Category: Adventure Central

We Are Often Asked How We Keep Busy During Our Retirement…

Many times during the year we are asked what we do to keep busy during our retirement here in Panama. The truth is that we do not know how we ever had time to hold down jobs. We find ourselves amazed nearly every evening by the miraculous sunsets and every day seems to have an agenda of its own. Jen has been working remotely a little on the side by the wonderful power of the internet, and I have been doing a little writing aside from the blog. Later in this post I will share an excerpt from my book which is about 90 percent complete, but has yet to be delivered to the editor. I hope you will all find it interesting and provide me with permission to contact you, once it is published, to let you know how to get your hands on a copy.

We continue to have occasional guests and this past week we entertained Jen’s brother and his lovely wife. Their stay was much too short, but we managed to take them on a couple of great adventures. We have recently taken a wonderful trip to spend some time with some of my family in Florida. We found Florida to be cold by our standards having spent the better part of the last two years here in Panama. We spent the entire ten day trip wearing long pants and both of us came home with colds.  I know we have mentioned it before, but Panama is a great place to explore from. In less than a month we will be traveling to Israel, Jordan, Greece, and Turkey where we will explore the holy lands and further our understanding of our Christian heritage. Shortly after our return, we have a vacation planned to connect with friends from the States in the Dominican Republic and in May we will be taking an item off our bucket list by visiting Machu Picchu. I hope to be able to share our adventures on Facebook and future blog posts.

Our adventure to Florida started with our flight into Miami where we rented a car and traveled up through alligator alley and the everglades to our final destination in Punta Gorda. My dad and sister live in the resort community there and have a life similar to ours in that many snowbirds spend half the year there and the rest of the year elsewhere. As great as the area is, I still could not imagine retirement anywhere that does not provide summer activities all year long. Our goal was to find never ending summer and we did that in Panama. I often find myself complaining about the drivers here in Panama, but frankly they are just as bad in Florida. The other huge factor for us is the cost of living. We would not have near the lifestyle in Florida that we have in Panama. We wanted to live where the month runs out before the money and Panama is working well for us. It was nice for us to visit because we needed to upgrade our cell phones and do a little shopping in addition to spending time with family and friends. There are things that we just cannot find readily available in Panama that we like to shop for while we are Stateside. We do shop from Panama on Amazon Prime, however we have to pay for the additional shipping from Miami to our home here. Panama does not have mail service and everything we have sent goes to a box in Coronado. Some people are bothered by not getting mail, however it has not been a problem for us at all. It was unbelievable how much junk was in our mailbox every day. Our daughter gets our important correspondence and forwards it on in an email. We pay our bills on-line like the majority of people living overseas. We also had the chance to meet some friends from our old church in Michigan who winter in Florida, and caught up with our good friends from here that are spending some time with his mother there. We returned from Florida on the day before the Super Bowl which was being played in Miami. It made our return interesting, with all the crazy football fans descending on the town.

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The whole family is gathered for a rare meal together.

It was only about five days after our return that Jen’s brother and his wife came to visit. We managed to take them to El Valle de Anton. Our first stop was the trailhead for India Dormida and the Piedra Pintada or “the painted rocks,” which are petroglyphs, going up to the India Dormida.  This was an adventure that Jen and I had yet to do, and we all found it amazing. We hired a guide and he lead us first to the petroglyphs and on to several amazing falls before reaching the top. The hike is a bit difficult but well worth the effort.  I recommend that only accomplished hikers take the trail all the way to the top and beyond. We stopped short of the top which was approximately 1 hour. Once at the top our guide explained that one would be able to see the rim of the volcano and the Sleeping Princess from a very different perspective. On the hike back down we came across a guy carrying a bunch of concrete blocks up the mountain. Our guide explained that his family had purchased property in the jungle on the back side of the mountain. The real estate there is much less expensive, but difficult to access. He was bringing the blocks to the building site of their new home. Subsequently we also passed a young girl who was carrying one block and an older woman who carried groceries.

The petroglyphs are pictured above. Our guide told us that the painted rocks were believed to be a map painted by natives for others that would be coming after them. After we left there we continued up the road a bit to el Macho. Jen and I took the easy hike to the waterfalls while Deb and Bill took in the experience by zip-line. We concluded the experience at El Valle by having a light lunch and visiting the market.

We also celebrated their anniversary at our favorite restaurant, relaxed on the beach, and at the pool. We concluded their stay with a couple of great adventures in Panama City. Our favorite guide Marc Vargas gave us a great walking tour of  Casco Viejo which ended at a great rooftop venue where we enjoyed dinner and drinks while we watched the sunset. We found it quite amazing how far the restoration of Casco Viejo has come over the past couple of years.

The Cathedral of San Jose is one place that visitors should not miss. The golden alter was saved from the pirates when the priest covered it in tar to hide it from them. The Cathedral also has a wonderful recreation of Jerusalem depicting the nativity. We also visited the Panama Canal at the Mira Flores Locks and the Bio Diversity Museum.  The Bio Diversity Museum was my inspiration for a chapter of my book. I am proud to share this chapter which is straight out of the rough draft and unedited.

      The Panama Museum of Biodiversity Puente de Vida (“Bridge of Life”) is a portal to the richest and most diverse ecosphere on earth. It was designed by internationally renowned architect, Frank Gehry. It is located at the end of the Amador Causeway in Panama City, facing the Pacific Ocean at the entrance of the Panama Canal. The museum inspires as it educates about biodiversity – a complex but essential vision of life that is both a leading-edge scientific theory and a tool to protect our most precious ecological resources.
      A visit to the museum is a must for visitors and residents in Panama. We have visited there three times now and each visit is a special experience. From the air the beautiful building is designed to look like a bird in flight. The first stop on the tour through the museum is a look at the animals that we share this land with. The animals are ranked on a wall as to their existence and some are now extinct. There are others that are only maintained in captivity. The golden toad is one of these creatures. It was thought to only exist in the dense unexplored jungle. Now there is belief that the toads are only still here in zoos and aquariums. The tour continues to a wonderful 360-degree film that challenges all your senses. It even plays on the floor. The film depicts the wonderful nature in Panama, including panoramic views of mountains, rivers, jungle, and oceans. As we continue, we learn how the land mass of Panama was created forming a connection between South and North America. Volcanos created what is called an isthmus between the two continents. The resulting land bridge allowed migration of many species of animals in both directions. It also caused a change in the biology of both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. By blocking the flow of water between the two bodies of water two distinct oceans with different chemistries were created. This natural phenomenon caused the waters of the Pacific to warm and the Atlantic waters to remain colder. As we move along through the museum, we enter an area full of life size cast animals. This exhibit is very cool. It shows the animals in the size and magnitude in which they migrated from one continent to the other. Many we recognize as they are still here while many are now extinct. Much of what I have learned about the immergence of the isthmus of Panama, I learned from the exhibits at the Bio-Diversity Museum. The Great Biotic Interchange or the movement of plants and animals between North to South America began many millions of years ago. Many of the plants and animals found in Panama today have origins in North America while others have origins in South America. Panama continues to bridge the two continents providing annual migration routes for millions of birds. Other animals spread north or south through Panama due to environmental changes caused by humans. Humans first appeared in Africa approximately 120,000 years ago. They migrated to Europe, Asia and Australia between 30,000 and 50,000 years ago. The last continent to have human population was the Americas, somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 years ago. The first Americans are believed to have come from Asia, with groups arriving at different times from different parts of Asia. Evidence shows that they were primarily hunter-gatherers living in low population densities. These various groups made various uses of resources in the different regions of the Americas. Panama’s environment began to change soon after the arrival of humans. Forests were burned to improve hunting and overhunting may have caused the extinction of some of the largest species of animals. Climate change played a part in the extinction of the largest animals by 10,000 BC, but it is believed that intensive hunting hastened much of the extinction. It is believed that humans inhabited Panama before 11,500 BC, but the earliest reliable evidence of Paleoindians dates to 11,500 BC. They were hunter-gatherers, but little is known about earlier inhabitants. It is thought that those early inhabitants lived along the coastal areas now submerged following the ice caps melting during the last ice age. Before the ice caps started to melt the sea-level was much lower causing the isthmus to be twice as wide as it is today. When humans arrived in Panama, they likely found many species of large animals which included giant sloths, glyptodonts, horses, and mastodonts. Most of these were extinct thousands of years ago including horses. The horses were later reintroduced to the isthmus by the Spanish around 1500 AD. The Paleoindians were constantly moving in search of game and food. They lived in most areas of the isthmus, but their communities were small, and evidence of their population has been found in a few rare sites. As the ice age ended there were big changes on the isthmus. The melting of the ice caps caused changes to the shape of the land as the sea level rose. The climate became warmer and wetter which transformed vegetation. People were forced to find new ways to survive in the new climate. By 6000 BC Panama’s coastlines were close to where they now exist. The warm wet climate caused the forests to spread in the lowlands while the cool-climate plants retreated to the highlands. People arriving to the Americas found many plants that were new to them. Through experimentation they found that many of these new plants provided good sources of food, medicine, and other uses. In Panama, wild fruits such as palm nuts, nance, and mamey provided adequate food sources. By 5000 BC inhabitants were beginning to grow arrowroot tubers, squash, and other food plants. They also grew gourds which were used to make containers. Maize originated in southeastern Mexico and spread along with cassava, chilis, and other crops through Panama into South America by 4,000 BC. Many of these crops remain important today. Farming was important to the region. People learned to improve crop yields by selecting the most productive varieties for their area. This agriculture provided a main diet rich in starch. The people of Panama also depended on hunting and fishing to add fat and protein to their diets. People developed tools to clear forest for farming and pottery to store and prepare food. People in Panama made simple pottery by 3500 BC. Eventually pottery became a sophisticated art form used to express ideas about religion and culture. Monagrillo pottery was crudely fired and rarely decorated. Later this pottery was fired with more care using special clays. Pots were polished, covered with fine clay and decorated or painted.
     Ornaments made of gold, precious stones, bone, shell, and teeth from rare animals like sperm whales and jaguars provided ways for the rich and powerful to show off their status. After AD 700 artistic gold work found in Panama was made locally. The people of Panama learned gold crafting from South American artisans. Gold ornaments were an indication of status. As the population of the isthmus grew, families with rich land and other resources obtained status by trading prestigious items, crops and goods or by hosting feasts. Wealthy elites, headed by chiefs, gained dominance over territories that were called chiefdoms. The most productive land became occupied causing conflicts between neighboring communities which led to warfare. Leaders acquired stature by their success in battle. Barriles was the most important ceremonial center of the Gran Chiriqui chiefdoms. Statues and crafted stones found there were likely erected between AD 200 and AD 1000. The Gran Chiriqui had settled most of the western Pacific slope including the fertile highlands. Later villages were established in the Caribbean lowlands. An eruption of the Baru Volcano around AD 1000 may have caused them to abandon some of the highland valleys. The villages in the lowlands of both slopes thrived until the Spanish arrived. Sitio Conte and El Cano were two sites believed to have formed a single ceremonial and political center. Rich and powerful men were found buried here between AD 700 and AD 1000. These men were buried with exceptional numbers of crafted artifacts at both sites. A ceremonial site with natural columns built of basalt, carved stone pillars topped by human and animal carvings, and small stone animal idols was found at El Cano. Stunning artifacts made by the early Panamanians featured the nature that surrounded them as well as their beliefs about it. This art reflects a time when human imagination and the nature of the area enjoyed rich, rewarding independence. The isthmus between the continents natural barriers made it difficult for local travel. The high mountains and deep valleys extending the entire length of it created a distinct diversification of local cultures. By 1500 Panama was occupied by small chiefdoms. The first explorers and colonists from Europe provided us with a picture of what these societies were like. Where the populations were densest people lived in villages of up to a few hundred people. These villages consisted of small houses that had grass or palm-frond roofs, walls made of cane, and clay floors. Each village usually had a meeting house, an open space for gathering, and a mortuary where embalmed bodies of the dead were kept. People grew crops such as maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, and squash near the village. They hunted deer, peccaries, armadillos, iguanas, and large rodents nearby. Fishing was important along the coasts and estuaries. They fished with nets and traps as well as collecting shellfish and crabs. Food and goods were exchanged in market centers. Panamanian societies of the early 1500’s was medium in size and complexity compared to others in the Americas. Each village often had a different language from the next making communication difficult. Panama’s modern indigenous peoples have descended from groups who have lived on the isthmus for thousands of years. They have likely been here since the first humans arrived. Evidence by means of genetics and linguistics show no signs of recent migrations into Panama from afar. Despite modern upheaval and change, there is a fundamental continuity between ancient societies and those groups who still live in Panama today.
     When Columbus arrived in 1492 the two worlds collided. The people of the Americas had been isolated for nearly 15,000 years from the other continents. The technologies agriculture, and societies were very different from the rest of the world. Panama was like the rest of the Americas when the upheaval of the arrival of Europeans brought drastic changes. The native people were decimated by warfare and foreign diseases; they were displaced by European colonists and their African slaves. New domestic plants and animals were brought in, transforming the landscape. The Spanish occupation of the South American mainland began in 1510. Settlements in Columbia to the east appeared in just a few years, with the Spanish exploring much of the region and subjugating many of the indigenous people. By 1519 Panama City on the Pacific coast was founded by governor Pedrarias Davila. A system of roads was constructed shifting the focus of Spanish settlement from the Caribbean port of Nombre de Dios to the Pacific slope. The arrival of Europeans caused death and destruction of the native people. The indigenous cultures were shattered by warfare, enslavement, and disease-causing catastrophic loss of life. By 1550 the native people were nearly gone from large areas where most of the Spanish were settling, especially the Pacific coast. Today more than 70% of Panama’s population is of mixed ancestry. The Spanish colonists were mostly men who came without families. These men took native women as partners. The people born of these relationships were called mestizos and they soon became much of the population in many areas. Where slaves were common many people were born with a partial African heritage. Spanish colonists, subjugated Indians, and African slaves living together gave rise to a new people and culture. In the remote regions unconquered natives fiercely maintained their independence and escaped slaves found freedom. The Spanish imposed their language and the Catholic faith where they controlled the areas. New styles of architecture and urban organization sprang up. Towns were built on a plaza with a church at the center surrounded by public buildings and homes. A few of the native societies escaped the Spanish domination by retreating to remote jungles and mountains. One group of indigenous people, the Miskitos, originating from northern Central America, frequently raided Panama during the colonial era. The declining native population was causing need for a new source of labor. Large numbers of African slaves began to be imported to the Americas in 1518. These slaves were more resistant to disease than the native laborers. By the late 1500’s these people outnumbered the colonists and subjugated Indians in Panama City and Portobelo along with all the neighboring areas. The Spanish began bringing domestic animals like horses, cattle, donkeys, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl and domestic ducks along with domestic plants from around the world to Panama. With the integration of these into the local agriculture Panama’s landscape was transformed. Cattle ranching spread across the country. Today traditional meals in Panama contain crops that originated from around the world. Another important product of Panama during the colonial era was gold. The Spanish built gold mines in Veraguas and Darien. These mines were constantly attacked by hostile Indians forcing the Spanish to abandon mines in some of the remote areas. Shortly after Balboa first crossed the isthmus in 1513, permanent trade routes were established between the oceans. In the 500 years since, Panama has been a global crossroads for people, goods, and ideas. This has shaped history for Panama as well as the rest of the world. One member of Balboa’s expedition, Francisco Pizarro later led campaigns against the Indians of Panama. In 1524 he began making explorations down the coast of South America. These explorations eventually culminated in the conquer of the Inca Empire. The Inca Empire was one of the largest and richest in the world. South American gold and silver were transported to Spain by way of Panama. Around 60% of the gold and silver from the Americas came from South America through Panama. It was shipped from western South America to Panama City. It was then carried across the isthmus to Caribbean ports where it was put on ships for transport to Europe. These riches passing through Panama began attracting the attention of English, French, and Dutch pirates. These pirates were often assisted by Indians or escaped slaves. They raided Spanish shipping towns and mines from late in the 1500’s until early in the 1700’s. In 1699 Scotland tried to colonize Darien, which resulted in a disaster. They were attempting to establish a trade route to the far east. The effort was poorly planned and failed due to disease, lack of food, and attacks by the Spanish. Almost none of the colonists survived to return to Scotland. The failed endeavor nearly bankrupted Scotland, resulting in their union with England in 1707. The route across Panama was short but difficult and dangerous. The trip by mule and canoe took several days and many did not survive due to tropical disease. In 1849 the California gold rush brought a flood of new travelers prompting the construction of the first railroad to connect the Atlantic and Pacific.
     Since 1900 Panama has continued to see radical changes. The Panama Canal made the isthmus even more important to world commerce. Soaring population and rapid development threatened the natural wealth of Panama. The 20th century brought rapidly growing population to the rural areas of Panama. Small farmers were pushed to colonize new areas of forest. By 1950, aided by new roads, most of the western slope of the Pacific was deforested by small farmers, due to growing rural populations. The agricultural frontier continues to advance on the Caribbean slope and in the Darien jungle. Large-scale commercial agriculture began to dominate parts of Panama. Cattle ranching and plantation agriculture expanded for local consumption and export. Today nearly two thirds of Panama’s population live in or near Panama City due to a lack of rural jobs and opportunities. The construction of the Panama Canal was one of the largest alterations to the natural world ever taken on by humans. A large part of the construction was successful in part by working in partnership with nature. The tropical forests and the water they provide are critical for the function of the canal. The first attempt to construct the canal by the French failed due to disease and worker mortality. It was later completed by the Americans in 1914. New medical knowledge helped to control disease and reduced mortality among workers. The United States returned administration of the Panama Canal to the people of Panama in 1999. About 5% of the worlds trade passes through the canal every year.
     Escalating population and development continue to threaten Panama’s rich natural and cultural heritage. Progressive innovative strategies are constantly needed to preserve the rich legacy of “The Bridge of Life” for future generations. Natural resources must be preserved and sustained for the continued benefit of us all. Air and water quality are threatened by expanding development. Using these resources wisely and employing cleaner technology will ensure future health and well-being. Panama is increasingly becoming interlinked with the rest of the planet with the globalization of trade. This globalization will put new demands on Panama’s resources and global climate change will jeopardize its natural environments. The true wealth of Panama is its natural and cultural heritage. Its complex history has helped to create an extraordinary cultural variety. Celebrating this diversity will be instrumental in preserving it for future generations.
     I was able to take much of the history presented in this chapter from gallery exhibits at the museum. I encourage all visitors to spend a half day at the museum at a minimum. New, recently opened exhibits have beautiful aquariums that show the diverse differences between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean.

The book is one of the most difficult projects of my life. I am still at battle with myself as to the sanity of trying to publish with so many other books of its type in the market. It would be great to hear your thoughts. It is loosely based on our blog and chronicles our journey to retire in Panama and many of our subsequent adventures. In the very near future I will be looking for help with the name and cover art. I would be greatly honored to gather your email addresses and comments by clicking on the “leave a reply” area below. As always, it helps us if you will like and share our blog with others who may find it interesting.

Blessings,

Greg and Jen

Another amazing sunset!
Another amazing sunset!

Merry Christmas From Panama

 

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are reminded constantly of how fortunate we are to have a wonderful life here in Panama. It is hard for us to believe that it has been nearly 18 months since we officially made our move here. Looking back over the past year we realize how wonderfully blessed we are to experience life in this beautiful country. We have no regrets and are truly living life to the fullest. Our friends Ray and Diane left last week after spending a little more than a week vacationing with us here. They took our Christmas cards back to the States and mailed them for us. If you are on our Christmas card list you may notice similarities in this post to our Christmas letter. As I sat down to make a final post for 2019, it occurred to me that a perfect recap of our year was right there in our annual letter. Those who read our blog regularly may find some of this year end review to be a repeat of some of our previous posts.

Our biggest news of this past year is that we bought and moved into our own place. We made our offer and it was accepted just prior to the end of last year. Things move quickly here and we were able to close the sale and do a minor remodel prior to moving in at the end of January. It is a 1700 square foot condo in the Coronado Golf Community inside the gates of Coronado. Our building, El Alcazar, is one of the most beautiful and well maintained condo buildings in the beaches area. We are on the 11th floor with beautiful views of ocean, mountains and golf course out every window. Every morning we wake to amazing views and praise God for another perfect day in paradise.

Our first guests to visit in our new home were two of Jen’s cousins Robert Buck and Bill Gilmore. they flew in from Pittsburgh to spend a week in April. While they were here we went zip-lining, took a Rum Distillery tour, Visited The Mira Flores Locks and Bio-Diversity Museum, ate a ton of great food, and relaxed on the beaches. We even stopped along the highway where we bought and ate ceviche’. When one lives on the beach, getting fresh seafood is marvelous and convenient. Buying ceviche along the road was a little unnerving for me, but it was very fresh and very delicious.

While our good friends, Ray and Diane, were here at the beginning of the month, we spent the entire time they were here exploring places that they wanted to see. We took a two day trip to a wonderful bed and breakfast on the island of Contadora. Contadora is in the Pearl Island chain which is where there have been several episodes of Survivor filmed. Not only did the Survivor reality show from the United States film on an island nearby, but other Survivor shows from other countries filmed nearby. One even used the island where we stayed to film portions of the tribal counsel. The bed and breakfast where we stayed was home to crew for some of these filming’s. We spent hours enjoying the beaches on this awesome island and the food in the restaurants was unbelievable. After hanging out on Contadora, we took the Rum Distillery tour. and spent a day exploring in Panama City. We also spent a little time on the beach and went deep sea fishing with Lyn and Ty Gilbert. Ray and I even got a little dune buggy time while Jen and Diane went to the beauty salon.

One thing that we love about Panama is how easy it is to explore from here. While we have been settling in to our new lifestyle, most of our exploration has been local. We did however, take two trips to the States this past year, one trip to Costa Rica, and one trip to Jamaica. We went to Key West in February for the marriage of Jens older Brother Bill Jewell to Deb Wilson. In May we travelled to Michigan for our daughter Hope’s graduation with her Masters in Education. The trip also provided a perfect opportunity to see other family and friends. The Jamaica trip has been an annual tradition with good friends and we were able to continue the tradition. In 2020 we plan to travel at least one time to the States. We also will be exploring Israel, Greece, and Turkey in March, as well as Machu Picchu in Peru in May. We plan to continue our annual tradition of vacationing with our friends in Punta Cana Dominican Republic in April. The first few months of the year we will be pretty jet lagged, however when we are home we always look forward to welcoming guests and meeting our readers when they make it to our area. One thing you will not expect is to see us visiting any place where we can not wear shorts and flip flops. We do not have clothes for cold weather exploring.

It is always a thrill for us to connect with readers. Please, leave us a message or send an e-mail with questions and comments. We had a couple who started as readers of our blog and have since become friends, over for dinner this past week. We have frequent inquiries and we always try to provide a quick concise response. The highlighted portions of the previous paragraphs are links to past posts. Clicking on the links will lead you to those posts. We hope you are enjoying our blog as much as we enjoy sharing it.

Feliz Navidad,

Greg and Jen

Shelter Bay, Fort San Lorenzo Castle, and Fort Sherman

Our friends Lyn and Ty Gilbert are always in favor of going on an adventure and we rarely refuse an opportunity to explore with them. The four of us have the greatest time heading into the unknown. You may recall our adventures previously that took us to the end of the road. A little over a week ago they asked if we would like to go to Shelter Bay to explore the area.

Shelter Bay is at the north end of the Panama Canal. Previously the only access to the bay and its magnificent marina was by boat or a ferry ride across the north end of the Panama Canal. Recently the Atlantic Bridge across the canal was completed which made access to this area a little easier. When we reached the bridge it was a great surprise to find almost no one using it. At first glace I thought that this must be the bridge to nowhere. It basically starts and ends in dense jungle. When we reached the west side of the bridge the roads leading away were all narrow and rough. Ty says eventually a nice road will take people from the bridge to the new copper mine where he works. Otherwise there is a long stretch of undeveloped ocean front from there to Bocas del Toro. The Caribbean coast is very pretty but not as accessible as the Pacific The dense jungle has a little bit to do with how populated this area is.

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The new bridge across the Panama Canal

Our first stop after crossing the bridge was the gate at Fort Sherman. Fort Sherman was a U.S. army base tasked with protecting the north end of the canal. The gate is protected by a Panamanian Aero-Naval company. We told them that we were going to Shelter Bay and they let us pass. Once inside the base we were amazed to see how the Panamanians had allowed the unused base to fall apart and deteriorate after the American military was pulled out. Panama uses some of the former U.S. Military buildings in the canal zone, but has little use for a lot of it. By the way, since President Carter returned the Panama Canal to the people of Panama it has done very well and even expanded under the management of The Panama Canal Authority. The Panamanian Government does not technically run the canal. It is owned by all the people and decisions for its operations are made by directors who are elected to their positions.

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The barracks at Fort Sherman Army base are deserted.

Shelter Bay lies on the west side of the north end of the canal. It is on the Caribbean and like all of Panama is virtually exempt from hurricane activity. Many people from North America sail south to safety here during hurricane season. We found the marina which is on the former Fort Sherman Army base to be very busy and almost at capacity.  The marina has a restaurant, pool, stores and just about anything people will need who typically live aboard their boat. They even have scheduled bus trips to Colon and Panama City for shopping and entertainment. We were there to pick up some paint for Ty and Lyn’s boat.

After we picked up Ty’s paint, we headed south through the jungle. After driving a couple of Kilometers we reached a ranger station for Parque National. The park is part of the extensive National Park system of Panama, however I could not find a name for it. Several of these guys came to meet us as we entered the park. They are called Coate’, and they are a little bit like a racoon. We found them very friendly and nearly as welcoming as a dog. They probably thought we would feed them.

Several kilometers of driving through the jungle in the park we found ourselves once again at the end of the road. The road ended where the Chagres River meets the Caribbean on a point where the early Panamanians protected the trade route. This place was called Fort San Lorenzo Castle. It is a protected historical site and it is a great place to explore. In the late 1400’s early settlers would take their wares by land from the Pacific to a place in the mountains near what is now Gamboa. From there they would travel down the Chagres River to the Caribbean. This trade route had to be protected from the pirates. The Chagres river is now the source of much of the water used for the operation of the Panama Canal.

We found Fort San Lorenzo very fascinating. As we traveled through the jungle we were doubtful that we would find other people at the end of the road. We did, however, find many people there exploring. The price of admission was $3.00. The fort lies on a point where the Chagres river meets the Caribbean Sea. We learned that the original fort was built in 1595. After the fort was built it was first attacked in 1596 by English pirate Sir Francis Drake. The fort was continuously attacked until the original wood fort was destroyed by Sir Henry Morgan in 1671. Morgan then went over land to attack Panama City. These pirates were very interested in this area because early settlers brought gold from South and Central America across land into the jungle high in the mountains near what is now Gamboa. There they took it in boats down the Chagres River to the Caribbean where it went by ship to America. This trade route had to be protected from these pirates. Fort San Lorenzo Palace was part of the triangle of protection which ran from Gamboa to here to the ruins near Portobelo called Fuerte San Jeronimo. We explored the ruins near Portobelo a few months back. Clicking on the Fuerte San Jeronimo link will take you back to that post. Fort San Lorenzo was rebuilt of stone in 1680, which lasted until an attack in 1740. In 1768 it was once again rebuilt and in 1779 it was fortified. It is the remains of this fort that we explored on our visit. In 1980 UNESCO declared this and Fuerte San Jeronimo both World Heritage Sites. As I stood on the point looking over to the Chagres River and out into the Caribbean it was easy to imagine how the soldiers protected this area from the pirates. We were able to explore the moat, barracks, ammunition’s storage, and even get up close and personal with the cannons.  Enjoy a few pictures from our adventure. A picture paints a thousand words, but there is no way to visually or verbally describe this place, and do justice. This is a must see if you are ever fortunate enough to visit this area.

In other news, Jen and I bought a dune buggy. It is great for getting around the complex and beach riding. We have been having a blast with it. 

The first day with our buggy
The first day with our buggy

Our Adventure to Costa Rica

We cannot detail our adventure without a brief prologue…Our adventure was to begin on August 19th. We did everything right and had perfect instructions for our journey. Step 1 was to go to the Banco National and pay the exit tax. Due to past corruption in the government here, these taxes are paid directly to the government bank account and you take the receipt to Adunas (Customs). There they process paperwork to allow you to drive your personal vehicle across the border. We paid the .50 cent exit tax a couple of days before and made multiple copies of every document that would be required. We left early and drove just over 6 hours to David where we would go to Aduanas for the document needed to cross into Costa Rica. We waited for an agent to come back from lunch and were told that due to a computer problem we would have to come back in 5 days. With no other option we turned around and went back home. Investigation told us that the only other Adunas office is in Panama City so we made the decision to go there to get the document before driving back to the border. This would delay our trip to the first of September due to other things on our schedule.

Aduanas (Panama Customs)
Aduanas (Panama Customs)

We are often asked what we do to stay busy during retirement. To be honest, we never have trouble staying busy. We are active in our church, do some volunteer work, relax at the pool, read, and spend time with friends. One of our volunteer opportunities is with the local health and respite (hospice), and they do a lot of other stuff, including sponsoring blood drives. Our misfortune at the border allowed us to donate blood on Tuesday. Panamanian people are afraid to donate blood so the donors are very much appreciated here. We both donated and were in agreement that it was one of the most pleasant donation experiences either of us has ever had.

On Wednesday we took the bus into the city to straighten out our problem with Adunas. They collected all our documents (copies) and told us to come back on Friday. We have limited communication skills, but we were being told that the new computer system did not migrate all the vehicles registered and ours was not in the system. Everything would be fixed by Friday. On Friday we returned to find that the problem remained. We friended a man in line with a similar problem. Fortunately he was fluent in Spanish and English, and he helped us to get through the process. They had to do a hand search for our vehicle record to authorize us to take it across the border. They asked us to return in two hours.  It was a monumental accomplishment when we  returned to find they were going to issue the document.

The document to allow our car to leave Panama.
The document to allow our car to leave Panama for 90 days.

On September 1st we took off on our Costa Rica adventure again. We were able to pass through the border, but I must say that it is much harder to travel from country to country here than it is to cross into the United States. Here they want to make sure you will not be staying for more than a visit. It is the legal process. We do not recommend travel like this without good instruction. We had good instruction including multiple copies of numerous documents, and a specific order to do each task. We do not know which was worse, going to Costa Rica or returning to Panama. Both border crossings were stressful, but not impossible. We both agree that it was worth the trouble, and will likely return for another visit in the future.

One of the reasons we selected Panama as our retirement home is they use U.S. currency. One thing we recommend when traveling is to get some foreign currency in advance. This was our first mistake. While at the border we were required to purchase Costa Rican car insurance. Using U.S. dollars, we think, caused us to pay a premium for this insurance. On our travel day (Sunday) no banks were open for the exchange of money. We usually pay for most things with a no foreign transaction fee bankcard, and that worked well for us until we were able to obtain Colonies (Costa Rican dollars). With Colonies in hand we were able to enjoy the roadside diners (Soda) we love, as well as make small purchases. At the end of our adventure we returned with just over $100 USD worth of Colonies.

The other thing we returned with is Momanes. Momanes are a Central American fruit that we are calling “hairy balls” because they have an appearance like, well you know. They really are yummy. When you peal away the skin they look and taste like a big white grape. They have a pit in the center, which you do not eat.

Our first stop in Costa Rica was a wonderful port town called Quepos. We did not want to drive after dark and this was a perfect place to spend the night. We had a great meal and outstanding service at an oceanfront hotel. While we had dinner we enjoyed a spectacular sunset. Our plan for morning was to wait until the bank opened, to exchange cash. This allowed us to wander about on the boardwalk and enjoy a great breakfast. When the bank opened at 9 a.m. we discovered a long line because of 1st of the month payday. Rather than endure the line we elected to continue on our adventure with no Colonies. This was not a problem. We stopped at a wonderful restaurant along the road that accepted our card, and paid a toll with a US Dollar (it was about .35 cents).

We were once again on the road to Surfside. Our good friends own a home there and we will stay with them for a few days to explore the Gold Coast beaches. The journey was another 6 hours on roads that appeared to be carved right out of the jungle rain forest. We spent most of the ride in awe of the beauty of the country. Much of the ride was along the Pacific Coast with small beachfront towns along the way. The roads, even the Pan-American Highway, were primarily two lane and paved. They were also mostly in good repair. We were able to use the Wayz app on our phones, and it worked flawlessly. Forgive us for not taking pictures along the journey. We found that often there were limited space to pull off the road for photo opportunities. The pictures below are from a stop along the coast at a small town called Jaco.

We arrived mid afternoon at our friends, John and Barbie’s home. Their home is located in a beachfront community near the town of Potrero. We noticed that there are many expats living and vacationing in these areas. The locals are much better at speaking English than in most of Panama. But, like anywhere in Central America a little Spanish goes a long way. The restaurants, bars, and breakfast sodas were numerous and most seemed to be doing well even in the slow season.  Over the next few days we enjoyed exploring the area. John and Barbie took us to an upscale condo project called Las Catalinas, which was like walking into a movie set in Italy. It was very beautiful and quiet. We took about 100 pictures but will only share a few. These homes here were in the million USD range.

Las Catalina looks just like an Italian village
Las Catalina looks just like an Italian village

We also explored numerous beaches. Playa Penca was incredibly beautiful and deserted. There was a road adjacent to the beach and we followed it to the end. I promised an end of the road story and this is it. It was somewhat anti-climatic but it was, no doubt, another in what we hope will be  a long lasting theme to our end of the road stories.

Playa Penca
Playa Penca

John and Barbie took us to several great beaches. Some were literally deserted, while others had a lot of people around. The beach at Witches Rock in Tamarindo was a surfers paradise. There were surfers around waiting for high tide, when they would take a lesson or hit the surf. We enjoyed a great lunch on the beach and browsed through some of the great shops.

After visiting Tamarindo we went to an amazing pool at Mar Vista for an afternoon of relaxing and swimming. This infinity pool is separated from the ocean by jungle and rain forest, but when you were swimming in it you could enjoy the awesome ocean vista.

Along the way we spotted this very colorful and handsome iguana. He was not shy and we got a great picture of him to share.

This handsome guy was so collorful
This handsome guy was so colorful

We could not get over the fabulous restaurants in the area around our friends home. The last night at their home we went to Vaca Loca. Translated Vaca Loca means crazy cow. We came to the conclusion that the proprietor was the crazy one. We were served ribeye steaks, that weighed out at over a pound, with appetizers, one side, and a shot of limoncello to finish for about $12 USD each. It was beyond delicious and perfectly cooked. The truth be known, our friend John is an expert at finding great restaurants that will not break the budget. Most of the restaurants in Costa Rica, with the exception of the sodas, are very expensive. This reality was another strong argument for our decision to retire in Panama. We enjoy eating out and having economical restaurant selections is important to us.

The following morning we embarked on our journey to the mountain town of Tilaran.  On our journey we made a special stop at Walmart. Walmart in Costa Rica is a high end department store and we found the prices to be high compared to the States. We did pick up a few snacks and soft drinks for the road. We also got a few things that have been difficult to find in Panama.

The Ciudad of Tilaran
The Ciudad of Tilaran

From there we traveled on to Lake Arenal and the pinnacle of our trip, a visit to Lake Arenal and the Arenal Volcano. We stayed in a great casita with a full kitchen and an awesome view of Lake Arenal for $50 USD per night. Our friends John and Barbie stayed with a friend down the road a bit. The lake is about 26 miles long and we were on the west end of it. The volcano and the small town of Arenal were about an hour drive away on the east end of the lake.  Our plan was to go to the volcano, hot springs and explore on Saturday. We will head back to Panama on Sunday. The pictures below are near where we stayed. The weather was perfect when we reached our temporary home on Lake Arenal.

On Saturday morning we woke up to torrential rain. It is rainy season and we were deep in the mountains and rain forest. Determined not to let the weather affect our plans, we took off bright and early prepared for whatever mother nature dealt us. We drove to the volcano and the small town of Arenal. To make a long story short we did not get to explore because the rain did not stop. We, also opted against the hot springs as it would not be great in the rain. We shopped around the town a bit and took a few pictures before returning to our temporary home at the other end of the lake.

For the rest of the day we enjoyed meeting some of John and Barbie’s friends and a couple of other great restaurants. Our farewell dinner was at Moyas and it was another awesome experience.

Sunday morning we got up for our journey home to Panama. On the way out of the mountains we stopped for what turned out to be an awesome photo opportunity. We took a picture of the Arnal Volcano with a cloud over the top resembling a hat. The rest of our journey was more beautiful countryside and we thoroughly enjoyed the drive.

We both agree that the experience of driving through Costa Rica was memorable and we will likely make another trip to fully enjoy the mountain experience. The beaches were great, but we have great beaches right here at home.

If you are enjoying our blog, please, like, share, and sign up to get it each time we make a new post. We also like to get comments and questions. We do our best to answer questions quickly. Some questions we answer by private message; while others we answer publicly so others can benefit from the answers. We will never share your information.

Blessings,

Greg and Jen

Exploring Portobelo and Puerto Lindo

We continue to explore The Republic of Panama. We absolutely LOVE this country.

Our good friends and travel buddies, Lyn and Ty Gilbert invited us to go on an adventure to the Caribbean side of the country with them. We were tasked with taking a look at a boat at Marina de Panama for some friends. We left on Saturday morning for the three hour journey to the marina. We found the boat and gave it a good inspection. The twenty year old yacht was priced well, but we found that it did not meet the needs of their friends. It was interesting and fun to explore this area. IMG_2665

Marina de Panama was east of the town of Portobelo. Our reservation was further east at the small resort port of Puerto Lindo. Our accommodations were at a bed and breakfast called Bambu Lodge. The lodge was across the road from the bay and backed up into a dense jungle mountain setting. Bambu had three guest rooms. Our room did not have internet or television. The shower in our room offered cold water only, but otherwise it was clean and comfortable. We were lulled to sleep by the howler monkeys in the jungle nearby, but we didn’t get the opportunity to see them. Our host offered a wonderful dinner and we took full advantage. The Panamanian cook was very good and we enjoyed the wonderful hospitality. Our host also arranged for an awesome island tour which we fully enjoyed on Sunday. The occupants of the other guest room were from South Africa, and also in the area to look at a boat. Before turning in we enjoyed a game of dominoes on the deck overlooking the bay.

Our boat captain picked us up early and took us to the dock. He spoke no English, but the communication was not an issue. He gave us a great tour which included the extensive Mangroves called the Tunnel of Love, Isla Grande, Monkey Island, and Isla Mamey. He let us swim, snorkel, and enjoy the beaches on Isla Mamey and Isla Grande. We made two attempts to see the monkeys on the monkey island, but we had no luck seeing them. We also got to see a marina on the tour. The cost of our boat tour was only $15 each.

In Portobelo we were excited to explore the ruins of Fuerte San Jeronimo. This fortress was the largest ever built to protect the bay.  The Spanish troops protected the bay until they left in 1821, when Panama declared its independence. Many of the cannons are exactly where the Spanish left them nearly 2oo years ago. We walked about what is left of the officers’ barracks, quarters, guardroom and observation terrace over the water.

This whirlwind weekend ended much too soon. We always enjoy exploring with our friends, but wanted to be home in Coronado before nightfall. We are doing a lot of exploring in Panama, and hope that you are enjoying these adventures as much as we enjoy sharing them. Please, let us know what you think. Like and share our blog if you find it worthy. Our travels are going to take us further in the very near future. We are looking forward to an upcoming trip to Costa Rica where we will catch up with some other good friends.

Happy Travels,

Greg and Jen

Exploring in The Peninsula De Azuero

We are continuing to explore the beautiful Republic of Panama. Our travels are taking us from Playa Boca Chica, where we explored magnificent islands and a remote resort, to Pedasi. Pedasi is also a quiet community where we found a few small bed and breakfast type resorts. Our reservation is at Punta Franca Hotel. We found Punta Franca rustic but adequate. There were over twenty guest rooms, a pool, and a restaurant. We had panoramic views of the ocean, but the resort was sitting on a rock cliff. A visit to the beach involved a long walk or a short car ride. Although the remote location was nothing compared to Regalo where we stayed in Boca Chica, it was on a washed out road about 5KM from the pavement. We met our good friends (adventure partners) Ty and Lyn here, and spent a relaxing afternoon in the pool. We decided to enjoy the restaurant at the hotel for dinner. The food was good but the service left a bit to be desired. Our long wait for dinner gave us time to set a plan for our adventure the following day.

Our hope was that we would get a boat tour to Isla Iguana, but the timing did not work out. We decided to drive south along the coast and explore. After breakfast, we set off in Ty’s truck for a day of awesome adventure. The road was sometimes good and sometimes not so good. We drove past Playa Venao which is probably the largest resort community on the peninsula. There were a few people around, but the activity was light. The main reason we decided not to investigate living here is the proximity to airports, health care, and grocery stores. It is an awesome place to visit but too remote for us. As we drove south we moved away from the ocean and into the mountains. We were speechless at the amazing mountain views and farms along the way.

We knew that the ocean was just on the other side of the mountains where it was obvious to us the most important thing to these people is farming. We rarely saw any houses. When we saw people they were friendly and welcoming even though it was obvious to us that they didn’t often see “gringos” driving around here. At some point we decided to drive until we reached the end of the road. We now refer to this adventure as the “end of the road adventure”. We knew that if we continued south we would reach the south end of the peninsula. We emerged from the mountain road onto a beautiful beach at a town called Cambatul. From there we drove west for a couple of Kilometers on a two-track until the road literally ended. Before it ended we did pass through two small rivers. We turned back and went back to the place where we emerged from the mountain road onto the beach. There we found a quaint little resort with tile roofed cabins on stilts and a restaurant. We took a swim on the beach and were welcomed into their establishment through a path from the beach. Along the path we found showers to rinse off the sand. The Panamanian owner waited on us and he spoke perfect English. His wife was cooking and the menu was exceptional. We had no problem agreeing to return to this place for an entire weekend.

This adventure ended much to soon. As we headed for home we agreed to take another adventure together very soon. We have yet to see any of the Caribbean coast. Our next adventure will be to Portebello on the Atlantic coast, east of the Panama Canal. There are some ancient ruins there and opportunities to explore the  islands.

We are quickly learning that this life is a daily blessing. At times we miss our family, but the world is so small now we can talk as often as we wish. We have a lifestyle here that far exceeds anything we could afford in the States. We have chosen to live in a high end resort community where most of our friends and neighbors are English speaking, but we have the ability to go off on adventures that remind us where we really are. In a few weeks we are going to explore in Costa Rica for a few days. There is a whole big world to explore. We encourage you all to take some chances and spend some time outside your comfort zone. Life is too short. We have been reading in Ecclesiastes during our journey through the Bible and chapter 3 verses 11-13 reminds us that “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God.” There is nothing more true for us today.

Please, if you are enjoying our blog, like and share it. There is no greater compliment than to have continuing readers who leave us comments and feedback.

Blessings,

Greg and Jen

 

We Explore Boca Chica

The Boca Chica sign is brand new
The Boca Chica sign is brand new

One of the coolest things going on here in Panama is these new signs to promote tourism. We have been trying to snap pictures of these signs on our adventures. Sometimes we get a bunch and sometimes not so many. There are times when we pass one with no possible chance to stop for a picture. The lazy, laid back, port of Boca Chica just got their sign. It is still shrouded in plastic, and the landscaping is under way. We were able to walk right up and take a great picture.

When we left our condo for our adventure we were filled with expectations. Our expectations rarely line up with reality, and Boca Chica was no exception. Our reservation was made for the Regalo Guest House. our host said just follow the signs.

The driveway was literally 18 KM long which computes to around 11 miles. We didn’t buy in for this remote, but it was really a great place. At the end of the driveway (they call it the Y) you make a turn opposite the direction of the main road to go another 6 KM to the village of Boca Chica. Along the driveway we spotted signs for things that we never got to see. There was also an equestrian center and a lot of wash outs. The picture below is what the majority of the driveway looked like. Our host told us that they had a beach 5 minutes from the house, but we didn’t find it.

Upon our arrival we were greeted and offered a welcome cocktail. The place had breathtaking views and a very nice pool. It was also helpful that the chef was more than capable. We knew that driving back into the resort after dark would be dangerous and a crazy idea, so we ordered dinner and took a swim. The hosts are from Wisconsin. they recently purchased the property and had an objective to make it upscale, remote and private. There is a helipad for anyone desiring to shorten the commute. The host asked if I was a pilot. He wanted to make connections for helicopter transits to this beautiful resort. Surfing lessons are available as well as boat tours of the islands on the Golf of Chiriquí.

We made arrangements to take the island hopping tour the following morning. Our hosts offered up a fantastic breakfast then packed a cooler for us and led us to Boca Chica. We found a secure place to park on a side street, then walked a short two blocks to the dock.

Our captain for the day was Victor. He proved to be capable and knowledgeable of the islands. Victor spoke perfect English, which was a bonus that we did not expect. We shared the boat with a Panamanian family. The couple also spoke to us in English. Their perfectly behaved children were also bi-lingual. They ended up joining us for dinner at Regalo. It’s possible that they may become life long friends. It always amazes us how welcoming and friendly the local people are here. Our tour started on Isla Bolanos where we were able to swim and soak in the awesome sites and sounds of the Golf of Chiriquí.

Areas de estudio is Boca Chica
Areas de studio is Boca Chica

Using the map above to put things in perspective to the left is Costa Rica. To the right of Boca Chica is the Peninsula de Azuero. Our next adventure takes us to the far south end of Azuero to a village called Cambutal.

The second stop of island hopping was where we enjoyed a great lunch. It was the only island with commerce. We saw just one small house where they were serving drinks and fresh seafood. we took the opportunity to restock our cooler and have Red Snapper served with salad, rice and patacones. Following lunch we took a swim on the beautiful beach before heading off to our third island.

Our third island stop was 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 to the dock at Boca Chica.

After returning to the dock we walked around a bit in the village. There is very little to see and do there. It is a very basic little town of fishermen and tourist boat excursions. This is a very popular destination for whale watching. The whales migrate past here from August to October. This is where whales give birth because of its safe warm waters. Otherwise, everyone here has an agenda of fishing, sightseeing, or scuba diving. There are no cute little shops or restaurants. We opted to return to Regalo for a relaxed evening meal with our new friends.

Filet Mignon
Filet Mignon

We have had a couple of other great adventures over the past couple of weeks. We are always willing to share privately contact information for the tours and accommodations where we enjoy these adventures. Just drop a message and we will get back to you. We still are not endorsing anyone and we do not accept payments for endorsements. If you see an advertisement on our blog that interests you, please click through. We do get paid for that. At one time we thought it would help defray the costs involved in maintaining this site. We were badly wrong on that. To date our pay back is less than $5.  We write the blog because we enjoy sharing our experience in Panama and  beyond. Please enjoy, like, and share. Our reach is limited to you, our readers, and those with whom you share. In a few days we will share other great adventures.

Greg and Jen

A New Home In Panama

Often, too much time passes between my blog posts. For this I often feel guilty. I have been attending writing workshops with Lynda Allison. Her encouragement, and that of the other attendees, has been priceless in my decision to continue writing. In the future I hope you all will notice subtle changes in the way information is being presented here. I want our readers to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell Panama in the same way Jen and I do. I am, also, committed to pushing out shorter, but more frequent posts.

In our last post I eluded to our impending move to a new residence. We stand by our advice to rent and explore for a year prior to purchasing here in Panama. We fast tracked our purchase of a home by a couple of months, when we got the opportunity to buy a nice place that met 100% of our criteria. Our research was complete and we moved forward. We absolutely love our life in this Coronado community. There is a huge core of American and Canadian expats living here; with many others spending portions of the year here. There is also a trend of people from South Africa relocating here to escape a deteriorating political climate. We are becoming involved in a local English speaking church and a multitude of outreach activities. We are becoming fully engaged in learning Spanish, even though you can easily live here without knowing a word of Spanish. We have developed friendships that we will cherish for life. All that being said, I think you all may see from where the future of this blog will come.

We bought our new home in late December and engaged in an aggressive, minor renovation. We hired a local Panamanian Electrician for some additional outlets and to move a couple of switches. We then employed a local Cabinet Maker who built some new cabinets to match the existing and add some crown molding. We are sharing some before and after pictures. It feels good to have most of the fine detail done, and be completely moved from our rental. One of our biggest motivations to buy this condo was that it needed very little. We are in the El Alcazar Building in the Coronado Golf Complex. It is within walking distance of beautiful Pacific Beaches, golf, tennis, an all-inclusive hotel, beach club, restaurants, and country club style facilities. Every window of our condo has panoramic views of the ocean, mountains, and surrounding community. For readers interested in the details involved with purchasing real estate in Panama, we will explore them in detail in an upcoming post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The last several weeks we have done far more than work on and move into our new home. We had a two day adventure to Colon where we enjoyed an all-inclusive hotel deep in the jungle on Lake Gatun. Lake Gatun makes up a large part of the Panama Canal. We were located only a few minute drive from the Agua Clara Locks, which are part of the recently expanded Panama Canal. These new locks accommodate the largest of ships. We watched as a container ship carrying over 10,000 containers (1 container is the size of a semi trailer) passed into and out of the first chamber. It was interesting to watch. The canal passage for this particular ship was in excess of $800,000. We also got a look at the new bridge over the canal. It is nearing completion. You may remember pictures of it in our post from October of 2017.  

In keeping with my goal to make shorter, more frequent posts I will wrap up for now. Please feel free to go back through our archives. We love feedback and questions. If you have not subscribed to get our posts automatically delivered to your e-mail, please do it now. Like and share our blog to keep them coming. we remain excited to share our experiences and adventures.

Hasta Luego,

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.IMG_1055

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.

IMG_0893

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.

Sugar Cane
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).

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.

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.

Playa de Panama Lobster and Corvina
Playa de Panama Lobster and Corvina

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.

Bio Diversity Museum, Panama City
Bio Diversity Museum, Panama City

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.

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