at our home in the States and are returning to normal here in Panama. We love our friends and family, but frequent visits to Michigan are stressful. We have a great deal of interest in our home and are looking forward to turning it over to a new family soon. Our advice in this matter is that you should get your home sold before relocating. Remote care for real estate is difficult at best. On the flip side, we have stated on numerous occasions that you should not purchase property in Panama until you have been on the ground for a year. The real estate market in Panama is quite different from the U.S. and this time is necessary to gauge the market and find a location that suits your lifestyle. Rent for at least a year. We continue to stand by that advice.

Before returning to the States we had visitors at our church from Logos Hope. Logos Hope is a floating mission/bookstore to take Christianity throughout the world. Our visitors shared testimony and told of their experiences aboard the ship. Over 60 countries and nationalities are represented aboard the ship. Many people who live on the ship are from countries where they would be persecuted for sharing Christianity. We were intrigued by this awesome mission so upon our return to Panama we went to visit the ship. Due to persecution, taking pictures was difficult. We are sharing limited pictures from the ship.

The ship left late last week to continue its mission. It will dock next in Guatemala. The wonderful people on board carry their message and bookstore to all parts of the world. Please check out their website.

Since our return to Panama we have been crazy busy. In addition to the Logos Hope adventure we spent a day (including the night before) in Panama City. The purpose of our stay was to complete the paperwork for our Cedula. A Cedula is the national identification carried by all Panamanian people. Most Panamanian people do not have driver’s licenses so this is the instrument that identifies a person and gives credibility for their ability to conduct business. A Cedula is not a requirement for our residency, however it will make it easier for us to conduct bank business and make major purchases. Our appointment was at 7 a.m. Our attorney had a solid agenda and got us finished very quickly by Panama standards. We highly recommend our attorney for all immigration needs. We are happy to provide her contact info to anyone by private correspondence. It has been our experience that her rates are very fair and her ability to get things done are without reproach. The process was entirely done at the Tribunal Electoral. The building was beautiful and well organized. We got our business started at 7 a.m. sharp, and waited the hour for paperwork processing, in a great cafeteria where we enjoyed an authentic Panamanian breakfast. Once the paperwork was complete we waited in line to have a photograph made and pay the fee. As a Jubilado there is a discount for the fee to get your Cedula. We took photographs below at the Tribunal Electoral.

We made good use of our time in the city. We made reservations for future travel and paid for our tickets using our Jubilado discount. We also learned that one of the future trips planned would require a vaccination, so we made our way to the Minister of Health and got our vaccination. As residents, we got the vaccination at a substantial discount. The experience was interesting to say the least. No officials there spoke English and we had a few communication issues. Fortunately there are wonderful people all over who know a little English and they helped us be understood. We used our due diligence and read the container which contained the vaccine to be sure we were getting what was required for our travel. They then provided a document that states the time in which the vaccine remains effective. This is called a yellow card and we must always be able to provide it before travel. We have committed to keeping it safely stored with our Passports. We have heard that people have been denied entry to some countries without the proper documentation of vaccinations. We plan to travel extensively in our retirement. We are anxious to explore and Central America is an excellent place to explore from.

We also got in a little retail therapy while in the city. We didn’t really buy much but we had a nice lunch at the mall. We have become big fans of Leonardo Pizza. Our lunch for two pictured below was just over $6 with our Jubilado discount.

Yesterday we traveled with friends to El Valle de Anton where we frequently enjoy the fresh vegetable market. We had purchased a huge clay pot for our balcony and wanted to fill it with tropical plants. Our visit was a great success. Our pot now has some colorful plantings that we will enjoy. We also picked up our usual supply of salad fixings.

Balcony Planter — Lovely tropical plants from El Valle.

Every day proves to be an adventure and it is the most relaxing, inexpensive, and beautiful place to spend retirement. We know that this life isn’t for everyone, but it suits us well. We continue to learn Spanish. The language barrier is only an inconvenience, and most of the time our English is enough to survive daily life. That being said we have volunteered to help teach English to Panamanian people in our community. The people here can get better jobs and prosper with the ability to speak English. We know that God had a plan when he moved us here and in some small way this may be our way to give back.

Dios los bendiga,

Greg and Jen

The Embera Village

Tuesday was the pinnacle of our time here in Panama. We woke early and met 20 other people at Nueva Gorgona for a tour to the Embera Village deep in the jungle northeast of Panama City. Our group was led by a volunteer from the church where we have been visiting. She makes the arrangements and all the money collected goes directly to the Embera. The Embera are the most welcoming and gracious people that you can imagine. They live completely off the grid, surviving by living off the land, fishing and selling a few crafts to their visitors. By the way, their crafts are incredible.

We journeyed by caravan in 4 cars to the dock where we were met by a few men from the Embera Village. They took us in 3 dugout canoes (motorized) on the 1 hour trip up the river into the jungle to their village. We were met by a welcoming committee who were playing small instruments made by the tribe. We gathered for an informal question and answer presentation to educate us on the life and customs of the tribe. The tribe has their own indigenous language and only a couple of the members have learned Spanish so that they can communicate with their visitors and government. The government here respects the tribe, however they do require the children to attend school. The Village has a schoolhouse and two teachers who come from the city on Monday returning on Friday. They spend the week there in their own huts with one teaching the younger children and one teaching the older children. The children are required to wear uniforms to school, as are all children in Panama. We learned a bunch of great information about the culture. We had at least 2 people in our group who spoke fluent Spanish so getting answers to our questions was really easy.

Fish and Patacone. Check out the plate made from banana leafs

Following our discussion we were invited to a wonderful lunch of fish and patacones. Patacones are slices of fried banana. Lunch was delicious. We were about the only visitors from outside on that day so we were welcome to move about and observe the daily life in the village. Shortly after lunch we were invited to see and take part in indigenous dance.

Once the dance presentation ended we were invited by the father of the chief to take a walk through the jungle where he showed us native plants and explained their medicinal uses. The Embera maintain their personal health naturally and have a similar lifespan to the rest of the world. What he shared with us could put big pharma out of business. Our journey through the jungle ended at the school.

We visited the classrooms and interacted with the children. We had a family in our group with children 2 and 4 years old. The children were blue eyed with blond hair and the Embera children were in awe of them. We suspect that not many groups to the village have young children in them. We learned that the USO was there 6 years ago and installed a solar panel to provide lights in the classrooms. The chief told us that the lights stopped working a few days ago. A couple of the guys in our group did a diagnosis and believe that the batteries may have come to the end of their useful life. Some people from our group are raising funds to replace the batteries. This is the only electricity in the village.

We walked from there back to where we had started. We had the opportunity to look at and purchase their craft items, swim in the river with the Embera children, and have tattoos made from the natural dye in an indigenous plant. We boarded our boats for the journey back to the dock in late afternoon. The journey back was down stream so it took only 45 minutes.

We hope that you will all have an experience like this some day. We have not put a lot of written detail here in the post; but we are allowing the pictures to tell the story. We want to have the opportunity to return to the Embera Village soon to purchase some of the wonderful crafts to decorate our Panama home.

Steps leading to an Embera Hut. If the steps are turned backward do not bother them.

We will be leaving soon to return to the States. It is and has been crazy busy the last few days here. We appreciate that you all have continued to follow along. We are dedicated to keeping the information flowing as we prepare to move and settle in Panama. Our next post will be a recap once we get back to Michigan.

Nos Vemos,

Greg and Jen

Category: Food in Panama

Adventures With the Family December 2022

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A Full Month of Adventures

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They Are Called Effigy’s

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Gamboa Canopy Tour and Ron Abuelo Rum Distillery…

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Casco Viejo, Contadora, and The Amador Causeway

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La Laguna

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Safety in Panama

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The Embera Village

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