It’s been a while since we posted to our blog – apologies! Now that we have returned, you all will be hearing from us on a much more regular basis and we thank all of you for reading our blog!
When we left Panamá, we did not expect to be gone for so long – we’ve spent the past seven months in Fort Pierce, Florida (on the barrier island of Hutchinson Island). We enjoyed our stay there and spent some much-needed time with family as well as lots of beach days. We were patiently waiting for the COVID restrictions in Panamá to be relaxed which took much longer than we expected. There are still some restrictions here, but things are far better than they were when we left. Panamá is reopening and we could not be happier.
Our travels back to Panamá took 4 days and it was a long tiring journey to say the least. We started last Sunday by getting our COVID tests at a rapid test center in Stuart, Florida (one of the requirements to enter the country is a negative COVID test taken within forty-eight hours of arrival). We also had to complete an online Health Declaration for travel to receive QR codes (sent via e-mail), which had to be presented at the airport. This after several days of packing and trying to prioritize the things we needed to take with us. It is a bit stressful trying to fit everything you will need into two suitcases and one carry on each and needless to say there are a few items we forgot, but here we are regardless.
dinner venue at Miami Int’l Airport
Last Monday my sister-in-law drove us to the metro station in West Palm Beach and we took the train from there right into Miami International Airport. And we were not travelling lightly – it’s a good thing that suitcases have wheels or we never would have made it. Monday night we spent at the Miami Airport Hotel, which was extremely convenient, but far from inexpensive (I don’t believe anything is a bargain once you’re inside of an airport).
Tuesday we flew from Miami to Tocumen Airport near Panamá City on an American Airlines flight. All went well with the flight, and the first thing we had to do in Panamá was show our (almost) two-day old COVID tests. Then through customs and a quick taxi ride to the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel Casino, which is where we always stay when we are between flights. It is a nice hotel and it was nice to be back in Panamá!
at the Riande in P.C.
Ships waiting to transit the Panama Canal
Wednesday was another early day for us – out of the hotel by six am and a shuttle ride back to the airport for the morning flight to David towards the western end of the country. It was only a one-hour flight (another nice flight – we had good luck with our air travel this trip) and we were in David by 9:30 am. Some friends from Boquete picked us up at the airport and drove us to our rental in Boquete. We dropped of our bags and then back to Value Motors in Boquete to collect our car. They took good care of our car for us, taking care of maintenance and renewing our license plates. It’s a 2014 Nissan X-Trail, a bit battered, but has always gotten us where we need to go.
So here we are back in Boquete and so far so good.
Four and a half months ago, we returned to the US to wait out the Coronavirus crisis here in our home country. We have been enjoying the Florida lifestyle, the sunshine and outdoor activities that go along with it. When we were debating this while under quarantine in Panamá, we knew that we wouldn’t be going back to Pennsylvania. Although our family is there, we were so done with snow and cold weather. My brother-in-law here in Fort Pierce, FL was able to find a fully furnished rental for us that was vacant (a condo unit belonging to the brother of his close friends). We are actually off the mainland on Hutchinson Island, an area within walking distance to beaches, the intercoastal and inlet…a very touristy place with a laid-back vibe. We are truly blessed!
We knew that this was temporary though. One of the reasons for moving abroad was so we could afford to retire early. Obviously with us back in the states, our expenses were raised dramatically. And the biggie…health care (we are not yet eligible for Medicare). We were self-insuring in Panamá because it is much less expensive than in the US. We could certainly do nothing and pray, or bite the bullet. Because we had a life-changing event that happened outside of open enrollment, we were able to get on a Health Marketplace plan in September. And because of our ages, it still wasn’t exactly cheap, but was much more affordable than buying privately. With no work income except social security and investment distributions, we qualified for a subsidy based on the numbers on our 2019 income tax return.
Our initial plan was to stay through the holidays. I had started the search for a rental for our return in January, reaching out to friends, Facebook, Encuentra24 and Panama Craigslist. Surely Coronavirus would be under control by then…NOT! Most places have seen a resurgence of the virus because of colder weather bringing everyone indoors, holiday gatherings and just complacency in general. And new strains of the virus have been discovered in England and South Africa. Panama had loosened up on restrictions the past few months with everything reopened. But in November, a month filled with many Panamanian holidays, they had an uptick again in cases. MINSA once again decreed that there would be total quarantine again the weekends surrounding Christmas and New Year’s, as well as back to the gender-based days for men and women to grocery shop and do essential business. And they have just announced that January will have more quarantines and curfews. I fear that strict guidelines will be in place again soon so they can get things under control while they wait for the vaccines to arrive. President Cortizo just announced that within 90 days they will start the vaccination process.
So, it looks like we are putting our return on hold. We will stay put until we feel it is safe to travel again. We’re hoping to be vaccinated here as soon as it becomes available. The quick approval of the vaccinations is very controversial, but we have decided it is right for us. Watching the news last night, I saw a piece on how people may have to show proof of vaccination digitally in order to travel in the future. What a strange new world we live in.
Here’s wishing you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year filled with much peace and love.
Hurricane Eta has caused significant flooding, mudslides, and road damage in Chiriquí Province, our 2nd home. Panamá’s National Civil Protection Agency (SINAPROC) is monitoring the situation on the ground and working to assist individuals in the affected areas.
“Media sources report that flash flooding caused by heavy rainfall and rising levels in the Chiriquí Viejo River has impacted multiple areas of Chiriquí Province. Updates indicate that one person was killed and approximately seven people are missing in the Tierras Altas area. Updated sources report that at least 1,000 people and families in Chiriquí have been evacuated. The Hornito highway in Gualaca that connects Bocas del Toro province has collapsed and left an unspecified number of people stranded. There are several landslides occurring in the area. At least 500 residents have been evacuated in the area and housed in evacuation centers as search and rescue operations are underway. At least six people were rescued. At least 214 homes have been damaged or destroyed in multiple locations by floodwaters and fallen trees. Seven homes have been damaged in Boquete District, 15 homes have been damaged in Majagual sector, one home in David District, and 30 homes have been damaged in Baco, with an unspecified number of homes damaged in Corotu, Los Marias, and Baru Districts. At least seven landslides have been registered in Cerro Punta and Volcan and the Ngabe-Bugle region. Several other communities have been isolated by the flooding, and crops have been destroyed. Emergency services are continuing relocation operations for those families affected by the flooding. Resources continue to be mobilized to those affected. Floodwaters are reportedly receding in some areas; however, rainfall is expected to continue across the province. No injuries have been immediately reported. A Yellow Alert has been issued in Chiriquí for Thursday, November 5.”
The Flooding in Northern Panama Crisis Response Facebook Page
According to the PanaTimes, it was reported today that authorities are now confirming the deaths of 5 people in Chiriquí.
Although we are safe and sound in Florida at present, we are very distressed and pray for our Chiriquí friends and family. The Red Cross of Panama and many other organizations and residents have pulled together collecting donations of all kinds for the homeless and affected.
It has been 5 months since Coronavirus reared its ugly head in Panamá. Our blog entries had dwindled since there wasn’t much to write about other than virus-related things. The government here has had one of the strictest quarantines in the world. After much deliberation, we have decided to return to the US, at least for the time being. I can’t tell you how this has weighed on us. We truly love Panamá, the beauty, the people, the friends we’ve made…but the feeling of being trapped was overwhelming, for me especially. It has been almost a year since we’ve seen our family and friends here and I needed a change of scenery. Not being about to go on hikes and to visit the beach are some of things I missed most. Being out in the fresh air made me feel happy, healthy and alive.
We had been watching with anticipation for airspace to open up so we could travel. Just when we thought Tocumen International Airport was set to open, the opening gets pushed back another month, then another. There had been humanitarian flights, but we held off. Since we were renting in Panama and our lease was just about up, we decided to go for it. We found a Copa flight to Miami departing August 14. I had been checking with the US Embassy frequently. There had been multiple humanitarian flights April through July, mostly with Copa Air, United, and Spirit Air. All of a sudden I wasn’t seeing any and I became concerned. What was happening was Tocumen was transitioning into a mini hub, a center of controlled operations for the interconnection of commercial flights. These would be the first steps towards restarting the airline’s controlled commercial operations, but they only represent 2% of its pre-crisis operation. Panamá is still not allowing tourists in, and these flights were for Panamanian citizens and foreign residents.
Having the proper credentials allowed us to book a flight from Tocumen. Since there are no domestic flights at this time, we had to hire a driver to take us to Panamá City for the 6 hour drive through multiple checkpoints. Our driver, Marc Vargas, not only is a world class tour guide, but also a jack of all trades and good friend. He has helped us with numerous things upon our arrival in Panamá 16 months ago. His English is perfect and he will go out of his way to help you. I had to contact the US Embassy who secured a “salvoconducto” (safe passage) for us from the Ministry of Health. This document was proof that we had permission to cross the provinces to catch our flight. Without that paperwork, we had to stay within our home province of Chiriquí. The only people allowed to fly into Tocumen are Panamanian citizens and legal foreign residents as well. We will be allowed to fly back to Panama whenever we want with a negative Covid test.
Entering Panama City on a rainy dayOur friend and driver, Marc Vargas
Before the journey, we sold our Nissan X-Trail, TV and soundbar, and other loose ends. The food in the fridge and other household products were given to our good friend and “maestra de español” Yaira, and her family. We donated some old clothes and books to the “Fundación Pro-Integración Capítulo de Boquete”, who provides handicapped members of our community needed equipment and funds to transport individuals to appointments, and for medications and treatments not covered by social security or public health. Needless to say it was a lot of planning in a very short period of time to execute our exit plan.
I should have taken pictures of our luggage. We both had 2 checked bags each and a carry on. Their weight limit is 23 kg and 3 of our bags weighed 22.5 – 22.8 kg…whew!!! We have a luggage scale and apparently it is pretty accurate. It took a great amount of time to even everything out. Thanks to Lee and Joann for selling us their nostalgic suitcase for $5. It came in mighty handy. In addition to the luggage, we allowed ourselves one large box each of personal belongings to ship back to the US. In a pre-Covid world there would have been multiple options, but we found out much to our chagrin, that DHL Express is the only shipping service doing business in Panamá at this time. They have the monopoly on shipping right now and are truly taking advantage of people. I shudder to tell you what it cost!
Check-in at Tocumenbaggage screening before flight
When we arrived at Tocumen, we appeared to be the only flight checking in and multiple preventative measures were in place. The television station, TVN Noticias, was interviewing people while we were checking in. Alas we did not make the cut.
Our 10:30 flight was a bit delayed, and finally we started to board. Craig and I had a space in between us on the flight (although Copa couldn’t commit that the middle seat would not get sold). After about 10-15 minutes in the air, the captain came on the loudspeaker to let us know that landing gear indicator was malfunctioning and they weren’t sure of the status. What would happen in this situation is drag which would use more fuel. So as a precaution, we turned around and landed back at Tocumen. Since there are many planes grounded now, we were able to get on a backup plane in a little over an hour. We boarded once again, but this time the flight attendant told us that someone would be sitting next to us. This was strange because it was all the same people in the same seats as before. Apparently a man in the back row asked the flight attendant if he could move up because he had a connecting flight to New York, and since we were already delayed now 3 hours, he wanted to give himself a fighting chance to get off the plane quicker and make his connection.
An almost empty airport
How are we feeling about everything now that we are in Florida? Very happy to be out and about doing the things we enjoy, but in a safe manner. People must wear masks going into stores, businesses, restaurants. From what we can see, people are safe-distancing. Practicing safety while keeping the economy open is what is happening here. On the flip side, we miss Panamá and the warm welcome we have received. Boquete is absolutely beautiful and I miss seeing Volcán Barú and the mountain ranges while out for a drive; the friendships we’ve cultivated along the way, even though we haven’t been able to spend much time socializing of late due to the strict quarantine; and the comfortable spring-like climate all year long.
So at the moment we are getting our bearings and figuring out our next move. A drive up to Pennsylvania to visit our kids and grandkids will be happening soon.
We haven’t closed the book on you, Panamá, we will be back!
At the Square Grouper in Fort Pierce, FLFeeling relaxedGetting some exercise walking along Seaway Drive on Hutchinson Island bridge.
We will be continuing to post on this blog wherever our travels take us!
The other day I asked Nancy if it was Saturday and she answered “Every day is Saturday. What difference does it make? It feels like Groundhog Day over and over…”.
Here in Panamá a few weeks ago we had hopes that things were slowly starting to return to normal, or at least “The New Normal” as people seem to be calling the post virus world. Since then the cases here have been increasing almost every day, parts of the country have returned to total lockdown, and the situation seems out of control. Availability of hospital beds are getting low, people seem incapable of social distancing, mask wearing seems to be a problem (for reasons that escape us), what contact tracing is occurring doesn’t seem to be having any impact, and there does not seem to be any solutions in sight, other than maybe a vaccine – whenever that may happen. There are rumors that the Chiriqui Province where we live may be going back into total quarantine “for fifteen days”. We can see that fifteen days turning into weeks and then months, just like the first total quarantine. Nancy is part of a couple of local Facebook Groups and I stay on top of the news and its easy to see people are really getting more and more restless and angry. We are starting to believe that when this pandemic starts to draw to a close the damage to the Panamanian economy and people’s lives is going to be lasting and brutal.
It is the rainy season here and the weather seem appropriate for the situation.
We are hoping we have some more positive news soon…
I was originally planning on adding a blog post today about the light at the end of the tunnel getting farther and farther away. Due to the expanding number of Covid case in Panamá the date for the borders and airspace reopening was moved form June 22 to July 22. We are really looking forward to getting back to the USA to see family, friends, and just doing some different things. When the date was moved we were very disappointed but looking at the surging new Covid cases in the US maybe its just as well we hold off for now. Somehow, that does not make us feel any better, but here we are.
Late yesterday we read on the local news that President Cortizo has removed three cabinet ministers: The Minister of Health, the Minister of Social Development, and the Minister of Housing and Land Management. Rosario Turner, the Minister of Health, has had an almost impossible job trying to control the spread of the pandemic and balance the means to do that with the economic and social needs of the people. We will see how the incoming Minister of Health, Luis Francisco Sucre, manages.
Its early to tell exactly what this means for us, but I believe that here in Chiriqui the schedule for moving forward with reopening sectors of the economy may be accelerated. This will certainly be welcome news to us. Certainly, some changes will be forthcoming.
We have seen friends here hightail it back to the US on some of the humanitarian flights, and some will probably not return. Nancy and I are not sure how much greener the grass is back in the states right now, but its home and we do miss it. We are hopeful the governmental shake up here will change things for the better. Time will tell…
How many of us actually do a google search on their own website? I really haven’t in quite some time, but it certainly pays to do so on a regular basis.
I have to thank my brother-in-law, Keith, for making us aware that our site may have been hacked! Yes, we were freaking out! It looked OK on our end, but when I did a google search on our site, there was a line that said “this site may be hacked” message. I am fairly good with a computer but when it comes to code, that is way over my head. I clicked the links that said “what to do when you see this message” and “remove this message from your site”. It took me to Google Search Console, who showed me that some hacker had added a page to my site, one that neither of us had created. I tried looking for this page under control panel in order to delete it to no avail. Apparently it is way more involved to get rid of.
I started my troubleshooting with my hosting company, Bluehost. I can’t say enough nice things about them, and their hosting prices are very low as well. I spent time on an online chat with a technician yesterday who scanned my files, found the suspicious files, sent me a .txt file with the names of the files and where they are located. So I went through them one by one with the technician. I did not know what suspicious code looked like, but he schooled me on it. I edited each file individually, resaved the file, and finally, the final scan showed we were clean. (Sigh of Relief!). I have been paying for Jetpack personal which is a plug in for WordPress that advanced security and backup tools, but apparently this was not enough. I will be upgrading my security tools for sure.
I submitted a reconsideration request to Google after I got the final OK that everything was clean, and this morning the site is back to normal. I got an email from Google Search Console stating that the actions had been adjusted. So I logged into my account and lo and behold, all is well in Google-land!
I am sorry if any of you have been affected, and rest assured I will be on top of this!
The quarantine where we live here in Chiriqui Province was lifted on June 1, 2020 as advertised. We are now allowed out from 5 am to 7 pm every day, and we are actually allowed out together. At first this was a real novelty and it has been great to go out, but there are still very few places to go, and not a lot of things to do other than grocery shopping, picking up mail, and picking up take-out. (Thanks to Mike’s Global Grill and Big Daddy’s for the great food and friendship!) Masks are required when we are out, and most places will take your temperature and give you hand sanitizer before you can enter. We have no problem with this, everything that helps keep us and others safe and healthy is a small price to pay. We still spend most of our time at home, reading, exercising, working on our Spanish, and this and that. Still not great, but most definitely an improvement over the total quarantine!
The number of daily cases here in Panamá have been increasing almost every day since the quarantine was relaxed. We cannot tell you how disheartening this has been. We feel like we have endured one of the strictest quarantines in the world for nothing! There are even a couple of places in other provinces where the quarantines have been reinstated. It seems like this is happening for several reasons: people here (and probably everywhere) just find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to social distance, people live in too close quarters to make social distancing possible, there has not been sufficient follow up contact tracing, and there has been not been sufficient testing. Testing here has increased lately, and this partially explains the increase in positive tests, but this community spread is turning into a huge problem, here and around the world.
We really hope this situation starts to resolve; we are really looking forward to a trip back to the States as soon as the borders open. We are hoping to buy plane tickets soon, we are waiting for when we can travel safely (relatively) and without undue restrictions.
Strawberry Moon
We finally want to say a word about George Floyd. What happened to him was very wrong; it does not matter what he did nor what happened beforehand, to watch him get killed with his face pushed into the asphalt and a knee on the back of his neck was horrifying. Hopefully, some changes for the better will start to come about.
Some good news…a few days ago it was announced that starting this Monday, June 1, the lockdown/quarantine will end, and instead, a curfew from 7 pm until 5 am will take its place. Children will be allowed out accompanied by their parents in the late afternoon hours.
Yay!
We have been under virtual house arrest since April 1 and curfew prior to that. Nancy and I will actually be allowed out together for the first time in eight weeks. Masks will be required and social distancing rules will be in place, but its going to be a welcome taste of freedom.
During the lockdown we have been diligent about keeping to daily routines and exercising regularly (lots of aerobics on our terrace). Somehow, we have both lost some weight and, more importantly, avoided conflict with each other. We may be in better shape now than we were before all this started, although we REALLY miss going to the gym. No news on that opening yet. We are luckier than most people in that we have a piece of very private property to spread out on. Our Panamanian neighbors have been good to us and our working on learning Spanish has really helped. The government expected everyone to stay in their homes or apartments for the duration which would be almost unimaginably difficult.
Going out during my allotted day/time for shopping has been interesting. Lines waiting to get into stores, temperature checks, police checkpoints, hand cleaner everywhere, and having to make do with what products were available became the new normal. Over the past couple of weeks we have seen a lot more activity on the streets, signs of some relaxation of the quarantine.
For us, the most disappointing aspect of this entire crises has been the lack of news, conflicting news, and conflicting directives coming from the various divisions of government. We have followed the rules here as best as possible and we don’t disagree with the goal of controlling this virus, but the way it is being handled here is lacking at best in our opinion. We feel like we are being treated like children – nos tratan como niños – as our neighbors and friends say. The no alcohol sales, the oppressive rules, the lack of coherent communication, and the perceived attitude of the powers that be have been very disheartening.
It is too early to tell how deep the scars left by this economic and social shutdown will be, and how long it will take things to rebound. I am sure there are a substantial number of businesses that will not survive. Some of the individual hardships we have seen have been heart wrenching. We have provided rice, beans, and some other staples for some friends of ours just so they would have food in their bellies.
So we are optimistic that things here are slowly starting to return to normal – or the “new normal”. How long and what shape this will take remains to be seen.
As the days turn into weeks and quite possibly months, it is easy to let this very restrictive Panamanian lockdown get the better of you.
The nationwide lockdown went into effect on March 25, but more restrictive measures were said to be needed since many people were not heeding the restrictions. Since April 1 we have been on a very restrictive lockdown with different designated shopping days for men and women and a 2-hour time limit to shop for essentials on your designated days.
I consider myself lucky that I have a #8 (last digit of my passport), which means I can leave the house at 7:30 AM and must return by 9:30 AM. I am really not an early bird, but I have adjusted to this schedule. I say that I am lucky because the senior crowd (age 60+), all have the same time, 11 AM – 1 PM, regardless of the last digit of your passport. There are so many that fit into this category living in Boquete. The stores can be quite busy during this time. I have heard reports of long lines and stores that are a bit too full for my comfort. Craig falls into this category but he stays away from the larger grocery stores and uses his time to pick up our Amazon packages at MBE, pick up our vegetable order, and stops at the smaller Dorado stores to pick up any loose ends.
There are also businesses who are doing deliveries to your house which also has been a godsend. I placed an online order from Price Smart, which is basically the Latin American version of Sam’s Club. Tomorrow they are supposed to deliver my order. Hopefully I get everything I was looking for. I would drive to Price Smart myself if there wasn’t such a short window for shopping. Price Smart is in David (about 35 minute drive). By the time you drive there, do the shopping, wait in line, then drive back, I don’t want to take any chances being out past my designated time. Also some local restaurants have been delivering as well as Dos Hombres, who has really good frozen prepared meals.
I’ve developed a routine to help me cope and keep up my spirits. That’s not to say I don’t have bad days. We’re all human and it’s OK to not be OK sometimes. I try to include 30-45 minutes of exercise every morning. Doing power walking videos from YouTube has been a Godsend to me. Craig has been doing the “walk-walk-walk” videos with on lots of days also. I’ve been spending more time practicing my Spanish, and video chatting with our family in the US as well as reading my Kindle and social networking.
I have also tweaked a great healthy banana bread recipe using honey instead of sugar and olive oil instead of butter. I wish I had applesauce instead but I have not been able to find it. Adding chopped walnuts and sometimes a little cocoa when I need a chocolate fix. The crazy thing is I have not gained weight, in fact I have lost a little. It is a ray of sunshine peaking through the clouds.
The alcohol ban which started on March 17 was supposed to tentatively last until April 7, but it is still in place. There has been mention that they are talking about lifting this slowly in the near future. After our stash ran out, it was strange, I really missed it, but now I find myself not really thinking about it too much. Yes of course when the ban is lifted, this household will be very happy! Craig is really looking forward to an icy cold Balboa Ice.
Since housekeepers and gardeners haven’t been able to work, I’ve been unenthusiastically keeping up with the house cleaning and weed pulling. We have a rather large yard here that our regular gardener takes care of. Believe it or not he cuts the entire lawn with a gas trimmer in a very expeditious manner. The last time the lawn was cut was mid-March. So, it is very necessary at this point especially since we are now in the beginnings of the rainy season. We are waiting for these restrictions to be lifted, hopefully soon.
And of course, indulging in a little nap on occasion is nice. I think my introvert nature has helped me adapt a bit. My extrovert side really does miss the friends that I’ve made, visiting our local watering holes, going to the gym, and especially our weekly hikes to all the beautiful places that we are surrounded by.
This has become our new “normal” and look forward to better days ahead.
Craig gave himself a buzz cut, and boy do I need some hair TLC!
Footnote…
Just announced – end of the Dry Law! Controlled sales will start Friday, May 8!
