A personal blog following our travel adventures, as expats in Boquete, Panamá and beyond
“You are never too old to set another goal
C. S. Lewis
or to dream a new dream.”
Chasing Panama…
Our Trip to Europe (Part 1)
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean by ship!
On April 7th, we left on our big trip, starting with a two-week Atlantic crossing from Florida to Italy on Norwegian Cruise Line’s Epic repositioning cruise. Our ride picked us up at our house at around 8:30 am packed and ready to go. Our ship was due to leave from Port Canaveral in the afternoon and we were scheduled to board between 10:30-11:00 am. We got to the port in an hour and a half or so, dropped off our luggage, and waited to get on the ship. Our assigned boarding time did not seem to count for anything, it was first come first served. It took us a couple of hours at least to board the ship, quite a chaotic process. Once on board, we found our way to the 15th deck where there was a bar and buffet waiting for us. A couple of hours later, our cabin was ready. We had a cabin on the stern of the ship on deck 11, with a balcony. A little before 6:00 pm, we were on our way. And as we were leaving the coast there was a SpaceX launch which we were able to watch from our balcony.
It took us a couple of days to settle in to life on board the ship. Our cabin was comfortable enough, but it had a strange layout and the “king size” bed must have only been for kings shorter than 5’10” or so (I am 6’2”). There was a splendid gym which we used almost every day, quite a few restaurants and bars, a theater, shops, and the usual amenities we’ve found on the other two cruises we have taken. There were also a lot of lines and a lot of waiting for almost everything, which we found disappointing. Once we got used to the ship we were able to find our way around most of the lines. The food was mostly quite good, and the crew were friendly and easy to get along with. I have always had a fascination with all things nautical, and I’ve always wanted to actually sail across the Atlantic from continent to continent. As we spent more time on the ship we found passengers from all over the United States and the World who had the same goal. There were people who had come from Europe, just to sail home, and people who had come from as far away as Australia just to experience an Atlantic crossing. There was a man we met from Texas who was taking the cruise to Italy just to get pizza in Naples and then fly right back home.
The first couple of days at sea the weather was fine. We were at the aft end of the ship and it seemed like a lot of the things we wanted to do were at the forward end of the ship, which was over 1,000 feet long. We usually choose the stairs instead of the elevators, and we definitely got our steps in every day. We started to have some rougher weather a few days in and getting our “sea legs” took a bit of practice. One night the ship was rolling so much that one of the fire closet doors in the hall outside our cabin came open and was going back and forth hitting the walls like a loud metronome. I finally went out and made it stay shut. Then the time changes started. Our destination was six hours ahead of our daylight savings time in Florida, and the ship started changing the clocks in one hour increments every day or two. Just shaving an hour off of a day was something we really felt more than we had expected. The internet service that came with our cabin was really feeble which added to our feelings of isolation and disorientation. The crew was not fond of these shorter days as their workload stayed the same, just their free time was shortened. Our cabin was quite dark and with the curtains shut it was very hard to tell night from day. Some days we woke up so much later than usual that we were surprised when we looked at the time. Passengers with interior cabins must have been even more bewildered.
We found ourselves skipping breakfast most days because by the time we got through with the gym lunch was being served. We usually opted for the buffet on deck 15, or one of the interior restaurants when the line was bearably short. With our cabin came a decent drink package and three meals each in one of the specialty restaurants on the ship. The Steakhouse and the French restaurants were outstanding and would have been expensive if we had had to pay. In the French restaurant I discovered that steak tartare is definitely not for me, but somehow really rare New York strip certainly is.
One of the things we did on board was take the “Behind the Scenes” tour of the ship. It was a bit pricey and required advance booking, but we thought it was worth it. If you are interested in ships and what it takes to run one I certainly recommend taking the tour. We started by seeing the backstage area of the theater, then went on to the laundry area, the food storage and preparation areas, the engine control room, and finally the bridge. There is always a tremendous amount of activity on this ship. The main crew passageway running from bow to stern on the ship is nicknamed “I-95” because of the constant traffic. Running a ship with several thousand passengers and crew takes a lot of coordinated work and effort, and we got to see a pretty good slice of that.
We also saw a couple of shows in the ship’s theater. The first was a professional Broadway type production called “Burn the Floor” featuring some fantastic dancing. It was a great show. The second show featured a Beatles tribute band dressed in their Sergeant Pepper regalia, and while the music was good these guys really didn’t look too much like the Beatles. Still a lot of fun.
Close to two weeks of all sea days on a ship does get tedious, no matter how much there is to do. We also had to pay close attention to charges on our on board account because erroneous charges do appear and are best dealt with immediately.
For our next post we’ll write about passing through the Straits of Gibraltar and arriving in Europe.
Saludos, Craig
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.
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
A (Very) Windy Weekend in Panamá
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
De Todo Un Poco (This and That)
Federal Mall
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.
Jaramillo Hike
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.
Working Out
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.
Hasta luego…
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
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.
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
