Experiences and Thoughts about Panamá Archives - Page 4 of 5

Celebrating the Holidays in Boquete

So, what was our first Christmas like in Panamá? Here are some of my reflections of our holidays as well as other thoughts as our year closes.

November and December are filled with holidays and parades. There was no shortage of Christmas lights and decorations, from Santas to Snowmen (believe it or not)! As an expat, moving to a foreign country can mean holidays without your children and grandchildren, brothers, sisters, and parents. We knew this going in, and we certainly had our share of missing them. Thank God for video chatting! Moving away also meant that we would make new friends who would help us through without our family. We have been blessed with meeting a nice group of people since we arrived.

On Thanksgiving, we were invited to share the holiday with expat friends south of Boquete. They had German friends visiting also, as well as a couple of Costa Ricans girls who are currently living in Panamá. We had a fantastic meal of turkey and all the trimmings buffet style on their large covered patio. Our daughter Lauren was visiting at the time which made it “muy especial.”

We recently hosted a holiday get-together, our first real party since moving here in May. Our home has an open floor plan and an was able to accommodate our medium sized group very well. Our outdoor terrace is an extension of our home and made for a wonderful area to hang out and enjoy the canyon view. New friends from all walks of life, both Panamanian and Americans, enjoyed food and drinks, along with good conversation. And it also allowed us to practice our Español.

Many of the local restaurants had special holiday menus for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Living in Boquete, which has a large expat community, you will find turkey served on Thanksgiving and even on the US holidays such as Memorial Day, Labor Day, and 4^th of July, there are special menus and celebrations.

Our town square was beautifully decorated. On Christmas Eve, we drove into town. Our first stop was to have a specialty coffee at one of the many cafes. The Café we stopped at was brand new and overlooking a creek. There was a nice breeze, the temperature was in the low 70’s and it was Christmas Eve! We walked across town to pick up a few things at the farmacia, then had dinner at one of the American-owned restaurants in town which had a special menu that night. I enjoyed a flavorful corvino fish meal (sea bass), and Craig had a Ribeye imported from Texas. We decided to walk off some of that good food and had a nice stroll around the town square and admired the lights. Once we got home, we made some video calls to our children.

Christmas Day was very laid back. We attended Christmas Day church services at the beautiful chapel at Valle Escondido The service was in English and it was very nice. It really felt good to worship at such a welcoming place. When we got home, Craig made us a fantastic brunch and then we spent the afternoon watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Christmas Vacation”. We also had another video chat with family that evening. I have to admit that it was a bit difficult. I did miss the craziness of watching the grandchildren opening presents and running amok. Luckily Panamá is only a three hour flight to Miami, and a five hour flight to New York.

Summer in Panamá : We are in the beginning of summer here. Children are out of school for summer vacation and the dry season seems to be starting. I’m thinking another trip to the beach is in order very soon!

We want to wish our our friends and family a very happy and healthy 2020!

Vehicle Registration in Panamá

The registration on our Nissan X-Trail was due for renewal this month. This is how it’s done here in Panamá.

In Panamá, you get a new license plate every year. The plate number remains the same, but the ribbon color on the plate changes year to year. Apparently it helps police identify expired plates. Vehicle registration must take place within the same month every year, not one day before, nor one day after.

The first step is a vehicle inspection (Revisado Vehicular) by an ATTT authorized garage. We took the car to Quick Fix in Boquete. There were 3 or 4 people ahead of us, but we decided to just wait and get it done. It was early in the month and we wanted to avoid any potential holiday season backlog. Just as it was our turn, the computer to the national system went down and we were sent home. We were told they would call us when it was back online. Garages have to upload the inspection results immediately. We got a call from them an hour or so later letting us know the system was back up and running. We drove back to Boquete and got it done. Surprisingly, they did not pull the car into the garage and give it a look, checking under the hood, brakes, tires, etc. The car was simply parked in front of the garage, a camera that was placed on a tripod came out, and pictures were taken. I’m sure there was some sort of a visual inspection, but not that I really noticed. Unless there is something glaringly wrong, your car will pass inspection. You also need to show proof of insurance, a copy of your title, and proof that the registration is due for the current month. The cost of inspection was $20. It seems to be a good way for them to check up on any tickets you may have and make sure they get paid!

The next step was to go to the Municipal Building where your car is registered. In Panamá, there is no national registration office. Our car is registered in Dolega District, which is 15-20 minutes away. We entered the building, took a number, and waited for it to be called. I was a little bit nervous knowing my Spanish still has a long way to go, and in Dolega there was no English spoken. I told the lady in the best Spanish I could manage, that I was learning and if she could please speak slowly. She was very nice. She told me that I needed copies made of my documentation. Luckily there is a lady doing copies there for you if you don’t have them, and you will be charged to have the copies made. I went back to the window with my copies, paid the $36, and received a new license plate, windshield sticker, and registration paper. That’s it and you’re done. Apparently all the registrations in that municipality that are due in December are pre-ordered, so you get your new plate at the same time.

We still had one additional step while we were there. We needed to get the car title switched from my Passport ID # to my e-Cedula since that is the ID I am using now. When we purchased the car, we did not have the e-Cedula yet. Apparently if you ever get pulled over by police and they ask to see your credentials, the car title ID has to match your credentials, or you will be fined. A very nice bilingual Panamanian man who noticed that we had a bit of trouble understanding what we needed to do next, accompanied us to the Caja (cashier) window outside, gave them the new registration paper we had just received, along with a copy of my e-Cedula. It cost an additional $20, and within minutes I had a new car title with the updated number. So what happens if you buy a car that is registered in a municipality that is very far from you? That would be a real pain. You can have the municipality changed to another district. That would involve additional paperwork and cost, but it would be worth it. Luckily we did not have that problem.

It is a great feeling and sense of accomplishment when you get another “notch in your belt” with dealing with bureaucracy in your new country.

Animals In Panamá – A Trip To A Wildlife Sanctuary

The other day I was getting the broom out to sweep the terrace and something in our outdoor fireplace started moving. It was a long thin brown snake that had come to visit.

So armed with the broom I was going to use to sweep the deck with I escorted Mr. Snake out into the yard.

I eventually got him out into the yard and he seemed to be aggravated to the point where he turned around and opened his mouth as if to say “you better be careful who you’re messing with!”

Our daughter Lauren came for a visit (our first guest!) and earlier this week we drove to Volcán to visit Raquel’s Ark – a wildlife refuge. The place isn’t too much to look at from the outside but Raquel took us in to spend time with all of the residents. And Raquel is not running a zoo. You get one on one with the animals in their cages and you give her a donation to help keep her refuge going. The website for Raquel’s Ark is www.raquelsark.com

Raquel brought a sloth out to see us and he was very friendly but really sharp claws?

The next stop was the monkey cage where Nancy made a lot of new friends. The monkeys were all over her in between trying to pickpocket me. And we all smelled like monkeys until we finally got home and showered. Needless to say all the clothes went right into the wash too!

There were some coatimundis there and they also loved Nancy!

There was also a Jaguar there – he’s been there for a while awaiting relocation. Really an impressive animal! We hope he finds a permanent home soon!

We enjoy our visits to Volcán. Its a splendid part of the Chiriqui Provence. We had a fine day and thanks Lauren for being our first house guest!

Saludos, Craig

A Holiday-Filled November!

November is a very busy month in Panamá. They have five national holidays spread out during the month, two of them are for their independence. They are collectively known as the “Fiestas Patrias”, or “Patriotic Parties” (holidays). If you have business to accomplish, don’t expect much to happen during this time. Banks, public offices, etc. will all be closed. It’s probably safe to say that not much will be accomplished until after the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Panameños love to celebrate and parades and festivities are common occurrences. Workers have been busy for weeks planting flowers and hanging flags all over Boquete town and along the main thoroughfare.

Although not one of the “Fiestas Patrias”, the Day of the Dead, or el Dia de los Muertos, is celebrated on November 2nd. It is a day of remembrance for the loved ones we’ve lost. It is not the huge festive holiday it is in Mexico and some other Latin American countries. This is also a “dry day.” No liquor is sold, so stocking up ahead of time is a good idea!

Here is a list of the Panameño National holidays this month:

• November 3: Separation Day from Colombia

• November 4: Flag Day

• November 5: Colon Day

• November 10: First Call for Independence from Spain

• November 28: Independence from Spain

We live in a quiet neighborhood. The loudest things you will hear are roosters crowing and birds singing. But in many places, it is not uncommon to have loud music playing at all hours. The country is literally in “party mode”.

I found some interesting trivia about the symbolism of the Panamá flag that I want to share. Initially a flag design was proposed that utilized the colors of the Colombian flag. It consisted of equal horizontal stripes of red and yellow with a blue canton bearing two linked yellow suns, symbolizing the linking of the two halves of the planet by the future Panama Canal. A different flag design was finally chosen. It was divided quarterly with two stars. The attributed symbolism was the alternation of the two major political parties in government (originally, red was for the liberals, blue for the conservatives, and white for peace between them). The colors and stars clearly hinted at the influence of the flag of the United States. The Panamanian flag was designed by Manuel E. Amador, son of the first president of the new republic.

Rainy Season

Well we’re back in Panamá after a good trip back to the states and we apparently arrived in the rainiest part of the rainy season. The first thing we did when we got back to the house was to make sure our car started, which it did with no problem. But it had quite the crop of mold growing in it from being parked in our carport for a month! Nancy was a bit freaked out, but after some solid airing, vacuuming, cleaning, and deodorizing the car is pretty much back to normal.

As we were settling back in to our new house we discovered mold and mustiness throughout our house; in some of our clothes, our books, bed sheets, cabinets – everywhere! The mold was pretty light and easily cleaned for the most part, but its probably a good thing we were only gone for a month.

It rains a LOT here this time of year, usually in the afternoons, but sometimes at night, sometimes in the morning, sometimes when the skies look clear. The rain can be drizzly, light, sporadic, or really heavy; “aguacero” is the term the locals use, which means downpour. And downpour is what it is! I grew up in South Florida and have seen rain this heavy; just not every day.

We have been learning how to manage all this moisture and constant humidity. We run a dehumidifier, keep everything dry and clean, keep air circulating, put Damp Rid in our closets, etc. A learning curve no doubt!

The dry season is just around the corner and we’re looking forward to some rain free days. We can’t help but wonder what new challenges the dryer weather will bring…

Saludos, Craig

Visit to USA (2019) and Our New Rental

No, we did not fall of the face of the earth! We have been away!

Just came back from a month in the states visiting family and friends. In early September, we flew to Florida visiting Craig’s family, then drove up to eastern Pennsylvania to spend time with our daughters and grandchildren. Visiting with family and meeting our newest granddaughter, Stella, was very special. After almost 2 weeks there, we drove back down to Florida for more fun in the sun before leaving the US once again.

I forgot how much I missed American beef. Also the many conveniences available at your fingertips. But after 4 weeks we were ready to get back “home” to Panamá and move into our new rental. We feel very blessed to have found a great open concept house with two bedrooms and on suite bathrooms. The “pieza de resistencia” is the great terrace and canyon view. What great outdoor living space! We really love it here. Although a bit further away from Boquete town, we are a little closer to the large city of David. There is a temperature difference from where we were living in Lower Volcancito, where the altitude is 1190 meters above sea level. The altitude at our new place 10 minutes farther south is 830 meters. We are finding the weather to be still very comfortable without having air conditioning.

The month of October is the rainiest month here. Today was mostly cloudy with a little bit of rain, but yesterday we had quite the “aguacero” (downpour). There is a lot of drainage ditches here for good reason. It comes down in buckets. I watched our drainage ditch become a creek as it journeyed through a revine in our backyard down over the canyon. The rain sounded like a waterfall!

In the coming weeks our time will be spent on making our new rental homey, trips to David to price shop another TV and find other items to outfit the new house. Life is pretty simple with no rushing. If it doesn’t get done today it will be done tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day. Such a dilemma! Love the people and beauty of our little stretch of heaven.

Amigos de Animales Boquete

A Day at the Clinic

Yesterday Nancy and I volunteered at the local spay and neuter clinic. Its mission is to provide low cost spaying and neutering of dogs and cats in the Boquete area and to promote the general welfare of the animals. There used to be a substantial amount of stray animals in the area and town itself; packs of stray dogs and feral cats roaming the streets with no access to care or sterilization. There are far fewer strays now than there used to be but the work goes on. There is a lot more information on the website: https://www.aadab.org/ I can’t say enough good things about the founders and volunteers of this organization; they are all just splendid people. Nancy and I live here now and we want to help our community and this is one of the ways we have chosen to do that.

So we decided to volunteer. The day before we had attended a brief orientation and training session but we were still unprepared for the actual clinic. We arrived at 7:30 in the morning and the parking lot was full and there was a line of owners and their pets going around the building waiting their turn for spaying and neutering! There were a lot of people volunteering to make this all work. There was a kitchen set up to feed the volunteers and provide snacks and refreshments for the owners, there was a intake area, a space where ten or so operating tables were set up and a recovery area. We were amazed but we were quickly put to work. I was to help at the intake – I helped weigh the animals, hold them still enough for the anesthesia, mark their tags with their weight and dose of medication, and line them up for the actual surgery. There were large dogs, small dogs, medium sized dogs, dogs with owners, stray dogs, cats in pet carriers, stray cats brought in in traps; just an amazing quantity of animals. And the animals were all understandably nervous and jumpy. It was hard work: getting the animals to hold still on the scales and holding them for the anesthetic injections, and lining them up for the next step. Some of the cats were too hard to control and had to be put in bags; cats don’t like being put in bags and between their teeth and claws they made it as difficult as possible! Nancy worked in the recovery area with the large dogs (we are both “dog” people no doubt). She moved them, checked their temperature, and helped them recover from the anesthesia, and got them ready to go back to their owners. Very hard work but very rewarding! We made it to the early afternoon when my back could not take any more bending and lifting, and Nancy was sore from the waist down from spending the day moving large dogs around on the floor. By the time we left close to two-hundred animals and been attended to and there seemed to be no end of the flow!

So that’s how we spent out day yesterday in Panamá. We are both still sore from the experience but we will be back to do this again soon!

Saludos, Craig

News Today in the US

We woke up this morning to the news of not one but two more mass shootings in the USA. We have been living in Panamá for the past three months and although I do check the news daily we had become a bit insulated from the day to day happenings in our home country…until this morning when we heard about the tragic shootings in El Paso and Dayton. It was heart wrenching. We wonder if things will ever change or if this is really the new normal. It seems like there is something dark growing in the heart of our country to make people hate one another so much and for no good reason. Is this the best we can do?

If we as a country don’t find a way to seek some common ground and work together on solutions and to making things better Nancy and I fear for the future. And now we grieve for the victims…

All for now.

Saludos, Craig

We have our E-Cédulas!

The final step in our process had been completed. We had instructed our attorney in Panama City via power of attorney to pick our e-cédulas up and courier them to us. This card is an official government issued ID, similar to a social security card. Without a cédula, anything you do from getting a bank account, electricity, buying land, or even registering your car is done using your passport number. Unfortunately, every time you renew your passport you get a new passport number as well. Changing the passport number you have associated with almost everything in Panama is a nightmare and takes time. You don’t need to haul your passport around anymore. Just show your cédula. It entitles you to all the benefits of a Panama citizen, except voting.

Some Beach Time

We just got back from a short getaway to Las Lajas Beach. It was our first overnight trip since arriving almost 3 months ago. It was an easy 1.75 hour drive from Boquete. The ocean there is a bit calmer on that spot of the Pacific Ocean. There are other beaches that are closer, however swimming can be dangerous. Las Lajas reminds us of the beach on the TV show “Lost”. We walked quite a ways westward, enjoying nature’s splendor, until we reached the estuary of Río San Juan. We also walked on a boardwalk through a mangrove jungle and saw different species of mangroves and wildlife who call the habitat their home.

Weather

The weather here had been mostly dry of late, even though we are in the rainy season. It is considered winter now but we are having Indian summer, and it has been very pleasant. In Boquete about 114 inches of rain fall per year; rainfall exceeds 12 inches per month from May to November, while it drops below 4 inches per month from January to March. At altitudes above 6,500 feet, in the tierras frías (“cold lands”), nights can be cold, especially during the period from December to March. Above 10,000 feet, it can get cold even during the day. Where we live is around 3,900 feet or so above sea level. The temperature is perfect.

I cannot believe sometimes that we actually live here in this small piece of paradise. Hasta la próxima vez!

Thoughts On Life In Panamá (so far)

We’ve been living in the mountains on Panamá for two and a half months now and we’re still adjusting. I don’t think we expected the emotional changes we would be going through. Missing the old routines, missing the old house, cars, even missing the old jobs. Most of all missing family and friends that we haven’t seen and have limited contact with. It all takes far more getting used to and adjusting than we expected. Every day that goes by it does get a bit easier, but its been difficult. We’ll be back in the states for a visit in a couple of months and we are really looking forward to seeing friends and family.
Panamá, despite all the gringos in our current neck of the woods, is a different country, with a different language, and culture. Just driving a car is challenging because of the way people drive here. Its much more of an “every man for himself” mindset once you get behind the wheel. The food here has different flavors, even the eggs and milk. Not bad at all, but not the same. Most of the usual brands are available in the food stores, but you generally have to hunt for them. The milk is not refrigerated, and neither are the eggs. The milk is triple pasteurized so it keeps for a long time without refrigeration, and the eggs are not washed which apparently makes it far less likely that they will be spoiled by bacteria. (There are a lot of indigenous people living in this area that do not have refrigerators.) We have no inside hot water heater – an outside propane tank provides gas for hot water and cooking. When the tank is empty you take it almost anywhere and trade it in for a full one at a cost of under $6, which is enough for a month plus for just the two of us. Despite our best efforts at learning Spanish we still have a long way to go. Its possible to get by without speaking a lot of Spanish, but its going to be much easier for us once we’re at least functional speaking the language. The government bureaucracy here functions differently. Its not necessarily better or worse, but definitely different. Things take longer and there is far more waiting in government offices (some new buildings, most not so new). Patience is a required skill here. Its normal to wait in line just to get into a bank (usually past an armed security guard). In Panamá “mañana” doesn’t necessarily mean tomorrow but it definitely means “not today”. (“When will the car be fixed? I really need it!” “Don’t worry señor. It will be ready mañana.”) We were living here for a couple of weeks mostly without internet before we figured out that rebooting the router will normally bring it back. The public water system mostly consists of white PVC pipes, some buried, some not. The water runs for a few hours per day with virtually zero water pressure. We have a couple of large tanks that fill up overnight and a pump that pumps the water into the house on demand. The electricity is fairly reliable but it will flicker on and off at least a couple of times a day. Our online life got a lot better once we got a battery back up for the router. We call it the “trifecta”: water, internet, and electricity all working simultaneously.
The more time we have invested in our lives here, the better it seems to get. We have made some very good friends both Panamanian, and not. The country is spectacular and hiking can be really great (and a reminder of how out of shape we are…). There are plenty things to do and friends to hang out with.
We just have to hang in there!

Saludos, Craig