March 2024 Updates (Happy Pi Day!)

The last blog post I did was just about a year ago while we were staying in Santa Lucia, a neighborhood just outside of Boquete, Panamá, after a very windy stretch of weather. Since then we’ve been mostly staying in our house in Fort Pierce, Florida. We’ve visited family in Pennsylvania, been visited by family here in Florida, welcomed a new grandchild (Hi Ifigenia!), and all in all, have had a pretty good year.

We have also had some house related catastrophes, mainly involving water. Last April, our house flooded from a failed plumbing connection, and at virtually the same time we had a roof leak. Recovering from a flooded house is nothing we would wish upon anyone!

Next month we are visiting Europe to see Nancy’s Old-World side of the family, and to take in some sights, and we will have plenty to share with you about our travels. I have never been to Europe and Nancy has not been for a very long time. We will be going from Port Canaveral, Florida to Rome, Italy on a repositioning cruise. We are planning to see sights in Rome and Venice, and then to travel to Slovenia to stay with family and do a little exploring around Slovenia and Croatia.

fireworks from hotel balcony in Panama City

We are also looking forward to getting back to Panamá later this year. It’s their presidential election year and its hard to believe its been five years since the last election. We were in Panamá City then and it was an exciting time with lots of rallies and fireworks. On our next trip we are planning on staying in the town of El Valle de Antón which is much closer to Panamá City but still high enough in the mountains to have a comfortable climate. Of course we will have to get to Chirquí Province to visit our friends, but exploring a different part of the country will be exciting. El Valle de Antón is actually in the crater of an extinct volcano (hopefully extinct) and the terrain and roads can be very steep.

Please keep an eye out for our next post, we are looking forward to sharing more adventures with you!

Saludos,
Craig

Greetings from Fort Pierce, FL

A (Very) Windy Weekend in Panamá

canyon view

On this visit to Panamá, we are staying at a friend’s house in the Santa Lucia neighborhood of Volcancito. It’s a beautiful house overlooking a fairly deep gorge with a nice view of Volcán Barú. The elevation of the house is around 4,100 feet and its been sunny, cool and breezy.

garden

We’ve spent enough time in Panamá to be used to wind and power outages, especially at this time of the year. On Friday as we were going to bed the wind really started picking up and by midnight it was getting pretty strong. We didn’t think too much about it but then in the wee hours of the morning the power went out. When the power goes out in this house (as in most of the houses we have stayed in here) the first thing that happens is the battery back-up for the router starts beeping, first fast then slowly, and then everything stops and gets very dark. Its enough to definitely wake me up, and between that and the wind noise it took a while for me to get back to sleep. Just as I was falling asleep the power came back on, with a few beeps and various lights from chargers and this and that, along with the ceiling fans starting to spin again. I was wide awake again, but I thought that all was well and end of story. But the wind got stronger and gustier, and a bit later the power went out again, came back on, and then towards daylight went out again and this time stayed that way.

house

Saturday is the day the gardener comes and he always enjoys a cup of coffee before he gets started, which we were unable to provide with no power. He told us the entire district was without power and said that it was probably a large tree down over the wires somewhere. Mid-morning the power was back and the gardener got his coffee and once again we thought all was well. Until 1:30 when it went back out again, this time for the afternoon. All the while the wind kept gusting and blowing relentlessly. Finally late in the afternoon the power was back and we had dinner, and were just settling down to watch tv, when at 7:00 pm we lost it again. We waited for a half hour or so and then went to bed where we read and listened to the wind. There is’t that much else to do with battery lights, candles, and no internet, and we started to fall sleep around 9:00.

cactus

I had trouble sleeping because the the wind was gusting to the point that we could feel it pushing against the house, blowing loose objects around and rattling the leaves and branches. I did eventually fall asleep, because I was awoken at around 10:30 when the power came back on. The wind was almost a bit scary, it was so strong. Shortly after midnight we lost power again, it came back a little later, it went out again, came back, went out and finally came back before daylight. Every time the power came back it seemed like the wind got stronger and gustier, as if it was trying to knock things about and down. It would get silent and quiet and then come back like a hammer. It almost seemed alive, and my imagination was running amok.

Craig enjoying the view

Early Sunday morning our power cam back and this time it stayed. One of our water tank lids had blown off but luckily stayed in the yard, and there was a lot of wind blown debris about. A friend of ours that gives guided four wheeler tours told us that when he went out on a tour Sunday morning trees were down everywhere. He has lived in Panamá for many years and he said this was one of the worst wind storms he remembers ever seeing.

I’m not sure what kind of clash of weather systems caused our weekend of wind but it was something. It came mostly from the north from the Caribbean. I don’t think the Panamanians let it slow down their Carnivál celebrations too much but it was certainly an interesting weekend, even for Panamá.

Saludos, Craig

Coatimundi
coatimundi

The Mountain Towns of El Valle de Antón and Altos del Maria, Sorá

We just got back from a cool road trip to Cocle and Panama Oeste provinces to visit El Valle de Antón and Sorá, Panama.

View in El Valle

El Valle is located within the caldera (a large crater) of what is said to be the second largest inhabited dormant volcano in the world. The crater itself is at about 600 meters above sea level and has a cooler spring-like climate. This has been on our bucket list for the past few years. The drive from Boquete to El Valle is about 5 hours with good traffic. The exit off of the Interamerican Highway up the volcanic mountain and down to the town itself takes about 45 minutes along a scenic zig-zagging road that will put your brakes to the test.

The town itself is bucolic living. El Valle is surrounded by 7 different mountains, ranging from 800-1000 meters. There are trails on each one that have vistas of the crater floor.

Because of its close proximity to Panama City (120 km), many upper-class Panamanians have made El Valle their weekend and holiday home. We visited during the week, however, and it was very quiet and relaxing. We stayed at El Valle Suites, a Panamanian style motel that was down the road from the Artisan and Produce Market. The suites are very basic with a living room, kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom that had a split AC. All in all, it was clean and the staff went out of their way to accommodate. The best part of the place was the thermal pool surrounded by a grand tree that shaded almost the entire outdoor area. There are people who live at the Suites full time and met some interesting people sitting outside in the evening.

What I like about El Valle is very walkable and bike-friendly. I took out a bike one afternoon and had a leisurely stroll. The Artisan market is really cool. Local art and handicrafts are sold, and Kuna Indians offered their colorful molas and jewelry. We purchased some hand painted tree trunk slabs with beautifully colored birds on them. Attached to the Artisan market is the fruit and vegetable vendors selling their fresh produce.

A visit to Nispero Zoo

A short drive from the center of town is El Níspero Zoological and Botanical Garden. It began as a privately owned nursery. The owner gradually started collecting animals and birds. Other people also donated animals. Many of the animals there had suffered an accident. It gradually turned into a public zoo with animals from all over the world.

Orchids

The place itself is really laid back and priced at only $3 for admission. My favorite attraction was the spider monkey. One can see up close the resemblance to its name! Another favorite was the jaguar and the plethora of beautiful birds including toucans and parrots.

It was an nice attraction that the kiddos would really enjoy (and the grown up kiddos as well).

A visit to Arboles Cuadrados Nature Trail

I had heard about the “Square Trees”’in El Valle and drove a bit out of town to Hotel Campestre where they are officially accessed by paying $4 each. I really like weird and obscure things so this was something I had to see. The hike itself was very pleasant. Once we reached the handful of square trees that were specially marked, I still had a hard time seeing much of a difference to a normal round tree. In fact there are signs pointing to the square trees so you could find them. Although it is hard to distinguish the square features, they apparently have square rings.

Comparing El Valle to Boquete

As far as mountain towns go, El Valle is warmer than Boquete, but I found it to be quite lovely and personally did not find it oppressive. The evenings were cool in El Valle, but not cold like it can get in Boquete. Average temperatures in El Valle can range from 68-83 deg. as compared to 55-75 deg.

Being that we were there during the week and not on the weekend, I do not have a clear picture on how busy El Valle can get, but have heard that it this sleepy little town fills up. While there, I noticed a small amount of tourists and mostly Panamanians going about their day to day lives. There was a nice amount of places to eat but some only were open from Thursday to Sunday. Boquete has much more going for it as far as restaurants, bars and live music.

The mountains of Sorá, Panama / Altos del Maria

Overlook at our Airbnb in Altos Del Maria
Hiking in Altos
Hiking in Altos

We spent a few days on the other side of the mountain from El Valle in a pretty little town called Sorá. This is roughly a 6 hour drive from Boquete. Our Airbnb was in Altos Del Maria which is a gated community that is like being in a national park. It boasts a first-class infrastructure including miles of paved roads, vast common areas, waterfalls, rivers, hiking trails, observation decks, parks, lookout points, flowers and trees everywhere. It was a great place to relax, however a drawback was the distance to daily necessities such as shopping, restaurants and medical care . The majority of people with homes here use it as a second home or vacation getaway.

Since we were guests of an owner in the development, we’l were able to access the secret road just for residents that connects Altos Del Maria to El Valle which took just over 1/2 hour. Without this alternate route, it would have taken an extra hour!

It was really nice to see another part of this beautiful country checked off the bucket list.

Ukraine

My apologies, I don’t have a lot of words or pictures to share this week, just a few thoughts…

Nancy and I have been in Panamá for the past month and a half, before that in Florida for a time, living our lives and pursuing our goals and ambitions.  We try to avoid discussing politics or national and world events with too many people because different opinions can lead to arguments and bad vibes.  Sometimes however there is no escaping what’s going on in the world.

We have been watching the situation unfold in Ukraine this week.  As you all are probably aware, Russia invaded Ukraine after a troop build up that lasted for months.  This invasion should have caught no one by surprise given Russia’s history of aggression.  There are no possible moral or legal justifications for the actions being taken by Russia.  The brutality of this aggression is deeply troubling and the lives being lost have been as heartbreaking as the heroism and the resolve of the Ukrainian people has been inspirational.  From the president to the people from all walks of life are rising up to defend their homeland.  We hope and pray that their efforts and resolve and sacrifice are not in vain.

We were troubled by the lack of more international effort to aid the Ukrainian people and their country.  At first it seemed as if Russia was getting the equivalent of a parking ticket as punishment for invading a sovereign nation.  Thankfully the sanctions are increasing in potency and more aid appears to be on the way as international anger grows.

We stand with the people of Ukraine.

Nos preguntamos ¿qué será de todas nosotros?

Saludos, Craig

What is a Mola?

Craig and I have been collecting them for 2-3 years now and want to share with you what exactly a Mola is, as well as a little history behind them.

Nancy holding a Mola
our first mola purchase

Molas are brightly colored textiles created by the indigenous Gunas of the Kuna Yala Comarca from the San Blas region of Panamá. Mola means “cloth” or “clothing” in the Kuna language. These panels of stacked cloth are used to make women’s blouses or upper garments. The colorful layers of cloth are cut, and hand sewn into designs for fronts and backs of Kuna women’s blouses.

The tradition is characterized by tiny, fine stitches, bold designs and bright colors. The traditional designs range from complex geometric patterns to depictions of turtles, jungle birds and other things found in the Kuna environment. Over time however, Molas started to evolve with the changing times and include references to the modern world. An important concept in the creation of a Mola is to leave as little unworked space as possible as the Kunas believe that evil spirits can settle into the free spaces. And the more finely crafted a Mola is, as well as the number of panels, the more valuable it becomes.

The Mola originated with the tradition of Guna women painting their bodies with geometric designs using available natural colors. In later years these same designs were woven in cotton upon the arrival of the Spaniards and missionaries who brought their wares to Panamá.

Over the decades, Molas were increasingly marketed to tourists. Today, Mola panels have many uses. They can be framed as art or made into pillows, place mats, wall hangings, or even face masks. They have become a major source of income for the Kuna people.

Our Mola Collection

framed parrot mola
beautiful, framed parrot mola

We have been collecting molas for the past 2-3 years now. Initially I just wanted souvenirs for the family back home in the USA. It has since turned into a bit of a passion to share these beautiful pieces of art to the world.

framed toucan mola
beautiful, framed toucan mola

Early on in our Panamá adventure, we became fast friends with Remy, a Kuna working in the hospitality and tourism industry in Panama City. We always stayed in touch and met up with him whenever we were in the city. As it turns out, his mother and other family members still make these molas!

molas in production
a few molas currently in production

Needless to say, our home will be decorated with molas that were beautifully matted and framed by Craig. And, we will also have some available for sale, either unframed or completely ready to hang. If interested, please feel free to contact me.

pineapple mola
pineapple mola
tortuga mola
turtle mola

Hope you enjoyed reading a bit about Kuna Yala molas!

Impressions of Boquete 2022

We have been in our new rental in Volcancito for just about a month, and I want to share some of our thoughts and experiences.

sunset through the clouds

Although getting to our house involves a 1.4 kilometer drive over some very rough roads without a guardrail to be seen, once we’re here its a great house to be in. We have the last place on the road, and there is almost no traffic and very few people. We have a lot of privacy and splendid views of part of Boquete from our terrace and even more spectacular views of the downtown from a lookout point just across from our driveway. We are in the middle of the dry season but its also the windy season and from our vantage point the weather is endlessly fascinating. In the mornings and evenings we can see bajareque rolling down from the mountains to the north of town and covering much of the downtown in a cold damp drizzly mist with beautiful rainbows above. Sunrises and sunsets are accompanied by precipitous rises and drops in the temperature with changes in the light and clouds happening minute by minute. The weather and climate are one of the things that draw us to the highlands of Panamá and reminds us how lucky we are to be here.

We have been hearing from some long term expat residents Panamanians we know how demographics seem to be changing rapidly here. There are a lot more expats (gringos) here now and more on the way, judging by what we hear about the real estate market. We have heard of some people actually buying property sight unseen, and just pulling up stakes and moving here. We would never advise anyone to move here without visiting, getting to know the area, getting to know the culture, learning some Spanish, and just taking things step by step. Unfortunately there seem to be a fair amount of expats here who have no interest in learning the language or the culture, and even worse in our view, bringing their politics, biases, prejudices, and pettiness with them.

Panamá is a great place to be, but it’s not the United States or Canada. Electricity and internet tend to go in and out, sometimes for extended lengths of time. Water may be off unexpectedly, also sometimes for extended lengths of time. On one occasion a few years back we were without water for eight days. We used what we had in our tank for flushing toilets and cooking and we took showers at our gym. Some of the roads here are beyond sketchy and if you stray off the beaten path at all a four wheel drive with decent ground clearance can be a necessity. Panamá seems to be a country where no one ever looked at a hill or a mountain and said “That’s too steep for a road”. Off the highway a lot of two lane roads are about a car and a half wide, often with a cliff on one side, a steep drop off on the other, and tremendous potholes in between (if the road is paved at all). A lot of the drivers here do not drive slowly no matter what the conditions may be, which just adds to the excitement.

But with all that being said, we love being here. We enjoy learning Spanish, leaning the culture, and meeting new people and making new friends. The people of Panamá are, in our experience, some of the friendliest and nicest people we have ever met. Everything it has taken for us to be here has been well worth the effort and investment and we’re moving forward with our adventures.

Saludos, Craig

Living in Panama – The Ultimate Guide for Expats

De Todo Un Poco (This and That)

Federal Mall

a little grocery shopping in El Fuerte

We took a drive this week to the new Federal Mall just north of David to check it out. We had heard there was a nice new grocery store, El Fuerte, that was 2 floors. I was very impressed with the selection and prices. The first floor is all groceries, and the 2nd floor includes clothing, shoes, and various other items. They had an escalator-type walkway going to the second floor. A few flagship stores had taken residence in the new mall right before Covid hit, then everything was at a standstill. Things seem to be back on course and filling up. The mall itself also has 2 levels and once fully occupied, will have over 300 stores. It is advertised as a world-class shopping experience that is completely closed and air conditioned throughout. In addition to El Fuerte is Titan, El Costo, Steven’s, Felix, Arrocha Pharmacy, Madison Store, and Cinépolis movie theaters with the latest audiovisual technology. In addition will be a Food Court and entertainment venues for children and the whole family.

Craig’s favorite…63 cents a can

Jaramillo Hike

my new friend

Today we did over a 4-mile hike on some back roads in Jaramillo walking on mostly gravel. The highest point of our hike was 1700 meters (5577 feet) above sea level and the views were spectacular. We passed by beautiful pastures with cows grazing (and seemingly anxious to say hello), as well as some friendly domesticated dogs.

Weather / Fires

Our weather here has been beautiful with no rain, maybe a bit of bajareque (fine and light rain that falls in the mountain areas of Panamá). Bajareque brings lots of beautiful rainbows! Since it is the dry / windy season here in Panama, fires in the canyons occur. The fire department (los bomberos) do controlled burns, but so do land-owners. It’s very possible for a fire to get out of hand. Here is a view from our terrace of a fire in the canyon.

fire burning in the canyon

Working Out

Free weights

One of our favorite places in Boquete is The Haven Gym and Spa. In between hiking, we work out at the gym there. Upstairs they had recently upgraded all their cardio equipment and have Echelon bikes and a rower that connect to the internet. They have also upgraded their treadmills and elliptical machines. Downstairs are weights and various weight machines for all areas of the body. In addition, they have great masseuses in their spa, Fatima and Angelica. We treated ourselves this week to 1-hour deep tissue massages for $49.50 each.

cardio machines upstairs

Hasta luego…

JUST FOR FUN! On one of our recent trips from David, this man is entertaining people in their cars with machetes.

Hiking Pianista Trail

Yesterday was our first hike since being back in Boquete. We have always had the intention to hike the Pianista trail, but we hadn’t gotten around to it. Our friend, Jim (Route to Retire) invited us to tag along with him and his family as well as another family that are fairly new here. The beginning of the hike takes you through cow-dotted rolling farmland in a fairly steady uphill climb. Crossing through little streams and sketchy bridges along the way, I was glad I wore my hiking boots which saved me from having wet feet! We did a lot of chatting as we walked along (and a lot of huffing and puffing), getting caught up on things since we left in July. When we reached a fork, we were uncertain which way to go. We first went left, but turned around after a short distance. Backtracking, we took a right at the fork and continued for a while until we reached a hilltop with a small cow pasture that had a sketchy path that you had to climb down. None of us knew where it led or if we were on the right path at that point. The younger hikers (everyone but Craig and I) started to descend down. I gave it a go with Craig behind me. I was a bit nervous about it. One wrong step could lead to an injury so Craig and I decided to climb back up and head back down the trail on our own the way we came, but as it turned out, the rest followed us out as well. We never did get to see the part of the Pianista trail that goes through the jungle cloud forest. We will definitely try this another time after we do some more research. On our way out, we passed a lone female hiker. It made me think of a cautionary tale of two Dutch girls who went missing on the trail in 2014. Their remains were subsequently found.

It is summer in Panamá and that brings the annual Flower and Coffee Fair in Boquete (Feria de las Flores). We had visited this a few years back. The fairgrounds are adorned with beautiful local flowers as well as vendors selling their wares, food and drink stands, and nightly music. It brings a lot of tourists to Boquete. Finding a parking spot downtown is near impossible. Our house is up on a hill in Volcancito that overlooks downtown Boquete. The sound really carries and can hear the nightly bands playing. The first night of the fair was the loudest, with music and fireworks going into the wee hours of the morning. The wind must have been blowing in just the right direction that night! Summer season here also brings high winds. I’m still getting used to the sounds the house makes during these high winds. Afternoons, the breezes are warm and feel wonderful on a sunny day. At night, there is a big difference in temperature and ready for a sweatshirt and jeans.

According to my Altimeter app, we are at 1160 meters above sea level, which is about 3805 feet above sea level. Being up this high makes you more susceptible to the sun’s rays, even if it is cloudy. Sunscreen is a must. The Panamanians know this all too well as many of them wear long pants, long sleeves, hats or umbrellas to block the rays.

This is my view as I write this…not too shabby! But oh no, the power just went out as I write. I think I will end off here and pick up a good book to read.

Travel to Boquete 2022

Boquete rainbow

When I was younger, I used to enjoy traveling much more but now its just turned into something I dread. Of course, traveling with Covid-19 in the world doesn’t help, but it seems getting anywhere these days is just one annoyance followed by waiting, followed by another annoyance, more waiting, more annoyances, and all the time hoping everything goes more or less according to schedule.

waiting for David flight (muy aburrido)

So we are back in Panamá, after two long days of planes, delays, and automobiles.  We were scheduled to fly from Fort Lauderdale to Panamá City on Saturday, and then to David Panamá on the COPA Sunday morning flight, and then get picked up by friends and driven to Alto Boquete where we are renting a house.  Our Sunday morning flight was cancelled but we managed to make the afternoon flight, our friends who were picking us up came down with Covid-19 symptoms so we had to find a new ride, and we had to make quite a few changes on the fly.  Luckily, we have enough friends and contacts and we were able to make everything work.

We had left our car with our friends at Value Motors in Boquete (Thank you Victor and George!) and yesterday we were able to pick it up and finally get to our rental.  We spent a couple of hours with the owners (who are themselves traveling back to the United States) reviewing the water system, power, internet, security systems, etc.  Houses here tend to be a bit more complicated, with various water filters that need cleaning and maintenance, back up tanks, pipes and valves, unique plumbing requirements, electrical systems and back ups, pest and insect barriers, and peculiar individual quirks that all houses here seem to have.  Then of course it was time to look up some friends we hadn’t seen for the past six month or so, buy some groceries, and finally try to get a good night’s rest with nothing important pressing for the next day.

Although its only been a few days since we arrived in Panamá it feels really good to be back.  Getting to our house is interesting with over a kilometer of very sketchy access roads and driveway, but once you’re here the view is spectacular and the privacy is almost total.  We are directly above Bajo Boquete and we can look down on the entire town.

My apologies for the lack of blog posts lately, but now that were back you can expect a lot more activity and blog posts to be forthcoming.  We welcome any comments and we will answer any questions, so please reach out to just say Hello!

Saludos, Craig

Family Matters in the U.S.A.

Time sure flies and I have been neglecting our blog. My apologies for the lapse in our posts.

Due to a family emergency, we returned to the U.S. in July. We spent 4 lovely months in Boquete, but an unexpected death in the immediate family brought us back. We’ve pretty much been laying low since then. We had to let our Boquete rental go as we are planning to be here in the US until the end of the year. We boxed up our things to leave with good friends. We also left our car with another good friend. This will make things a lot easier on us when we come back to Panamá. We love Panamá despite its imperfections, the people that we have met there especially.  

Something I have been giving much thought to these past 2+ years since getting our residency is I really do miss family. I thought I could deal with it better and of course I expected all of them to just fly on down to see us. Like on episodes of International House Hunters, they all say “I want extra space for all the company we’re gonna have”! Well, that just doesn’t happen unless money is not an issue. We were blessed to have Craig’s daughter visit us but that was our one and only visitor. Just seeing them once a year when we flew back just wasn’t enough for me. The financial burdens for family to fly down, especially with young children, it was very daunting. Between 4 children and 7+ grandchildren (another on the way), I was always thinking what I was missing. I felt a strong need to have a home base in the US once again (and get our things out of storage). Craig acquiesced and here we are. Yes, I know some of you might want to judge me on this…the problems here in the US are hard to dismiss. I had to look past this and do what my heart was telling me. We purchased a home in Florida close to Craig’s family, yet easy enough to take trips up north to be with the kids. And vice versa, the kids always have a place to come down south to for get togethers.  We are heading back down to Panamá after the Christmas holidays and have secured a rental for half a year. The best of both worlds. We miss our Boquete family but we will be back!

Enough about that…what have we been up to? After spending some time in Pennsylvania, we started furnishing our new Florida home and are acclimating to our new reality. The beach is a short drive away, family time with the brothers-in-law, going to the gym, walking, cycling, tikis, etc. I’ve also been doing a lot of crochet projects as there are new babies on the way.

I hope you are all well and staying safe. Oh, and by the way, before we left Panamá we were able to get our second Pfizer shots (yay!) Here are a few random pics of family and what we’ve been up to.

¡Hasta luego!